We made birthday cupcakes today!
Unfortunately I didn't notice we were out of icing sugar until it was too late to go back to the shop. I looked up no icing sugar icing on google and hit
this recipe.
I have never made anything other than icing that calls for powdered sugar so I was pretty worried about how this was going to turn out.
this recipe.
I have never made anything other than icing that calls for powdered sugar so I was pretty worried about how this was going to turn out.
I shouldn't have worried. It's probably the best icing we've ever had.
The ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 1/3 cup milk
1 cup softened butter
1 tsp vanilla extract (I used scrapings of a vanilla bean)
The ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 1/3 cup milk
1 cup softened butter
1 tsp vanilla extract (I used scrapings of a vanilla bean)
Here's how we made it.
First I whisked together in a heavy bottom saucepan one cup of sugar and half a cup of flour with one and one third cups of milk.
I heated this over med high heat until it thickened. It burns REALLY FAST!!!! Keep stirring and don't answer the door or the phone. (because I would NEVER answer the door while cooking...... don't look at that irrevocably burned pan in the corner........)
I mixed in some blue paste food colouring and spread the mixture out on a plate to cool.
I whipped up some soft unsalted butter until it was fluffy.......Black dots are vanilla bean seeds.
and beat the butter and the milk mixture together until it was light and icing like.
I made little angel food cupcakes.
They were delicious!We added sprinkles and sparklers.
It was a good day.
:)
92 comments:
I am sooo thankful
Right now i am in the same situation and i looked at other recipes but wasn't brave enough to try one
Thanks
Glad you're trying it!
Remember to watch it close during the first step. The icing base will burn really fast if you aren't paying attention.
It's really good icing though and well worth the trouble.
I noticed that you said that you used unsalted butter... Will it make a difference if you use salted? I wanna try this recipe cause I need icing tomorrow and all I have is regular butter, not unsalted...
Hey there!
I really don't think you'll notice a huge difference. It won't taste salty I don't think. I use unsalted butter for most of our baking because I like to be in control of how much salt we consume. Traditionally unsalted butter is used for sweet baking..... I think you'll be fine with salted. Happy baking!
Hello, Stupid question but should I keep the cake with this icing on in the fridge now as there is milk in it (we are eating it tomorrow night). It tastes lush btw.
Thanks!!
Not a stupid question at all.
I pondered over it myself. We put ours in the fridge to be safe, however it was suggested to me that there was enough sugar in the frosting to keep it at room temp.
It really is great icing!I really prefer it to traditional butter icing even though it's a bit harder to make. Happy cake eating!!! :)
I have to try this recipe. I use one that I've been using for years that is similar, but you do the milk and flour to a paste and cream the sugar and butter together. Then when flour paste is cool you add to butter sugar and cream. But since moving to france, I found the sugar is not as fine, so I have to throw it in a blender a bit before adding to butter to avoid any sugar "grit", which I absolutely hate! I've been looking for something different (but basically the same lol) and since I have to make cupcakes next week for school again, I'm going to try this one. So thanks for something new!
Let me know how it works out!
Happy cupcakeing!
:)
The frosting was perfect! I love my old recipe, but found it a bit too light and airy at times. And this one was a bit thicker and creamier, much better for what I needed this time. And the taste is perfect, omg so perfect paired with chocolate cake lol. The kids are going to love these cupcakes tomorrow! So thanks again for posting this, definitely a new frosting staple in my house lol.
can you skip the vanilla?? I don't have any :s
Hey there!
You sure can skip vanilla, just makes it taste very very plain without it.
Add a splosh of booze if you have it instead. Flavored liquors work best but whisky or spiced rum is good too. Good luck!
What about using margarine instead of butter?
I don't see why it wouldn't work.... I've never tried it. Might be an interesting experiment. It would greatly change the flavor.
I would steer clear of any whipped margarine, they contain water and I think that would be a problem.
Good luck!
Wow! i actually had doubts when i made the flour, suger and milk mix because it was gluggy and tasted horrible! but when i added the butter and more caster suger i was happy with it :)
Hey, just wondering, how much is 'some butter'? This recipe sounds fabulous by the way :)
Sorry, that is a bit confusing.
It means I whipped up the butter in the recipe listed above. 1 Cup. Thanks for the helping hand.
Hope you try!
