#frosting recipes

[merrybrides]

Ermine Frosting - Frosting for people who hate frosting

Silky, light, and not-too-sweet, ermine icing is one to know.

What is ermine icing?

Also called milk frosting, boiled milk frosting, cooked flour frosting, or roux frosting, ermine icing is made by first cooking together a mixture of flour, milk (or water), and sugar until thick, cooling that mixture, and then beating in butter until it’s light, fluffy, and silky — as silky as an ermine's fur, as the name suggests. Haven’t been petting any wildlife lately? Think buttercream, but even silkier. It first became popular in the late 1800s as the icing of choice for mahogany cake, an early version of red velvet.

How does ermine frosting differ from other frostings?

Unlike Italian and French buttercreams, which are made with eggs (whites only in the case of Italian, whole eggs in the case of French) and sugar syrup, ermine frosting is egg-free, and it eliminates the fussy step of streaming hot syrup into a running mixer.  

It also differs from Swiss buttercream, in which egg whites and sugar are heated together, then whipped with butter, and German buttercream, which starts with a vanilla pastry cream base. And it’s entirely different from American buttercream,  that super-sweet, very simple combination of confectioners' sugar and butter. 

Not only is the technique to make ermine icing different, but it also uses far less sugar (and butter) than other types of frosting, so it’s less rich and sweet. In other words, if you’re a person who typically scrapes off frosting in favor of the cake underneath, ermine icing may be the one for you.

Ermine Icing Recipe

Yields 2-1/2 cups

Ingredients

3/4 cup (149g) granulated sugar

1/4 cup (30g) Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

1 cup (227g) milk, whole preferred

12 tablespoons (170g) unsalted butter, softened (about 70°F)

2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract

Instructions

Combine sugar, flour, and salt in a medium-sized saucepan and whisk well to combine and remove any lumps from the flour.

Turn stovetop heat to medium and whisk in milk until mixture is smooth.

Continue whisking constantly until mixture is thickened to a pudding-like consistency (do not crank up the heat or you’ll burn it and the sugar won’t dissolve properly) and the whisk leaves a trail.

Remove from heat and pour into a heat-proof container and cover the surface with a piece of plastic wrap, wax paper, or parchment paper pressed directly against the surface (to prevent a skin from forming). Allow to cool completely to room temperature (alternatively you may make this mixture a day or two in advance, store in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature before proceeding).

Once flour mixture has cooled, use an electric mixer or stand mixer to beat butter on high speed until it is light and fluffy (this usually takes several minutes, and you may need to scrape the bowl with a spatula).

Reduce mixer speed to medium and gradually add flour mixture, one heaping spoonful at a time, waiting until each spoonful is incorporated before adding the next and beating until all ingredients are well-combined. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl with a spatula, then stir in vanilla extract. Gradually increase speed to medium-high and whip frosting until it is smooth, light, and airy (it should not seem greasy). If you have any difficulty or experience your frosting splitting please see the troubleshooting section below.

Use your spatula to deflate the frosting to work out any air bubbles, then use as desired.

If you’d like, you can also add any food coloring. Stir this in at the end until the desired color is reached (I love using gel food colorings for the most vibrant color).

Troubleshooting

While ermine frosting is generally pretty simple to make, occasionally a would-be-cake-decorator finds themselves with a melty, gloppy mess instead of a bowl of billowy smooth frosting. There are three main issues that usually cause this, and knowing about them in advance and knowing what to look for is the best way to prevent this.

Runny Frosting

Your roux wasn’t cooked properly. It’s important to whisk constantly while cooking and keep your heat on medium. Do not crank the heat up to high to speed up the cooking process, or you’re liable to burn your roux and the sugar won’t have a chance to melt properly. Remember: medium-low and slow is the way to go!

The flour mixture was added to the butter before it was cooled completely. This is so important. If your roux is even a bit too warm when you add it to your butter, you’ll have a greasy, curdled mess on your hands. Have patience and let it cool completely.

Your butter was too soft. Remember, you want it to be softened, but not to the point where it is melty or oily to pick up. If your butter is too soft (this happens quickly, especially during the summer) you could end up with an icing that’s much too soft and runny. I usually remove my butter from the refrigerator 45-60 minutes before I’m ready to begin creaming it for the frosting.

If your frosting isn’t necessarily “runny” but is still quite soft and difficult to decorate with, it may just be a bit too warm. Pop it in the fridge for 20-30 minutes before using.

Help! My Icing Curdled!

If your ermine frosting looks curdled, split, or grainy, the most likely problem is that either your butter was too cold or your flour mixture was too cold.

Don’t worry, there’s still hope! Keep whipping it (this could take several minutes or longer) and most of the time it will eventually come together.

Storing and Making in Advance

You can make ermine frosting up to a week in advance of using. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Before using, let the frosting come sit at room temperature for at least 15-30 minutes. You may need to briefly whip it again with an electric mixer to return it to the proper consistency before using. 

