This Perfect Cupcake Frosting and Filling is known as Ermine Frosting, or sometimes referred to as boiled milk frosting, because it begins with a cooked roux of flour and milk. That might sound incredibly strange for a frosting recipe, but trust me! I’d say it’s the perfect frosting. It’s not so thick and sweet that you need a gallon of milk to get it down your throat. It’s mild and smooth, and light as air. I also love it because it doesn’t take away from a good cupcake like other really rich frostings can. It’s often the traditional frosting used with Red Velvet Cake. This frosting has a similar taste and texture to a Swiss Buttercream, but with way less effort. Try this unique frosting recipe and you’ll be hooked!
Ingredients Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
- All purpose flour
- Milk – Whole milk is best, but I’ve used non-fat when it’s all I’ve had and it actually does work ok as well.
- Butter – Use real butter here!
- Granulated sugar
- Vanilla extract – Or other extract or flavoring oil of choice.
How to Make Perfect Cupcake Frosting and Filling
Step 1: Make the Cooked Flour Base
- The frosting starts out with a mixture of all purpose flour and milk. And even though I’m showing it here being whisked together, I’ve actually found you’ll get a much smoother result if you mix this part in a blender first and then pour it in your pan.
- Now comes the weird part. You’re going to cook this mixture until it gets thick–it happens fast and you’ll want to have a rubber spatula and constantly smash/stir it to keep it smooth. I usually take it off the heat when it looks like this photo above. There are still some wet spots but as you stir it all comes together like this: Don’t taste it. It’s not frosting yet! Pop it in the fridge; it needs to cool completely (I sometimes pop it in the freezer if I want it to cool fast.) Put it in a bowl and smoosh it around and stir every few minutes to cool it off.
Step 2: Mix it up!
- When the flour mixture is chilled, place some real, high-quality butter (definitely no margarine) and granulated sugar (not powdered sugar!) in a stand mixer. Whip it up for a few minutes so it’s light and creamy. I use the whisk attachment on my Kitchenaid, but any paddle should work.
- Then you’ll add that glob of flour. I know. Weird! I’m warning you right now it’s going to look weird at first. Like, what the heck did I do weird. But keep going. You’ve got to whip it for a long time for all the sugar to dissolve and everything to come together. Don’t be startled if it looks curdled. Eventually it will look like fluffy soft clouds of heaven. I usually give it a little taste and if I can still feel quite a bit of granulated sugar I keep on whipping. Sometimes it takes 5 minutes, other times I let it go for almost 10 or so! It’s worth it for this silky, fluffy, magical mixture. Pipe it or spread it or fill it or whatever. Anyway you eat it, it’s fantastic.
Storing and Other Tips
- Store finished frosting or frosted desserts, covered tightly, in the refrigerator. Allow to come to temperature for 20-30 minutes before serving.
- If using frosting within a few hours of making the frosting or within a few hours of frosting cakes or cupcakes, simply cover and store at room temperature until time to serve.
- This frosting can be soft or even melt if it gets too warm. If needed, pop the whole mixing bowl in the fridge for 15 minutes and rewhip to help it hold its shape.
- Don’t leave frosted desserts sitting in the sun or in a warm environment for too long with this frosting or it may soften/melt!
Additional Tips
- Use real butter, and a good name-brand. Cheap butter does weird things.
- If you beat for the 6-8 minutes and the mixture still looks strange, beat longer and at a higher speed if you can. It should come together, but it takes a little patience!
- I personally think this frosting is best eaten fresh. You can store for a few hours at room temperature, or try storing in the fridge overnight, letting it come to room temperature on its own, and then re-beating to fluff. If you want to frost cupcakes or a cake the day before, refrigerate and just let come to room temp after.
- Add extracts to your hearts content; lemon and almond are both wonderful! Food coloring is also okay.
- The white sugar can be exchanged for brown. Try 1/2 white 1/2 brown for a warm caramel flavor.
- Do not try to make other substitutions or additions. Sour cream, fruit purees etc. can do disastrous things. Some people have had amazing success, just experiment at your own risk.
- If trying to decide whether or not to double it- double it. Chances are you’ll want more. It’s a rather small batch, but on purpose.
- 1 batch will not look like much, but it can spread on (just with a knife, a normal amount) 24 cupcakes. If you want to pipe it thick, definitely double it.
- Looking for Chocolate? This Chocolate Frosting isn’t exactly the same, but very similar!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use brown sugar instead of granulated sugar?
Yes. Brown sugar gives this frosting a deeper, almost caramelly flavor. Just be sure you’re using fine brown sugar (some brands like the organic one sold at Costco have quite large grains) and it may help to sift it first. When creaming with the butter, give it some extra time and make sure the sugar has dissolved well before adding the flour mixture to ensure a smooth texture.
