Light And Creamy Ermine Frosting Recipe

This light and creamy vanilla buttercream recipe, sometimes known as ‘Ermine Frosting’, surprised be the first time I made it. Like most frostings, this one is ultra-smooth, creamy and stable enough to use for layer cakes and piing onto cupcakes. But it’s not overly greasy or buttery like some frostings. This is really tasty! It comes together with a few simple ingredients: flour and sugar are cooked with milk to create a ‘milk paste’  which is then beaten with butter to create the most delicious frosting you’ll ever have. Somewhere between whipped cream and traditional frosting.

Hey team! Boiled Milk frosting? Yeah, that’s right. It sounds old school, but it’s about to be your new favorite frosting! I was skeptical the first time I tried it. I thought, flour in frosting? That’s not going to taste great. Wrong. The flavor is my favorite thing about this frosting! The flour in the recipe is cooked so you can’t taste it but it’s what gives the vanilla something to grab onto which intensifies the flavor. The flavor reminds me a lot of French Pastry Cream which is basically a celebration of vanilla in epic proportions. It’s got a gorgeous vanilla flavor which makes it a perfect paring with my Vanilla Cake.

And it isn’t too sweet! This frosting doesn’t rely on sugar to give it it’s structure. It relies on the milk paste for that which means you don’t need to use a lot to get a nice stiff frosting for your desserts.

It’ll hold its shape just as well as my Classic Vanilla Frosting (a great all rounder!), but it’s almost as light and airy as my Chantilly cream. It’s somewhere in between there. And it gets it’s smooth texture from the way the sugar is dissolved in the milk paste. When you beat it with the butter you’re just left with a luscious and ultra-smooth frosting which isn’t overly sweet. That smooth texture is great for getting sharp edges on layer cakes or using for your favorite cupcakes.

Like most of my frostings, this one is easy to customize using extracts and food gel colors. But if you’re after another frosting with a fresh, natural flavor, try my Strawberry Buttercream. It uses actual strawberries in it which means you get a boost of fresh strawberry in your dessert. It tastes amazing on chocolate cupcakes. The chocolate doesn’t overpower it because the strawberry flavor is so intense.

Why This Will Be Your New Go To Frosting

I think once you try this frosting you’ll see why it stands out. Here’s what I think you’ll love about it:

• The taste will shock you – to me, it tastes a lot like a rich custard. It’s creamy and the vanilla flavor is out of this world. My theory is because the flour/sugar/milk paste gives the vanilla extract something to grab onto.
• Perfectly smooth and fluffy – since the sugar is dissolved in the milk paste, there’s no grittiness. You’re left with an ultra-smooth, airy texture that feels light.
• Far-less sweet than other frostings – because it uses less sugar! The sugar isn’t what gives this frosting structure. It’s the milk paste.
• Stupid Smooth – because of that milk paste. The sugar is dissolved in it so there’s no grit. Gives you decent sharp edges on your cake.

It Doesn’t Get Smoother Than This

Unless it’s my Swiss Meringue buttercream frosting haha. Look, my Classic Vanilla Buttercream is smooth and fluffy, but because of the way the icing sugar is incorporated into the butter, there is some grit. This on the other hand? No grit, completely smooth.

Similar to Swiss Meringue Frosting where the sugar is dissolved in the meringue, the sugar in this frosting is dissolved in a milk paste. That paste is what gives the frosting structure.

This Frosting Is Way Less Sweet

That’s because the sugar isn’t what gives this frosting its structure. Meaning, it’s not what makes it stiff enough to hold it’s shape when you pipe it. Or helps it support cake layers. It’s the milk paste that does that job. The sugar is purely for flavor. That means you don’t need as much sugar for this frosting to do its job.

Can you use less sugar? Nope. This frosting is already way less sweet than most other frostings. Less sugar would just make it taste like butter.

How To Soften Your Butter Properly

Properly soften butter is really important to a frosting like this. It’s important for a lot of recipes which is why I wrote an entire guide on how to properly soften your butter. For this recipe, it helps ensure it’s stiff enough to hold it’s shape.

Most people, myself included at one point, might assume that it should be really soft. Actually, softened butter is a little stiffer and cooler to the touch than you might think. On a thermometer it’ll measure 18C / 65F.

