The Best Frosting {a.k.a. Magical Frosting}
This magical frosting is simply the BEST frosting ever. It requires a bit more planning than every day buttercream, but the results are worth it.
I am rarely left speechless {if you are my husband you are seriously nodding your head right about now}. I like to talk {husband still nodding}. To dissect the details of important matters, such as great toenail polish and food {husband falling asleep}.
However, after taking a taste of this frosting, I was left completely speechless. No words. None. Just absolute, incredible tastebud bliss {husband shocked into silence himself}.
The Best Frosting of My Life
It is the best frosting I have ever tasted in my life.
You might have seen the phenomenon of this type of frosting swirling around. I tried the Tasty Kitchen version (highlighted by the Pioneer Woman) twice, and both times it was a disaster. I had given up on the so-called miracle of flour-based frostings until I saw and made this latest version.
It left me weak and trembling.
And do you know what tops it all? There is a chocolate version. Oh, heaven help me.
I slathered this frosting on the most decadent cake I’ve made to date (posting tomorrow!) and I can’t begin to describe the magical web of fluffy, creamy sweetness that is beholden in this frosting.
I am a self-professed frosting hater, which makes my testimonial of this frosting all the stronger. I abhor the greasy, filmy, overly-sugary taste of traditional buttercream. Even the adventurous seven-minute/marshmallow frostings of the world leave me wanting.
But this frosting…well, it belongs in The Best Recipe section no doubt about that.
My search for the best frosting is over.
I’ll be honest, it is a little more work and requires a bit more planning than throwing butter and powdered sugar together in a mixer but I’m promising you here and now that the results are worth every minute.
The real issue now becomes making sure any of this frosting actually makes it to the cake before being inhaled by my little lips.
One Year Ago: Basil Chicken in Coconut Curry Sauce
Two Years Ago: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars
The Best Frosting {a.k.a. Magical Frosting}
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (318 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (36 g) all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups milk, I use 1% or 2%
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups (340 g) butter, cut into 24 pieces and softened at room temperature (I use salted butter)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cornstarch and salt. Slowly whisk in the milk until the mixture is smooth. Place a fine-mesh strainer over a medium saucepan and pour the milk mixture through the strainer into the saucepan. Cook the mixture over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture boils and is thick enough that it starts to become difficult to easily whisk. This could take anywhere between 5-10 minutes, depending on your stove, heat, etc. It should bubble quite a bit at the end (be careful of the splatters) and thicken considerably.
- Transfer the mixture to a clean bowl and cool to room temperature – this is extremely important! If it is even slightly warm, the frosting won’t beat up properly. I refrigerated my initial mixture overnight. If you do this, make sure to pull it out in time to let it warm back up to room temperature. If you try to proceed with the rest of the recipe and the mixture is too cold, the butter won’t absorb into the frosting like it should.
- Once the frosting is completely cooled to room temperature (it should have no hint of warmth at all!), beat the mixture with the vanilla on low speed until it is well combined, about 30 seconds (a stand mixer will work best for this). Add the butter, one piece at a time, and beat the frosting until all the butter has been incorporated fully, about 2 minutes. Increase the speed to medium-high and let the mixer work it’s magic. Beat the frosting for five minutes, until it is light and fluffy. Let the frosting sit at room temperature until it is a bit more stiff, about 1 hour. I suspect if you chill it for an hour or so, it would be stiff enough to actually pipe with instead of frosting with a rubber spatula.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted slightly from Cook’s Country Oct/Nov 2010
What about using whole milk or heavy whipping cream in place of the 1 or 2% milk?
I think heavy cream will affect the texture (not in a good way) but I think whole milk should work just fine.
I made it yesterday with whole milk and it was great! My husbands wanting me to incorporate white chocolate on the next batch. Have you tried this? If so, how much white chocolate and how much of the granulated sugar would you cut out to keep it from being overly sweet?
I haven’t tried it – sorry! Good luck if you experiment!
Would this work without cornstarch?
No, leaving out the cornstarch will affect the consistency.
Just make sure you use 3 extra
Tbsps of flour to replace the cornstarch.
I have made this recipe with just flour and it comes out fine.
Jan
I used soya milk and vegan margarine, as my son has a dairy allergy. It came out perfect and was surprisingly quite tasty despite the slightly bland substitutes.
Did you find the soya milk imparted a strong flavor?
love this frosting so much tastier than any frosting i have made before. i used it on my last 2 daughters b day cakes. one was just plain frosted and the other was used to frost the jack skeleton pull away cupcakes. everyone says how delicious it is to i wont go back!
How many grams for the 1/4 cup of flour? I find volume to be a little bit hit or miss, as some people do the spoon into measuring cup then level, and some people go straight into bag which is packed flour and much denser. Any tips? Thank you!
It’s probably right around 36 grams.
Mel ~
Could I do the first phase of the icing 2 days ahead and then resume with the mixture at room temperature and incorporating the butter? I’m trying to make the best use of my time – any advice is much appreciated!
Yes, you definitely can!
Would it be ok to refrigerate the cake once it is frosted? For up to 1 day? Or would that ruin the frosting, too?
Yes, that’s fine. Just take the cake out in time to soften the frosting a bit at room temperature.
Can I make the flour mixture and store it in the fridge overnight then bring it to room temperature and add the butter?
Yes, I think so
This is by far one of the best frostings I’ve ever made or tasted. I’ll definitely have to keep it as a “birthday only” kind of special recipe because I really kept eating just.one.more.bite. over and over again…just to get to that frosting. It’s dangerously good! Thank you for sharing your amazing recipes!
Did I miss how to store this once the cake is frosted? May I frost the night before, refrigerate, then serve the cake the next day??
Thanks!
Usually this is what I do but this DELICIOUS sounding frosting also sounds finicky with temperature 😉
Hi Melanie, yes, you can frost and refrigerate overnight. It helps to take the cake out several hours to soften since the icing will harden a bit.
Have you tried piping this frosting? Thinking about trying it on cupcakes for my daughters birthday.
Yes, I’ve piped it before. It’s on the soft side so it doesn’t work for super crisp decorations, but I’ve used it for stars and shells and such.
A funny little story about this frosting and a secret…..I was trying to impress my boyfriends family at a first meeting dinner. They suggested I bring dessert. So I googled “best frosting ever“ because they suggested some kind of cake. I came across this recipe, made it for the first time but panicked because i was unsure of how it would set up…..I put it in the fridge…. mistake. Upon arrival to the dinner the frosting was quite hard but still delicious. They said that their secret family recipe was so very similar… And they called theirs “ Mrs. Oliver’s”. Come to find out, theirs is ingredient for ingredient, measurement for measurement the exact same recipe as this recipe. They were a little miffed at me that I somehow had come across a secret family recipe only handed down with the upmost of trust and secrecy. We laugh now!
I have made this recipe over and over again. On hot days it doesn’t set up as well and on certain days certain butters don’t seem to work… I have tried a quarter cup of instant dry milk added to the sugar mixture and I swear the results are a bit more consistent. Hot days don’t seem to melt it when I use this addition. I would love someone else to try it and give me their opinion.
Thank you for the recipe and the memory!
Wow, sounds like they wanted to set you up to disappoint them – why else would they have suggested cake specifically when they had a “secret” awesome frosting recipe? And then they get to say, “well, your cake is good, but it could be improved with our supar sekret family recipe!”
OTOH I may be overly cynical – both my mother and I had horrible experiences with in-laws, even before the marriages. I hope whatever experiences you wind up having, that they’re good. 🙂
Instant dry milk addition is a good tip, thanks!
I never saw the alerts, but they were questions after my post, so I apologize for the two-year delay… I had horrible, horrible, horrible, ex in-laws that were nothing but critical, and being so young when I got married, I thought this is how it went for everybody… It wasn’t until I met my now husband and his amazing family that I realize that there are good people out there! there may have been a bit of a challenge with making me make a cake, but I have nearly perfected their family recipe.
How much powdered milk did you add to the recipe. It’s pretty hot here. Thanks.
Sorry for the late reply…… I used an a quarter cup. I did not change anything else except add that. I’m gonna try gelatin today and hopefully it will be a little bit more reliable. Absolutely love the recipe I just need to tweak.
Does this frosting/cake need to be stored in the refrigerator?
If it’s out longer than a couple hours, then yes, I store it in the refrigerator.
