French Cream Icing is a little more time-consuming than beating butter, milk, and powdered sugar together as in uncooked buttercream frosting, but it is definitely worth it. Since French Cream Icing is a cooked icing and uses granulated sugar rather than powdered sugar, it won’t have a gritty texture and will stay soft and creamy for days. This delicious icing is perfect on Red Velvet Cake, and is also a favorite for any type of chocolate cake.

The traditional recipe for French Cream Icing requires that you stand at the stove and stir flour and milk together until it boils and thickens. I discovered that it’s much faster and easier when done in the microwave oven, and there’s no danger of scorching. There are no lumps either, when the flour and milk are first blended with a hand blender rather than a whisk. If you don’t have a hand blender, a regular blender works well too, but it takes slightly longer to clean up.

If you’re pressed for time, you can speed up the cooling by placing the cooked milk and flour mixture in the freezer for a few minutes while the butter and sugar are beating.

French Cream Icing

Makes enough to frost a 9” layer cake or a 13 x 9” cake

5 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Traditional Method: Whisk together the flour and milk in a saucepan.


2. Place the pan over medium heat and whisk until very thick.


3. Remove from heat and cool.


4. Quick & Easy Microwave Method: Mix the flour and milk in a microwaveable container and use a hand blender to make it smooth.


5. Microwave 3 minutes; stir, then microwave until boiling and thick.


6. Stir to smooth, then place a piece of plastic wrap on the surface and let cool.


7. I put it in the freezer for a few minutes if I'm in a hurry.


8. While the mixture is cooling, whip the butter until fluffy.


9. Add the sugar and vanilla and beat until the mixture is smooth and the sugar is dissolved.


10. Add the cooled milk mixture to the creamed mixture and beat until it is smooth and stands in peaks.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 172 Calories from Fat 108
Percent Total Calories From: Fat 63% Protein 2% Carb. 35%

Nutrient Amount per Serving
Total Fat 12 g
Saturated Fat 7 g
Cholesterol 33 mg
Sodium 125 mg
Total Carbohydrate 15 g
Dietary Fiber 0 g
Sugars 13 g
Protein 1 g

Vitamin A 9% Vitamin C 0% Calcium 0% Iron 0%