Ermine Frosting
Ermine Frosting, aka boiled or cooked flour frosting, is an old-fashioned recipe, and a great not-too-sweet alternative to regular buttercream. It’s light and silky smooth with a delicious vanilla buttery flavor, and it pipes beautifully!
Ermine Frosting was the original frosting used on red velvet cake, before cream cheese frosting took its place over the years. They are both good frostings. However, Ermine is less sweet and my personal preference between the two.
Two ingredients that might surprise you!
Flour: You’re probably shocked to find out there is flour in a frosting recipe. Not to worry! You won’t taste the flour. The flour gets combined with granulated sugar and milk, then cooked just long enough to thicken the mixture and cook out the flour taste.
Granulated Sugar: Most frosting recipes call for powdered (confectioners’) sugar. This one calls for white granulated sugar. That’s a good thing. That’s what makes this frosting not too cloyingly sweet. It’s just right!
Is the cooked mixture a roux?
The answer is no! It’s a cooked starch with a custard-like pudding consistency. I see many recipes for this frosting where the cooked mixture is referred to as a roux, but it actually isn’t a roux. A roux is a mixture of equal parts flour and fat, such as butter or meat drippings. It’s cooked for a couple minutes until the flour taste has cooked out, and it begins to brown. Then milk, broth or water are usually added to make gravies and sauces. In this recipe we are simply mixing flour and sugar, then adding milk.
What does Ermine Frosting taste like?
Ermine frosting has a vanilla, buttery, but not overly sweet flavor. If you’ve ever had Swiss Meringue Buttercream, I consider it similar in flavor and texture. Both of these frostings are not as sweet as regular buttercream, and both are light and airy.
Six Ingredients
Granulated Sugar – Granulated white sugar isn’t the traditional sugar used in most frosting recipes. Most use powdered sugar. However, the granulated sugar gets completely dissolved when cooked over heat, and it’s not cloyingly sweet like most buttercream frostings.
All-Purpose Flour – The flour acts as the thickening agent in this recipe. The flour taste is cooked out as the flour thickens the mixture.
Milk – Any milk is fine, 2%, whole…It doesn’t really matter. We are adding butter to this recipe for a buttery richness. As the milk gets added to the flour, the flour taste gets cooked out and the mixture becomes thick.
Butter – Use real unsalted butter. Don’t use margarine. If you have to use salted butter, cut the salt in half in this recipe.
Vanilla – Use pure vanilla, not imitation, for the best flavor.
Salt – Salt always brings together and balances out all the flavors.
How to make Ermine Frosting
Add the granulated sugar and flour to a medium saucepan. Whisk the two together for a few seconds to combine, and place over medium heat. Whisk constantly while slowly adding the warm milk. Keep whisking and cook until the mixture becomes very thick. It should be a custardy-pudding like consistency. If you scrape a spoon across the bottom of the pan, making a line, the line will remain without the mixture filling back into it.
Remove from the heat and transfer the mixture to a bowl. Allow to cool for about 15 minutes. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the mixture, making sure the plastic wrap is touching the surface of the mixture. This will prevent a skin from forming. Place the bowl in a refrigerator for about 15 to 20 minutes to finish cooling down. The mixture should not be chilled. It should be cooled to room temperature only.
Add the butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or use a hand mixer. Beat on high for about 3 minutes, or until the butter is a very pale almost white in color. Turn the mixer to medium speed and add the cooked mixture, one heaping tablespoon at a time until it’s all incorporated, about 1 minute. Add the salt and vanilla and beat on high for about 2 minutes or until the mixture forms peaks that will stay on the whisk when the whisk is lifted. The mixture should be thick and creamy.
Why is my frosting runny?
- The cooked mixture wasn’t cooked long enough. It needs to be cooked over medium heat, no higher. Whisk constantly while slowly adding the warm milk. Keep whisking and cook until the mixture becomes very thick. It should be a custard-like consistency.
- The cooked mixture was too warm. The cooked mixture needs to be cooled to room temperature, before adding it to the butter. If it’s too warm, the frosting will be runny.
- The butter was too soft. The butter should be room temp but not so soft that it flattens out when you touch it. I set mine out of the refrigerator about 45 minutes before making this recipe.
