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
Leah says
In other buttercream recipes I’ve replaced milk with heavy cream for a richer flavor. I was wondering if that could work with this recipe or if it wouldn’t mix well with the flour.
Kate says
I’ve used everything from skim milk to whole milk when making this frosting, and the milk’s fat content hasn’t seemed to affect anything other than the richness. I would guess that if you used heavy cream for part or all of the milk that it would work. Good luck!
Leah says
Thanks, good to know! Ever since someone suggested switching over I’ve found that the higher the fat content the more buttery-ness-ish it tastes. I have no idea how else to explain it but it also seems to cut the sweetness too.
Kate says
That makes sense! If you think about it, I’d be interested to hear how it turns out.
Leah says
I tried it tonight with the heavy cream. I liked the flavor but I found the texture to be a bit greasy. I think there was just too much fat content.
I too had an issue with grittiness. I was able to get it down to where it won’t be an issue with what I’m using the frosting for. I’m make cupcakes in a cup. It’s where you cut a cupcake in half horizontally and then layer them in a cup with frosting. Similar to a parfait or a trifle but with cake. I read on some blog where they mix the sugar into the milk and once it’s dissolved go from there. Have you heard of this method or have any ideas? It’ll probably be awhile before I make this recipe again (no birthdays until May) so I won’t be able to test and report back.
Kate says
Thank you for the update! I’ve had really good luck using whole milk – it’s rich but isn’t greasy.
I’ve never had an issue with grittiness. I’m not sure whether it’s because I use a KitchenAid, and it really whips it up or whether there is some other reason. I would suggest giving the sugar a quick blend or grind to make superfine sugar. The finer sugar should blend more easily. Hope that helps!
Leah says
I used a blender on the sugar because I read about that in the comments and I also use a KitchenAid mixer. I creamed the butter and sugar for much longer than you recommended. I wondered if my butter was too cold and not soft enough to dissolve the sugar. That’s the only thing I can think of.
Kate says
I use my butter at cool room temperature. I’ve found that if it’s too warm that it will get too soft when its beaten.
Jessica says
Hi Kate,
Can I add food coloring to this reciped? If yes, should I add it at the end or does the flour and milk mixture need to be colored as well? This is now my go-to recipe for butter cream frosting, but I make a lot of themed cakes for kids that require colored frosting.
Thanks
Kate says
Yes, you can. I don’t color it, but I have heard that gel coloring works best. I think it would be fine if you added it at the end as it all gets whipped together at that point.
Lindsey says
I used a regular liquid food dye. The color came out very even, and I didn’t have any issues with separation. I did note that after refrigerating both the colored and uncolored frostings (pre-decorating), the colored frosting was a tad bit stiffer.
Kate says
Also good to know! I’ve found that, too. Once the frosting has been chilled, it does firm up a bit.
Karen says
Hi! I was to make and realized I only have unsalted butter. Can I sub unsalted and add salt? Any idea how much?
Thanks!
Kate says
Sure! I would start off with 1/2 teaspoon of salt, which is less than the salted butter would have. I would taste it, and then add additional salt as needed. GL!
Sharon Toji says
I’m sure the answer is here already, but I am making a cake for a friend to take to his friend. I would love to try this frosting, but I would like to make the frosting late at night, frost the cake the next morning, he would pick it up, take it home and refrigerate, and take via probably 2 hours in car to the friend. Does that work with this frosting? If absolutely necessary, I could make it early in the morning before he picks it up, skipping one night. Thanks for your help. I am reading about this frosting on several sites. I just finished making some cakes for friends and the buttercream was just so rich and sweet that I would like an alternate. This sounds like it! Thanks you.
Kate says
I’ve heard from people who have had varied results when making the frosting ahead of time. Some people have said that it separated and that they needed to re-whip it; other people have said that it worked out well. I think it may depend on how well the ingredients are incorporated to begin with.
The frosting does set up quite a bit in the fridge, so it may be easier to work with if you make it the morning of. The other option would be to just let it come to temperature so that it’s easier to spread/work with. I haven’t had any issues with the frosting holding up on frosted cakes or cupcakes in the fridge. Hope that helps! If you have any further questions, please feel free to ask.
Sharon Toji says
Thank you so much. I may be able to postpone pick up of the cake until evening, which means less time in the refrigerator.
Kate says
You’re very welcome!
Carmen says
I LOVE this recipe! I halved it since I was making a small batch of mini chocolate cupcakes for Valentine’s Day and I used ground up freeze dried raspberries that I added to the butter and sugar mixture. (I love the punch of flavor and pure color without using dye that you get from using freeze dried fruit!) I kept everything else the same (though halved). The taste and texture pairs perfectly with the tartness of the raspberries! Thanks so much!
Kate says
So smart! Freeze-dried raspberries are a great way to add color and flavor to the frosting! Glad you liked it! Thank you for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
DebbieDon says
Thank you for this recipe! I’ve never been a fan of traditional buttercream frostings (way too sweet and not much flavor). I’ve had this frosting before in whoopie pies and had forgotten all about it. I’m sure this will become our family’s go-to frosting!
Kate says
Those are the problems I have with traditional buttercream, too! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do! =)
Rochelle says
I am making a birthday cake for my son’s 5th birthday this coming weekend. I sent of an image to a local bakery to print me out an edable image to place on top of the cake.
Do you think this frosting will work under an edable image?
Kate says
I’m not sure! I’ve never worked with edible images, and the only feedback that I’ve gotten is that this frosting works well under fondant. Wish I had a more definitive answer for you!
kimmy says
my flour and milk mixture had lumps :( is that wrong?
Kate says
Yes, sorry! You don’t want it to have lumps at that point. It should be really thick and smooth.
Bre Andrews says
Hi, I’m looking for a fantastic but not too sweet buttercream for frosting a two layer 9″ cake with rosettes. Do you think this recipe as written will yield enough to do the job? Also, have you ever tried adding colouring to it? I want to make a purple icing so I made my own food colouring from blueberries. I am wondering if adding that to this icing would cause it to separate or any other adverse effects that would make piping rosettes difficult. Thanks in advance for your help!
Kate says
I’m not sure how much extra frosting rosettes take, but the amount is fairly generous in this recipe. I haven’t tried adding coloring, and I’ve never used natural food color, so I’m not sure how it would work in the frosting. If you try it, I’d be interested to hear how it turns out! GL! =)
Bre Andrews says
Hey there! Just an update on how my natural food colouring worked. I added about 1 tbsp of my purple colouring I had made from blueberries to the milk and flour mixture before it was cooked and thickened. It did not make a vibrant purple, but still made the icing a sweet shade of lavender. Overall it turned out wonderfully, very light icing yet it piped beautiful rosettes and was the perfect amount of sweet (unlike the super sweet tummy churning american buttercreams). My guests loved it and my baby girl (at her 1 yr birthday party) loved it too! This recipe is a definite keeper! Thanks for this lovely and delicious icing, it’s my ‘go to’ from now on!
Bre Andrews says
Hey there! Just an update on how my natural food colouring worked. I added about 1 tbsp of my purple colouring I had made from blueberries to the milk and flour mixture before it was cooked and thickened. It did not make a vibrant purple, but still made the icing a sweet shade of lavender. Overall it turned out wonderfully, very light icing yet it piped beautiful rosettes and was the perfect amount of sweet (unlike the super sweet tummy churning american buttercreams). My guests loved it and my baby girl (at her 1 yr birthday party) loved it too! This recipe is a definite keeper! Thanks for this lovely and delicious icing, it’s my ‘go to’ from now on!
Kate says
I’m so glad to hear that it worked out! The cake sounds like it was lovely! I wonder what has happened when people ask questions, and I really appreciate that you took the time to come back to say how it worked out.
Della Williamson says
Watkins has a set of food colorings made with 100% natural vegetable juices and spices.
Thank you so much for this buttercream frosting recipe. Just what I was looking for.
Kate says
Great tip! Thanks! I have one kiddo who has trouble with food coloring, so I’m going to look for those.
Joanne says
I use this frosting to cover a cake with rosettes all the time. A 1 and 1/2 batch will give you enough
to not worry about running out. there is nothing worse that having a half decorated cake and running out of icing! This is the ultimate frosting recipe. I make it all the time and it always comes out perfect and always gets rave reviews.
Kate says
Thank you!
Debbie's Delightful Creations says
1 c ½ . milk
1 T ½ . pure vanilla extract
Just wondering on the amounts…. Is it 1 1/2 cup of milk, 1 1/12 Tablespoons, etc?
Recipe looks great, just want to make sure I have the right amounts.
Kate says
Yes, it’s 1 1/2 on those. Thank you for asking! It looks there was a glitch on that, but I’ve fixed it. =)
Men says
HELP! I absolutely love the taste of this buttercream. I’ve never liked regular buttercream I’ve struck to cream cheese frosting or regular whipping frosting but this is absolutely amazing. However, it’s gritty. What did I do wrong? Do I need to mix the butter and sugar longer? Please help!! I have to make a birthday cake next week and I’m using this frosting. Thabk uou
Kate says
Thank you! I’m much the same way about frosting. =)
Yes, if it’s gritty, you would need to keep beating the butter and sugar together. I beat it together for the full five minutes to make sure that it’s fully incorporated. Once it is, it should be smooth and creamy. Also, depending on how powerful your mixer is, you may need to beat it on high to help it whip up. Please let me know if you have any other questions!
Grace says
I have found that using superfine sugar really works best in this recipe. You still need to beat it well, but it dissolves much quicker.
Kate says
That’s a great tip for anyone who is having trouble getting the sugar incorporated. Thanks!
amy horvat says
This looks like such an interesting recipe. I always find regular buttercream frosting too sweet, and I’m thinking that this might be a good alternative. Would you say that it’s less sweet than a typical buttercream?
Kate says
It isn’t tooth-achingly sweet like a lot of frostings are; I think it’s more balanced. It’s still sweet, but it’s also light. Hope that makes sense!
Tina says
I tried this out for my son’s 6th birthday cake, and it is great! I wish I could post pictures of the beautiful cake I made. I used this to make flowers, leaves, writing, and to cover the cake. I had an issue with seperation because I left the frosting in the fridge over night before icing the cake, but don’t worry, just keep whipping and it comes back together. I had to whip it for probably 10-15 minutes (with a hand mixer,) but it finally worked. The party isn’t until tomorrow, so I really hope it holds its form another night in the fridge, but I think it will. I made the flowers ahead of time and put them in the fridge before putting them on the cake, and they held their shape. Can’t wait for everyone to try it! Thanks for a great recipe!
Kate says
Yay!! I would love to see the cake if you get a chance to share it! And happy birthday to your son!! =D
Lisa Garcia says
Is this frosting stable enough to use on a cake that will be covered in fondant?
Kate says
I’m not sure. I haven’t ever worked with fondant, so I’m afraid I can’t be much help.
Pam says
I work with fondant all the time & have started using this recipe as my go to for all my cakes. Tastes amazing & works beautifully under fondant!!
Kate says
I’m so glad that you like this frosting! Also, great info about it working well under fondant. I’ve gotten questions about whether it will work well with fondant, and I wasn’t sure. So, thank you for taking the time to come back and leave such a helpful comment! =)
Katie says
Can I use almond milk instead of cows milk? Does it change the texture?
Kate says
I’ve never tried using non-dairy milk to make this frosting. I did hear from someone who had tried it, and she said that it worked. Unfortunately, I don’t have any information about it beyond that, though.
Breanna says
What does 7 t stand for teaspoons or table spoons
Kate says
I use “T” for tablespoon and “tsp” for teaspoon in my recipes.
Jlibit says
Once the cake is frosted with this icing, can it stay out in a cake tupperware or does it have to be refrigerated?
Kate says
Once frosted, the cake will need to be refrigerated.
Sarah says
Have you ever tried this with a gluten free flour blend? I just gave it a go (using Pamela’s All Purpose GF Flour) and can’t seem to get the thickness I’m going to need for decorating. The taste is OUTSTANDING though, so I hope I can figure it out!
Kate says
I haven’t tried it with gf flour. I wonder if a little extra cornstarch would help it thicken up?
Rebecca says
Yes I cook gluten free and found cornstarch to be your best bet! The gf flour isn’t strong enough and if you add more flour it will taste like flour. I like this one so much better than powdered sugar buttercream!!
Jemayma says
Yayyyu! Im glad i read this. Im making my inlaws wedding anniversary this weekend,and im really prostrated to find an altertive buttercream that is not too sweet. This is perfect as my mother in law has allergy with gluten,mentioning cornstarch as an option is making me excited to give a try! Xxx
Kate says
I’ve also heard from people who have had good luck with substituting gluten free flour blends for the ap flour. GL!
Jenn says
I tried this recipe with cornstarch (only use half the amount of cornstarch than it says to use flour) and it came out amazing!! My daughter is gf and LOVES it! So do I!
Kate says
Thank you so much for sharing that tip!
Avery says
What did you mean by mix on medium high and high?
Also, could I add food coloring at the end or would that affect the taste?
Kate says
Depending on the power of the mixer that you’re using, you’d need to beat on medium-high or high. I would suggest a higher setting if you’re unsure. I’m not sure! It might. I have heard that people have had good luck using a little gel food coloring, but I haven’t tried it myself.
Crystal H says
Thank you sooooo much for this reciepe!! I have been using it for about a year now and it’s the only one I use (besides your other flavor variations of this, of course) I am fairly new to cake decorating, but to me taste matters way more than looks! I am making my sisters wedding cake for her and did a practice run today. This frosting holds up real nicely and works great to make flowers and such. I guess well see how it holds up a 3 teir cake when the day comes! Lol I’m so excited for everyone to try this frosting! ?
Kate says
I’m so glad that you like it!! Congrats to your sister, and good luck with the cake! I hope it is amazing! =)
Catherine says
I have never been a fan of buttercream frosting, but I decided to give this a try. I had made a lemon cake, only to find that I had no confectioner’s sugar for a glaze. It seemed a bit much to run to the store only for some powdered sugar, considering I had made the cake on a whim (my sweet tooth nags me at unexpected times!) from an expired boxed cake mix in the back of my pantry. So I looked up icing recipes made using granulated sugar. Let me tell you, this is FABULOUS! What a pleasant surprise. I will definitely be saving this recipe for future, more thought-out occasions.
Kate says
Haha! I have the same sort of sweet tooth! I’m so glad that you liked the frosting! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment. =)