Less Sweet Flour Buttercream (aka: Ermine Buttercream)
Author: The Tough Cookie
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Makes about 530g of buttercream, which is about 2¾ cups (660ml). Enough to generously frost 10-12 cupcakes, or to frost about 15 cupcakes with a rose swirl (like the photos).
Ingredients
35g (or 4½ tablespoons) all-purpose flour
130g (or ½ cup + 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon) granulated sugar
pinch of salt
240ml (or 1 cup) whole milk
226g (or 1 cup) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Combine flour, sugar and salt in a medium-sized saucepan. Whisk together. Add the milk and whisk until combined.
Place saucepan over low heat and allow the mixture to come to a boil, whisking continuously. Once the mixture starts bubbling, cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring with a rubber spatula and scraping the sides and bottom of the pan as your go. Remove from heat and stir for a minute to knock some of the heat out of the pudding.
Using a rubber spatula, scrape the pudding onto a clean plate and immediately cover it with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic wrap directly onto the pudding to keep a skin from forming. Allow to cool to room temperature.
Once the pudding has cooled, beat the butter in a medium-sized bowl until smooth and fluffy and lightened in color, 5-7 minutes.
Add the cool pudding one tablespoon at a time, mixing well after each addition. Once all the pudding has been added, mix for another few minutes, until the buttercream looks fluffy. Add the vanilla and mix for another minute.
Use immediately for best results or keep covered at room temperature for up to 3 hours until ready to use. Buttercream can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Allow to come to room temperature before use and, using a mixer, beat if necessary until creamy and fluffy again.
Notes
Though you can store the finished buttercream in the fridge, I personally think buttercream is best used fresh. Therefore, if you want to make this ahead, I'd advise you to just make the pudding and store it in an airtight container in the fridge up to 5 days. Allow to come to room temperature before use, beating it with butter that has been softened at room temperature to make the buttercream right before you're ready to use the buttercream.