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This whipped frosting is a lighter, less sweet alternative to buttercream. It turns out so light, fluffy, and creamy. Perfect for topping cakes and cupcakes.
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Look, I know it’s not cool to talk about eating grocery store bakery cakes on a food blog, but the truth is that sometimes I eat grocery store bakery cakes.
Sometimes I buy the little mini cupcakes with the big swirl of buttercream frosting and I force my husband to eat them, not because he likes them, but because he always scrapes the frosting off and gives it to me.
I don’t feel bad about eating double the frosting when I’m keeping it from going to waste. 😉
What Readers are Saying!
“Made this for my daughter’s birthday cake. Added food coloring while it was in the pot because she wanted a colored frosting. It lightened up once the butter was added; which I suspected. It worked out fantastic! Everyone loved the frosting! This will be my go to frosting! Thank you for the recipe.”
– PF
I am very much a buttercream frosting fan, but I have a few people that I bake for who just don’t like it.
They think it’s too sweet and too rich, so we’ve been using this whipped icing more often.
It’s lighter, less sweet, and oh so creamy and fluffy!
Our family calls this “the whipped frosting.” As in, “does that cake have the whipped frosting on it?”
However, I believe it’s proper name is ermine frosting.
What is Ermine Frosting:
Ermine frosting is a cooked frosting that starts with a roux of milk and flour. It’s much lighter than a traditional buttercream that relies on butter and powdered sugar for structure.
It’s light, airy, fluffy, and lightly sweetened. I’d compare it to eating a cloud, but what it really tastes like is the best whipped cream you’ll ever try.
Ermine frosting was the original frosting for red velvet cake, so give this a try on your next red velvet cake too!
How to Make:
Ingredients: Unlike most American buttercreams that rely mostly on butter and powdered sugar, we’re going to cook this frosting with a bit of milk and flour to thicken it. This will help it to be much lighter and less sweet. You’ll need milk, flour, butter, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract.
Mix: To start making this whipped frosting add flour and milk to a pot over medium heat and whisk together as it heats and thickens. The mixture will begin to thicken up like a pudding or gravy.
Cool: This is a very important step! Once you’ve mixed the ingredients in the first step you’ll want to allow the mixture to cool completely. Pour the mixture into a bowl to cool down.
Moving on to the next step before the mixture has cooled down will cause issues in your frosting coming together.
Beat: While the flour mixture is cooling, beat together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla.
- Make sure to beat the sugar into the butter well to avoid a gritty frosting.
- Use clear vanilla if you prefer a white frosting.
Combine: Add the cooled flour mixture to the creamed butter and mix well until the frosting is light, fluffy, and well combined.
- Add in food coloring, if desired.
- Allow the whipped frosting to cool in the refrigerator for 30 minutes if you like a stiffer frosting.
- Add a pinch of salt if using unsalted butter.
Frost: Pile the cooled frosting onto your cake and start spreading. For a thicker, stiffer frosting, refrigerate before using.
- This recipe will generously frost a 2 layer cake or 2 dozen cupcakes.
Storage:
This whipped frosting recipe does need to be refrigerated. It won’t do well left out above 70 degrees for long, so be sure to store your cake in an air-tight container in the fridge.
More Cake Recipes:
Whipped Frosting
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups butter softened
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Add the milk and flour to a medium sauce pan over medium heat and whisk well. Keep whisking over medium to high heat, until the mixture begins to thicken to the consistency of a gravy or pudding. Remove the saucepan from heat and allow the mixture to cool.
- While the flour and milk mixture is cooking, beat together the butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer. Beat well, at least 5 minutes. Make sure sugar and butter is well combined or your frosting will be a bit grainy. Beat in the vanilla until combined.
- Add the cooled flour mixture to the bowl and beat together until light and fluffy.
- Use frosting immediately or, if you prefer a stiffer frosting, refrigerate for 30 minutes before use.
Tips & Notes:
Nutrition Information:
This recipe was originally published in September 2011. The recipe has been changed based on reader feedback and is simpler to make and less finicky. Original photo below:
Katie says
I’m sorry, but this was awful. I have what can only be described as yummy (hence the two stars) cake batter. I’ve even been freezing it in between whipping. It’s been two hours and I don’t think frosting is going to happen. My daughters birthday cake will be bare I guess
Karly says
I’m sorry to hear this didn’t work out for you. Did you follow all the tips and tricks in the recipe/post? Did your frosting look as it does at each step in our step by step photos? We’ve made this recipe countless times and it does work great, but it is finicky and you have to be sure to measure properly, thicken the milk and flour enough, and let things cool properly or you’ll end up with a mess.
Jean Raines says
I have been looking for this recipe for years. My mother had this recipe cut out of a newspaper, when she died, it was gone. Thank you so much for publishing this. It truly is delicious.