Alternatively you may freeze in an airtight container for several months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then follow the steps above (sit at room temperature and re-whip) before using.

Once you’ve frosted your cake or cupcakes, this icing will do well at room temperature (below 75F) for up to two days. Beyond that I recommend refrigerating. As with just about any frosting recipe, this one does not stand up well to heat and is prone to melting outdoors at high summertime temperatures.

Notes

I use whole milk, but 2%, almond, soy, or coconut milk would work as well. 

Coloring: This frosting can be colored; add food coloring at the end and stir until well-incorporated. 

Fondant: This frosting is not ideal to use beneath fondant as it is fairly soft. 

Flavor: Supplement or substitute the vanilla extract for your favorite flavor. 

For chocolate ermine frosting, stir in ¼-1/3 cup cocoa powder after adding all of the flour mixture and whip until well-combined. 

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Actual Crumbl Sugar Cookie Recipe from a former employee who is no longer bound by their NDA:

makes approximately 55 cookies (or 200 minis!):

ingredients:

For Cookie:

2 pounds SALTED butter

1.9 pounds white sugar

1.2 pounds powdered sugar

8 eggs

4 cups of canola oil

4 tsps of ALMOND EMULSION. can substitute for extract, but use half the amount. can also swap for other flavored extracts like vanilla!

6 pounds of flour

*half ingredient packet* Crumbl uses ingredient packets to make sure that only corporate knows the recipes, but based on what’s missing from a standard cookie recipe and what happens if you forget a packet these are the approximate substitutions

5 tablespoons baking soda

5 tablespoons baking powder

For the Frosting:

1/2 a pound of SALTED butter

6 cups of heavy whipping cream (40% milk fat)

7.5 pounds powdered sugar

2 teaspoons ALMOND EMULSION *same as before can be substituted with half amount of almond extract or vanilla if you choose*

any food coloring of your choice but Crumbl uses RED. you only need *drops*

baking directions:

preheat oven to 290 degrees F or 143 C

soften your butters in your microwave, this step is crucial. you want them NOT at all melted, but soft enough to mold with your hands easily

put your butters and sugars into a large bowl, it’s easiest if this is a stand mixer, but if not an electric hand mixer is fine. you *may* attempt this by hand but i would recommend you don’t.

if you have levels choose your most medium level and beat your butter and sugar for 10 minutes. seriously. and it’s probably not done. scrape the sides, if there is any resistance it’s not done. the texture you’re going for is like passing your spatula through a cloud. you should feel no resistance, the mixture will be light, fluffy and if you feel it between your fingers it will be silky with *slight* sugary texture. imagine applying it to your face, it’s a daily cleanser not a weekly exfoliant.

when you think you’re done put it on for another 2 minutes to be safe.

turn down to level one and add your eggs, oil and flavoring. mix until it creates a creamy soup mixture.

add all of your flour and baking soda and powder.

mix until a homogeneous dough forms.

Sugar cookies at Crumbl are weighed at 4 ounces and scooped using a portion scoop to get their standard shape, then flattened to about 3/4 of an inch thick.

or if you don’t have access to a scale this recipe makes approximately 55 cookies so do your best with that.

*if you want to make minis like Crumbl does for catering the weight is 1 ounce & the baking time is 8 minutes!*

place on a parchment lined baking sheet 2 inches apart from both the other cookies and the sides of the baking sheet. This will be about 9 cookies.

bake for 14 minutes flipping half way.

if you are planning to frost these cookies here are the mandatory next steps to ensure you don’t end up with soggy cookies.

let cookies cool on either baking sheet or on a cooling rack for 20 minutes.

put as many as you can in a single flat line onto a baking tray or something that will fit in your fridge and put in the fridge for another 20 minutes.

now they will be ready to frost with the frosting in the next steps of this recipe.

frosting directions:

soften butter like above

add butter, 2 cups of heavy cream, 2.5 pounds of powdered sugar, food dye, and flavoring to your mixer.

mix on low for one minute or until mostly combined

mix on medium until smooth

mix on high for 3 minutes

turn back to low and add the rest of the cream and powdered sugar.

mix on low until mostly combined

mix on medium until smooth

mix on high for 3 more minutes.

viola! you have Crumbl Sugar Frosting.

now to frost your cookies like they do at Crumbl….

fucking good luck! — I mean…

If enough people request it I’ll do a little video.

you want a smooth flat top with a little flat swirl.



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[xxsamhainxx]

ghost who bakes in secrecy. not because he’s embarrassed, no. he likes the idea of keeping it to himself, having this one thing for himself only. he makes soap a lemon custard cake for his birthday. soap can’t believe how good it is and asks where he got it from. ghost stills for a moment and names a bakery that doesn’t exist, because he knows soap won’t actually seek it out. price gets a box of cannolis. ghost mentions that imaginary bakery had a new batch this morning. gaz has to put a box of raspberry jam cookies in the fridge or else he'll finish three rows in one night. that imaginary bakery seems to always know what everyone likes in detail.

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[sweetoothgirl]

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