Boiled Milk Frosting

This is an old fashioned recipe that is getting popular again. It is sometimes called Ermine frosting. There is also a boiled frosting that uses water and sometimes corn syrup instead of milk. Both are good, I just like this version a little more.

It’s fairly simple to make and it is less sweet than a buttercream. It is creamy, fluffy and does not need to be refrigerated. It consists of a flour based base that is cooked, then cooled, to room temperature before butter in beaten into the base. The recipe makes plenty to frost a 2 layer cake or 2 dozen cupcakes. The recipe can be doubled easily.

Here is the recipe. Enjoy!!

Boiled Milk Frosting (Ermine)

5 T. flour

1 c. milk

1 c. granulated sugar

2 t. vanilla

½ t. salt

1 c. butter, cubed, softened at room temperature about 30 minutes

In small saucepan whisk together the flour, milk and sugar.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and gets bubbly. Cook over low heat another minute. Remove from heat and cool completely before finishing. I like to put the flour mixture in a bowl and putting in the fridge until cooled down, but not cold. Once flour mixture is cooled to room temperature beat in the vanilla, salt and butter with electric mixer until frosting is creamy and smooth.

Note: If you leave the base in the fridge too long and it gets cold, let it sit at room temperature 30 minutes before beating in the butter. If you are tinting the frosting, you can add color after the butter in fully incorporated.