With its multiple names, this gluten free ermine frosting is an old-fashioned sweet buttercream recipe that calls for flour and milk. Ermine frosting is the original icing used to frost red velvet cake. You use flour and milk. Flour buttercream (aka ermine frosting) is the original icing used to frost red velvet cake. You use flour and boiled milk to create a sturdy frosting texture. While this recipe is not well-known, it is silky in texture and a little soft, but sturdy enough to pipe. It is perfect for those with allergies to egg. Boiled milk frosting (aka ermine frosting) is also great for those who wish to avoid internationally known buttercreams or American Buttercream.
Watch the video to see this buttercream’s texture and stiffness: Gluten Free Ermine Frosting Video.
Here is the link to Carla’s Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour Blend Recipe.
Red Velvet Cupcakes Caught Your Eye?
You can really use any chocolate cupcake recipe you wish and add a little red food coloring. However, because red food coloring has a bitter taste, you need to add a little apple cider vinegar. Don’t add too much though because the vinegar will cause the cupcake to rise high and then fall when there are too many leaveners in the batter (baking powder, baking soda, cream of tartar, buttermilk, lemon juice, and vinegar).
Or…
See my Gluten Free Red Velvet Cake Recipe. Just bake them a shorter time and until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
Gluten Free Ermine Frosting
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole milk or dairy-free alternative
- 2-1/2 tablespoons Carla’s Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour Blend
- 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature (or dairy-free alternative*)
- 1 cup superfine/quick dissolve sugar granulated if that's all you have
- 1-1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Instructions
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In a small saucepan, whisk together the milk and flour. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Continue to cook until thick. (To test for proper thickness, allow a blob of the mixture to drop back into the saucepan. You should see the dollop(s) for about 3 - 5 seconds before it melts flat back into the mixture.) Transfer to a bowl to cool; set aside.
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Beat the butter, sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of your electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (whisk attachment if that's all you have). Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
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Switch to the whisk attachment. Add one-fourth of the flour-milk mixture at a time, scraping the bowl down as needed after mixing thoroughly after each addition, a total of about 5 minutes. Taste the frosting in a few different areas. If granules of sugar remain, continue to beat another 2 - 5 minutes until they dissolve. (Using superfine sugar speeds up this process.)
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If not using immediately, add to a piping bag or other sealed container and refrigerate until ready to use. Then, allow to reach room temperature or you can pipe it easily, about 25 minutes.
Tips
*You can use dairy-free margarine as an alternative or half Earth Balance Buttery Sticks and dairy-free spread. Hydrogenated palm oil works well with a little butter flavoring (LorAnn Oils).
Hi, re butter is it one cup or two sticks butter or one cup plus 2 sticks butter?
I’m suspecting it’s one cup or two sticks, but I wanted to be sure!
Shal,
It is “or” because 1 cup is the same as two sticks. There are 8 tablespoons in one stick times two sticks equals 16 tablespoons, which is the same as one cup.
Enjoy!
Carla
Do you think King Arthur’s GF Measure for Measure would work in this recipe?
Wow, this was such a great recipe, I didn’t grind up my granular sugar enough so it took me a hint longer to mix it up but this went perfectly with our vanilla cupcakes. Thanks for sharing!