Hi!
When you add the dry milk, do you use less liquid milk then? I will try it, then post my results, but I wanted to be sure first, thanx in advance! ~ Crystal ❣️
I added a quarter cup of the dry milk and I did not change anything else. I have never used cornstarch for the roux… but that doesn’t mean one way is better than the other.
This was absolutely amazing! I’m making it again today. It goes wonderfully on chocolate, pound cakes, and probably everything. I did 2/3 of the recipe and it was enough to frost two full cakes from box mix so be wary.
This recipe is excellent!
Do you have a chocolate version of this frosting? Thx!
Never mind. I’m blind!
Hi Mel- Will this make enough for me to frost a three tier (9-inch) cake? Or should I double or half it?
…And thank you for the ideas for lock down birthdays… We have a twins turning 8 tomorrow.
It really depends on how thick the frosting is – I think I’d probably 1 1/2 to be safe.
Oh man, I have been making pioneer woman’s recommended frosting (from Tasty that you linked above) for years and recently discovered through trial and error that if I added the sugar to the hot mixture the results were not grainy! Then I came here and discovered I’m not the only genius, haha! Haven’t tried the cornstarch addition though. Do you think it makes a difference rather than all flour?
I like the texture with cornstarch and flour.
Made with the chocolate cake. Yes it’s more work but totally worth it. Very creamy and not too seat. Another great recipe Mel.
A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! I can’t wait to try the chocolate version…this will be my “go-to” frosting from now on! -thank you 😉
This is truly the best frosting I’ve ever tasted. I made the chocolate version yesterday for my son’s birthday cake (used Mel’s Best Chocolate Cake recipe). I frosted three 8″ layers with plenty of frosting between each layer and an extra-thick layer around the outside, and I still had about 1-1/2 to 2 cups left for other decorating (or let’s be honest, eating with a spoon), so the yield is perfect. The frosting seemed a little too soft after I added the room temp melted chocolate (60% Ghirardelli chips), so I chilled it/rewhipped it in 20 minute increments until the consistency was firm enough that I thought it wouldn’t slide down the sides of the cake. Everyone thought it was fantastic. My husband said, “I think this is the best cake I’ve ever eaten.” The credit goes to this recipe, though – thank you so much Mel!
When making the chocolate version, what kind of semisweet chocolate do you use? Is it just regular semisweet chocolate chips, or is it the baking chocolate squares?
I’ve used both – if using chocolate chips, I use Guittard or Ghirardelli brands because they melt better.
Best frosting ever ! Used on red velvet cake! It is to die for !
This is probably my favorite frosting recipe ever (And I sell cakes!) This is actually a variation of flour buttercream/ermine buttercream and it is popular because it is less sweet than traditional American buttercream. I have tried other flour buttercream recipes and this is my favorite! Thank you for the recipe
I’m making the choc version today. Think I can sub coffee extract for the vanilla?
Yes, should work great!
Came out perfectly— best frosting ever! I couldn’t stop tasting it! Thank you!!
I could cry this is so delicious. I struggled with other frostings made similar to this, but this one was simple and easy to follow. I want to eat the entire bowl with a spoon.
Do you think I could half this recipe? I have a small batch of frozen cupcakes left over from my daughter’s birthday two weeks ago. I don’t want TOO much frosting, or I will most vmcertainly eat it all! We are isolating at home, so so don’t want to make another huge batch up cupcakes either. I really only need enough to frost about 8 cupcakes.
Yes, it can definitely be halved!
Have you tried to make a cream cheese version of this?
I haven’t, but I think you can sub some of the butter for cream cheese to do that.
This icing I was skepticsl about but Im here to tell ya… Its DEVINE. And I actually lost the recioe last year and have been searching high and low. Found it printed out buried in my kitchen drawer. HAPPY DANCE!!!
I make a similar frosting that goes on my red velvet cake. I use flour and milk and cook until thick, it pulls from the side of the pan. My butter is at room temperature and I cream the sugar and butter until lightly and fluffy and add my vanilla. I add all the milk and flour mixture (it has to be completely cooled) to the butter sugar and beat until until fluffy. I keep my cake in the refrigerator.
That’s the same version I use but I will try this one too. Also, I’ve frozen leftover frosting and it is very good.
