Frosting Recipes
Frosting Recipes in a Nutshell!
Or a spoon, or - ummm... even on a cake!!
These frosting recipes, like the filling recipes were developed by my mother.
You simply can't have cake without some kind of frosting!
There are a few basic types of frosting recipes. Each has its own special recipe. For those new to baking, I've put down the basic frostings first, along with simple variations to personalize them.
For those who are 'old-hands' at baking and making their own frostings, use the variations listed to try something new! As I continue to build this page, I will add some of my Mom's best recipes to the collection.
Some frostings take some practice. Please be sure to read the instructions before deciding on which frosting you will use - save the more difficult ones for another day.
Since I am writing this after Thanksgiving, I want your cake to be perfect, and for some of these frostings, there simply isn't time this season to perfect the technique.
None of them are hard, don't get me wrong here. I just figure your family will enjoy your "frosting practice sessions" throughout the coming year, and you'll be happier with the end product right now if you start simply!
Frosting Recipes Currently on this Page:
Butter Cream Frosting
Caramel Frosting
Cream Cheese Frosting
Fudge Frosting
German Chocolate Frosting
Maple Frosting
Meringue Frosting
Butter Cream Frosting
Yes, this is the same butter cream as listed on the fillings page. Butter cream frosting recipes abound, but this is the easiest I've found. They are universal - every bakery offers them, nearly every house-wife has at least one, if not several butter cream frosting recipes.
They can be flavored with just about any flavoring extract you can think of, and hold up well when nuts, chips or other items are added to them.
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons butter
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk or cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
Cream butter and sugar together in mixer until smooth and fluffy. Ad liquid and extract, and beat until mixture spreads easily.
Variations Note: You can use one teaspoon of literally any flavoring extract to vary this recipe. Don't be afraid to experiment!!
To make a chocolate butter cream frosting, simply chop 2 squares baker's semi-sweet chocolate and melt either in the microwave or over a pot of boiling water. Beat in when adding the flavor extract.
For a mocha frosting, use strong hot coffee in place of the milk, and add 1 teaspoon powdered cocoa.
For lemon, lime or orange, use 1 tablespoon milk with 1 tablespoon juice, and add a little zest. Don't forget the extract, to be sure the flavor really zings!
Folding in chopped nuts, mini-chips, or coconut flakes will add another dimension of flavor and "WOW!" to this most wonderful of frosting recipes as well! Just remember to fold them in gently so that the filling doesn't begin to separate.
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Caramel Frosting
MMMM! Another favorite in the frosting recipes section. This goes on everything - danish, cakes, cookies - it's GRRRREAT! (Sorry, Tony!) It's creamy, it's delicious, it's caramel! Need I say more??
Ingredients:
½ cup butter
2 cups dark brown sugar
heavy cream
¼ teaspoon vanilla
Cream the butter, and slowly add sugar. Beat until well mixed. Add vanilla, and enough cream to obtain the desired consistency.
Yup - that's it (and its CARAMEL!!!)
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Cream Cheese Frosting
Anyone who loves baking cinnamon rolls knows about cream cheese frosting recipes! This is a very popular frosting in bakeries everywhere. It is as rich as butter cream, with a bit more texture and flavor.
This is one of the frostings you can't do wrong. It takes very well to citrus extracts for flavoring, in addition to the traditional vanilla. Chocolate can come out a bit bitter, though.
Ingredients:
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon milk, room temperature
2½ cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Simply beat all ingredients together in the mixer until you have a smooth, spreadable consistency.
Try adding extracts other than vanilla to spice things up a little!
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Cooked Frostings
Fudge Frosting
Fudge? Cake? This has to be one of the all time great frosting recipes! If you couldn't tell by now - I love all things sweet - especially if they also have chocolate. I could live on these two food groups!
So far as frosting recipes go, this one is pretty average so far as working it up. It is exceptional in flavor, though, and will impress the most picky of chocolate eaters.
Ingredients:
2 squares baker's unsweetened chocolate
½ cup milk or half-and-half
1½ cups sugar
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
Melt the chocolate over low heat. Add the milk and sugar, and bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly to prevent burning.
Continue boiling until a few drops form a soft ball when dropped into ice-cold water.
Add butter and vanilla, stirring until melted. Remove from heat and let stand undisturbed for a few minutes.
Beat until thick enough to spread. If the mixture is too thick, add milk or half-and-half drop by drop until it is spreadable.
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German Chocolate Frosting
This is the traditional frosting for the German Chocolate Cake, listed on the cake recipes page. As frosting recipes go, this one is fairly simple, and doesn't require any special skills to make it come out perfect!
Ingredients:
1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup sugar
3 large egg yolks
2 sticks butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 can flaked coconut
1 cup pecans, chopped
Cook over medium heat 12 minutes, stirring constantly until thick. Add coconut and pecans. Beat until cool and spreading consistency.
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Maple Frosting
How can you go wrong with frosting recipes that only require two ingredients? This maple frosting is fast and easy, and goes great on just about any sort of cake. It is especially at home on breakfast rolls and coffee-cakes, and makes a very good showing on muffins and danish.
Ingredients:
1 cup maple syrup
2 egg whites, stiffly beaten
Boil the syrup until it spins a thread. In the meantime, beat the egg whites until they are very stiff. Slowly pour the syrup into the whites, beating constantly. Continue beating until mixture is stiff enough to spread.
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Meringue Frosting
My Mom used to call this "White Mountain Frosting". It was one of her favorite frosting recipes. I prefer the really rich ones, but this is great for those who love sweet, without extra richness. It's great for just about any cake, but especially good on chocolates and devils food cakes.
Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
2 egg whites, beaten until stiff
½ cup water
½ teaspoon vanilla
Boil the sugar and water over low heat until the syrup spins a thread. Pour very slowly onto the beaten egg whites, then vanilla and beat again until smooth and stiff enough to spread.
If you want a little extra perk to this frosting, add ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar while beating.
Frosting Recipes
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