I start with fridge cold butter.

• How to soften your butter – I like to soften my butter by cutting into 1cm cubes. Then I let it sit out at room temp for about an hour until it reaches the right temperature. You’ll know it’s softened with you press into it and it can leave an indent with some resistance. If there’s no resistance, it’s too soft and your frosting will be hard to work with.
• The quickest way to soften butter – is by grating it. It’ll take about 5 minutes to soften once it’s grated. Just be really careful when grating it because it’s greasy and your fingers could slip onto the grater. Use some of the wrapping to hold the part you’re not grating.

How To Take It Into Vanilla Overdrive!

I have my own recipe for pure vanilla extract on the site and it’s well worth the effort. Number one, it’s cheaper than buying pure vanilla extract and it tastes amazing. I made mine two years ago and used it the other day to make my NYC Chocolate Chip Cookies. 1 tsp was more than enough because of how intense it is. For this frosting, the quality of vanilla you use matters. Here’s my tips:

• Use a brand you trust – I use Queen brand Vanilla extract if I’m using store bought.
• Use pure vanilla extract, not imitation vanilla or vanilla essence. You have to use loads of that stuff to get any flavor.
• Try home made. I know you want to make this frosting now so you don’t have months to wait for your vanilla extract to develop, but make that vanilla now. Your future taste buds will thank you!
• Vanilla bean paste works great too! It gives you a nice speckled look too.

Start With The Milk Paste

• Whisk together the sugar and flour in a small saucepan.
• Add the milk and whisk until combined.

• Whisk on medium heat until the mixture thickens and bubbles.
• Once it’s bubbled, take off the heat and transfer to a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to cool to room temperature.

PRO TIP: make this up to 2-2 hours ahead of time. It’ll give the mixture time to cool completely. And make sure you cool at room temperature, not in the fridge. Adding this to the butter when its cold will cause the frosting to stiffen and likely split.

Making The Frosting

• Whip your softened butter for 5 minutes on medium high speed until fluffy and pale. Make sure you scrape the bowl down using a spatula at least half way through.
• Add the cooled milk paste to the butter while the mixer is on medium speed. I add about 1 tbsp at a time. Once its all in there, put the speed back up to medium high speed and beat for 5 more minutes. Scrape down half way through. The frosting will be smooth, thick and fluffy.

PRO TIP: if the frosting appears too aerated or too thick, mix on low speed for about 2-3 minutes until smooth.

Hack: How To Get Super White Frosting

I’ve always seen this hack and never tried it until I made this frosting which whips up with a natural very light cream color.

Adding a drop of purple food gel and whipping it in kind of cancels and counteracts the yellow and makes it appear white.

Couple Extra Bits About This Frosting!

• Why is My Frosting Too Runny? Your butter might’ve been too soft or you added too much milk in your milk paste. Chill it in the fridge for 10-15 minutes, then re-whip.
• How To Fix Stiff Frosting – If it’s too thick, add a splash of cream, about a teaspoon and whip it in until smooth.
• Why Did My Frosting Split? This happens when ingredients are too warm or too hot. Keep whipping it, it usually comes together.
• How To Store Your Frosting And Make It Ahead – Place in an airtight container and store in the fridge for 3 days. Thaw to room temperature before whipping again.
• How Much Frosting does this make? This recipe is enough to fill and frost a two-layer 20cm / 8-inch Vanilla Cake or 12 cupcakes with high frosting swirls or 24 cupcakes if you’re smearing it on with a spoon or spatula.
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• How To Freeze This Frosting – Add to a zip lock bag and seal. Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw to room temperature and whip again before using.
• How To Flavor this frosting – The best way to flavor this frosting is using extracts. They provide the best flavor. I recently made a strawberry buttercream using a strawberry paste which would also work for this.
• How To Color This Frosting – use food color gel, not liquid food dye. Mix in until you reach the color you want.

Why is this recipe in grams and not cups?

The short answer is accuracy! It is far easier, more accurate and you get more consistent results when you measure ingredients by weight, especially in dessert and bread baking! I wrote all about this in my post about using digital kitchen scales!

Tried this recipe and loved it? Awesome! Drop me a comment below and tell me about it! Can’t wait to hear how it turned out for you! You can also keep up to date with me during the week by joining me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest!