Did I forget to mention it’s also called “mock buttercream”? This is something that a handful of readers have asked me about lately. It was little Jo’s turn to submit a cake for the cake wheel at last Friday’s fish fry, so it seemed like a good time to make it.
But just what is “heritage” a.k.a. “boiled” a.k.a. “flour” a.k.a. “cooked flour” a.k.a. “gravy” a.k.a. “cloudburst” frosting? Well let’s just say that if you happened to be a housewife during World War II, it was a recipe that allowed you to deliver the birthday cake you promised to your seven-year-old without using up the entire month’s butter and sugar ration.
It is a preparation that answers the age-old question: how do you make an icing and/or filling that’s thick, rich and spreadable without using lots and lots of expensive butter? And it does so ingeniously. In place of butter or meringue (which would have required equally hard-to-find eggs) it employs a cooked flour-and-milk goo, a sort-of béchamel sauce, to give the mixture body. The result is more than an ersatz frosting, it’s a stunningly silky and delicious low-cost reproduction of real buttercream — with half the butter and not terribly much sugar. It’s so good that it has adherents to this day.
So how do you make “heritage” a.k.a. “boiled” a.k.a. “flour” a.k.a. “cooked flour” a.k.a. “gravy” a.k.a. “cloudburst” frosting? Just like this. Put four tablespoons of flour (1 1/4 ounces) into a small saucepan.
Slowly add a cup of whole milk…
…whisking all the while.
Cook over medium heat until the mixture reaches the boil. After about 30 seconds of full boil, the mixture is as thick as it’s going to get. Allow it to cool about ten minutes…
…then apply some plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the mixture. Let it cool another fifteen minutes or so, then put the saucepan in the refrigerator. Let it cool down for about an hour.
At the end of that time, it should take on a consistency about like this:
Kinda yucky? Stay with me, it gets better. Combine two sticks (8 ounces) of butter and 7 ounces of granulated or powdered sugar in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the beater. Back in the day, truly resource-poor homemakers used half shortening. Unless you’re a stickler for authenticity, there’s no need to do that.
Beat about 4 minutes until very light and fluffy.
With the mixer running, beat in the milk mixture.
Beat for about another minute until you have a sweet and silky faux buttercream (if it looks curdled or broken, follow the golden rule of buttercream and just keep beating until it’s where you want it). Beat in two teaspoons of vanilla extract, or the flavoring of your choice.
Does it taste exactly like buttercream? Darn close. And while it does have a vague “cooked” flavor to it, it doesn’t have the floury, cereal taste you’d expect. For those who find real all-butter buttercream too much to stand, you might be surprised at how much you like this. Mrs. Pastry, who can’t take full-on buttercream, loves this.
On the down side, it doesn’t spread on as smoothly as buttercream. But if you can live with that, you’ll have a new weapon in your arsenal to satisfy kids and/or grownups who prefer a less rich icing or filling. Have fun — and buy bonds!
Wow, never heard of this before; but looks like it would be fun to try. Thanks!
I’ve heard about this for years, but I’ve never actually tried it. My grandmother used to make it and I remember it was really delicious.
I’ve heard that it was the original frosting for red velvet cake.
That is true!
I was just about to say the same thing about red velvet cake… my grandmother’s recipe for this is sitting in my kitchen right this moment, and she always called it “Butter Roux” frosting. L.O.V.E.
Thanks for that, Amy!
- Joe
I love this type of frosting. I heard of a version on a blog a while back and it’s now one of my go to recipes. I find buttercream too sweet and this is just right for me. I’ll have to try yours.
I’d be interested to know hoe they compare! Thanks for the note. – Joe
To further clean up the taste, could xanthan gum be used as a thickener instead of flour? (Or does the flour serve some other purpose?)
Hi Evan! The flour is critical to the thickening, and it really doesn’t impact the taste much. Cooking the flour mostly eliminates the cereal flavor and/or texture. You’d be surprised. But that’s an interesting idea!
I have been making this frosting for my entire life and it has always been my favorite. I prefer it to cream cheese frosting on red velvet cake.
This is a very nice frosting, very creamy and light when I made it. The only thing (like you mentioned) is that it’s not wonderful for decorating. I tried it on cupcakes and it wasn’t really stiff enough…. I’ve read that you can add confectioner’s sugar at the end to get it the right consistency but what’s the point? You might as well make regular sugar frosting.
I would suggest people try this at least once and use it for more casual looking cakes and cupcakes, it really is tasty
You certainly can add confectioner’s sugar, though it think it has a cleaner taste without it. That little bit of corn starch in the sugar is noticeable, I think. And to your point, if someone is going that route, a simply butter-and-sugar icing is probably a better option. Thanks for the note, Amanda!
