Published 7/21/14. Updated with new photos and hints on 5/8/18.
Whipped Brown Sugar Buttercream Frosting recipe is a light brown sugar whipped frosting that’s made without powdered sugar!
I love the whipped buttercream frostings because they are so light and creamy without being heavy or greasy.
They’re also pretty fantastic because you make the frosting without powdered sugar, so they’re perfect for those times when you don’t have any on-hand.
I’ve been thinking about making a brown sugar version for a while because some cakes pair so well with the caramel-y tones in brown sugar, and I have a cake recipe to go with this frosting that I’ll be posting on Thursday.
Anyway, this whipped brown sugar buttercream frosting doesn’t disappoint. It is incredibly light and super creamy.
It isn’t overpoweringly sweet either, so it pairs well with sweeter cakes. It’s especially good with fall-flavored cakes (i.e. pumpkin, apple, spice).
If you’ve never tried a whipped buttercream, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at just how good they are. This recipe makes enough to generously frost 24 cupcakes or a 9-inch 2 layer cake.
Tips for making whipped brown sugar buttercream frosting
There are a few places where things could go wrong in this recipe.
- First, not cooking the milk mixture long enough. The mixture should be a thick paste. If it’s too wet, the frosting will be too loose.
- Second, the cooked milk mixture needs to cool completely. If it’s too warm, it will melt the butter, and you’ll end up with loose frosting that doesn’t come together.
- Third, using butter that’s too warm. The butter should be at cool room temperature. It should dent if pushed, but it shouldn’t be too warm and certainly not beginning to melt.
- Fourth, using old brown sugar. Brown sugar that is hard and lumpy won’t mix well with the butter. It’s best to use soft, fresh brown sugar.
- Fifth, not whipped the frosting long enough. The frosting needs to be whipped to get the right light and airy texture. Cutting the time short could leave you with a grainy frosting or a frosting that separates.
More whipped buttercream frosting recipes!
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Whipped Brown Sugar Buttercream
Ingredients
- 7 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 cups milk
- 1 1/2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups salted butter (at cool room temperature1)
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar (packed)
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, whisk flour into milk and heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens. It will be the consistency of a thick paste.
- Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature.
- Stir in vanilla.
- While the mixture is cooling, cream the butter, sugar, and salt together until light and fluffy on medium high, about 3 minutes.
- Then add the completely cooled milk mixture.
- Beat it for about 5 minutes on medium-high to high until it looks like whipped cream. If you can still taste the sugar granules, keep beating it until you can’t.
Video
Notes
- So, what is "cool room temperature"? A lot of people think that room temperature butter means that the butter is on the verge of melted or is partially melted. That's too warm. Cool room temperature butter means that if you press it with your finger, your finger will leave an indentation in the butter, but the butter should still hold its shape and should still feel cool to the touch.
- Check out the tips and tricks section above the recipe for more helpful hints.
- Nutrition facts have been estimated.
Diane says
How do you store this cake? I might have missed it but I didn’t see it .. the icing turned out good .it is a little to much butter for me . but the true test comes when my guest taste it ..and what there opinion will be of it ..
Diane says
How do you store this cake? I might have missed it but I didn’t see it .. the icing turned out good .. but the true test comes when my guest taste it ..and what there opinion will be of it ..
Kate says
I would store it in the fridge. Glad it turned out well!
Colleen Hoffman says
I searched for this recipe, having no powdered sugar on hand, and was pleasantly surprised at the wonderful texture and much less sweetness than regular frostings. I whipped mine for a very very long time. Maybe even more than I needed to, and it was just velvety smooth, not grainy at all. I love what one commenter wrote about letting the butter and brown sugar mixture set overnight before combining with the milk flour mixture. I’ll have to try that next time. Gosh, this frosting just has such a wonderful flavor that I don’t think I ever want to make any other kind. So delicious all by itself. Forget the cake! Mmmmmmm. Bravo Ma’am, bravo!!!!! I used it for cupcakes for a Narnia Book Party, and actually covered the cupcakes in coarse sugar crystals so it wouldn’t have mattered if it had turned out grainy.
(https://mrshlovesjesus.wordpress.com/2019/02/16/the-lion-the-witch-and-the-wardrobe-narnia-party/). Please stop by and see the pictures I posted!!!!! Thank you again!!!!!
Kate says
You are very welcome! I’m glad that you liked the frosting! =)
Kat says
My family loves your cinnamon and chocolate whipped frosting recipes. It is now the only recipe I use for homemade frosting. Could you please clarify something for me for this particular recipe? The recipe calls for 1-1/2 cups (3 sticks) of butter but the video looks like 1-1/2 sticks. Is my thinking all wrong?
Kate says
Thank you! Sorry for the confusion, and no, you aren’t wrong. I made a half batch of frosting for the video, which is why there is 3/4 cup butter in the video. =) Please let me know if you have any other questions!
