Whipped Buttercream Frosting is the best frosting ever! This flour frosting (ermine frosting) is made without powdered sugar. It has the rich creaminess of a buttercream & the light, airy texture of a whipped cream frosting without being too sweet!
This Whipped Buttercream Frosting recipe pretty much blew my mind. I’m not a big frosting person; most buttercream frostings are just ok, and I can take them or leave them.
Well, this buttercream frosting is amazing, and it uses (are you ready for this?) granulated sugar!
Yep! Regular, old granulated sugar. So, if you’ve ever wondered how to make frosting without powdered sugar, this is it!
Don’t worry – it’s not gritty at all. In fact, this ermine frosting has the texture of a light whipped cream with the flavor of a sweet, vanilla buttercream.
It’s honestly the best frosting (buttercream or otherwise) that I’ve ever had. It’s sweet but isn’t overwhelmingly, make-your-teeth-ache sweet.
I’ve put answers to a lot of the questions I’ve received in the recipe notes. Please take a second to read through those notes before making the frosting.
How to make frosting without powdered sugar
Step 1 Whisk the milk and flour together in a small heavy saucepan before beginning to heat.
Step 2 Once combined, heat the mixture over medium-low heat until it has thickened. At this point, it should be the consistency of a thick paste.
Step 3 Remove from heat, and stir in the vanilla extract.
Step 4 Let the mixture cool to room temperature before continuing. This step is key. If the mixture is warm, it will cause the butter to warm up, and you’ll end up with a thin, runny frosting.
Step 5 In a separate large bowl, cream the butter, sugar, and salt together on medium-high to high until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Be sure to scrape down the sides to avoid gritty frosting.
Step 6 Add the completely cooled milk/flour mixture to the beaten butter/sugar mixture, and beat on medium-high to high for 5 minutes. It may look separated at first, but keep whipping the frosting until it is light and fluffy.
FAQs
This recipe has been posted for nearly 10 years. During that time, I’ve made and re-made this frosting countless times to be able to answer the thousands of questions that I’ve received. Here are some answers to the most commonly asked questions.
The recipe will make enough to frost a 2 layer 9-inch round cake or 24 cupcakes.
I recommend chilling any unused or leftover frosting because of the high dairy content.
This recipe uses granulated sugar instead of powdered sugar to make frosting.
I’ve used almond milk to make this frosting, and it worked well.
I’ve tried this recipe with skim milk, 1% milk, 2% milk, whole milk, and nondairy milk. I’ve successfully made the frosting with all of those types of milk. However, using whole milk will give you a richer, creamier frosting than using skim milk.
I’ve tried the recipe with both salted butter and with unsalted butter + salt. I prefer the version with the salted butter because the unsalted butter + salt version tastes flatter.
You can. Clear vanilla doesn’t have as much flavor as pure vanilla extract, so you may find that you need to use more clear vanilla for the frosting to have as much flavor.
You can! Feel free to substitute another type of flavoring or extract for the vanilla.
You can! I’ve used both gel and regular food dye. Both have worked well. If you’re going to use a large quantity of food coloring, I would recommend a gel to avoid making the frosting runny.
I’ve doubled this recipe. It filled my 5 quart stand mixer, so be sure to use a larger mixing bowl.
I use regular granulated sugar. Using a larger grain (natural) sugar can give you gritty frosting. If you’re worried about the frosting ending up gritty, you can give the sugar a couple of zips in a blender or food processor to break it down.
Yes, you can use an equal amount of vanilla bean paste in place of the vanilla extract to make vanilla bean buttercream.
I’ve frozen cupcakes that were frosted with this frosting. They froze and thawed beautifully.
What flavors of cake go well with this frosting?
This frosting has a light, sweet vanilla flavor that works well with a number of cake flavors. Here are a few ideas!
- Red velvet – This type of frosting with the classic frosting for red velvet cake.
- Chocolate cake
- Carrot cake – Cream cheese frosting is the classic carrot cake frosting, but you could get adventurous and try out vanilla for a change.
- Zucchini cake
- Spice cake
- White cake
Can I make this frosting in other flavors?
You can! Here are some of the different flavors of this frosting that I’ve made.
Troubleshooting tips
- 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 other types of sugars. This frosting needs to be made with granulated sugar, not powdered 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.
- If your frosting is still a little gritty after beating it for 5 minutes, go ahead and add the cooled milk/flour mixture. That will usually smooth out any remaining sugar.
- A couple people have reported that a film has formed on their milk/flour mixture. I haven’t had this happen, but another person said that she’s had good luck with blending the milk/flour mixture with a blender before cooking it. She said that it removed any lumps and helped prevent a skin from forming.
