162 Reviews
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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.
Sarah on 9.27.2014
I was intrigued by the ingredients in this recipe and decided to give it a try. I purchased store-bought icing just in case it turned out to be a disaster. 
I had great results high quality butter and whole milk. The only alteration I made was adding 2 tsp vanilla instead of one. I found that my flour/milk mixture resembled a very thick pudding or paste. This worked out fine. I placed mine in the freezer covered with a bit of waxed paper to speed the cooling process up.
I did not have to beat the frosting a long time; it came together and whipped up fluffy in a few minutes.
I rated this recipe 4/5 because I don’t think it’s the best frosting I’ve ever had. It’s better than store bought for sure, but not amazing. It found the texture to be somewhat between a traditional buttercream and whipped icing. It’s not overly sweet, but there is still a prominent buttery feel to it, which I’m not sure I loved.
This made enough – but just enough – icing to cover a 2 layered 9″ cake (1 cake mix).
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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.
Lisa Criswell on 12.11.2014
Oh, man is this frosting ever delicious! I’m so glad I finally got a stand mixer, because I had to beat the butter and sugar on a high speed for about 15-20 minutes to get just about all the graininess out of it. The only thing is that I still have very small pieces (smaller than tapioca pieces) of flour that I can’t get rid of. I’m sure it had to do with the whisking before I put it on to cook with the milk. I probably should have whisked it more. But it does nothing whatsoever to detract from the yummy vanilla flavor, and it’s so light and fluffy. I couldn’t keep my fingers out of it. I’m icing the cake tomorrow. I wanted to try this ahead of time in case it didn’t turn out so well I could still have time to go buy some Pillsbury frosting in a can. No need now! This is the bomb frosting! I did double the recipe, since I read some people say it was barely enough. Better to have too much than not enough. I put it in the fridge, covered. I hope it will hold up fine for tomorrow too.
Lauren on 12.5.2014
This frosting is awesome! I used it one time when I was really low on powered sugar and we loved it. One of the last times I made it I ran out of vanilla before making the frosting for a chocolate cake and used a little cherry extract and of course it was fantastic. I always beat the butter for a few minutes on high then add the sugar. I whisk together the flour and milk when the milk is still cold and have never had lumps. The next time I make this I’m going to try slowly adding the sugar to the butter to see if that helps with the grittiness. I saved some in the fridge which did seem to separate a little but I just beat it with a little bit of new frosting and it was fine.