How long do you think this would keep? I.e. made it Sat and frosted cake. Put I’m fridge. Took out of fridge a few hours before serving on Sunday.
Then what 2 days? 3? And would you store in fridge or room temp (sorry I’m a homemade frosting novice).
I think if it stays well covered (I store my cakes in the fridge), it should be fine 2-3 days.
This really is the best frosting! It’s hard to explain how or why, it just is. Try it!
Have you tried piping this? I am thinking about trying it on cupcakes for my daughters birthday.
I am excited to try this frosting next time I make a cake! Growing up I hated cake unless it was frosted with a special frosting that was my great grandma’s recipe. It was called gravy frosting or velvet frosting. It is similar to this recipe. It is not too sweet like most buttercreams and has a lovely texture.
The taste of this frosting is amazing but the texture didn’t turn out for me on my first attempt. The second time around I creamed the butter first and then slowly poured in the cooled milk mixture and it was resulted in super creamy, light, glossy whip.
This recipe is perfect! Not too sweet, fluffy. The first time I used it on red velvet cake, my Grandma was happily surprised! Her mother used a recipe very similar to this one, but gradually it’s use in our family disappeared all together. She loved being able to taste what she had growing up! A note for future makers, it really IS important to let the frosting warm back up if you put it in the refrigerator overnight like I do. Once I didn’t let it warm up but started adding butter, and I thought I ruined the frosting! It was a bit separated, it wasn’t turning fluffy. I about died! I kept beating it for about 15 minutes and it finally came together and absorbed the butter like it should! Phew! Also, using too cold of softened butter (my kitchen must be cold!) makes it harder for the butter to absorb. I had butter chunks for a while. Thank you, Mel! You’ve made my ancestors very happy!
Haven’t made it yet. Is it possible to make this strawberry flavor? Thanks
If you mix in pulverized freeze-dried strawberries at the end, it will take on a delightful strawberry flavor.
This is an Ermine Buttercream, one of the 6 buttercreams: American, Ermine, French, German, Swiss, and Italian. It’s the classic, original, and authentic frosting for a Red Velvet Cake. Of the 6 buttercreams, it’s by far the most stable. That’s why southerners originally made this for their Red Velvet Cakes. My recipe calls for 5 T. flour and no cornstarch, so it’s essentially the same. It’s also one of the Pioneer Woman’s favorite frostings to use on any cake. I recently used it pipe onto 350 cupcakes for a kids’ event at our mall.
Did you have to chill it to pipe? Or does it pipe well on cupcakes well at room temperature?
As long as it isn’t overly warm, it works ok to pipe it at room temperature as long as it set up well after mixing.
Made this for the first time today. Cannot get over how smooth, fluffy, and silky it is!! It really is like magic! ! It came out just perfect! It is now my husband ‘s favorite frosting. I was skeptical after I cooked the first part of it. I could not imagine how that was going to turn into frosting. I like the fact that it isn’t sugary sweet like other buttercream frostings. So happy to find this recipe!!
OMG!!!!!! BEST frosting EVER!!! I don’t think I will ever make any other white frosting ever again!
Can this frosting recipe be cut in half and still achieve the perfect results?
Yes
Can you use gluten free flour?
thank you
I haven’t tried that so I’m not sure – sorry!
I’m months late, but yes! You can use gluten free frosting. I used a 1 to 1 gluten free flour and the frosting turned out just as great.
My mom has a copy of the original Waldorf Astoria red velvet cake. This is the frosting that was used on it. I will eat red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting, but this one is the perfect one for it and what I think a red velvet cake should taste like.
If you have not tried it, you must! I am glad I have it somewhere that it is much easier to access now!
Will this frosting take food coloring and still keep its consistency? I want to use it for my daughters birthday cake?
Yes, but I would recommend using paste/gel food coloring and not liquid food coloring.
Has it been tried using cream, or heavy whipping cream instead of milk? And does this recipe work to pipe a cake flowers decorations?
I haven’t tried subbing in cream. And yes this works to pipe decorations (although it is on the soft side so they may not hold a super crisp shape).
I’m not a professional, but I’m going to make cupcakes for a friends wedding next weekend. It’s suppose to be still around 90 degrees outside, so I’d like to adjust this recipe to make it more heat stable. What if I use “Bettercreme” or non-dairy creamer for the milk and add a couple of tablespoons of powdered meringue to help stabilize it?