Can I make this frosting other flavors like chocolate?
This frosting is best flavored with extracts or flavoring oils. If you are looking for similar flour-based frosting, try this Chocolate Frosting.
Can I make this ahead of time?
Yes. If making just a couple of hours before use, cover tightly and store at room temperature (if your kitchen isn’t too warm) until ready to use. You may need to rewhip it before use.
If making a day or two in advance, cover tightly and store in the refrigerator. Before use, bring to room temperature and rewhip briefly to restore texture.
Can I add food coloring?
Yes, add gel or paste food coloring (not liquid) when you add the flour mixture.
Perfect Cupcake Frosting and Filling
This light, creamy, dreamy flour-based frosting is THE perfect cupcake frosting and filling!
Servings 1/4 cup servings
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ cup milk whole milk is best, but I’ve used non-fat when it’s all I have and it’s actually fine
- ½ cup real butter slightly softened (I prefer salted, but you can use also unsalted and add salt to taste)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or other flavor if you wish
Instructions
- Whisk together the flour and the milk (you could also run it through the blender first). Heat in a small sauce pan on medium heat.
- Whisk continuously until it starts to thicken. Let it cook, while stirring with a rubber spatula, until you can start to see the bottom of the pan. Continue to cook until mixture has the consistency of thick pudding or paste.
- Put mixture in the fridge and let it cool completely; it's fine if it stays in there long enough to get chilly, you just don't want it warm at all. As it's cooling, feel free to stir it occasionally to speed up the process and keep it from forming a crust on top. You can also do this quickly in the freezer, just keep an eye on it so it doesn't freeze.
- Using the whisk attachment on an electric stand mixer, beat the butter and the sugar for a minute or two until well combined and fluffy. While beating, add in the thickened milk mixture, any food coloring, and the flavor extracts. Beat to combine and then scrape down the sides. Mixture will separate and look messy, keep beating! Continue beating until mixture comes together and is light and fluffy, about 7-8 minutes, but time varies. Take a sample of frosting between your fingers; frosting is done when light and fluffy and sugar granules are dissolved.
Notes
- Store finished frosting or frosted desserts, covered tightly, in the refrigerator. Allow to come to temperature for 20-30 minutes before serving.
- If using frosting within a few hours of making the frosting or within a few hours of frosting cakes or cupcakes, simply cover and store at room temperature until time to serve.
- This frosting can be soft or even melt if it gets too warm. If needed, pop the whole mixing bowl in the fridge for 15 minutes and rewhip to help it hold its shape.
- Don’t leave frosted desserts sitting in the sun or in a warm environment for too long with this frosting or it may soften/melt!
- Use real butter, and a good name-brand. Cheap butter does weird things.
- If you beat for the 6-8 minutes and the mixture still looks strange, beat longer and at a higher speed if you can. It should come together, but it takes a little patience!
- I personally think this frosting is best eaten fresh. You can store for a few hours at room temperature, or try storing in the fridge overnight, letting it come to room temperature on its own, and then re-beating to fluff. If you want to frost cupcakes or a cake the day before, refrigerate and just let come to room temp after.
- Add extracts to your hearts content; lemon and almond are both wonderful! Food coloring is also okay.
- The white sugar can be exchanged for brown. Try 1/2 white 1/2 brown for a warm caramel flavor.
- Do not try to make other substitutions or additions. Sour cream, fruit purees etc. can do disastrous things. Some people have had amazing success, just experiment at your own risk.
- If trying to decide whether or not to double it- double it. Chances are you’ll want more. It’s a rather small batch, but on purpose.
- 1 batch will not look like much, but it can spread on (just with a knife, a normal amount) 24 cupcakes. If you want to pipe it thick, definitely double it.
- Looking for Chocolate? This Chocolate Frosting isn’t exactly the same, but very similar!
Nutrition
Serving: 0.25cup, Calories: 112kcal, Carbohydrates: 10g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 0.3g, Cholesterol: 21mg, Sodium: 65mg, Potassium: 21mg, Fiber: 0.1g, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 256IU, Calcium: 15mg, Iron: 0.1mg
Calories: 112kcal
Cost: $4
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Questions & Reviews
Is it possible to make this into a cream cheese frosting? I love the whipped consistency of this frosting and would love to make it into a cream cheese style frosting. Just wondering!
