The Original 7 Minute Frosting, (less sweet)

By Lsweetnell

Makes a light and fluffy frosting that is not too sweet. Made by cooks long before cream cheese, or even powdered sugar was used when this is what the farmer's wife had on hand.

(Yield: About 3 cups, enough to frost a 2-layer 8″ cake)

Ingredients

• 3 T flour
• 1/2 c 2% milk
• 1/2 c heavy cream
• 1 c granulated sugar
• 1 c unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 t vanilla
• 1/4 t salt

Preparation

Step 1

Cooked flour frosting uses a slurry of flour and milk or cream that is heated gently on the stove until the mixture is well thickened. Make sure to cook for at least 3 minutes to ensure the flour taste is cooked out. This mixture is left to cool to room temperature which is essential, it must cool down. Then, room temperature butter and granulated sugar are beaten together until a light and fluffy mass results. The cooled slurry is added to the butter mixture and beaten for a considerable amount of time (about 7 minutes). This is a crucial step in the breakdown of the granulated sugar. If the frosting is not beaten enough, it will be grainy. But once suitably beaten, this frosting becomes smooth and creamy.

A note on the milk: You may use 1 full cup of whole milk if you have it. But if you are like me, and use 2% milk regularly, follow the recipe below. It works perfectly. To compensate for the loss of fat, I used 1/2 c 2% milk plus 1/2 c heavy cream.

If you wish to tent the color of the frosting use a paste coloring and not a liquid coloring.