I’ve been intrigued with this frosting recipe for months, not just because of its alluring title, but also because if its ingredients. Five tablespoons of flour? In frosting? Let’s just say my interest was piqued.
I finally got around to making it yesterday evening; Marlboro Man’s grandmother has some old friends staying at The Lodge and I wanted to take them a treat. So I whipped up this frosting, slapped it on some chocolate cupcakes…and wound up considering not sharing them with the guests because it was so delicious.
You owe it to yourself to make this frosting sometime in your life.
You’ll just have to trust me on this.
Here’s how you make it:
First things first: I made chocolate sheet cake cupcakes. They’re the best cupcakes around.
Here’s the recipe:
The Best Chocolate Sheet Cake (or Cupcakes!) Ever
Let your cupcakes (or cake) cool completely.
Begin by pouring 5 tablespoons of flour into 1 cup of milk. I used whole milk because I can if I want.
After adding the flour, whisk it together until combined, then place the saucepan over medium heat. Whisk it as it heats up and thickens, and stop when the mixture is very thick.
Cool the mixture completely.
The mixture will be very, very thick.
Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla to the cooled flour/milk mixture.
Stir it around to combine.
Pour one cup of sugar into a bowl with one cup of butter.
Whip it around until it’s light and fluffy, scraping the bowl once or twice to make sure it’s all mixed well.
Add the cooled flour/milk/vanilla mixture. Make sure it’s not the least bit warm!
I’m bossy. Sorry.
Next, just whip it on medium-high until the mixture resembled whipped cream.
This was slightly tricky for me, as I was afraid of overbeating the mixture and causing everything to start breaking down and falling apart. I’d say this is about 45 seconds of pretty hard beating.
And then it was time for the rubber to meet the road.
This was spread with a big spatula…
This was spread with a dinner knife. The frosting definitely has a whipped cream consistency; it’s not thick like a decorator icing.
Before I allowed myself to taste it, I made some sprinkled ones for my punks.
This makes for a crunchy cupcake!
And now…for the moment of truth.
THE VERDICT: Okay. Let me just explain something to you. After I took this bite, I looked around for the hidden camera. I was certain someone was playing a trick on me. This frosting is so UNBELIEVABLY divine, I almost couldn’t believe what was happening to me. The consistency is light, the flavor indescribably delicious, and a perfect complement to the rich chocolate cake. And don’t just take my word for it—after my daughter took her first bite, she looked at me and said “WHAT is this FROSTING?”
Even she knew she was in the presence of greatness.
Here’s the frosting recipe:
That’s the Best Frosting I’ve Ever Had
Note: I would probably recommend making the frosting on the same day you intend to serve it.
Thank you to MissyDew for sharing such a great recipe!
538 Comments
Comments are closed for this recipe.
Elizabeth on 7.13.2010
My mom has been making this type of frosting (we call it buttercream) for years!
I had no idea canned frosting existed until I started 1st grade as I’d only ever been exposed to bakery buttercream frosting and this frosting. I know. I was a spoiled child!
lulugurlz on 7.10.2010
yum yum delicious
Jean on 7.10.2010
Just made this for banana cupcakes. Just an fyi the first batch did separate because I over-mixed it. Then with the second batch I read Ree’s post about mix about 45 seconds. This one was great. Thanks for the recipe and the tips!!!
Kimmie on 7.2.2010
I just made this frosting to top off my Banana Cupcakes — I am calling them “Monkey Chow”. This frosting is very good with a light texture.
Yummy!
Jen S. on 6.29.2010
if you’re having trouble with this recipe, go here:
http://www.ourbestbites.com/2008/09/perfect-cupcake-frosting-and-filling.html
it’s basically the same recipe, but she includes some troubleshooting tips. she also recommends mixing it for 7-8 minutes. i tried the tasty kitchen recipe and failed miserably, but i tried it again using tips from this website, and it came out perfectly… i am in love.
palindromic1 on 6.24.2010
this frosting is a more buttery than i expected, but it’s still absolutely awesome. i made the chocolate sheet cake cupcakes more chocolatey (about 5 tbsp of cocoa powder), and i think the frosting was a bit more butter than any other flavor, so i’m not sure if it was strong enough to hold its own against the cake. however, it was pretty tasty (all snobby food criticisms aside), and i ended up downing four cupcakes in about ten minutes. i really need to go jogging… it’s 10:30 pm… :/
Christine on 6.21.2010
Adriane made these and they were absolutely fabulous. The frosting is the best ever.
WendyP on 6.18.2010
PLEASE for the love of God tell me how to make a chocolate version of this. Just add cocoa powder? how much?
need help please ASAP!
mariam on 6.14.2010
i will definitely try this, as soon as possible! I’ve been searching for different recipes so long and i guess this one will be fantastic.:))) its easy, looks nice..
