Emily's Blog: My New Go-To Frosting

Every since I made that amazing EggNog frosting, I thought to myself... If it worked with EggNog, why couldn't it work with Heavy Cream??? The texture of this frosting was heavenly and light, the flavor was perfect (not your overly sweet standard buttercream) and it piped beautifully.

The son of a friend was leaving for 2 year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He was called to serve in Canada and she wanted themed cupcakes for his farewell luncheon. This gave me the perfect opportunity to test out my frosting theory.

The result was just as I had expected. Creamy, fluffy, perfectly sweetened and it tasted... I kid you not... just like Vanilla Custard Ice Cream would (only not cold). My friends, it was magical. Now, this frosting is a bit of a labor of love, but I swear to you, it is worth it.

Go-To Vanilla Frosting

1 1/2 cups Sugar
1/4 cup Flour
3 Tbsp (rounded) Cornstarch
1/2 tsp Salt
1 1/2 cups Heavy Cream (you could use milk or half & half if you'd like)
2 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract (Omit if you are making the Maple Version)
24 Tbsp Butter (3 sticks) at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar

Sift together the dry ingredients (minus the powdered sugar), then combine with milk. Over medium heat, whisk until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture has thickened (10-20 minutes, depending on heat). Transfer to a bowl to cool to room temperature. It is very important that this mixture some completely to room temp before whipping with the butter. If it is too cold, the butter won't incorporate, but if it's still to warm, it will melt the butter.

It's hard, but be patient. I'll take a spatula and mix it occasionally to speed up the process.

When cooled, transfer to the bowl of your mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment. Add vanilla and mix. Now, with the mixer on high speed, add the butter, one tablespoon at a time. Scrape the sides as needed to make sure that the butter fully incorporates.

This mixture may start to look curdled, but don't be alarmed. Just let it mix for 5 minutes and it will turn into something quite magical. Once combined add the final cup of powdered sugar. This frosting will be soft. I immediately frost the cupcakes (or cake) and then place the cupcakes in a cool place (or fridge) to let the frosting set. Then, enjoy!

Canada Themed Cupcakes... I used red fondant I purchased at WalMart to cut out the maple leaves, and then let them dry overnight until firm (important - you don't want the fondant to be too soft). The Vanilla frosting was paired with my Perfect Vanilla Cupcakes.

Maple Bacon Variation... Instead of adding vanilla, I added 1/2 tsp of Mapleine Maple flavoring until I reached the level of Maple flavor that I wanted. I paired with my Perfect Vanilla Cupcakes and then topped with pieces of crispy chopped bacon. These were made special for our Super Bowl party.

EggNog Variation... We can't forget about the inspiration for this amazing frosting which has now become my "go to" for all frostings. This frosting was paired with a gingerbread cupcake and the information for the frosting variation and cupcake recipe can be found HERE.