Karly says
Oh, I’m so glad you found the recipe. Enjoy!
Pan s says
How to avoid the “crust” that forms on the cooled flour mixture? Thanks
Karly says
As the flour mixture is cooling, you can stir or beat with an electric mixer every few minutes. It’ll speed up the cooling process and you’ll avoid any crust that forms. 🙂
Miss Karla says
I have made this frosting since I was a young girl (60 plus years). The measurements have been slightly altered from the original but it is fluffier with the same awesome taste. It is delicious, and enhances the flavor of so many cakes. It is well worth trying it out. As stated MANY times, stick with the beating after adding the two mixtures together. This is the ONLY frosting I put on my Red Velvet Cake.
Karly says
Thanks for sharing! So glad you enjoy the recipe! 🙂
Judy says
Sorry, I forgot to leave 5 stars!
Judy says
I have used this recipe for many, many yrs now. To avoid gritty frosting I cook the sugar in the flour/milk mixture. I whip the butter until it is almost white and slowly add COLD flour/sugar/milk mixture. It whips up nicely! Thank for sharing so others can enjoy!
Karly says
Thanks so much for the review and tips, Judy! Appreciate it!
Susanna says
This recipe was really good BUT you have to stick with it. After whipping the butter and sugar together for about 15 minutes I was still experiencing quite a bit of graininess. I heated my bowl up a little over a steaming pot and kept at it. The butter and sugar mixture is still going to be a little grainy, even after you work it for awhile. Work it as best as you can, and then add in the other ingredients. Once I added everything in the sugar finally started to incorporate! Just keep whipping. It will get there and be delicious!
Karly says
Thanks for the tips, Susanna! Glad it worked out for you!
Rochelle Holloway says
This recipe worked well for me and my boys! They are 5 and 7 and the instructions were clear! We used a hand mixer for 5 minutes..and it still wasn’t fluffy, so I put it in the electric mixer for 10 more minutes and that did the trick!! Thank you so much!
Karly says
So glad that it worked out for you! Thanks for sharing!
Kathryn says
When I was making it I was convinced there was no way the sugar would stop being grainy, I was even writing my negative review in my head haha. But I stuck with it, and boy was it worth it! It is one of the silkiest, lightest frostings I’ve ever had. If you think the sugar won’t dissolve, you’re not whipping long enough (think upwards of 10 minutes on medium high). This recipe is fantastic, highly recommend.
Karly says
Oh, I’m so glad you stuck with it and I didn’t get the negative review! Haha! 😉
DT says
Sugar doesn’t dissolve in only butter. This recipe is written incorrectly and I had to throw the whole thing out because the grainy sugar remained.
The sugar should be added to the ROUX, not the butter itself. Sugar needs heat and liquid to dissolve. I looked it up and every other Ermine Frosting recipe was correct in saying add the sugar to the roux, not butter. Waste of time and ingredients.
Karly says
I’m sorry this one didn’t work out for you. You definitely have to beat the mixture well, but it does come together. There are actually other ermine frosting recipes like this…the NYT recipe is very similar to mine. 🙂
prudy heddinger says
my mother made this recipe and instead of butter she used crisco I don,t remember how much tho would you know ??
Karly says
I’ve only made this with butter.
Linda F says
I’ve been making this recipe for over 45 years and sometimes I would use half Crisco and half butter, which is how I prefer it.
Linda says
I make it this way too, do you cook the sugar with the flour and the milk?
Candicemarie says
It had a weird texture after I finished making it like it was separating I stuck it in the fridge I don’t know if that’ll help I definitely cooked it right and let it cool completely before doing the last step it has a good taste just don’t look right
Luke F says
Just made it again with powdered sugar. Horrible! Tastes like butter. Would not use any other recipe on this blog. Awful.
Karly says
Hi Luke! Sorry to hear you had issues with this recipe. The recipe does call for granulated sugar (and so does the narrative). It’s meant to be light, similar to the whipped icing you’d find on a grocery store bakery cake. It’s not overly sweet or heavy like buttercream, so if that’s what you were looking for, I’m not surprised you didn’t like this. Sorry for the confusion on cooling the mixture. I’ve fixed the recipe card so it’s not as confusing…it was meant to say to cool slightly and then start on the next steps. Then, once cooled completely, combine them. Just a misunderstanding, but I’ve adjusted the wording so it is easier to follow. 🙂
Luke F says
Recipe says granulated sugar, narrative says powdered sugar. Just made this recipe with granulated sugar and it was awful!!!! Did not turn out like icing at all. Do you use powdered sugar or not? Do you let it cool slightly or completely? Says two different things. Very confusing. So frustrated.
Cathy OKeefe says
I have tried a variety of whipped icing recipes and this is finally a WINNER! I appreciate the tips/warnings of pitfalls. Great flavor and texture!
Karly says
So glad it worked out for you, Cathy! 🙂