Cooked Vanilla Icing GF

By MaryEllen

This recipe makes this super velvet-smooth, fluffy-light frosting. It’s almost like whipped cream frosting, but it’s naturally very stable at room temperature which is a really nice thing in a frosting. Go ahead and make it early, and either pipe it or spread it on your cake or cupcakes right away, or store it in an airtight container on the counter for a couple days before you’re ready to use it. It doesn’t separate.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 tablespoons (12 g) cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons (18 g) basic xanthan gum-free gluten-free flour blend (12 g superfine white rice flour + 4 g potato starch + 2 g tapioca flour/starch)
• 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
• dash (1/8 teaspoon) kosher salt
• 3/4 cup (6 fl. oz.) milk (any kind – just not nonfat)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 12 tablespoons (168 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature (it must be at room temperature)

Details

Adapted from glutenfreeonashoestring.com

Preparation

Step 1

Fill a large bowl about halfway with ice and set it aside. In a small, heavy-bottom saucepan, place the cornstarch, flour blend, sugar and salt, and whisk to combine well. Add the milk, and whisk until smooth. Cook over a medium-high flame, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and the whisk leaves behind a visible trail (see photo), about 4 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat, and scrape the mixture into a separate medium-sized bowl.

Place the medium-sized bowl on top of the bowl of ice to stop the cooking of the flour and sugar mixture. Whisk in the vanilla, and allow the mixture to cool until it reaches room temperature (temperature matters tremendously here).*

Place the cooled flour and sugar mixture in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (a handheld mixer will work just fine here), and mix on medium speed until smooth. With the mixer still on medium speed, add the butter in 3 parts. The mixture will seem almost curdled at first. Turn the mixer to high speed and mix for about 3 minutes or until the frosting turns white and becomes light and fluffy. Use immediately. The frosting will keep at room temperature for a couple days.

*The cooked flour and sugar mixture can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 3 days before being mixed with the room temperature butter. Simply allow it to come back to room temperature by sitting on the counter before mixing it.

Adapted from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe.