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Best Buttercream Frosting
SUBMITTED BY:
Jennifer
PHOTO BY:
CathyW
"Best buttercream frosting--great for Aunt Mary's Chocolate Cake!"
RECIPE RATING:
Read Reviews
(90)
Review/Rate This Recipe
Original recipe yield 1 -9x13-inch cake's frosting
SERVINGS
(
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Servings
US
METRIC
INGREDIENTS (
Nutrition
)
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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DIRECTIONS
In small saucepan cook flour and milk until it forms a ball, stirring constantly. Cool to room temperature.
With an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until fluffy.
Beat both mixtures together on high speed until fluffy and smooth. Add vanilla and beat until combined. Refrigerate for about 1/2 hour, until it is of spreading consistency.
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REVIEWS
Reviewed on Aug. 7, 2003 by MOMME
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MOMME
Aug. 7, 2003
This is a GREAT recipe that's easy to mess up: first, cook the flour and milk til it's thick (I don't know what a "ball" would be). Then make sure the flour and milk combination is completely cool (no warmer than room temp) before mixing the butter in. Finally, I like powdered sugar in this recipe better than granulated sugar.
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27 users found this review helpful
This is a GREAT recipe that's easy to mess up: first, cook the flour and milk til it's thick...
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Reviewed on Apr. 17, 2006 by
Habeas Corpulent
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Habeas Corpulent
Apr. 17, 2006
Don't be put off by the ratings of * and **. Not cooking the flour/milk mixture long enough will result in a "floury-tasting" frosting, so be sure to cook the mixture until reasonably thickened. An actual ball doesn't need to form; it just has to be thick. Also, as at least one other reviewer said, it's important to beat the sugar and butter at least 15 minutes - that's how you reduce the "grit" of the granulated sugar. If you take your time and do it right, you'll be rewarded with the most remarkably smooth and creamy, buttery frosting you've ever tasted.
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22 users found this review helpful
Don't be put off by the ratings of * and **. Not cooking the flour/milk mixture long enough...
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Reviewed on Dec. 16, 2003 by COOKIE COOKERSON
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COOKIE COOKERSON
Dec. 16, 2003
I'm really surprised that people had trouble with this recipe. I've made it at least 10 times and never had a problem. Whisking the flour into the milk thoroughly before heating will eliminate lumps. I've used both granulated sugar and powdered in this recipe and found that if the air is humid, the granulated will result in a grittier frosting. But the flavor is to die for regardless! The appearance of the milk/flour mixture is a bit off-putting once it's cooled, but once it's mixed with the butter/sugar, it's beautifully smooth and fluffy. Thank so much, Jennifer!
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18 users found this review helpful
I'm really surprised that people had trouble with this recipe. I've made it at least 10 times...
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Reviewed on Sep. 28, 2003 by NELLIRENE
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NELLIRENE
Sep. 28, 2003
Smooth consistency, very easy. Cook and mix as directed, but substitue powdered sugar as suggested. 1/4 c cocoa powder makes a light, chocolate icing that is not overpowering. Addendum: I let my second batch cool too much. The flour/milk mixture lumped up and refused to blend. However, too warm would be bad for the butter mix. Need to work on timing for this recipe.
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12 users found this review helpful
Smooth consistency, very easy. Cook and mix as directed, but substitue powdered sugar as...
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Reviewed on Jul. 8, 2007 by
Alicia Lynn
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Alicia Lynn
Jul. 8, 2007
Absolutely delicious and a great template for other flavors/extracts. To avoid flour lumps I made a roux. I took 4 tablespoons of the butter and melted it in my saucepan, then stirred in the flour. I cooked it this way for a few minutes to cook out the "floury taste." I slowly added the milk while whisking. This way is much faster, it thickened up right away. I cant recommend this recipe enough! Sooo fluffy! Very good on coconut cupcakes and chocolate cake. (When cooking the flour/butter it formed a ball... maybe this part was accidentally left out of the recipe?)
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11 users found this review helpful
Absolutely delicious and a great template for other flavors/extracts. To avoid flour lumps I...
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Reviewed on May 16, 2006 by
patty crocker
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patty crocker
May 16, 2006
For those of you who tried this and it didn't work, TRY AGAIN! This frosting is absolutely devine. Patience is the key here so take your time and your efforts will be rewarded 10-fold. My husband said he could have eaten all of it with a spoon. Don't try to form a ball when cooking. Instead, keep stirring it about 15 or 20 minutes (a Mini Whipper fro Pampered Chef is the best!)until it gets really thick and then take it off the heat. Cool until it's about 80 to 85 degrees and continue with the recipe. If you let it get too cold, you'll have lumps in the finished product.
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10 users found this review helpful
For those of you who tried this and it didn't work, TRY AGAIN! This frosting is absolutely...
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Reviewed on Sep. 29, 2002 by MOMSHAVNFUN
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MOMSHAVNFUN
Sep. 29, 2002
This is a wonderful buttercream frosting recipe! I think that the ingredients list should say powdered or confectioners sugar, though, NOT white sugar. If you use this recipe, use confectioners sugar! It turned out to be a wonderful consistency!
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8 users found this review helpful
This is a wonderful buttercream frosting recipe! I think that the ingredients list should say...
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Reviewed on Aug. 17, 2008 by
CathyW
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CathyW
Aug. 17, 2008
I used this frosting on a sponge cake and it got great reviews from my family. It was very creamy--not grainy at all, and just sweet enough. Don't worry about the milk/flour mixture turning into a ball. Simply use a whisk to blend the milk into the flour and then heat until very thick. I used my Kitchenaid mixer with the paddle attachment. First, I creamed the butter, sugar and vanilla (I also used 1/2 t. orange extract) for a full five minutes on the highest setting, scraping it down with a spatula once. Then I added the flour mixture and beat it for an additional 15 minutes. With the orange extract, the frosting tasted just like a creamsicle! I will definitely make this again.
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7 users found this review helpful
I used this frosting on a sponge cake and it got great reviews from my family. It was very...
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Reviewed on Sep. 24, 2003 by ACEINHIBITOR
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ACEINHIBITOR
Sep. 24, 2003
i agree with "starla" and a couple others. i have been cooking for 40 years and this is the second time that the whole mess went down the garbage disposal!!!! a "gooey mess" is right!! when does it form a ball??? a lot of people substituted powdered sugar, why do we have to substitute if a recipe is rates 4 stars??? i ended up with the 1st product when you are starting a cake, a fluffy sugar and butter mixture. don't try to fix this one!!!!!
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7 users found this review helpful
i agree with "starla" and a couple others. i have been cooking for 40 years and this is the...
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Reviewed on Aug. 7, 2003 by So Cal Gal
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So Cal Gal
Aug. 7, 2003
I read every review for this frosting carefully, substituting powdered sugar, but I still ended up with frosting that didn't complement my chocolate cake. I cooked the milk/flour mixture and stirred it with a wisk, but I still managed to scald it. I proceeded anyway, hoping the scalded scent would be masked by the butter & vanilla flavors. I had to add some cocoa powder to try to disguise it even more, and I mixed it on high for a very long time. While the body was quite light, the texture was too smooth and the flavor wasn't very good.
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6 users found this review helpful
I read every review for this frosting carefully, substituting powdered sugar, but I still...
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