J.John on 5.25.2010
I love you for posting this.
jaxanahalf on 5.24.2010
I was so sad mine did not come out the same as yours Ree! It was all runny. I tried adding some cornstarch but that didn’t really help anything. hmm. It still tasted SUPER delicious mind you. I still “glazed” the cupcakes with it and hid it’s weird looking-ness with sprinkles. Everyone who ate the cupcakes loved them so no big deal. I am going to try some suggestions I see here on how to make it fluff up next time!
Firewifeplus4 on 5.22.2010
εїз I made this frosting the other day, however it came out a bit runny. {Could be that I live in AZ and the butter will not stay firm @ our room temp..lol.} Anyway, I cured it with adding confectioners sugar till it thicken up and remained firm. Had some left over so I put it in the fridge. Hubby took it out last night and used it on some fresh strawberries we had. OMG I’m in HEAVEN! Thx for sharing this recipe! ♥ εїз ♥
Courtney Vollmer on 5.20.2010
I’ve made this frosting twice now and you’re right…it’s the best frosting ever! Everyone in my family keeps going back to stick their fingers in it. The cake is looking like it has a bad haircut! Thanks for the recipe(s)
Stephanie Shock on 5.16.2010
I made this today for a birthday cake and, sadly, wasn’t in love. Maybe my expectations were too high. It basicly tasted like sweetened whipped cream, but with extra fat. The butter kind of coats your mouth. I think I’ll stick with buttercream. On a happier note, I also made PW’s creamy mashed potatoes and they were AWE-SOME!
Ashleigh on 5.14.2010
It may have been runny if you didn’t let the milk and flour heat up enough. The longer it heats up, the thicker the mixture will be. I’m making the frosting again…for the 5th time… tonight to try out on my bf. He’s gonna love it, I’m sure.
me on 5.14.2010
have been making this frosting for years…call it Aunt Lillian’s Frosting
Millenion on 5.14.2010
looks like an easy recipe and looks tasty.
Ray on 5.13.2010
Just wow!! Thank you. I just made a batch of these for my wife and kids and they LOVED them. Of course I thought they were awesome too. Thanks!!
Kitty J. on 5.13.2010
I’m not sure where I screwed up..
But I dont think they turned out too good. The taste was a little off… almost ‘pasty’ like. oh well, love your lasagne!
NenisQ on 5.10.2010
Increible el betun, mis cupcakes quedaron maravillosos, y lo mejor fue que el betun no se derritio con el clima tan caluroso(40°C) jjajajajaja que tenemos en mi ciudad
Alan on 5.4.2010
‘ 1 teaspoon of vanilla’ – vanilla what? Essence? Extract? Flavouring?
michelle on 5.3.2010
so sad. it tastes good but runny. poop. i did somethin’ wrong… frosting from a can…again.
Chelsea M. on 5.2.2010
I tried making this frosting just today…and it tastes delicious, but the consistency is *very* runny. Why could this be? I followed directions, I promise!
Candygirl on 5.2.2010
I’ve made this with the scrapings of a vanilla bean and it was wonderful! A friend thought it was a cream based frosting.
MamaB on 5.1.2010
Made this today. But I added a tablespoon of instant coffee to the milk and flour mixture and used dark brown sugar instead of white sugar. WOW I cannot believe how light and fluffy this frosting is. I love it!
joluv2bake on 4.29.2010
To cccakes:
You should have no problem using it to decorate cupcakes and yes, it is wonderful.
I have made this frosting since the 50’s but in reading all of the comments in this section along with the ones in Pioneer Woman when she first wrote it up (Best Frosting Ever), many people have had problems with it so I suggest you read the different comments/suggestions first. I am not sure what date I offered up my suggestions in details, in both this section and PW, to hopefully help out those that we having problems.
Jo
cccakes on 4.29.2010
This sounds great. do you think is can be used to decorate cupcakes?
Ashleigh on 4.25.2010
I made this frosting for some rainbow cupcakes for my friends a couple days ago and they were all freaking out at how good the frosting was. I went back to my friends yesterday to find one of them eating the leftover frosting with a spoon. Hahaha. It almost tastes like vanilla icecream!
Chris on 4.25.2010
Like Joy said a while ago, I love this best on Red Velvet. It is, by far, one of the best recipes I’ve tried.
Diane on 4.25.2010
I have made this before and the frosting was a little gritty from the sugar. It just didn’t dissolve quite enough without over mixing it. Any suggestions.
Gaby on 4.24.2010
I just made this icing with brown sugar, as well as adding some thickened cream at the end and it was AMAZING
Thank you so much for this recipe, I am never making regular butter cream again.
