The Most DELICIOUS, Ultimate Vanilla Frosting
This Ultimate Vanilla Frosting Recipe is THE MAIN reason my clients LOVE my cakes so much…
It’s unique and FREAKIN’ DELICIOUS.
I know buttercream is the “standard frosting” out there, but it does not deserve to be. Its overwhelming sweetness actually DETRACTS from the beautiful flavour of a GOOD cake.
I know there are some yummy buttercream recipes out there – like Magnolia Bakery’s famous frosting – but once you’ve tried this Philosophy of Yum frosting recipe, there will be a whole new standard of yum for you.
So today I’m asking you to please be open-minded.
This recipe is my Home Bakery’s SIGNATURE Frosting. It’s my GO-TO recipe I use every single day. I use this vanilla version or the chocolate frosting version on ALL my cakes & cupcakes.
It goes with EVERY CAKE FLAVOUR known to man. And not only does it “go with it”, it elevates it to a whole new dimension of bliss!
ALL my Home Bakery clients go gaga over this low sugar frosting, because it has so much flavour and it’s gloriously luxurious and smooth.
Please note that Philosophy of Yum frosting has a higher water content than buttercream or ganache, so if you place a high sugar item on top of it, it will melt into this frosting. This means fondant and sugar candies. But chocolate is A-OK 🙂
For classic cakes, cupcakes, naked frosting, semi-naked frosting, layered cakes, covering cakes etc. this frosting is absolutely perfect! It’s an honest frosting and it is honestly ridiculously delicious!!
Ultimate Vanilla Frosting Development
I explain the whole journey in detail on my chocolate frosting post if you want to check it out. In a nutshell it goes like this:
As a child I could not stand frosting. I always scraped it off the cake because it was just TOO sweet. My mother is a dietitian and developed a lower sugar frosting for her carrot cake recipe. Now that frosting was DELICIOUS! It was, however, a bit too runny to pipe.
When the time came for me to start up my own Home Baking Business, I knew that I would need to come up with my own frosting recipe… And that the frosting would need to be SUPER YUM and lower in sugar so that it’s not too sweet.
I made a drastic decision to omit butter altogether from my recipe! *GASP!!* Since you need to add HEAPS of icing sugar to butter to get it to the right consistency, it’s just so not worth it.
I opted to use whipped cream instead because cream is just SO delicious! The whipped cream also makes the frosting so much lighter.
Because cream cheese and cream are already quite soft, there’s no need to add kilos and kilos of sugar to achieve the right consistency.
The result was just stunning… So smooth, so luxurious, SO YUMMY!!
Reasons to make Philosophy of Yum Vanilla Frosting
* It is so flipping DELICIOUS!!! So delicious in fact that it makes you giggle, squirm and dance from the deliciousness.
* Philosophy of Yum Frosting contains a staggering 75% – 80% LESS SUGAR than any other frosting, but it’s completely sufficiently sweet enough.
* It is actually a whole lot quicker and easier to make than buttercream or traditional cream cheese frosting.
* You don’t need a stand mixer to make this frosting! A simple electric hand mixer is ideal.
* Because there is no butter in my ultimate vanilla frosting, it is also 55% lower in fat than any other conventional frosting. What a bargain!!
* Extra perk: you can freeze this frosting! Say what?? Yes indeed. Let it thaw again in the fridge for about 2 hours and proceed to whip it GOOD. You are basically re-whipping the cream inside the frosting. After a minute or so it will be beautifully thick once more 🙂
Let’s get started! My instructions are going to be quite thorough so that there’s little room for error. I really want you to experience the awesomeness of this Ultimate Vanilla Frosting.
- 80 g Whipping Cream (at least 33% fat), ICE COLD
- 200 g Full Fat Cream Cheese (at least 25% fat), non-aerated, ICE COLD
- 1,5 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 50 g Pure Icing/Powdered Sugar (no added corn starch)
- 40 g White Chocolate (minimum 30% cocoa solids)
- SUPER IMPORTANT: The recipe varies slightly depending on whether you're using the frosting for piping on cupcakes or to use in layer cakes. The default ingredients list and method steps are for piping frosting on cupcakes. Variations for layer cake frosting will be in brackets. For layer cakes, make this recipe for the 1st layer of cake and let it sit in the fridge overnight. The next morning, make 1.5 times of this recipe as if you're making it for cupcakes (super important!), to frost the second layer of cake and the sides. This frosting doesn't work for cakes taller than 2 layers, but they can be up to 5cm (2-inch) thick layers.
- First make your white chocolate ganache. Finely chop the white chocolate. Put it in a small bowl (or mug) with 15 g of the whipping cream. Melt it in the microwave in 2 x 30 second bursts. Stir it till smooth and put it in the fridge to cool down. If I'm in a rush I scrape it onto a plate and put in the freezer for 5 minutes. (*If making frosting for your 1st layer of cake, skip the ganache! Instead, stir ½ tsp agar-agar powder and 3 Tbsp water together in a small saucepan and set aside for 10 minutes. Once it's hydrated, boil the mixture for 2 minutes and set aside to cool slightly.)
