Brown Sugar Frosting recipe is a light brown sugar frosting that’s whipped to be extra light and fluffy. This simple frosting is made without powdered sugar!
I love this brown sugar frosting because it’s so light and creamy without being heavy or greasy. I created this recipe as an alternative to my popular whipped buttercream frosting.
Like that recipe, this frosting recipe is an ermine frosting and is made without powdered sugar. It’s perfect for those times when you don’t happen to have any powdered sugar on-hand or when you want a simpler alternative to Swiss meringue buttercream frosting.
The brown sugar frosting isn’t overpoweringly sweet either, so it pairs well with sweeter cakes. It’s especially good with fall-flavored cakes like apple spice cake and pumpkin spice cake.
“the best frosting EVER…
It is not excessively sweet or heavy, but very fluffy and light. It was elevated but still simpler than SMBC, and using dark brown sugar rather than light gave such a wonderful depth to it! I will absolutely use this recipe again.
I used it for vanilla bourbon cupcakes and topped with some sugar roasted pecans… delish.” – Allie
How to make brown sugar frosting
Here you’ll find step-by-step photos showing how to make this recipe. The full recipe, including ingredients, is given in the recipe below.
Step 1: In a small saucepan, whisk flour into milk and heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens. It will be the consistency of a thick paste.
Step 2: Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature.
Step 3: Stir in vanilla.
Step 4: While the mixture is cooling, cream the butter, sugar, and salt together until light and fluffy on medium high, about 3 minutes.
Step 5: Then add the completely cooled milk mixture.
Step 6: 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.
Recipe Tips!
Here are some tips to help you troubleshoot your 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 whipping 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.
- 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.
- The butter should be about 68-70F.
Storage
Any leftover frosting or cake/cupcakes frosted with the frosting should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
More frosting recipes without powdered sugar!
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Brown Sugar Frosting
Ingredients
- 7 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ cups milk
- 1 ½ tablespoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups salted butter at cool room temperature
- 1 ½ 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.7 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 1 ¼ cups milk
- Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature.
- Stir in vanilla.1 ½ tablespoons pure vanilla extract
- While the mixture is cooling, cream the butter, sugar, and salt together until light and fluffy on medium high, about 3 minutes.1 ½ cups salted butter, 1 ½ cups brown sugar, Pinch of salt
- 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
- Butter temperature: Make sure that your butter isn’t too warm! The butter should be at cool room temperature. You want it to dent if you press it, but you don’t want it to be so warm that it’s near melting.
- Milk/flour mixture: When cooking the milk/flour mixture, you don’t want it to look wet. It should be like a thick paste. If it’s wet and runny, your frosting will be too loose.
- Mixing: If you’re using a hand mixer, beat it on high. This recipe work well with a stand mixer because it has the power to really whip the frosting.
- Mixing time: Please don’t cut the mixing time short! I know it’s tempting, but it’s important to beat the butter and sugar together for the time the recipe calls for to keep it from being gritty. If you cut the mixing times short, you won’t end up with the right texture of frosting.
- To get the best flavor, you’ll want to use real butter and pure vanilla extract.
- Nutrition values are estimates.
Nutrition
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Originally published 7/21/14. This post is regularly updated.
Reader Interactions
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Comments & Reviews
Jaymee says
Hi, can I use heavy whipping cream instead of milk?
Kate says
Hi! I haven’t tried that, but I’ve heard from people who have. They’ve said that it worked well for them.
Sittie says
I tried this but mine was a bit lumpy and liquid-ish? I used a hand mixer , Do you have any tips for me to fix it since it might all go to waste which seems really bad and sad?
Kate says
Absolutely! A hand mixer isn’t as powerful as a stand mixer, so you’ll need to beat the frosting longer to get the same results. I’ve heard from several people who have said that it’s taken them about 10 minutes of mixing to get the frosting to smooth out when using a hand mixer.
Also, if it’s “liquidish”, it sounds like either the butter melted or the flour mixture wasn’t cooked down enough. I have a video showing the process and a couple step-by-step pictures that show what the cooked flour mixture should look like and what the butter/sugar mixture should look like. Did your frosting look like those photos?
There’s also a section called “tips” in the post that has tips and information to help you make the frosting. If you didn’t see that, it’s worth checking out.
Wendi Goble says
I have tried the flour paste frosting version before without success. This came out perfect and I thank you for the tips which I think made all the difference. Lightly sweetened caramel flavor. Perfect with my apple pie cupcakes!
