My absolute favorite frosting is Ermine Frosting. It's creamy, light but rich, and compliments a cake perfectly without overwhelming it.
I've always liked cake, but never liked the frosting that usually comes with it. Grocery store frosting was always entirely too sweet. Swiss buttercream was a game changer; I adore it, but it ends up being heavy and sometimes tricky to make.
Enter Ermine Frosting. It's a perfect compromise, being just sweet and light enough to compete with grocery store frostings, yet being rich enough to please my palate.
I really love this creamy frosting. My daughter finds Swiss buttercream to be too rich and thick, especially when slightly cold. And I find powdered sugar frosting to be too sweet and cloying.
Ermine frosting is also easier to make than a standard buttercream, since you're not making a sugar syrup or whipping egg whites!
I use an almond version of this frosting on my Almond Cake, and the vanilla version on my White Cake. I almost never bother with other types of frosting!
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Ingredients
Ermine frosting takes just 5 ingredients.
- Granulated sugar
- All-purpose flour
- Milk
- Butter
- Vanilla extract
Since this recipe takes all-purpose flour as a thickener, unfortunately it will not be gluten-free. For a gluten-free frosting, I recommend a standard powdered sugar buttercream or a Swiss buttercream.
I use 1% or 2% dairy milk, whichever one I have in the house. Non-dairy milk likely will not work.
Whipping butter into the frosting creates the air bubbles that make creamy. Your butter must be at room temperature to cream properly. Do not use salted butter; you don't want salty frosting.
Vanilla extract is the main flavoring for the frosting, although you could use other extracts if preferred. I use a combination of almond and vanilla extracts when I make this to top my Almond Cake.
Instructions
I've adapted this from the ermine frosting recipe at King Arthur Baking, but I've added some extra details.
For this frosting, you basically start off making a pudding. Sounds intimidating, but I promise that it's not! As I explain for my Coconut Cream Pie and Aldean's Chocolate Pie, constant whisking is the most important thing.
- Whisk together flour and sugar in a 2-quart saucepan, then whisk in the milk. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until mixture comes to a bubble in the center and has thickened to a pudding-like consistency. Be sure to whisk constantly to prevent lumps.
- Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on medium-high for 10-15 minutes, until the temperature has dropped to 80F. I do not recommend letting it cool on its own; it will take too long
- On low, add softened butter a few tablespoons at a time, adding after the previous butter has mostly mixed in. Scrape the bowl, add vanilla, and beat on high for 4-6 minutes.
- After mixing, the frosting should be creamy.
Leftover frosting won't have the same texture, so frost your cake immediately once the frosting is ready.
For instructions on frosting layer cakes, check out my Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake recipe.
Frosting Cupcakes
Since the frosting will deflate quickly and dissolve somewhat when spread on cake, have your cake ready to frost once the frosting is made.
- Instead of using a knife to spread frosting, use a cookie scoop to dollop frosting onto your cupcake. I used a large (3-tablespoon or #20) cookie scoop (affiliate link), which is ideal for frosting lovers; I would use a medium (1.5-tablespoon or #40) cookie scoop (affiliate link) in the future.
- Use the back of a spoon to spread the frosting away from the middle. Rotate the cupcake as you go to spread the frosting evenly. These won't be the prettiest cupcakes, but they will be tasty. Cover with sprinkles to hide flaws.
I used the recipe to frost 12 cupcakes, although in the future I would use less frosting per cupcake.
Equipment
A wire whisk (affiliate link) is the best tool for cooking flour and milk together on the stove. It will scrape the bottom of the pan, and break up any lumps, better than any rubber spatula could.
I always use a thermometer to determine when my mixture has cooled down enough to add the butter. If you don't have one, you can go by beating time.
I highly recommend a KitchenAid stand mixer (affiliate link), or similar, to beat this frosting. You will be beating the frosting for a long time, and it may overpower a hand mixer (affiliate link). Plus, even room temperature butter can be difficult to beat with a handheld mixer.
If you're frosting cupcakes, I recommend using a cookie scoop of some kind to measure frosting evenly. I used a large (3-tablespoon or #20) cookie scoop (affiliate link) for the frosting in these photos, which ended up being kind of a lot; a medium (1.5-tablespoon or #40) cookie scoop (affiliate link) might be a better portion for our tastes.
Storage
Since this frosting contains milk, you should store a cake frosted with it, and any leftover frosting, in the refrigerator. Keep the frosting covered, as you don't want the butter to pick up any off-flavors.
When serving, let the frosted cake come to room temperature for at least 5-10 minutes before eating.
FAQ
Ermine frosting is named because it's silky and rich. Ermines are a type of stoat (weasel) whose fur was highly valued by royalty and others with high status - think, the white fur trim with black spots that you see on royal collars. Fortunately, you don't harm animals to make ermine frosting.
Ermine frosting is made by cooking a sugar/flour mixture with milk until it's a pudding-like consistency, and then beating butter into it. It's an old-fashioned recipe, also called boiled milk frosting, cooked flour frosting, or roux frosting. (None of those sound that appealing.) It's less sweet than egg-based buttercreams or powdered sugar frostings.
The King Arthur Baking blog has a good description of ermine frosting, if you'd like to learn more.
Swiss buttercream and other European buttercreams all include eggs and a sugar syrup that you cook on the stove; ermine frosting is egg-free, and involves cooking a pudding mixture instead of a sugar syrup. The European buttercreams also include a lot more butter than ermine frosting. As a result, European buttercreams are stiffer when served from the refrigerator, and take longer to soften.
Ermine frosting is a cooked frosting and includes flour and milk. American buttercream is made by beating powdered sugar into butter or shortening, with no cooking/heat required. American buttercream (sometimes known as decorator's frosting or icing) is much sweeter than ermine frosting, and is what is usually found on grocery store cakes.
Related
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📖 Recipe
Ermine Frosting
Equipment
- wire whisk (affiliate link)
- mixer
- thermometer
Ingredients
- ¾ cup granulated sugar (150 grams)
- ¼ cup flour (30 grams)
- 1 cup milk (227 grams/8 ounces)
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter (170 grams; at room temperature)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a 2-quart saucepan, whisk together flour and sugar; this keeps your flour from clumping. Stir in milk, and mix until dissolved.
- Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly and scraping the bottom, until the mixture comes to a bubble in the center and has thickened to a pudding-like consistency. This takes me around 10 minutes for a single batch, and around 13 minutes for a double batch.
- Scrape the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, beat on medium high for around 10-15 minutes, until the temperature cools to around 80F.
- Reduce the speed to low. Add the butter a few tablespoons at a time, adding more once the previous addition has mostly disappeared.
- Scrape everything down, and stir in the vanilla.
- Beat on high for 4-6 minutes, until the frosting is creamy.
- Frost cake immediately. Store frosted cake and leftover frosting in refrigerator.
- The frosting is best if you give it a chance to set in the refrigerator before you eat it. Let the cake warm at room temperature for a few minutes before eating.
Leona Konkel says
I truly adore this recipe. It's easier to make than Swiss buttercream, and even my daughter likes it. I'm so glad I found it, and I hope you enjoy it too. Please let me know if you try it or have questions - I'm happy to troubleshoot!