I love this kind of icing and use it when I don’t want the richness of a true buttercream. I much prefer it to the slightly gritty icing sugar icings. I wonder how it would react to adding some fruit puree?
Fruit purée is a good idea, though my feeling is that it might thin it out a bit too much. I’d consider a little jam instead, plus a drop or two of the appropriate food coloring. Thanks for the note, Mary! – Joe
I thought my grandmother invented this. In my house when I was growing up, this was known as Lillian’s Frosting. It is very good.
Sorry to burst the bubble, Spiffy! However your grandmother certainly knew a good idea when she saw one. Thanks for the email! – Joe
Hey Joe, if you frosted the cake and then let it chill in the fridge for a bit, could you then smooth out the frosting using parchment paper, or would the bubbles remain? I have made boiled frosting before, but it has been awhile and I am taking a Wilton cake decorating class right now and would love to find something else to use other than their pure shortening ‘buttercream’! I just need a frosting I can use that works well in a pastry bag for decorating.
The bubbles are a built-in, I’m afraid. There’s nothing that’s going to eliminate that shaggy look unless you don’t cream the butter and sugar. The I fear you’d not only have less volume, but less body, though it might be worth trying just to see. But I don’t blame you for wanting to get away from shortening frosting. Try cutting it with half butter for a nicer effect, it should still hold up well.
I solved the problem of grittiness and holes by cooking the sugar with the flour and milk. The result was silky and delicious, and as spreadable as buttercream.
Interesting solution, but didn’t you lose an awful lot of volume that way?
I remember trying a recipe similar to this a few years ago when I was low on powdered sugar and butter. Due to my lack of patience in general, I made the mistake of not letting the milk/flour mixture cool completely.
Needless to say, it ended up being a complete disaster, but seeing this post makes me want to try again. I’ve seen variations of this type of frosting used as a filling for Whoopie Pies, especially Red Velvet ones.
I was curious, though: What are “minute holes?”
Oh, I just meant they were tiny. Little itty bitty holes that the sugar granules poke in the butter. They give the frosting its volume. Thanks for the note, Andrew!
My hubby loves this frosting, it’s not as sweet as other frostings.
Another name is Poor Man’s Frosting.
I grew up with this icing, made with Crisco and not butter and flavored with Almond extract – it was THE frosting for my favorite Red Devil’s Food cake, which I am convinced is the forerunner to today’s red velvet cake. The shortening gives this frosting a funny, almost pearlescent sheen, but does not make is as horribly greasy as that stuff they call “buttercream” in the mass market bakeries.
I really do have dreams about this frosting and the cake.
Thanks for posting this. I reminds me it is time to make a Red Devil
My pleasure, Ed!
I love this kind of icing… when I can get it to come out right. I’ve been using a different recipe of course, but sometimes the sugar just never dissolved completely. Still tasty, but definitely crunchy from the sugar granules. Is that just a defect of the recipe I was using? If it is, I’m very much looking forward to using this one!
Try beating the icing a little longer, it will give the sugar more time to melt. Otherwise, just switch to this recipe. You’ll be pleased, I think.
Hah! I have been pleased with this recipe. I also think I know what went wrong with the previous recipe: the milk/flour mix had little enough moisture that a little bit of overcooking made it too dry to dissolve the sugar.
Also, I experimented with mimicking cream cheese frosting with this. I added a little bit of greek yogurt and vinegar to the milk in order to create some tang. The end result is fantastically tasty
.
Fascinating. Buttermilk would be another way to go about getting that tang. Just a thought. Thanks for this, Mari!
- Joe
I would have loved to use buttercream, but they don’t make lactose-free buttermilk. Sad. But then, that’s why I can’t do cream cheese frosting either, much as I’d like to.
At least I can imitate it with milk+vinegar
. And greek yogurt.
Ah yes, I see. I understand where you’re coming from now…
Hi Joe,
Can cooked flour & milk be used to thicken and stabilize whipped cream if your using it as a cake frosting?
In theory, yes. I’d have never thought of that, but it’s a good idea.
Hi, Joe,
Do you think it would be thick enough for Parisian macarons? Seems like it…
This looks absolutely lovely – will definitely have to try!
I was wondering – instead of the 2 sticks o’ butter, can you put in 1 bar of cream cheese instead? Or would that mess with the consistency of the frosting?
I’ve heard that this does work with cream cheese. I haven’t tried it, but I can’t think of a reason that it wouldn’t. Let me know!
