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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
Samie Hayward says
(*FOR VEGANS/LACTOSE-INTOLERANT)
Honestly this works like a dream, and was an absolute godsend for a Yule Log Cake recipe I found from another site. Out of any recipe I’ve ever tried, it held it’s shape the best, AND tasted the best. I’ve never had a truly great vegan icing, and this totally takes the cake.
Thank you so much, Kate! You made this Yuletide a delicious one, I’m grateful! :D
*For any vegans out there, I substituted a few things and it worked out beautifully! Here are the changes I made (the rest stayed the same):
– 1 ½ cups Silk soymilk: Organic, original, unsweetened (instead of animal milk)
– 1 ½ cups Miyoko’s butter: unsalted (at cool room temperature)
I made both vanilla and chocolate, so for chocolate just add:
– [Added tbsps at a time of Dutch cocoa for chocolate icing, ended up using 4 tbsp]
Thanks again!
Kate says
Hi! Thanks so much for taking the time to share this! I get a lot of questions about substitutions, and it’s really helpful to hear the things that have worked for people. =)
Ashley says
I’ve been baking for my kids birthday’s for the past 5 years, and I must say this is the best buttercream I have come by. The ones I’ve tried are all so sweet. I also substituted all purpose flour for gluten free all purpose flour and it turned out well.
Kate says
Thank you! I’m glad that subbing gf flour worked out well. Thanks for commenting!
futureprobaker says
can i make this chocolate? :)
Kate says
You can! Here is the chocolate version.
Crystal Marlin says
Okay so my butter was to warm and it’s funny how do I fix it
Kate says
You can try to chill it to see whether that will save it.
Randi says
This didn’t work mine turned out very liquedy and I couldn’t put it on my cake otherwise it would be to moist thanks a lot for this.
Kate says
Obviously something went wrong while you were making it. There are two reasons why it would be liquid-y. First, you didn’t thicken the milk mixture enough. I have both photos and a video, so you can see how thick it needs to be. Second, you didn’t let the milk mixture cool to room temperature before adding it, and it melted the butter. If you have any questions, I’m happy to help you troubleshoot so that you can make it successfully next time.
kennedy says
how long am i supposed to whisk the flour and milk before its thick? should i be using a beater?
Kate says
The time will vary based on your stove. The average is around 10 minutes, but, like I said, it will vary. I recommend just using a whisk for it.
Rebecca L says
I love the idea of having lower sugar in a buttercream! I’m looking to pipe flowers like roses or peonies, would this buttercream be able to hold those shapes? Could I throw some of the batch back in the bowl and mix in a little bit of powdered sugar to thicken it up? Or is there another kind of buttercream you suggest?
Kate says
I’ve used this frosting to pipe rosettes, and I’ve heard from quite a few people who have used this frosting to do various piping. If you’re looking for powdered sugar buttercream that works well for piping, this one works well.
Theresa Pameticky says
have you experimented with using cream in place of milk, to make the mixture a bit creamier and thicker?
Kate says
I haven’t tried it, but I’ve heard from people who have used part and all cream. They’ve said that both have worked well.
Jordynne says
it was easy and fun to make
Kate says
Thanks! I’m so glad to hear that! =)
Val P. says
This icing is amazing! It does take longer to make, but the smooth, whipped texture is totally worth it!!!! I used this to ice and decorate my son’s birthday cake. The icing colors beautifully and is really easy to work with. This recipe is a definite keeper!!!! :)
Kate says
Thank you so much!
sandra miles says
best frosting ever
Kate says
Thank you! So glad that you liked it. =)
Christine says
Finished cooking my milk/flour mixture and removed from the heat, while it has cooled I’m mixing it to help with the skin forming, but it does appear to have gotten a skin and is now lumpy (did not look lumpy while cooking). Will this be ok to add to the butter mixture?
Kate says
If you whisk it, does the skin blend in and do the lumps break up?
NewBaker says
I found that continuing to mix the flour and milk mixture as I am beating the sugar and butter mixture helps prevent the film from forming.
Kate says
Thank you! I haven’t had that issue, so thank you for jumping in.
Dani says
This frosting recipe is a bit more work than a traditional buttercream, but I do not like the sweetness of an American cream, so I was willing to try something new. I’m an amateur, literally making cupcakes for the second time ever and this frosting is everything. If you think it’s too gritty, turn up your speed, and wait until the final product. Before adding the flour mixture my butter/sugar was a bit gritty, but became a soft, fluffy, light cloud by the end.
Kate says
Thank you! And thanks for your notes about how it worked out for you. =)
Dayna says
So read the instructions for the butter as cooking it again so I would make you instructions more clear as to beat it…but now it is runny and not thick at all any ideas on how to fix it
Kate says
Hi! You misunderstood the directions and cooked the butter? The directions call for beating the butter, sugar, and salt together while the milk mixture cools. Was that the part you had trouble with? Also, there are step-by-step photos and a how-to video for this recipe that should help to provide additional help.
Sara says
Rave reviews when paired with a spice cake! I made a birthday cake for a friend of mine the other day, and while she loves a 7-minute frosting, the idea of beating metal beaters in a metal pan for 7 minutes while my daughter slept in the next room was very unappealing to me. Knowing my friend favors a less-sweet frosting, I scoured the internet for an alternative. (Found a browned butter one I thought would work, until I came upon the 7 CUPS OF SUGAR!) Imagine my relief when I found this gem! I added a hint of cinnamon to one half and a heaping dose of cinnamon to the other half and marbled the two for a contrast of flavor. My office-mates were absolutely floored by the flavors and the lightness of the frosting, and I think my friend found a new love and alternative to 7-minute frosting! Definitely adding to the recipe pile. One note of caution, living in south Texas this did not hold together well once the temps rose, the leftovers ( I was trying to sneak two pieces home for the hubby and I) slid off each other as the butter started to soften further. The happy, cake-eating kid in me was fine with that, but for presentation, keep it refrigerated, absolutely.
Kate says
I’m so glad that you got rave reviews! =) Yes! I highly recommend chilling it to help it hold its shape if it’s warm. Thanks for your notes and for taking the time to comment!
Donna says
Mine didn’t separate at the beginning but at the end of five minutes. What do I do now?
Kate says
It may have gotten warm as it mixed. I would chill the frosting and then try re-whipping it if needed.
Marisa says
What about the fact that flour can carry salmonella and shouldn’t be eaten raw? Does the heating with milk get the flour to a high enough temperature to kill bacteria?
Kate says
The temperature to kill salmonella is 160F. The milk/flour mixture should exceed that temperature by the time that it has thickened, so there shouldn’t be any issue with bacteria from the flour.
Victoria L Ley says
Mine came out not stable enough and I’m chilling, hoping for a better result. I did everything by the book!
Kate says
Hi! If you would like help troubleshooting, please let me know!
Nickeisha says
I am having the same problem. How did you fix yours?
Michael Fengari says
I was highly skeptical this would turn out as smooth as it did. This is pure magic! I needed therapy (baking) and no powdered sugar in sight. I followed the recipe and was amazed at how smooth this icing turned out! Nobody believe that I made it without powdered sugar. This recipe is absolutely going down in my recipe box. Thanks so much!
Kate says
Thank you! I’m so glad that it came out well for you. Thanks for commenting! =)
Jackie Callahan says
Salted butter plus adding more salt? Just wanted to make sure i had that right bc it seems like a lot of salt
Kate says
Hi! Yes, that’s correct. However, if you’re concerned about the amount of salt, feel free to use unsalted butter and then add in salt to taste.