Would this really work?cause I have to make some cakes for my class
It most certainly does work!
And it's delicious!!!
It's a little more difficult than making regular butter cream icing with powdered sugar, but the texture and flavor are (in my opinion)better.
I hope you try it.
Happy cake building.
I added the butter while heating ... Would it make much difference????
I've never added the butter while heating and I'm not sure what the change in process will do to the end product.
I think the butter needs to be whipped separately to get the light fluffy icing that you see in the pictures. You might get a different consistency, possibly thinner and runnier.
I'd be interested to see the results. The worst think that could happen is you have to make it again adding the butter at the end after you have cooled the milk sugar mixture.
Sure hope it goes well.
how many cupcakes does this recipe frost?
Thanks for asking.
I frosted two dozen cupcakes with one batch and had a little bit left over.
:)
sorry, stupid question. But how much is 11/3 cup of milk in litres?
Not a stupid question at all. I used an online conversion chart and it look as though 1 and 1/3 cups translates to .3 of a litre.
Good luck!
I made an orange cake and then discovered no icing sugar. I made a half quantity of your recipe using half milk half orange juice. While whipping the final mixture I added a bit more juice for more flavour. The result was a delightful creamy not too sweet frosting. Next time I will try adding some fine orange rind to the butter for more flavour. Thank you. Thanks google: how did we manage before you we're invented!!
Oh my Goodness! Fantastic idea to add orange juice! I'm going to give it a try to! Thanks so much for sharing. I agree. Google when used wisely is an amazing tool. :D
hi thanks for posting about how to make icing can i use butter milk, and what about using some brown sugar or does it have to only be just white sugar only and can we use the whole egg, or just the egg whiting from the egg. are we allow to use canola or olive oil.
I think recipes should be a guideline not a rule. Some ingredients can't be substituted easily and you never know how something new will turn out until you try it.
This recipe doesn't contain eggs or oil. I wouldn't switch out the butter for oil because it's the whipped butter that gives the icing it's thick rich texture. Oil would make it runny.
Buttermilk would be an interesting substitution. It would greatly change the flavor of the icing so be prepared for a buttermilk flavored icing as a result.
I think the brown sugar would be a delicious replacement for white sugar, and that's the change I'd try first.
Good luck and happy experimenting!
Can't wait to hear how it all works out.
Thanks for writing!
This recipe sounds like a true lifesaver, but is it a problem if I use margarine instead of butter? This my first time making a cake like this! Thanks
I don't see why it wouldn't work.... I've never tried it. Might be an interesting experiment. It would greatly change the flavor.
I would steer clear of any whipped margarine, they contain water and I think that would be a problem.
Good luck!
I combined the butter with the syrup to soon and the butter melted straight away. Is there any tips to make it more lighter and fluffier without remaking it??
Oh no!
I think I'd try to cool the whole thing down in the fridge until it sets and then re-whip the icing.
It might me a bit strange looking, but I bet it will still taste great.
Best of luck Jasmin!
Can you make it into chocolate my husband loves it and I want to bake him a cake for our anniversary it's been 36 yrs and its always been his favorite
Fantastic idea!
I would just add a couple of tablespoons of coco powder (sifted) to the milk sugar and flour mixture before you boil it. The vigorous whisking should incorporate the coco and make a nice smooth dark chocolate flavor. I'll have to try it too!!!
Please let us know how it turns out and thanks for writing!
Oh my Goodness!
Congratulations!
36 years!
Sending warm wishes to both of you for a wonderful anniversary.... and many many more!
Hello!
I tried it, and it turned out great! My family loves it! It is Thanksgiving and we needed a dessert until I found out we had no icing sugar. Great sub! Thanks! I actually put a little too much vanilla extract so I covered it up with a little coffee, about two teaspoons.
Yum! Thanks again!
Isabel
Why didn't I look for this recipe before I made a horrible mistake of making runny frosting when I added granulated sugar to it? I'll save this recipe for future pantry emergencies. Thanks!
I put the milk in the butter but then it ruined all the butter
Is it ok if I use margarine because we have no butter? What kind of milk powder or liquid?
Oh Hello there. I think in a pinch, margarine would work. It will greatly change the flavor of the icing. You might have to adjust the sugar and vanilla quantities to taste.