Prismonic says
So light and fluffy. This is a nice alternative to heavy chocolate icing or thick sweet vanilla frosting. I use it to fill homemade donut holes. A tip: Stir the butter and sugar part together and let sit overnight. The butter will absorb well the sugar. Then do the recipe as directed.
Kate says
Thank you! I’ve never tried letting the butter/sugar sit. I’ll have to give that a try!
Marie says
Is there a way I can get the same texture and level of sweetness, but have a different flavor, such as orange?
Kate says
Hi! You could use different flavors of extracts in place of the vanilla extract. I also have a vanilla version of this recipe if you wanted a more neutral base for the frosting.
Sara says
Though the vanilla was a bit much in my icing, I absolutely loved the smooth texture and flavor of the butter cream. I’ll definitely use this recipe again!
Kate says
I’m so glad that you liked it! And it sounds like you know how you want to adjust it for next time. Thanks for commenting! =)
Janice says
This frosting was excellent on my gringerbread cake! Loved it! Ermine frosting is my new go-to frosting for cakes. It’s the best!
Kate says
That’s fantastic! I’m so glad that it was a hit! Thanks for commenting!
Jaclyn says
I’ve made your other granulated sugar buttercream and trying this one tonight. I used heavy whipping cream in the recipe last time and it was amazing, people were just eating the frosting alone!
Kate says
Hope you enjoy this one, too!
Laura Agigian says
This buttercream is absolutely wonderful. It is not sickeningly sweet, like most buttercreams made with powdered sugar. IIt has a complex flavor that starts out pleasant, then the butter and brown sugar flavors come through. t has a light, airy texture that resembles whipped cream, and holds up well to piping. I made it with a moist banana cake that was filled with pastry cream. I was the balm!
Here is the link to the ONLY banana cake recipe you will ever want to use! If the link does not work, it is called “Banana Cake” VI on AllRecipies.
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/8333/banana-cake-vi/?
Kate says
Thank you so much! I’m so happy to hear that you liked the frosting. I’ve tried it with my banana cake, but I’ll have to check that recipe out. =)
Tania says
I found this recipe one night when I was making birthday cupcakes for my son’s classroom, and suddenly realized I was out of powdered sugar. It was so delicious. Kids loved it! I used it to frost banana cupcakes. I’m using it again on pumpkin chocolate chip muffins. Thanks for helping me discover this fantastic frosting! I used almond milk (I have one child who is lactose intolerant) and it still came out great.
Kate says
Yay!! I’m so happy that you liked the frosting! Thanks for commenting!
Beverly says
It was delicious! I used 1 cup of almond milk and 1/2cup of flour. This frosting would be great on waffles!
Kate says
Thank you! I’m so glad that you liked the frosting, and thank you for your notes. It’s helpful to hear the things that have worked for other people.
Sam says
Okay I was impatient and I didn’t Let the milk/flour mixture cool completely and it melted my butter… anything I can Do to save it? I put It in the fridge.
Kate says
I’m not sure whether you can save it or not. To try, I would chill it and then try to whip it up at that point. Hope it works out!
Aaron says
What temperature do you heat the milk at
Kate says
I cook it over medium-low on my gas range. It cooks hotter than my electric ranges have, so you may need to cook over medium depending on your range. Hope that helps!
Ryanne says
Can I add Peanut Butter to the recipe?
Kate says
I haven’t tried to add peanut butter to this recipe. I have a peanut butter frosting recipe if you’re interested.
Chris Storla says
I whipped it for a very long time but it remained separated and grainy. I don’t understand what I did wrong.
Kate says
Hi! If you’re interested, I have a video and step-by-step photos on my granulated sugar version of this recipe.
I’m also happy to help you troubleshoot if you can give me more information. Was your brown sugar hard at all?
Tia says
Hi! This sounds so good! Will this freeze well? I want to make a cake and freeze some slices for later.
Kate says
Thanks! Yes, it should freeze just fine. I haven’t had any issues when I’ve frozen/thawed this frosting. Hope that helps!
Kat says
Does this frosting need to be refrigerated or can the cupcakes be left at room temp?
Kate says
Yes, it’s best to refrigerate the frosting because of its high milk and butter content.
Abigail C. says
Super excited to try this with banana cupcakes! Does it make a difference whether what type of brown sugar I use? I have light brown sugar but would like a prominent taste, what amount do you suggest I use? Thank you so much!
Kate says
Hi! You can use either one. Dark brown sugar will give you a little richer, more toffee flavor. I usually use light brown sugar, and it’s a fairly mild flavor.
Arden Kuhn says
Tried this recipe today and I really loved it. It’s so refreshing to use something other than powder sugar
Kate says
Thank you so much! I’m so glad that you liked it! Thanks for commenting! =)