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.
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.
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!
This is, simply put, the best buttercream frosting. However, the description of cooking the milk and flour is poorly written - it should NOT (as others have noted) form a "ball". If you add the flour bit by bit and whisk constantly for several minutes over low-medium heat, your patience will be rewarded. The mixture will look like it's not thickening at all for what feels like a long time, and then the starch molecules in the flour finally burst and it will thicken quite rapidly from there. If you cook it low and slow and NEVER stop whisking, you will not get a floury taste! The mixture is finished when it *thickens* - like mashed potatoes that have been put through a blender. Cool it completely until it is room temperature before adding it to the other ingredients! As far as the what-kind-of-sugar-to-use debate, here's what you should know: If you use powdered sugar, the frosting will be much sweeter than intended. (And if you like super-sweet, that may not be a bad thing!) If you use granulated sugar, you will need to beat it mercilessly until the granules finally dissolve. (Only stand mixers need apply!) The **best** sugar to use is called "super-fine" granulated sugar. It comes in small boxes and is utterly perfect for this kind of recipe, because it avoids the too-sweet of powdered sugar and dissolves much faster than a regular granulated sugar. There's not a human being alive who doesn't taste this frosting and beg for the recipe!
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?)
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.
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!
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.
i agree with "starla" and a couple others. i have been cooking for 40 years and this is the second time that I couldn't use this. 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!!!!!