Karen on 4.23.2010
I am so impressed that you can hold a half-frosted cupcake and a knife with a glob of frosting on it all in one hand while taking a picture with the other. Seriously impressed.
caliban on 4.22.2010
Sorry, but I made this twice now and followed the recipe to the letter and both times it’s curdled/split on me. I make roux sauces often and have never happened before. I made sure the butter/sugar is light and fluffy/pale and the flour/water is thick and cool and I got scrambled gunk. If you can pull it off – gold star for you – but I won’t be making it again – huge waste of ingredients.
gatorbaby9861 on 4.21.2010
Holy cow! I made some Lemon cream cupcakes this morning (from here: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Lemon-Cream-Cupcakes/Detail.aspx). Made your frosting recipe and added a couple of drops of lemon oil at the same time as the vanilla. WOW! It’s really GREAT. Satiny & smooth and light.
Thanks for sharing this recipe!
kristi on 4.20.2010
OK… mine did not turn out… though I don’t think I scaled the milk, it looks scalded. Everything was fun until I added the butter mixture to the flour mixture. tastes yummy, but I just don’t like the consistency. What did I do wrong?!!!
Lisa on 4.18.2010
I just made this frosting to go with PW’s chocolate cake. I am a frosting lover, but this was not good. You could still taste a hint of the flour. The sugar was grainy and didn’t break down no matter how long you whipped the mixture. The frosting had an offputting, almost foamy texture. I really wanted to love this, but I’ll stick with my buttecream recipe.
Tiffany on 4.17.2010
I’ve just had so much trouble with this frosting. I’m not really a novice baker (I’m not professional either)… and I think I know how to follow directions… but I just CANNOT get this frosting to work. It just keeps separating. I’ve even tried different methods like placing the butter in the freezer or using it at room temp. The flour mixture I have is not warm at all. I let it cool down for a few hours (is this the reason it doesn’t work?). It tastes real good… but I just can’t get it to be the right consistency. Please help…
Suzie Q in Vermont on 4.17.2010
Tried this frosting today……on chocolate cake…..my husband was not a fan. I have to say after readng all the comments, I couldn’t wait to try it….I too was disappointed. I even went back to check the recipe on line to see if I had copied it correctly…I did. Not a keeper!
Jane on 4.17.2010
Was disappointed w/frosting. After reading reviews, I must try once more. Thought I would use Cornstarch. My flour & milk mixture didn’t get as thick as shown in your pictures. When I poured cooled mixture into sugar & butter (not all at once), it took forever to come together. Must have beat over 5 min. I am eating a piece of chocolate cake w/frosting & it is okay, but not what I expected.
Made your cinnamon rolls for Easter!!
DigitalShaman on 4.16.2010
My mother made this one when we were kids. You did not have devils food or chocolate cake without this one. It tastes almost like the old Suzie Q’s when done on chocolate cake. It’s divine!
Jojo on 4.16.2010
Why 25 pictures for a frosting recipe?!!!! Are they really necessary? (No)
They are just a waste of space and time. Use some common sense (IF you have any).
MamaB on 4.16.2010
Thanks for sharing this. I’ve been looking for something besides standard butter cream that isn’t cream cheese or Italian meringue. Looking forward to trying it.
Kay on 4.16.2010
This is the recipe that I make and frost RED VELVET cake with. It is devine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Once you eat this on red v cake you will never
go back to cream cheese frosting ! The ony difference is that my recipe calls for onlt 3 T flour.
Jeri on 4.15.2010
Can’t wait to try this! Quick question about the cupcakes: did you have to adjust anything (besides baking time) to bake the cake recipe as cupcakes?
Jerri Ann Smith on 4.15.2010
You had me at the best I’ve ever had. Now after reading the entire story, I must try this. Life just wouldn’t be complete until I know what everyone else knows. I’m late but I’m here now. Tonight honey, tonight.
Loretta on 4.15.2010
Love this frosting! Been using it for 30 years for my red velvet cake and I think it is what makes the cake so good. I do the milk/flour mixture a day ahead sometimes and chill it. Makes it easier to whip it with the butter and sugar.
lauren on 4.15.2010
add cocoa and this is the start of brownie mixture.
Marie on 4.14.2010
Reading Brooke’s story of failure, the one thing you have to make sure of is that the flour mixture is COLD before adding the other ingredients
Marie on 4.14.2010
This has been one of my favorite recipes for years-given to me by my husband’s grandmother. For a firmer texture and for big frosting jobs, I mix one recipe of this with a recipe of decorator frosting for a medium textured icing. This has been my standby icing for years. Add 1/2 cup of cocoa with the sugar and butter, and you have a delicious chocolate frosting!!
Jeanne (aka NanaBread) on 4.14.2010
My mother used to make this to put on red velvet cake. Once frosted, she would sprinkle coconut over the whole thing. It was my favorite birthday cake request growing up. So glad to see it’s still being made – means all is well in the universe!