- Whip the remaining COLD cream to soft peaks with an electric hand mixer in a medium mixing bowl. (*If making frosting for 1st layer of cake, whip all 80 g of cold cream to soft peaks.)
- Beat in COLD Cream Cheese till smooth. Scrape down sides of bowl and beat again till smooth and thickened. About 1 minute in total.
- Beat in Vanilla and icing sugar for 20 seconds (*if making frosting for a layer cake, beat in 20 g extra icing sugar). Leave frosting to stand in the fridge for 5 minutes so that sugar can melt into the cream cheese thoroughly.
- Get the frosting from the fridge. Beat it on max speed for 30 seconds - 1 minute (tilt your bowl and keep your beaters still in on the lowest side of the bowl while beating). The frosting might start off runny, but keep beating in one spot and it will start to thicken up. You're essentially re-whipping the cream inside the frosting. It should be quite thick after 1 minute. *NOTE: If the frosting isn't COLD, it won't whip up.
- Next scrape all the white chocolate ganache (it shouldn't be warmer than a cool room temperature when you add it in) into the frosting and beat it in on max speed immediately for 1 minute. The white chocolate will also help to thicken up the frosting even more. (*If making frosting for 1st cake layer, scrape your room temp, liquid agar-agar mixture into your frosting and beat it on max speed for 1 minute.)
- The frosting will be quite thick at this stage (depending on the cream cheese you used and how cold your ingredients were). If I’m using the frosting for layer cakes, I use it as it is. Frost the first layer of cake and let it chill in the fridge for AT LEAST 4 hours (I leave them in the fridge over night). Note that this is NOT a hard setting frosting. It will always still be wet to the touch, but it still holds.
- FOR LAYER CAKES: When the first layer of frosting has firmed up a bit, you can add 1 more cake layer on top. Not ideal for stacking more than 2 layers of cake!! Make 1.5 times this recipe and frost the top and sides of the cake. When you've frosted the outside of the cake, let it stand in the fridge for at least 2 more hours. After that the frosting is quite stable at room temp and won't melt - even on a hot day!
- If I’m piping the frosting onto cupcakes, I like to leave the frosting at room temperature for a few minutes to soften slightly before I transfer it to a piping bag. When you've frosted your cupcakes, let them stand at cool room temperature (or in the fridge) for about 30 minutes. After this the frosting is quite stable and won't melt - even on a hot day! I even tested this on a day that was 43 degrees C (109 degrees F).
Important Notes:
* THIS RECIPE ONLY WORKS WHEN THE INGREDIENTS ARE SUPER COLD. Both the cream and cream cheese should have been in the fridge, on the lowest shelf, overnight. Make sure your kitchen isn’t hot when you mix the frosting.
* If you live in a super hot climate, you may need to take extra precautions. If your frosting isn’t whipping up, let it chill in your FREEZER for 15 minutes. Hold your mixing bowl at an angle and hold beaters in the lowest spot on top speed for 1-2 minutes (don’t move beaters around initially). Once the frosting gets really thick around the beaters, gradually start moving the beaters around in smaller circles to incorporate the runnier frosting with the thick frosting. Continue beating till you see the frosting is as thick as it’s possibly going to get.
* Another precaution for super hot climates: Once you’ve piped the frosting onto cupcakes, let the frosted cupcakes chill in the fridge for at least 30 – 40 minutes so that the piped frosting chills and dries out a bit. After this, you can leave the cupcakes at room temperature and the frosting will keep its shape.
* Super important note: do not use candy or fondant or sugar paste decorations on this frosting! The frosting has a high water content, so sugary decorations will simply melt and weep into the frosting!
* A smaller, deeper mixing bowl makes this frosting much easier to whip up.
* This recipe produces enough frosting for about 12 cupcakes.
* If using in a layer cake: Allow the frosting on each layer to chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours before placing the next layer of cake on top. Do not stack more than 2 layers of cake on top of each other!
* This is not a hard-setting frosting. It remains moist. I love this because it keeps my cakes moist as well, so you never need to do the simple syrup soaking again!
* Because there’s cream & cream cheese in the frosting, encourage your clients eat their bakes within 2 days max.
* This frosting needs to be prepared fresh right before you use it. You can’t make it in advance. But you CAN freeze the left overs for up to 1 month! When you want to use it; let it thaw in the fridge overnight. Then whip it like crazy the next day till it thickens up again.
If you give this recipe a go, tag me on Facebook, twitter or Instagram #philosophyofyum because I would LOVE to see!
Chat soon!
Aurelia 😊
My secret weapon for flat, moist cakes – no more domes to trim off! TOTAL Game changer! 😀
Got a question? Something to add? Let’s chat in the comments section down below! (I respond to every single comment)
Hi Aurelia, my fellow cake-scraper … how wonderful it is to know that I’m not alone in un-frosting a concoction before eating it! Usually, my icing will be plopped atop those of my family members who somehow don’t seem to notice the sickening sweetness. Honestly, my watching them eat it — by the spoonful — only makes me sicker!