Yes Becca, and it’s AMAZING. Basically you just whip in some softened cream cheese at the end to taste. Since cream cheese is dense and the frosting is light and fluffy, I beat the cream cheese until it’s really soft, and then slowly beat in about 1/3 of the frosting. Then you can either fold it together, or gently beat it until combined. I just go by taste on the cream cheese- so maybe start with about 4 ounces per one batch of frosting and add more if you want a stronger cream cheese flavor. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
Made this yesterday for my daughters 4th birthday party. I made the milk/flour mixture the night before, but then ran out of time to finish and so I left that it in the fridge overnight. I took it out a few hours before finishing to let it come back to room temperature, but it was definitely still a bit chilly. I mixed it with the butter and sugar, and beat it for what seemed like forever. I still had little balls of the milk/flour that would not break up, though. I tried piping it anyway, but my tip got clogged. I was ready to throw in the towel and start over when my husband decided to run it through a mesh strainer, and it worked! We got all the clumps out, and we still had enough to cover all the cupcakes! It was delicious!! Next time I won’t put my mixture in the fridge for so long, and I may not cook it as long, either.
I know this is an old post, but this turned out so nice I had to say!!
I used lactose free skimmed milk and lactose free margarine. It turned out great. I think the trick is to mix everything really really well till you get no lumps (as you said). Mine kept in the fridge for a day (I think it could have a kept a little more but it was all used up!!)…. =) Totally recommend this!
I want to make cupcakes for my birthday get together coming up, but I have a lactose-intolerant friend and I want her to feel included. I’m making angel food cupcakes (which are dairy-free naturally), and I have a dairy-free chocolate icing recipe to use, but I wanted to do the dual colored icing to be more fun. So…this white icing is great because you can make it any color with food coloring, but…Lots of dairy in it!
Do you think that unsweetened almond/soy/coconut milk would work as a substitute? Also, for the other icing, I’m using soy margarine instead of butter… Do you think that will work for this recipe too?
Additionally, I live in a teeny apartment in NYC… my toaster and microwave are already competing for the counter space, so I have an electric hand mixer, not a standing one. Do you have any tips for making this mix correctly with a hand mixer? I
Hm… maybe I will just try it and report back! It’s only 5 ingredients and I already have 3 of them 🙂 If it works, I’ll let you know and then you can offer Best Icing Option Ever – Vegan Style recipe for people living in teeny tiny apartments 🙂
PERFECT! thank you so much for sharing!
I know I’m a few years late seeing this post….but I am just DYING to make this frosting!! After reading most of the reviews (sorry – I just couldn’t do all 200!), and after all I’ve already heard about this frosting, I just can’t WAIT to try it out! However, I am willing to hold off until I can get out and buy brand butter. I’m willing to make a little sacrifices because I want to experience what everyone else gets to.
Now, I just have a few random questions:
1. You say use brand butter because it does not contain anything weird or funky like generic, cheap butter. So you think this would work from homemade butter whipped straight from cream??
2. I know someone else asked this but I never saw an answer…why granulated and not confectioners?
3. About how long would you say it takes to cool the milk/flour paste in the fridge?
Thanks so much and again, can’t wait to try this!
I had no problems with this recipe at all. I live in Europe and have never quite figured out how to measure the butter accurately without filling up the measuring cup, and I am too lazy for that.
I doubled the recipe. The first thing I did was add the flour and milk together in a jar and shook the dickens out of it, then cooked it into a paste. I think I did not cook it long enough as it thickened up so quickly, just a minute or two. I did not have any lumps. Because it looked quite horrifying, I panicked and beat it while it was hot, just for good measure. I had read the comments and decided to soldier on with the recipe.
I cooled the mix completely then finished the recipe. I measured the sugar and eyeballed the butter. I only have a hand mixer, and my company was arriving soon, so I didn’t beat it long enough, or so I think. The color, consistency, and flavor were just fine. It piped onto the cupcakes smoothly with no lumps. I added some rainbow sprinkles to the top to match the rainbow papers.
I was quite pleased with the frosting and how the cupcakes looked. I used a cupcake recipe from a different site, and it needs some work, next time, I will try one from here.
Thanks for the new family recipe!
Now, I’m not a frosting person so I used this recipe (to slightly different proportions) as it claimed not be be as sweet as other frosting recipes, and the results- WOW! This must be one of the best frosting recipes ever, because I got it SO right despite making it in a last minute rush, as I had guests over for dinner, and I cooked the flour mixture on high to speed it up, put the pan in the freezer to cool it, didn’t measure the butter as accurately as I should have and it STILL turned out AMAZING. My first attempt at a frosting, piped beautifully! All the guests were so impressed (will post pics on my blog soon!) and my husband, who doesn’t like sweet things much, LOVED it! If you’re looking for something really light, not overly sweet and that pipes well, try this!
Hi there,
Just wondering what the butter’s consistency should be before whipping it with the sugar? Should it be room temp? softer or harder? Thanks
I’m one of those people who just doesn’t like frosting……I have now found the exception. This frosting is gorgeous, creamy and not so sweet. THANKYOU, this recipe is a keeper!