The Best Frosting Recipe. Ever.
Allow me to introduce you to your new favorite frosting. Sister to my popular cream cheese frosting, this recipe takes things to new heights with the toasty flavor of browned butter. See those beautiful brown flecks throughout the frosting? Flavor goldmines. You’re going to love this one…
Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
You’ll love my brown butter frosting because it:
Is so flavorful! Possibly my new favorite frosting recipe on the blog, the browned butter, cream cheese, vanilla and sugar play perfectly together.Is not overly sweet, thanks to cream cheese and a pinch of salt. I felt that a frosting made with just brown butter was too rich and found that cream cheese balanced the flavor perfectly. Seriously. Perfectly. Perfect for frosting a cake but also sturdy enough to pipe over cupcakes (see those beautiful swirls on my dark chocolate cupcakes up there?)Pairs beautifully with just about any flavor cake or cupcake. It’s wonderful on my chocolate cake or vanilla cupcakes, banana cake, carrot cake, hummingbird cake, and just about anything in between.Truly simple to make, but requires just enough effort and technique that you’ll feel like a pro (and anyone you share it with is going to demand to know why you haven’t opened up your own bakery yet).
What You Need
Unsalted Butter. Of course we will be browning this to toasty perfection and then letting it re-solidify at room temperature before we begin.Cream Cheese. Cream cheese adds the perfect depth of flavor to a frosting that would otherwise be too rich. Spreadable cream cheese in the little tubs won’t work here, neither will low-fat. Purchase the kind that comes in the shape of a brick!Powdered Sugar. Also known as “confectioner’s sugar” or “10x sugar”.Vanilla Extract. Vanilla adds a depth of flavor to the frosting and complements the mellow flavor of the browned butter. Yum! Salt. A pinch of salt helps to keep the frosting from being so sweet that it’s cloying. If you’re curious about why I use unsalted butter but then add salt (or if you only have salted butter on hand), see my post on salted vs unsalted butter!
This is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Brown Butter
Your first step is to make the brown butter. To do this:
How to Make Brown Butter Frosting
SAM’S TIP: Make this in a stand mixer without the mess! After creaming together butter and cream cheese, add all remaining ingredients (and yes, all of your sugar!). Then, cover the head of the mixer with a clean towel (make sure all edges of the bowl are covered) and turn the mixer on low. Gradually increase speed to medium. The towel catches any dust from the powdered sugar and keeps your countertop clean! I have a detailed post on how to brown butter if you need more tips or have any questions!
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Enjoy! Let’s bake together! Make sure to check out the how-to VIDEO in the recipe card!
