This is one of my favorite frostings, and its name is a bit misleading as it only has 4 tbsp. of flour in it. It’s fluffy like whipped cream with a delicate sweetness that’s not overpowering—perfect for almost any cake. Plus, this is more stable than whipped cream and can sit out without becoming runny or needing refrigeration. (Just watch out for super-hot days! Like any frosting, this, too, will melt if faced with a sweltering temperature.)
1. Mix one cup cold milk and 4 tablespoons flour until well-combined. Cook over med.-low heat until thick, stirring constantly to prevent scorching. (Cook the mixture to the point at which it's a very thick paste. You should be able to tell when it's reached the point of maximum thickness, because it won't continue to noticeably thicken as you cook and stir. Upon cooling, it will thicken a bit more.) Refrigerate to cool completely.
2. Meanwhile, beat together ½ cup softened margarine and ½ cup shortening. Beat for four minutes.
3. Add 1 cup powdered sugar. Beat four more minutes.
4. Add the thoroughly cooled flour mixture and two teaspoons vanilla. Beat until combined and light and fluffy.
I tried this frosting and it was incredibly runny. Should I have beaten it longer?
ReplyDeleteI should have stressed this in the recipe itself instead of writing out the recipe by rote, but the frosting can become runny if
ReplyDelete1. The milk mixture isn't cooked for long enough to become as thick as it should be
OR
2. The milk/flour mixture isn't cooled completely before adding to the margerine/shortening mixture.
If the milk mixture is cooked to a thick consistency and cooled in the refrigerator for a few hours (I sometimes speed things up by putting it in the freezer for a bit), the frosting should be stable enough to frost a cake in a similar fashion to whipped cream.
Hope this helps!
Thanks so much for answering my bajillion (it's a huge number not many know about) questions!
ReplyDeleteWhile pondering your suggestions, I realized I didn't let the flour mixture cook long enough. It was nowhere near thick and since it cooled overnight I know it was thoroughly cooled. Problem solved!
ReplyDeleteI should have figured it out, when you add only one cup of powdered sugar the flour mixture MUST be thick!! DUH
Torie