Ermine Frosting
Ermine Frosting is the Goldilocks of buttercreams. It’s less sweet than American Buttercream and a little sweeter than Meringue Buttercream. This old-fashioned frosting is juuuust right!
All About Ermine Frosting:
Ermine frosting is known by many names; boiled-milk frosting, roux frosting, Heritage frosting and flour frosting to name a few.
Whatever you call it, this is an old-fashioned frosting recipe that starts with a pudding base. Then you add the pudding to whipped butter to make a light, luscious and silky smooth cake frosting.
Because the sugar is cooked into the “pudding” base, there is no grittiness in this frosting. What you have is a creamy, airy buttercream with a lovely milky flavor.
Ermine is the traditional frosting for Red Velvet cake. I love to use it as the base for Malted Chocolate Frosting and to frost Malted Milk Blondies. Use coconut milk in the pudding to make Coconut Rum Frosting.
Ingredients
- All Purpose Flour – The flour thickens the milk to create the pudding base.
- Sugar – Sugar sweetens the frosting.
- Milk – Is the base for the pudding mixture.
- Vanilla/Salt – Together they balance the flavor of the frosting.
- Butter – Use unsalted butter to control the amount of salt in the recipe.
How to make Ermine Frosting:
- Cook the flour milk and sugar together over medium heat in a small saucepan.
- Cook the flour mixture until it is thick like pudding.
- Whip the butter until it’s light and aerated
- Add the pudding and mix it until combined.
- Switch to the whisk.
- Whip until the frosting is light and fluffy like whipped cream.
Storage
- For best results, Ermine Frosting should be used to fill and frost your cake as soon as it’s made.
- If you do make the frosting ahead of time, refrigerate until ready to use. Bring the frosting back to room temperature then rewhip to aerate.
- Because it’s made with milk, after 3-4 hours at room temperature a cake iced with Ermine frosting should be refrigerated.
- Ermine frosting can be frozen for up to 3 months. Wrap in a double layer of plastic to prevent it from picking up off-flavors in the freezer. After defrosting, rewhip to revive the buttercream.
FAQs about Ermine Frosting:
Yes, add food coloring to the pudding base or to the whipped buttercream.
The frosting will keep up to a week in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer.
If your Ermine frosting is runny either the butter was too soft or the pudding was warm when added to the butter. Chill the frosting briefly and then re-whip.
The pudding was probably too warm when added to the butter. Chill the frosting briefly and then re-whip.
No, Ermine frosting will not form a crust. It will firm up a bit in the refrigerator. For a true crusting buttercream make American Buttercream.
If you’d like to try a slightly richer version of this frosting, here’s a recipe for German Buttercream. German Buttercream has an egg custard base instead of a pudding base.
An if you love chocolate, try this Malted Chocolate Frosting which is a version of Ermine Frosting.
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Ermine Frosting Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 oz granulated sugar (1 ½ cups)
- 2 ½ oz all purpose flour (½ cup)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 12 oz whole milk (1 ½ cups)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 12 oz unsalted butter (room temperature)
Instructions
- Combine 12 oz granulated sugar, 2 ½ oz all purpose flour and ¼ teaspoon salt in a saucepan, whisk to combine. Slowly whisk in 12 oz whole milk until smooth. Heat the mixture over medium low, whisking constantly, until it begins to boil.
- Continue to cook and stir for 2-3 minutes until it thickens to a pudding-like texture. Immediately remove from the heat. Transfer to a bowl. Add 1 tablespoon vanilla extract and cool to room temperature.
- Cream 12 oz unsalted butter until light and fluffy. Add the pudding, a little at a time, until completely incorporated. Switch to the whisk attachment and whip the buttercream until it’s light and fluffy.
- Use immediately to fill and frost your favorite cake.
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I am doing a 70th birthday day cake and would love to use the Ermine chocolate frosting. I do have to make it entirely chocolate from cake to buttercream. I plan on adding all kinds of Kit Kat bars, malted milk balls, espresso beans etc. on side of cake as well as top for decorating. My question is will the Ermine frosting hold the candy in place or do I have to worry about it falling off? I will have to make and freeze decorated cake in advance and when picked up it will be transported to destination almost 2 hours from here. It will be leaving in its frozen state and once it arrives it will go in the fridge to be served at room temperature the following day. I am a self-taught decorator so need your professional opinion.
Let me see if I get this: You plan to bake and ice the cake ahead of time. Then you will freeze the cake before a 2 hour trip. Then refrigerate the cake until the next day for serving. Do you plan to add the candy before freezing the cake? What I would do is to ice the cake, freeze, transport, refrigerate, etc. Once you take the cake out to let it come to room temperature before serving you can add the candy as the icing softens. I just think that adding the candy before the freezing, etc would mess up the design no matter how careful you are.
Yes I did plan to add the candy as the customer is picking up the completed and frozen cake to take back to her home for a party the next day. I thought it would transport better if it was frozen but then worried about candy falling off. If I used Italian Meringue Buttercream instead of Ermine would that work better? If not perhaps I need to come up withe a different decorating idea! Thank you. BTW. I have a load of your Vanilla cakes in my freezer waiting to be frosted for an upcoming wedding! I only use your recipe because the flavor and texture can’t be beat!!
I think either IMB or Ermine would work. Both freeze well. My concern with adding the candy before freezing is that the candy might sweat as it is defrosting which might marr the surface of the candy.
That’s what I was afraid of! I will just frost/decorate the day before it’s picked up and NOT freeze it so the candy should be fine I hope. I very much appreciate your help! Thank you.
Holla!
Can I combine Ermine frosting with Buttercream frosting?
Do you want the Ermine frosting to be sweeter? Ermine is a type of buttercream.
Olá a cobertura permite fazer flores e resiste a climas quentes sem derreter?
I ran your comment through a translator and I think you’re asking if this recipe will hold up in hot weather and if you can pipe flowers. You could probably pipe flowers with Ermine Frosting, but I wouldn’t leave it out in hot temperatures. It does have quite a bit of butter and will melt in a warm environment.
Can I add mint flavoring to this icing?
Sure!
Hi! If I make a layer cake with this can I freeze the entire cake or will the frosting run?
Ermine frosting can be frozen. The “pudding” made from flour and water helps stabilize the frosting. It’s a real dream to work with and tastes fantasic.
Thanks! Just need to make it tomorrow for Saturday and I want to stack the layers and freeze it before I decorate. I’d hate for it to get to the birthday girl and it fall apart.
I’ve made it before I just wasn’t sure if I could freeze a stacked cake