I used liquid homogenized milk, but don't know why reconstituted milk powder wouldn't work. Good luck! Hope it's delicious! and Happy New Year. :)
Stuck inside in a blizzard and decided to make cake only to realize I had nothing to frost it with! Found this recipe and it saved me! I have yet to try the final product yet, but it seems pretty tasty by itself!
Thank you!
Tasted amazing! I made carrot cupcakes and didn't have cream cheese or marscapone - this was amazing - tasted like a creamy custard icing.
I have a question, if u refrigerate the icing does it hardened?
Hello there!
If you refrigerate the icing it will harden. But it will soften again when left at room temperature. Like when you leave butter on the counter to get soft. It will also harden back up if re cooled. It won't stay hard like a royal icing though.
Will it be different if I beat it with hand?
It won't make much of a difference in the finished product if you hand mix. It will just take a little bit longer. :)
I have a question, what type of sugar did you use?
Hello there,
I used plain old Redpath granulated sugar. http://www.charlottepantry.com/index.php/baking-needs/redpath-white-sugar-1.html But any brand will do.
This looks like an interesting icing to make coz i've been searching for a new icing recipe that is not the usual buttercream icing recipe that i make for my cupcakes... I can't wait to try it! One question though - does it have the same consistency as the buttercream icing which i find perfect for piping my cake/cupcakes? I maybe wrong, but the icing in the picture looks a little "soft" i'm afraid it won't hold perfectly if i pipe it.. Appreciate your reply.. Thanks!!
Hi There. I don't think this icing will give you the crisp detail that butter cream can. It's slightly elastic, seems to have a bit of a self leveling quality. I want to try piping it now! Sorry I haven't got a real answer for you. Please do write back and let us know if you try it. I'll post my results too. Good luck and happy baking!
How long does it take milk mix to thicken
Hi Amanda,
It took less than two minutes for mine to thicken up. Watch it close. It will burn quickly.
Hi Kellie,
Love this recipe and your blog. I was looking forward to trying your no icing sugar icing. Unfortunately I don't have any sugar (was going to use brown sugar like one of your comments suggested) or milk!! Looks like I really need to get to the shops!
Hi can I add chocolate powder to the mixture instead if food colouring?
Hey Tianna;
We've added coco powder a couple times. We added it at the very end after all the other components were mixed together. We tasted as we added, a bit at a time to get the right amount. I'll try to keep track of how much we used next time and share it. This isn't a very sweet icing, so we didn't have to add very much coco. Happy baking! Let us know how it turns out.
I'm a starter at this, and i thought the icing was great until i found that i had added butter with the milk and flour, is that alright??
Curious to hear how it turned out. Sounds like you probably had to start over. To make the icing fluffy and spreadable the butter has to be whipped separately. Melting and heating the butter with the milk mixture isn't going to give you a light icing. Hope you try again. Follow the steps. It's worth a second try. I promise. :)
Thanks for the advice and i did it all again with no errors. It was fantastic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks!:)
I'm a single dad who had no dessert for the kids. Made a custard slice using biscuits and custard recipe. Made the icing from your recipe but substituted brown sugar and heated in the microwave at 20 sec intervals until it thickened. Added cinnamon to the butter in lieu of vanilla essence. Kids loved it. Thanks.
Just made this as was out of icing sugar and it came out fab!!
Added some lemon juice as I was making a lemon sponge cake, will definitely make this again, thanks!!
This was the most amazing recipe ever! I upset my mother this morning so i decided to bake her cupcakes and when i went to make the icing i realized we had no powdered icing sugar! This was a great substitute and I added the cocoa just like you said above and it turned out delicious!! Thank you so much. xoxo
Thanks for this recipe.... its my first time making something like this cuz i usually use betty crocker frosting.. but for a change this was great n it tastes fabulous
I tried this icing today, because it looked simple to make. Unfortunately, I'm either really impatient or I forgot to sift before hand because the milk and butter didn't combine fully. It's a little lumpy still but combined with the cake I made it didn't taste too bad! I also replaced Vanilla Extract with maple syrup and it tasted delightful.
I think the trick is to make sure the milk mixture has cooled off, and the butter mixture is at room temperature.
I LOVE the maple syrup addition and am totally making the next cake maple flavored.
Thanks for posting your results.