If your frosting is too soft or runny, try placing it in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes, then whip it again. You might have to do this twice before it becomes pipable.
Why did my frosting curdle?
When the frosting curdles when mixing it, it’s usually because the butter was too cold, or the cooked mixture was too cold. They should both be at room temperature. Don’t give up on it. Keep mixing it with a mixer for several minutes, and it should finally come back to a smooth consistency.
How to make pristine white Ermine frosting
Some people prefer a pristine white Ermine frosting. If you’re one of those people, you can use clear vanilla. However, clear vanilla is imitation. As you can see, my frosting is not pristine white. That’s because I prefer to use pure vanilla extract. To me, it’s all about the flavor. You can also add a tiny spec (like one tiny spec on the tip of a toothpick or knife) of violet or purple gel food coloring.
Can I make chocolate Ermine frosting?
Yes. To make chocolate, add ¼ cup of cocoa in at the end, and whip to incorporate it.
What pairs good with Ermine frosting
As I previously mentioned, Ermine frosting was the original frosting for red velvet cake, before cream cheese frosting took the spotlight. So…if you’re a fan of red velvet cake or cupcakes, you might like to try this frosting instead of cream cheese.
A moment of honesty here, you will never see a recipe on my food blog for red velvet cake or cupcakes. Sorry! To make either of these is to simply make a chocolate cake batter and add a bottle of red food coloring. I don’t understand why anyone would want to do this. Just my honest opinion.
Ermine frosting pairs great with vanilla cupcakes, coconut cupcakes, carrot cake cupcakes, chocolate cupcakes, and basically any flavor cupcake or cake.
This frosting pipes beautifully, regardless of what size tip you use. I used Ateco 849 above.
How Long Does Ermine Frosting Keep?
Ermine frosting will stay creamy for a few hours before slightly firming up. However, it will not form a crust. You can store it for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature and rewhip it. You can also make and refrigerate the cooked mixture, up to 5 days in advance, bring it to room temperature and finish making the frosting the day you want it.
Can I freeze Ermine frosting?
Yes. Transfer the frosting to a freezer safe container and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature and whip with a mixer. When I freeze it, I place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the frosting before placing a secure lid on the freezer container.
This recipe will frost 12 cupcakes generously or one two layer 8 or 9-inch cake.
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Ermine Frosting
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 3 cups 1x
- Category: Frostings
- Method: Cook
- Cuisine: American
Description
Ermine Frosting is an old-fashioned recipe, and a great not-too-sweet alternative to regular buttercream. It’s light and silky smooth with a delicious vanilla buttery flavor, and it pipes beautifully!
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar*
- 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup milk, warm
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract**
Get Recipe Ingredients
Instructions
- Add the granulated sugar and flour to a medium saucepan. Whisk the two together together for a few seconds to combine, and place over medium heat. Whisk constantly while slowly adding the warm milk. Keep whisking and cook until the mixture becomes very thick. It should be a custard-like consistency.
- Remove from the heat and transfer the mixture to a bowl. Allow to cool for about 15 minutes. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the mixture, making sure the plastic wrap is touching the surface of the mixture. This will prevent a skin from forming. Place the bowl in a refrigerator for about 15 to 20 minutes to finish cooling down. The mixture should not be chilled. It should be cooled to room temperature only.
- Add the butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or use a hand mixer. Beat on high for about 3 minutes, or until the butter is a very pale almost white color.
- Turn mixer to medium speed and add the cooked mixture, one heaping tablespoon at a time until it’s all incorporated, about 1 minute.
- Add the salt and vanilla and beat on high for about 2 minutes or until the mixture forms peaks that will stay on the whisk when the whisk is lifted. The mixture should be thick and creamy.
- Frost up to 12 cupcakes generously or one two layer 8 or 9-inch layer cake. This frosting will keep at room temperature for up to 3 days on cake or cupcakes.
Notes
- *You can safely reduce the amount of sugar in this recipe to 1/2 cup, if you prefer an even less sweet frosting.
- ** If you want a pristine white frosting you can use clear vanilla. However, clear vanilla is imitation. I prefer pure vanilla extract. My frosting is a slight off white color.