Kate says
Thank you! I’m so glad to hear that!
Kristina Stupina says
This was a great tasting frosting! One of my favorites.
Kate says
Thank you so much! =)
Janice says
Can you make the brown sugar frosting with cocoa instead
Kate says
Hi! I haven’t tried making a chocolate version with brown sugar.
balqees says
i love the idea
Kate says
Thank you!
Ashley says
Hi, this looks delicious! Will this work with subbing half of the butter with cream cheese? (making with carrot cake :))
Thank You!
Kate says
Hi! Thanks! I have substituted half of the butter with cream cheese in this recipe to say for certain how it will work.
Janice says
I used this on gingerbread cake last Christmas and it was a huge hit! Loved it!
Kate says
I’m so glad that it was a hit! =)
Wendy J Harstad says
Made this with some plain vanilla cupcakes and they were PERFECT. Best mouth feel ever, not too sweet, pipes well. A HUGE hit with the grand kids.
Kate says
Thank you! I’m glad that it was a hit! =)
Sam says
I personally felt this was a lot of frosting for 24 cupcakes. I even cut this recipe in half to frost 16 cupcakes and I still had half the batch leftover. I pipped them with nice tall swirls and I usually don’t skip on the buttercream. I feel like this could probably frost 36 cupcakes easily. Besides having lots of extra, this was a fabulous recipe!!! Very delicious on my vanilla cupcakes.
Kate says
I’m glad that you liked it! For the yield, I go off of how far it goes when I make it. So, that’s where the generously frost 24 cupcakes came from.
Rena says
Hi! I was just wondering if it’s possible to use almond milk instead of milk?
Kate says
Hi! Yes, I’ve used almond milk, and it turned out well.
Paige says
I rarely leave reviews for recipes. But this is too good not to.
Follow all the tips and read the full post before you try it. I foolishly didn’t watch my flour mixture, so when my frosting was whipped – there were bits of flour throughout. I put it through a sieve and it was a-okay.
Beautiful cookie dough flavor. Pipes very well.
Kate says
Thank you! I’m glad that it worked out in the end for you! Thanks for commenting!
Gigi says
Hi! Can I make this a day ahead and frost the cake the next day? Do I need to re-whip it after being in the fridge overnight?
Kate says
I’ve had better luck making it the day that I use it. It sets up quite a bit after being in the fridge, so you’ll need to let it come up to temp before using. However, you shouldn’t need to rewhip it before using.
Megan says
Wow this was great – I modded the heck out of it, using 6 tblsp Bob’s GF 1 for 1 flour mix and 1 tblsp tapioca flour, 1/8 tsp xanthium gum. Used half coconut and half oat milks for the milk and coconut palm sugar in place of the brown for its lower glycemic index – and it was amazing, like a caramel brown sugar airy custard that had the most amazing mouth feel. Fantastic way to avoid powder sugar and still get some frosting – YUM!
Kate says
I’m so glad that it worked out well for you! Thanks for sharing your subs! =)
Kathy Thompson says
We put this on banana cupcakes for a birthday party, very light and creamy! Will definitely make this again!!
Kate says
Thank you!
Rachel says
Spectacular flavor and texture. My dad used to make a dark devil’s food cake topped with a caramel frosting. I always loved the flavor of the frosting, but it would get grainy after a day or two. This one whipped up so light and creamy and fluffy with not a hint of graininess. I will be making this one regularly. Today I put it on top of sourdough cinnamon rolls. Absolutely delicious and the whole family devoured every crumb.
Kate says
Thank you so much! =)
JESSICA says
Followed this to a T…it was AMAZING. Wss a little concerned that the milk and flour didn’t mix well enough, and that texture.. oh lord. BUT after whipping it all together it was a lovely texture with zero crystals left behind. Yummy, light, fluffy. So glad we ran out of regular sugar lol.
Kate says
Thank you!
Sahra says
Were is the video?
thanks
Kate says
If the video doesn’t show up, it’s usually because you have an ad blocker on your browser.
Chad Citro says
Did you mean 1 1/2 tablespoons of vanilla? Seemed like a lot so I used 2 teaspoons. It was still great.
Kate says
I really like my vanilla. =) Yes! Please feel free to use less if you prefer. Thanks! Glad you liked it!
Semoi Francois says
The recipe was Amazing and worked perfectley
Kate says
Thank you! I’m glad that you liked it and that it worked out well for you. =)
Rebecca says
This frosting is awesome! Thank you for the great directions.
Kate says
Thanks!