If you’ve tried this whipped buttercream frosting recipe, don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below. I love to hear from people who’ve made my recipes!
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Whipped Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
- 7 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups milk
- 1 ½ tablespoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups salted butter at cool room temperature1
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, whisk flour into milk together over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens. It will be the consistency of a thick paste2. Make sure that you whisk the flour and milk together well before you begin cooking it to avoid lumps.7 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 1 ½ cups milk
- Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature. This step is key. If your mixture is warm, it will melt your butter, and you’ll end up with runny frosting.
- 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-high3, about 5 minutes4. Make sure that you scrape down the sides and really incorporate the butter and sugar to avoid gritty frosting.1 ½ cups salted butter, 1 ½ cups granulated sugar, Pinch of salt
- Then add the completely cooled milk mixture.
- Beat it for about 5 more minutes on medium-high to high until it looks like whipped cream. It may look separated at first, so keep beating it until it comes together and looks like a whipped cream.
Video
Notes
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Want to try a buttercream made with powdered sugar instead? Here is my favorite vanilla buttercream frosting that’s made with powdered sugar.
- I recommend chilling any leftover frosted cake or cupcakes.
- Nutrition values are estimates.
Nutrition
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More frosting recipes that are made without powdered sugar!
This recipe was originally published on 12/22/12. It was updated with new pictures on 7/25/16. Updated again on 2/10/22 with additional information and tips.
Reader Interactions
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Comments & Reviews
Tara says
This recipe is great! It has the perfect amount of sweetness to it and a great whipped texture. At first I was afraid because it looked super runny, but after I let it whip for longer it came out light and fluffy. For anyone wondering about piping, it comes out great with any of the wilton tips. I used it to pipe a swirl frosting on cupcakes. And just like everyone else said, its extremely smooth and melts in your mouth even though it uses granulated sugar!! Thanks for the recipe!
Kate says
I’m so glad you liked it! Also, thanks for the tips about piping! I don’t do much decorating, so it’s nice to hear from people who have more experience in that area. =)
Barbara says
I know this was over a year ago, but I’m making this icing and need to do a few decorations with different tips (shell border, grass). Is there anything I can do to stabilize it and/or make it thicker? Meringue powder? The party is early Saturday, and I have to do the cake tonight and tomorrow (I’m a busy home-baker with 3 tiny kids…). I’ll also have to drive to deliver it over 45 minutes in 90+ degree heat (have AC in car). Suggestions? I’ll be checking back in!!
(This does taste extremely great! I have used it to make a textured “stucco-look” cake. It seemed slightly melty in 85 degree heat, so I’m slightly worried.)
Kate says
Oh, wow! I’m sorry, but I don’t know about using meringue powder. I’m going to publish this in the hopes that someone else will have an idea for you. Best of luck!
Tempest says
I’m looking to use this frosting to decorate my daughter’s fourth birthday cake. I want to do those oh so cutesy “ruffle” style cakes, and was wondering does this frosting hold up well to piping such things? Thanks so much : )
Kate says
I do very little piping, so I can’t really speak from experience. I have heard that it holds up well, but I’m not sure what types of piping it was used for. Good luck! =)
Lisa says
I found this same recipe on Pioneer Woman’s website years ago, and yes, it does extremely well with piping. It holds up great and does not fall if you leave it refrigerated overnight.
Kate says
Thanks! =)
Courtney Conner says
BEST icing EVER! It is so yummy. Just don’t make it starting at 8:30 at night!! I’m tired! So worth staying up to make it.
Kate says
Thanks!! I’m so glad you liked it! =)
Courtney Conner says
Does this have to be refrigerated or can it sit out?
Kate says
I refrigerate the leftovers. I’m not sure whether it would be ok to leave it out or not, but, to be safe, I refrigerate it.
Jenn says
Can I use unsalted butter?
Kate says
You can. I think that it can taste sort of flat with unsalted butter, so you’ll want to increase the amount of salt in the frosting. Good luck!
Kristen says
Hello.
I love this recipe. It is so delicious and not too sweet. Perfect for a wedding cake. Is this recipe easily doubled? Thanks
Kate says
Thanks! It makes so much that I’ve never needed to double it, so I’m not sure how well it works. If you try it, I’d love to hear how it turns out. Good luck! =)
Kate says
I just made this frosting for my Banana Cake! Awesome! Everyone loved it! Can you freeze or refrigerate the extra? Thanks so much for sharing!
Kate says
I’m so glad you liked it! =) I have refrigerated the extra, and it was fine the next day. I haven’t tried freezing it, though, so I’m not sure how well that would work.
Lisa says
I’ve refrigerated it for up to 4 days with no problems. Haven’t tried freezing it, but if you got it in an airtight container, I bet it would be okay.
