163 Reviews
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Trish on 2.21.2015
Follow the process of this recipe and it’ll work. Its amazing and now my go to. Love love love it!!!
K W on 12.29.2014
When I first made the frosting, I wasn’t overly impressed with the flavor and texture until I tried it on the red velvet cake I had made. It was absolutely delicious and paired well, especially after some refrigeration that made it “stick” to the cake. It is very light and fluffy – not an overly pretty frosting, but it was a huge hit with everyone who tasted the cake. I was concerned that the grainy texture of the sugar never truly seemed to disappear, even after 15 minutes of beating with my KitchenAid mixer, but it meshed perfectly when I added the cooked ingredients. Be certain to stir the flour/milk mixture constantly while cooking to prevent lumps. I also found that stirring occasionally during cooling (and covering with plastic wrap) seemed to help. My first batch of the cooked mixture was a thick, lumpy mess that I had to discard. I gave the recipe four stars as it is a good frosting – I had some initial difficulties with the layers of the cake trying to “slide” until refrigerated, which made it difficult to work with.
M.A on 11.26.2014
This icing had many, many clumps in it. Even though it had a delicious taste, I literally spent 30 minutes trying to get clumps from the flour and milk mixture out. I’ve never heard of a icing recipe with flour before. I spent more time on the icing than I did the chocolate cake! Maybe I just had a bad experience. I didn’t like this. I may consider trying it again in the future. 
Kristen Teti on 11.19.2014
I have used this recipe for YEARS. Being from Pennsylvania, we make something called a Gob Cake and this is the Gob Icing. My tips are be sure to whip it for at least 7 minutes so the sugar dissolves. Using superfine sugar helps, but if you beat it long enough, the granulated sugar does eventually incorporate with no grainy mess. I also think using 1/2 cup of Crisco and 1/2 of butter makes a difference too; for some reason it beats up more fluffy. Using 2 tsp of vanilla is a great idea, as it gives it a more distinct flavor. I love this icing and so does my family.
Michelle Heinrich on 10.16.2014
Apparently, this is NOT for altitude preparation. I followed the recipe exactly and it was a hot mess. I felt like I beat it forever, too, but maybe I didn’t beat it enough. It ended-up being runny and had an unpleasant consistency. I made several batches, too. It could well be me (or the high altitude), but it turned out awful. It was literally the worst frosting I have ever made.
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Trish on 2.21.2015
So happy to have found this recipe. It was my grandmother’s go-to and we had lost the recipe. I read through many of the reviews and will say that when the recipe is followed, this is the greatest frosting ever. Its light, fluffy and not overly sweet. But the key is follow the process. I will say I discovered one change after talking to my family, the original recipe called for 3 tablespoons flour not 5. That could solve some of the flour taste. But otherwise this is perfect.
You must must must cook the milk and flour until it’s the thickness of paste. Just when you think it’s thick enough keep whisking and cooking. It will be so thick it stays in one glob.
The next key is room temp salted butter. Cream butter and sugar on high until white and fluff. Scape bowl often. Add vanilla and milk flour mix. Whip on high for several minutes. Magically it will come together. Whip until it looks like whipped cream and has same texture.
Lastly, use a paddle attachment vs whisk in your mixer. I tried both and had better results with paddle.
Thank you for this great recipe. Was perfect on a white cake.
FromAcorns on 2.5.2015
Thanks for this recipe! It reminded me of a British wartime recipe for Mock Cream. It is so marshmallowy and good. It went so beautifully with my balsamic chocolate cake. I posted what I did on my blog with credit to this original post http://oaksgrow.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/glorious-chocolate-cake-with.html Thanks again MissyDew!
Annie on 1.24.2015
My family has been using this as our go-to icing for years-it was the recipe used on my great-great grandmother’s red velvet cake and truly is so much better than any cream cheese version that is so popular right now. I’m seeing lots of comments about separation/lumps and overall just not coming together. The flour/milk mixture must cook to remove the raw flour flavor but also to come to the correct level of thickness-if your icing will not blend properly it is usually that your flour mixture is too thin or not completely cooled. I usually make the flour mixture several hours early and then let it cool on the stove until an hour or so before I need my cake-my butter also is coming to room temperature at this time. Always use salted BUTTER-the sugar content demands this and frankly I don’t know why anyone would attempt margarine or “country crock” spreads and then complain that it didn’t work when the recipe calls for butter. Superfine sugar dissolved in the milk mixture solves the graininess issue. It takes some effort but turns out perfectly if you follow the recipe correctly and are patient-totally worth the effort in my opinion!
Jenni on 1.15.2015
This frosting is great! Didn’t have any issues but you MUST use room temperature butter. I noticed a few comments saying they had to beat the butter and sugar an outrageous amount of time and I imagine it’s because they used cold butter. I am also at 5,800 ft, so not ‘quite’ considered high elevator ion but pretty darn close and had no issue. I also used this to make chocolate frosting – I used 3/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup coca powder – it was amazing! I creamed the sugar and butter for only two minutes and only had to beat on medium at the end for 3 to get whipped cream consistency. Excellent recipe.
Jane on 1.4.2015
This frosting is absolutely delicious. I definitely had problems with lumps the first time I made it, I found that sifting the flour into the milk takes care of that issue. Also, for the life of me I can never get all the graininess out of the sugar/butter mixture, but once the flour/milk mixture hits it, the granules melt away.