Hi there
i made cupcakes today and had nothing to ice them, so i tried this recipe and it tasted so good, the only problem was the icing wasn't thick it was more gooey but was brilliant, i added fudge pieces and mini marshmallows and it tasted lush!!! Such a good recipe, thank you 😊😊😏🎂👌
i used oil instead of butter. is it right or wrong?
Hello there Sadaf Hafeez!
I think you need the butter to make the frosting fluffy. Without it the frosting may be a bit glue like. But if oil worked for you, you may be on to a new recipe. :) Thanks for sharing!
Hi, will this be suitable to hold fondant for cakes? Also, how many cupcakes topping did you manage to make out of this measurements? Thank you
Hi Michelle NG;
I think this icing is a bit too soft to hold fondant. We got 12 generously iced cupcakes from this recipe. (and a bit left over for the cook!)
Thank you so much!
Me and my friends where holding a Halloween baking contest and like you I noticed I had no icing suger and it was too late to go to the supermarket. It worked perfectly! I put 4 tsp cocoa powder in yo make it chocolate and it worked! Thank you so much you blog is amazing. Leilani :)
Hi,
I would like to say thank you for sharing this amazing recipe to everyone including me.
Kind Regards, Zoe
I tried it with margarine, I've modified the quantity - 3/4 CUP sugar, 3/4 CUP flour, 1 1 1/4 CUP milk. Mixed it on low-medium heat for 15 minutes and let cool. Beat it with 3/4 CUP margarine and it turns out thick, fluffy and absolutely flavorful. I frost my choux pastry with this icing. It is ideal for choux. Thanks a lot Kellie!
How much icing does this recipe make, roughly?
Hey there!
The recipe makes enough icing to generously ice one double tiered cake or two dozen cupcakes.
Hope that helps!
Can you make it without milk as I'm lactose interolant and don't have time to go to the shop
Hello Amber!
Hope my answer doesn't come too late.
I would totally try almond or soy milk if you have it.
I think you need a milk of some sort.
Good luck!
amazing, thank you for this recipe, I just tried it as I went to the cupboard and the cupboard was bare, just served the vanilla cupcakes to a little visitor and he described them as amazing!!!! and this was the best compliment I have ever had from a 10 year old. :)
HA!!!
That is high praise indeed.
Thanks heaps for sharing.
Made our morning.
Happy weekend!
This looks like a good recipe! Is it too thin to pipe?
Hello! I don't think it's too thin to pipe. But it will probably self level a bit. I don't think it will retain the detail like proper butter cream. The taste is well worth making it though. If you do pipe it, please let us know how you make out!
Best icing ever. I used this on a white cake with some berries added, and instead of vanilla extract I whipped a decent amount of lemon juice in with the butter, and let everything sit in the fridge once mixed together. So good!! And I used becel olive oil margarine instead of butter and it still came out incredible. A repeat for sure!!!
Mine went funky and turnt into a Vaseline substance after 1 minuet of sturing
Huh.... I wonder if it got a bit too warm? It's such good icing. I hope you try again. Totally worth it!
Hi, I was wondering if it would be possible to substitute the butter for coconut oil and the milk for almond milk? (I'm dairy free). It seems a bit hard to do, but I don't have any icing sugar at the moment!!!
Hello!
I have no idea if the coconut oil would work or not. I suspect that it's not firm enough at room temp though. I've never tried to whip coconut oil. It's worth a shot. Maybe half the recipe and give that a try so you don't waste a load of ingredients if it doesn't work out. I'm pretty sure the almond milk will work though. Good luck! Please let us know how you make out. Looking forward to hearing about it!
thanks soooooooo much i have no icing sugar and know i have away to make icing without icing sugar
Thank you ....its a life saver ...i made thid icing on my dads birthday cake
So glad it helped. it's still my favorite icing recipe.
Thanks for writing!
Thank You so much for this recipe! I was in the middle of making my husbands birthday cake to find I only had 100g icing sugar! I followed your recipe and added 2 tbsps cocoa powder before I heated it and it is divine!! Best chocolate topping ever! Such a life saver!
I feel the same way about this icing Sarah!
I first tried it because I had no other options. But now it's our go to icing. Thanks for writing!
Hi just wondering if this icing hardens?
Hello there!
It doesn't harden the sender way royal icing does, but it kind of crusts over if you leave it out for a while uncovered. Still my favourite icing after all this time!
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