Kate says
Thanks for the tips! It usually goes very quickly around here, so I appreciate that info! =)
Lisa says
I’ve doubled it countless times for layer cakes. It doubles well. :)
Claire says
The first time I made this recipe it worked wonderfully! It spread beautifully and didn’t separate. But then later when I made it again, the butter and sugar kept separating! I made it again and it separated AGAIN. I have no idea what I did wrong. Some factors may have been that it was warmer out the second time I made it and I maybe wasn’t as patient about the flour/milk cooling down; i stuck it in the fridge to cool faster. Any thoughts as to why it failed the second time I made it? I love this recipe and want to make it again, but I don’t know how to fix it. Any ideas?
Kate says
I have a couple ideas. When it’s hot and humid in my kitchen, I have to really make sure to cook plenty of liquid out of the flour mixture. It needs to get to more of a thick, paste-like consistency. If it still looks watery, then you’ll want to keep cooking/stirring it.
Also, yes, if the milk/flour mixture isn’t cool enough, it does cause separation. I’ve found that if it’s even just on the warm side, the frosting doesn’t come out as well.
I hope that helps! If you have any other questions, please let me know.
Amanda says
I just made this icing and it is delicious! It is so smooth and creamy. I couldn’t believe it wasn’t gritty because of the granulated sugar! I made a test run for my daughter’s 2nd birthday next month. I made a funfetti vanilla cake but I think I want a flavored buttercream rather than vanilla to add a punch. I have been searching lemon buttercream recipes but I would really like to use your recipe but make it into lemon. Do you know how I could do this? Also, I was going to frost a two layer cake with this icing and also do some piping for a border. Does your recipe hold up well for piping? Sorry for the questions!!
Kate says
I’m so glad that you like it! To make lemon buttercream, I’d try substituting pure lemon flavor for part or all of the vanilla extract. You may have to play around a little with the amount to get the flavor you’re looking for, but that should do the trick. You could also grate in a little lemon zest to add some extra zing.
I don’t do a lot of cake decorating, but I have heard from people who have successfully piped with it.
I hope that helps, and if you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to ask!
Amanda says
So just pure lemon extract? Do you suggest adding any lemon juice? Or just lemon extract and lemon zest?
Kate says
If I was making it, I would just use pure lemon extract and maybe some zest.
I would have two concerns with using lemon juice. First, I would be worried that it might cause the frosting to curdle or separate. Second, since the extracts are usually so concentrated, you get a lot of flavor with a smaller amount of liquid. When I’ve made lemon cookies, I usually have to use somewhere around 1/4 cup or so of fresh lemon juice to get a good lemon flavor. That much extra liquid might make the frosting too wet.
Hope that helps, and I’d be interested to hear how it turns out. Good luck!
Liz says
Try adding a little lemonade flavored Koolaid…works great!
Kate says
I’ve never tried that. Thanks for the tip! =)
Raquel says
I was skeptical about this frosting because of the flour. I had never heard of flour in frosting. I am so glad that I went ahead and tried this recipe anyways! (I thought to myself if it doesn’t taste good I can always throw it away) It is DELICIOUS! The flour and milk mixture doesn’t taste good, Lol! But together with the sugar and butter it is light and not overbearingly sweet. I did mix each mixture separately for 4 minutes each then put them together and mixed for another 4 minutes. I also added a touch more vanilla. Thank you for sharing this recipe, it will be in my recipe box for years to come!
Kate says
Between the flour and the granulated sugar, I was skeptical, too! I’m so glad that you enjoyed it! =)
p.s. I have another version of this recipe that I’ll be posting on Monday. If you liked this recipe, you might enjoy that one, too.
Sofia says
Hi, my name is Sofia
I would like to know what do you mean by 7T
Kate says
Hi! 7T is short for 7 tablespoons. If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask!
Lucas says
Looks lovely , can you store the cake in room temperature or does it need fridge with this frosting ? looks lush :)))
Kate says
Thanks! I left it out for a few hours, but I’d store leftovers in the fridge. I’m not sure whether you have to or not, but I’d err on the side of caution.
Kim messer says
Hi, I’m looking to make this into a lemon buttercream any suggestions. I don’t have lemon extract. I wanted to keep the vanilla extract and add some lemon juice and zest. How much should I put do u think?
Kate says
This is just a guess, but I’d probably start with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. I’m not sure whether it will cause any separation, but that’s what I would start with and then go from there. Good luck! =)
Lorena Zepeda says
Can this be used under fondant?
Kate says
I’ve never tried it, but I’ve heard from people who have successfully used it under fondant.
Christine says
For St Pattys day I mixed with Baileys Irish cream coffee creamer and some rum extract to bring out the Baileys. Then I added some left over hot fudge pudding I used for filling the hot cocoa cupcakes. Woah I got a quick lesson on separating and emulsion! So I added more butter and kept whipping, after 5 mins my beautiful buttercream was returning. Not only did it taste just like Baileys it looked like Baileys!! I topped the cupcakes with plain vanilla buttercream, then layered the Baileys, then a quick topping of real whipped cream, some drizzled caramel, and a green white chocolate shamrock. These were a huge hit at work. Your receipe has brought much happiness to my coworkers!! Thank you again!!
Kate says
I’m glad you liked the recipe! It sounds like you really made it your own, so you deserve the credit! =)
T. Davis says
Wow! Made this with butter pecan coffee creamer instead of milk, also added maple syrup instead of vanilla extract. I used it to frost butter pecan cupcakes. This was the best buttercream I’ve ever had. So light, fluffy, and flavorful but not too sweet. Thanks so much for sharing one that uses regular sugar. I can’t wait to try it as a vanilla buttercream. This is my new go to buttercream. Do you know of a way to add cream cheese to it without messing it up?
Thanks so much again!
Kate says
I’m so glad that you liked it! Those sound like yummy changes! =)
I’ve tried using cream cheese with this recipe, but I haven’t gotten it to come out right yet. Hopefully I’ll get it down one day!
Lisa says
I’ve tried and failed to do cream cheese with it too – if you get it to work, please post! :)
Kate says
I finally came up with a whipped cream cheese version! Here is a link to the recipe. =)
Clover says
Hey there,
great looking frosting…I want to make it for my birthday!
Can I use a gluten-free flour, possibly?
Thanks
Kate says
I’m sorry, but I’ve never used gluten-free flour, so I’m not familiar enough with it to even make an educated guess. If you try it, I would be interested to hear how it turns out (as, I’m sure, would many other people).
Nedra says
You might want to try cornstarch (or potato starch). Usually, half as much cornstarch will thicken the same as the full amount of flour – so try 3 T to start. Be sure to stir the cornstarch into COLD milk – it will lump up if the milk is too warm to start out. I’ve never used cornstarch for this kind of frosting, but it usually a good substitute for flour when used as a thickener. Good luck!
Kate says
Thanks for the tips! =)
Carey says
I’ve been searching for a good buttercream for years with poor results–until I found this! Hands down the best frosting, very adaptable, very easy to put together , and scalable, too! THANK YOU!!
Kate says
This is our favorite buttercream, so I’m glad that you enjoyed it, too!! =)
Christine says
When I first tasted it I thought “Yes! This is the one! I finally found an amazing recipe”!
The flavor has that little punch to it that make other butter creams seem bland. I did alternate it a bit just for this one occasion I added 1/4c white chocolate macadamia nut coffee creamer in place of 1/4c of milk.
I had no problems with separation and it held up well for piping. I used it on pink lemonade mini cupcakes.
With all butter cream frosting’s I use this process. The sugar mixture needs to be mixed up to 15 mins to make sure the grit of the sugar is dissolved. This time I blended for 5 mins then let it sit while I piped lemon filling in the cupcakes and came back to it and blended some more. I think that reduced the blending time.
I also whipped the cooled flour mixture before adding it to the sugar mixture so all of the lumps were blended out. I think the lumps tend to slip through the sugar/butter mixture and it takes longer to mix out if you don’t.
(I like my flour mixture a little thicker so the frosting pipes well.)
I brought 48 of these cupcakes to work for a special Olympics fundraiser, every single one sold! Thank you Kate for this amazing frosting recipe and all of the other great ones you have posted, I can’t wait to try them.
Kate says
Thanks for the great tips! I’m glad you liked the frosting, and your variations sound delicious! =)
carol says
How about chocolate buttercream.?
Kate says
I have a chocolate buttercream recipe – https://www.ihearteating.com/2013/09/23/chocolate-buttercream-frosting/ and a whipped chocolate buttercream recipe – https://www.ihearteating.com/2013/08/23/chocolate-whipped-buttercream-frosting/.
Summer P. says
I just made this frosting for a Valentine’s Day cake and O.M.G. it is sooooooo delicious! I find typical buttercream frostings to be a bit too sweet, heavy and boring. I can usually taste the butter and powdered sugar and not much else. With this recipe the flavors are much more light and complex. The texture is fabulous! This will be my go-to buttercream from here on out. So glad I found your recipe in Pinterest! Thank you!
Kate says
I’m glad you found it, too!! And I’m really glad that you enjoyed it! Thanks for coming back to leave a comment!! =)