And nice to hear from you, April! – Joe
Hi Joe,
So I ended up making this frosting with cream cheese instead (to accommodate my red velvet cupcakes – yum!), and while it was definitely tasty (no flour taste), the consistency of the frosting may have been compromised by the cream cheese. It was easily spreadable, but definitely not stiff enough to hold its shape after being piped as buttercream would have been. I’m not sure whether it was because the cream cheese was too soft (I had it at room temp before whipping it up with the sugar), but even after I had stuck the bowl of cream cheese-sugar mixture into the fridge to stiffen up a bit, it was still pretty soft and malleable after I mixed in the flour-milk mixture. I did, however use 3.25% MF homogenized milk (I wasn’t quite sure what ‘whole milk’ meant, and homogenized milk is the highest milk-fat containing milk up here in Canada without getting into the higher MF creams). Could that have leant itself to the less-than-stiff consistency?
Anyway, despite the consistency, the frosting was still pretty darn tasty and paired wonderfully with the cupcakes. It was definitely a winner with my friends!
Hmm…interesting. It probably isn’t the milk so much as the fact that cream cheese is 50% water. I wouldn’t have expected it to cause the frosting to get quite that runny, but evidently it did. At least it tasted good! Thanks for the note, April!
Great post Joe! I’ve made frosting like this before but used a recipe called “ermine frosting”. Is it the same?
There are so many names for this frosting it’s hard to keep up with them all — but it wouldn’t surprise me!
Joe I had to comment on the frosting. We have also made this for years, Our recipe calls it Awrey Frosting, supposedly from the Awrey Bakery in the Detroit area, years ago. I use it for cupcake filling, it really pipes in nicely, also for whoopie pie filling and I always beat mine much longer.
I make a spice cake or an apple cake and make this frosting with brown sugar and it is wonderful.
I love your site, thank you for your hard work. This is my go to place when I am having trouble with a method, your descriptions are wonderful.
Thanks Sharon! And thanks for the comment!
We grew up believing this to be the traditional Waldorf Astoria Red Cake frosting…is it? and I must say I can’t think of RV with a heavy cream cheese frosting when there is this heavenly alternative!
I haven’t heard that, but I’ll see what I can dig up on it. Very interesting…
Also, I’m with you on cream cheese frosting. I can’t stand the stuff.
I agree with Lori, this is the traditional Northern frosting to a red devil’s food cake or a precurser to today’s Red Velvet Cake.
My grandmother made this cake for her customers and to serve in both the diner and in the commisaries she ran during WW2. She used straight shortening back then because butter was so hard to get.
Me and my family love this frosting. Soo good. I am doing a wedding cake later this month and using it. I’m a little worried about how soft it gets after sitting out a few hours though. It’s unavoidable that it’ll be out for @ 6 hours before being cut. Hoping it’ll hold up! If you have any tips or tricks for me I’d appreciate it. Thanks!
Cool temperatures are the best way to keep any frosting firm, but I understand when you say it’ll have to sit out (wedding cakes need to do that). The only thing I can suggest is to apply it fairly thinly and make sure the cake is supported with plenty of dowel rods so there isn’t any serious weight on the frosting layer. Best of luck with the project!
Hi Joe,
I’m so glad I found this! I have a huge bake sale coming up and this frosting would be so perfect. I just tried it and it’s every bit as amazing as you described! Thank you for sharing! I thought it felt a bit gritty even after adding the flour-milk paste so I beat it for a little longer. This turned out fine but I hope beating it a little longer doesn’t cause it to separate or anything? Also, how long before do you think I could make it and keep?
Hey DP!
Nice web site! Glad you like the frosting…it’s really a unique thing, isn’t it? But beating a little longer won’t do anything except perhaps add a few more bubbles…which would give it a fluffier texture. It will keep in the refrigerator for quite a while, but remember butter picks up off odors and flavors easily, so I’d try to avoid keeping it for more than a week. Let it come completely to room temperature before you try to spread it, of course.
Cheers,
- Joe
Thanks Joe! Can I say your website is totally godsent? Very few blogs/websites out there that spend so much time on technique. So flattered you liked mine. Making 3 batches of your icing tomorrow for a bake sale – family just cant get enough of it!
Heritage frosting just might be making a comeback! Thanks DP! I’ll look forward to reading more of you!
- Joe
Usually Swiss buttercream is my go-to frosting because I like the silky butteriness, especially compared to the overly sweet traditional american buttercream. I used this for a savory pulled pork/cornmeal cupcake and added a bit of chipoltle seasoning salt to it for some kick and flavor and it was amazing. Subtle but creamy, I think this may be my new favorite!!
Holy cow, Aryanna, that’a amazing. Talk about a creative new use for a classic component…very, very well done.
- Joe
Hi joe..
I tried this recipe with margerine and soy milk,since I was making a birthday cake for a vegan friend. While the taste is rerally yummy, I find that the frosting tends to seperate (you can beat it to smoothness again, but if I leave it standing for a while, it starts to seperate again) I can see strands of cream. Do you know why this happen? Also while cooking the flour,how do you prevent lumps? I seem to find grannules of cooked flour on my frosting. Any tips?
Hi Paul!
