I have been on the search for the perfect frosting for years. Nobody in my family likes buttercream frosting- they all think it is way too sweet. Whipped cream is great in taste but doesn't work too well for piping and doesn't really hold up for too long. So, the search has always been on for a light and fluffy frosting that would also lend itself to piping. And voila- I stumbled upon this"magical" frosting over at Mel's Kitchen Cafe! The name actually fits it perfectly! It is like buttercream and whipped cream had a love child! I was able to pipe it and it held beautifully!
I am so excited and looking forward to making the chocolate version of this frosting next, and then maybe playing around with various extracts- lemon, orange, strawberry, changing it up a bit by subbing some of the butter for cream cheese, and some of the sugar for honey... The possibilities are endless- it is like a whole new horizon has opened up in front of me! Did I say I am excited!? :)))
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups milk (I used 1% with stellar results)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
24 tablespoons (3 sticks) butter, cut into 24 pieces and softened at room temperature
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Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cornstarch and salt. Slowly whisk in the milk until the mixture is smooth. Place a fine-mesh strainer over a medium saucepan and pour the milk mixture through the strainer into the saucepan. Cook the mixture over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture boils and is thick enough that it starts to become difficult to easily whisk. This could take anywhere between 5-10 minutes, for me it was ready in exactly 7 minutes. It should bubble quite a bit at the end (be careful of the splatters) and thicken considerably.
Transfer the mixture to the bowl of your stand mixer and cool to room temperature – this is extremely important! If it is even slightly warm, the frosting won’t beat up properly. (It took my mixture a good 2 hours to come to room temperature and it was smooth sailing from there.) You can also refrigerate the mixture overnight. If you do this, make sure to pull it out in time to let it warm back up to room temperature. If you try to proceed with the rest of the recipe and the mixture is too cold, the butter won’t absorb into the frosting properly.
Once the frosting is completely cooled to room temperature (it should have no hint of warmth at all!), pop the bowl on your stand mixer and beat the mixture with the vanilla on low speed until it is well combined, about 30 seconds. Add the butter, one piece at a time, and beat the frosting until all the butter has been incorporated fully, about 2 minutes. Increase the speed to medium-high and let the mixer work its magic. Beat the frosting for five minutes, until it is light and fluffy. Let the frosting sit at room temperature until it is a bit more stiff, about 1 hour, or chill if you want a stiffer consistency for piping. I piped mine without chilling it and it was stiff enough. The only caveat were all the air bubbles which naturally form in the frosting while fiercely beating the heck out of it but I was fine with it.
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Chocolate Version: Add 1/4 cup cocoa powder
to the sugar, flour, cornstarch, salt mixture in the first step. Once
the frosting has been mixed for five minutes and is light and fluffy,
mix in 5 ounces of semisweet chocolate that has been melted and
completely cooled to room temperature.
Big thanks for this wonderful recipe to: Mel's kitchen cafe
I am so excited and looking forward to making the chocolate version of this frosting next, and then maybe playing around with various extracts- lemon, orange, strawberry, changing it up a bit by subbing some of the butter for cream cheese, and some of the sugar for honey... The possibilities are endless- it is like a whole new horizon has opened up in front of me! Did I say I am excited!? :)))
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups milk (I used 1% with stellar results)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
24 tablespoons (3 sticks) butter, cut into 24 pieces and softened at room temperature
.jpg)
In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cornstarch and salt. Slowly whisk in the milk until the mixture is smooth. Place a fine-mesh strainer over a medium saucepan and pour the milk mixture through the strainer into the saucepan. Cook the mixture over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture boils and is thick enough that it starts to become difficult to easily whisk. This could take anywhere between 5-10 minutes, for me it was ready in exactly 7 minutes. It should bubble quite a bit at the end (be careful of the splatters) and thicken considerably.
Transfer the mixture to the bowl of your stand mixer and cool to room temperature – this is extremely important! If it is even slightly warm, the frosting won’t beat up properly. (It took my mixture a good 2 hours to come to room temperature and it was smooth sailing from there.) You can also refrigerate the mixture overnight. If you do this, make sure to pull it out in time to let it warm back up to room temperature. If you try to proceed with the rest of the recipe and the mixture is too cold, the butter won’t absorb into the frosting properly.
Once the frosting is completely cooled to room temperature (it should have no hint of warmth at all!), pop the bowl on your stand mixer and beat the mixture with the vanilla on low speed until it is well combined, about 30 seconds. Add the butter, one piece at a time, and beat the frosting until all the butter has been incorporated fully, about 2 minutes. Increase the speed to medium-high and let the mixer work its magic. Beat the frosting for five minutes, until it is light and fluffy. Let the frosting sit at room temperature until it is a bit more stiff, about 1 hour, or chill if you want a stiffer consistency for piping. I piped mine without chilling it and it was stiff enough. The only caveat were all the air bubbles which naturally form in the frosting while fiercely beating the heck out of it but I was fine with it.
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Big thanks for this wonderful recipe to: Mel's kitchen cafe
Glad you loved this frosting, Nadia - the cupcakes are so pretty!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mel! I love it so much so that I just whipped up a second batch today!!! :)) I am simply over the moon with it! Such a great recipe, it's a definite keeper! So glad I found your site! BTW, just made your sweet and sour chicken tonight and it was the BOMB! I mean, seriously! Amazingly delicious! Thank you! And thanks for stopping by! :)
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