I live in the States … is there an easy way to “translate” the measurements in your recipes, either on your end in the future or on mine in moving forward? I’m not familiar with gram measurements, nor am I sure of whether “1,5 vanilla extract” is equivalent to 1/2 tsp., or 1-1/2 tsp., or something other.
Otherwise, I will be excited to try this. Thank you for posting it.
You’re so not alone in your frosting aversion Patti! SO MANY people feel the same way.
And then in regard to my recipes being in grams: Great baking requires GREAT precision. Unfortunately baking with cup measurements just doesn’t give you the consistent accuracy you need. For example; a cup of flour can weigh anywhere from 140 g – 200 g. Every gram makes a significant difference in your results!
Do yourself a favour and invest in a digital kitchen scale. They are really inexpensive (like $16 – $20) and will give you great precision and results in your baking!
Another awesome perk of digital scales is that you can mix batter much faster! Measuring ingredients in 5 different cup sizes can take forever, but with a scale you can just weigh ingredients directly into your bowl, press the zero button and weigh the next ingredient directly into the bowl.
This obviously also saves a lot of washing up since you’re weighing all ingredients into the bowl and not dirtying your measuring cups. A digital kitchen scale is my favourite Home Bakery tool by far. Best $20 I ever spent! Click here to see my favourite, affordable digital kitchen scale >> https://amzn.to/3JMosBK
Hi Aurelia,
I made the frosting and it is so delicious!!! Is there a way to make it a bit more stable? We live in a very hot and humid place and instead of a beautifully frosted cupcake, mine looked like melted snow…
Hi there Milande! I’m so happy to hear you made this frosting and that you enjoyed the taste so much! Did you read the instructions in step #10 of the recipe? You can even let the frosted cupcakes chill in the fridge for 2 hours – you just need the outer layer of the frosting to dry out, then it can withstand warm temperatures. I used this frosting on my wedding day for cupcakes. It was 110 degrees F that day and the frosting didn’t melt!
Hi Aurelia! I LOVE this frosting!! As someone who doesn’t really like ANY of the buttercreams (Amercian, Swiss meringue, etc!) this is absolutely the best 🙂
I have one question – in Step 6 of your instructions could you give an approximate timing of how long to beat? I love how exact all the other steps are, so I was a little lost here. Mine wasn’t really runny like you said, so it seemed thick very quickly. Do I stop beating then and add the ganache, or need to keep going a few minutes to improve the stability?
Thanks so much for the recipe! And sorry if you have answered this in the comments already, there seems to be a gliche when I click “Older Comments” and I can’t access them.
Yayyy! I’m so grateful to hear you love this frosting so much! 😀 I made some again this morning for a customer’s cake and it was SO hard not to eat it!! Thanks for reaching out – I’ve updated the instructions. You basically just want to beat it till it’s thick which usually takes anywhere from 30 seconds – 1 minute 🙂 And I’m so sorry about the comments section not responding… darn WordPress! I’m not sure I can do anything about it though…
Aurelia you’re a legend! Thanks for your super quick reply and for even updating the recipe – that will be so helpful when I make it again! It will be soon…very soon!! No problems with the comments just thought I would let you know in case it was something under your control or you didn’t know. Take care! 😀
Hi Aurelia. I absolutely love this frosting.
Can I add crushed/blitzed biscuit to this frosting. I’m assuming it won’t bleed into the frosting like sugar candies and fondant etc?
Hey Uru! Yay! I’m so glad you like this frosting 🙂 Yes you absolutely can add crushed biscuits to the frosting – I add crushed Oreos all the time. Just make sure you stir in the crushed biscuits at the last moment before you use the frosting, or else the biscuits merge completely with the frosting and you don’t get that effect of tiny pieces of biscuits inside frosting. Hope that makes sense!
I want to use this frosting for my baby’s first birthday cake because I don’t want her to have a traditional sugar-packed cake. However, I won’t have time to make it the day of… Can I prepare it the day before and keep it in the fridge before serving? (The notes say to prepare right before you use it, so wanted to check.)
Hey Brittany! This frosting unfortunately can’t be made in advance… If you do it goes runny. Best to make it on the day! Happy birthday to your little baby 😀
Hi- you say don’t use sugar candies on top of the frosting. Does that mean smarties are out?
Hey Mo! Unfortunately smarties will melt into the frosting, so they’re out yes.
love it
Thanks Hanadi! Glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
Can I triple this or do you recommend making three separate batches? Thanks!!
You can triple it yes, but still use a hand mixer to mix the frosting 🙂 I often make double batches of this frosting with no trouble.
I’m very excited to try this, in your instructions it states it can freeze but later it states that it needs to be made right before using and just leftovers can freeze. I’m wondering if I make it ahead and freeze it, then thaw, whip and pipe if it will be as good as fresh. Thanks
Hey there Lynn! This frosting is at its best when made fresh. You can freeze the left-overs yes. But when you’ve thawed it, it won’t whip up as thick or fluffy as it did the first time. For me it works well to combine a bit of the thawed left-over frosting WITH a new batch of frosting.