That’s interesting. So you’re getting streaks of what look like milk? My guess is that it’s coagulated soy protein (a common problem with soy milk) but I’m not completely sure. My suggestion is to try a different brand of soy milk and see if the problem recurs. Different soy milks are treated and/or formulated differently when they’re made, and so behave different when they’re heated, exposed to acid, etc…
As far as the lumps, the only thing I can say there is that you just need to make sure you whisk vigorously at the beginning. That should do the trick! Cheers and thanks for the questions!
- Joe
- Joe
i used uht soy milk, and it looks like streaks of cream, and it feels like the frosting “sweat” -very thin film of liquid on the surface of the frosting.
i will try using different non dairy milk and see if it makes a difference. but it shouldn’t be caused by the margarine right?
I think you’re right that it’s not the margarine. Margarine is just fat, albeit of a different kind. It must be something about the soy milk, I’m thinking. I’d be willing to bet that it’s a solution of water plus tiny curds of protein. Basically a tofu broth.
- Joe
Can you make this gluten free by using cornstarch instead of flour?
I’d never thought of that. It’s certainly possible, even likely, that it will work. Try it and let me know what happens!
- Joe
Finally tried it out this weekend. I only used 2 tbs of cornstarch since I figured it has greater thickening power than flour. In the end, I found little gelatinous bits here and there the size of tapioca in the frosting that probably came from bigger gelatinous bits that got broken up when mixed. Maybe I should be sieving the milk/cornstarch mixture after taking it off the heat?
Ah yes, that happens when dry corn starch gets suddenly mixed with a large volume of liquid. The outsides of any clumps gelatinize instantly, forming a coating that keeps the inside dry. My suggestion, if you’re going to use cornstarch (corn flour) is to make paste with some of the milk first, to ensure you don’t have any lumps in there to being with. That’ll eliminate the straining step and give you a more consistently performing recipe.
Cheers and thanks for the email!
- Joe
I just wanted to say, I have never made icing with 10x sugar.. this is the only recipe I have ever used!!!!! I LOVE this icing!!!!! I never had real butter cram icing but, to me this tastes almost like whipped cream..
Great to hear it, V! Generations of home cooks swear by it. I use it myself and my kids love it. Not as rich as buttercream, but not as sweet as frosting.
Thanks for the note, V!
- Joe
I love this recipe and used to have a chocolate version made with cocoa powder, but can’t find it after our various moves. Any thoughts?
Sure Liz! Just add between 2 and 4 ounces of melted (can cooled) bittersweet chocolate. That should do it!
- Joe
Hi Joe! My husband LOVES cooked icing. His grandmother made it, and the recipe was passed to me when we got married. I’ve made it a few times following Grandma’s instructions, and while it was tasty, it would separate after a few hours and start running down the cake a little. My David confirmed that it always did this for Grandma too. I’m so glad to have your instructions! I think the main piece that her recipe card lacked was chilling the flour/milk. She had you beat it a bit to cool, but not chill. I can’t wait to try again and surprise my husband with a non-separated cooked icing!
Hi Michele! Yes, the chilling is important. I think you’ll find that it will not only give you a firmer frosting, it will weep far less (if at all). Let me know how it goes!
- Joe
I think the Red Velvet Cake with Cooked Frosting arrived in the “Parade” magazine that accompanied our newspaper when I was a child. I faithfully made this recipe for Memorial Day each year from the time I was about 10 years old, and tinted some of the frosting red and blue to create the US flag on the 9 x 13 cake I’d baked. I believe the secret to the icing is to beat the mixture until there is no grittiness left from the granulated sugar (at least 10-15 minutes); it was always smooth and didn’t become greasy like buttercreams are apt to. I’m still making it (not quite as often) and still love this frosting with the cake- it just isn’t Red Velvet with any other topping for me.
Hey Chris!
Yes, I think a longer beating really helps. I’,m not sure I’ve ever beaten it that long. Maybe that would give me an even smoother texture!
- Joe
Hi Joe – what are your thoughts on a peanut butter version, I mean, do you think it would be tasty – and if so, how much PB would you add?
Thanks!
I think peanut butter would work, myself. Try beating in about half a cup of smooth peanut butter. That works fine in conventional buttercreams!
Let me know how it goes!
- Joe
I was thinking this might be a good way to introduce flavourings into frosting. I’ve been meaning to experiment with warming the milk with some sliced ginger and leaving it to steep, then using it in the frosting. Maybe even try tea or coffee beans or mint leaves for a completely different flavour to peppermint extract.
Also, I use a slightly different method where you put the hot milk/flour gel into the blender and beat it on high until cool which stops the problem of a thick skin forming if you forget to put the cling-film on top (an all-too-common occurrence).
As you know, I’m a big fan of infusions, so I’m right behind you! Keep me apprised of your experiments!
- Joe