Those are all substitutions I haven’t tried so you would have to experiment – good luck!
I love the recipe but I find that the frosting doesnot firm up as shown in the video. Mine comes out more on the runny side. Any advise? I tired beating it more,still the same issue.
Do you think you might need to cook the flour mixture in the first step longer so it is more thick?
Oh my. I was out of powdered sugar so I cringed and made this recipe. I thought for sure I would mess it up somehow seeing how it’s a bit involved. But the end result was fantastic! I made the chocolate version using 4 oz. chocolate and it was so delicious. So glad I gave it a try! Someone suggested in the comments to put the flour/milk mixture in the mixer at low speed to let it cool instead of putting it in the fridge. I tried this, and it took about 25 min. to cool down, but then I could move right to whipping the butter in. It really helped speed things up. Thanks so much for this recipe!
Does this need to be refrigerated or will it stand up in the heat?
It does best at cool room temperature.
I see many reviews stating that this tastes like pure butter and does not work. This has not been the case with me. This has been my go-to frosting for those that want a frosting that is less sweet than the traditional American buttercream. I used an “average” salted butter, nothing fancy. Everyone that I know that has tasted it loved it, and it has been requested repeatedly. Thank you for sharing.
Hi, I have had this recipe for a few years. My cousin gave it to me. It was her moms recipe. It is my absolute favorite go-to recipe
Delicious!! I actually was able to re-whip the leftover icing (we’re talking days later here) by microwaving a small portion (maybe 1-3 TBS) until melty and warm (maybe 10-15 seconds) then reintroducing it to the rest of the cold icing and whipping as usual. It became fluffy and smooth again. Just thought I’d pass that tidbit along 🙂
Hello! That looks really good, I always find frostings to be a bit too sweet so this one might be the solution! Do you know if it’s possible to make it vegan? With almond milk and magarine for example?
Thanks for your reply 🙂
I haven’t tried that so I’m not sure!
I make it with coconut milk, and it’s got a definite coconut flavor but I love it.
Does this work in a 13×9 inch pan?
I have made it vegan with almond milk and earth balance vegan butter sticks and it work out well
Someone mentioned powdered sugar but the recipe calls for granulated sugar. Can I use powdered sugar instead of granulated? Would the ratios be the same?
You can try subbing and see how it goes – not sure on the amounts since I always make it per the recipe.
Hello! I never comment on recipes. NEVER! This frosting intrigued me. I do not care for boughten frosting, and have been making my own as long as I can remember! I am no stranger to baking! This recipe is indeed time consuming. I scraped my gel/pudding into the metal bowl of my stand mixer. I let sit at room temp to cool, about 1/2 hour, then to speed it up I put it in a sink of cold water, stirring every so often, for about another 20 minutes. I feel the directions a bit confusing, at first thinking each piece of butter took, 2 minutes, but then I just plopped each piece in and about 15 seconds later added another, until all in, then I mixed 2 min on low and 5 min on medium as I think that’s what she meant. VERDICT: Texture is perfect! The taste is intriguing. With my first bite, I did taste butter as others have mentioned. I liked the overall sweetness though, not too heavily sweet like some frostings . So, I added 1/4 c. powdered sugar, and quite a bit more vanilla. Next time I might decrease butter slightly and increase vanilla (like 1 c. butter and 1 Tbsp. vanilla). I kept sneaking fingerfuls, so it clearly was not awful! I put this on a chocolate cake (I think a frosting like this needs a deeply flavored base to pair it with). OVERALL: We all liked the cake, and my husband had 3 pieces!!
hi mel, if I wanted to make this as a white chocolate frosting would I adjust the sugar content or do anything else differently? I plan on just pouring cooled melted white chocolate into it, at what stage do you propose I do that?
I haven’t tried that so I can’t say for sure, but as long as the white chocolate is cooled, you could probably add it in at the end.
How much and what type food coloring to make vanilla icing baby girl pink? Thank you! So Excited to try this!
I prefer using gel food coloring vs liquid but the amount will definitely depend on the brand/color. Just start with a tiny drop on a toothpick and add more if needed.