Chocolate ermine frosting is so smooth, fluffy and creamy. If you like boiled milk frosting, this chocolate version might just become your new favorite thing.
Have you ever tried ermine frosting? It is a traditional topping for red velvet cake and has a texture like whipped cream.
The secret is a paste you make from boiling milk and flour together. You whip that into butter and it becomes something fabulous.
Over the years I have made a few different variations. There’s the cream cheese ermine frosting that is fabulous on carrot cake and banana cake.
We also loved the mocha ermine frosting. It is great on cupcakes, but also wonderful on coffee angel food cake.
So, I am not sure why it took me so long to make a chocolate boiled milk frosting. It’s okay though, it was worth the wait.
This frosting is super silky and fluffy like you would expect. There is a nice chocolate flavor thanks to the cocoa powder getting steeped in the milk as you make the roux.
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I piped it on some chocolate pumpkin cupcakes and the combination was fabulous. It would also be great on butter cake or anything you want an airy chocolate frosting on.
The key to getting this frosting right is cooking the flour/sugar/cocoa mixture thick enough. It should be like a really thick pudding or paste when you take it off the heat.
You should have to scoop (or at least coax) it into the mixer bowl when it is cooled, it should not be able to be poured. The other key is to make sure it is completely cooled to room temperature or even chilled before you add it to the butter.
The only word of warning is that this frosting doesn’t fare well in hot temperatures. It is a very soft butter frosting and you are going to want to keep it cool or at room temperature.
Don’t let that scare you off, though, this frosting is definitely worth making!
Storage
Ermine frosting can stay at room temperature for up to 6 hours. Due to the milk, it should be refrigerated after that.
Chocolate Ermine Frosting
Ingredients
- 5 Tablespoons flour
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup butter softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, whisk together 5 Tablespoons flour, ⅓ cup cocoa powder, and 1 cup granulated sugar.
- Add the cold 1 cup milk, a little at a time. Whisk after each addition to avoid lumps.
- Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture becomes a thick paste. It is important that you get it nice and thick at this point. It should be thicker than a pudding and thick enough to leave a trail when stirring.
- Cool and then chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. The mixture should be pretty solid at this point.
- Once the cocoa paste you made is chilled, cream the 1 cup butter in your mixer until smooth.
- Scoop the cocoa paste mixture into butter and add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Whip on high speed for 7-10 minutes or until light and airy.
- Frost your cake or cupcakes. Store in the refrigerator.
Notes
Video
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This was the first time I dared to make a boiled milk frosting. It came out perfect and was a great introduction to cake baking for a neighbor kid. I dont think I’ll bother with buttercream anymore. Thanks for having all the pictures. It made things easier 🙂
Yay!! And baking with a neighbor kid sounds like fun. I am glad it was successful!
I made this with plant based “butter” (I know it’s not really butter) and soymilk as I don’t eat dairy and have to say your visuals were everything. I’ve tried other sites in the past and was always afraid to overcook it. Once I knew how thick it should be it was perfect. I’m assuming it works equally well with actually dairy.
It is great to know that it works with non-dairy alternatives!
I have made this frosting twice now. Both times the taste was great but the texture was off. It’s not smooth like a buttercream. It’s slightly gritty and has the appearance of wet sand. Not sure what I am doing wrong. I made sure to sieve the dry ingredients. Maybe powdered sugar would be better? No clue.
Hmmm. That is strange. Cooking the dry ingredients into a paste should make everything silk smooth, not the other way. I wonder if beating it longer would help? Otherwise I have plenty of chocolate buttercream recipes that do use powdered sugar if you prefer to try something different. The fudgy buttercream has some hot water or coffee in it which helps to bloom the cocoa powder a bit and gets everything really smooth.
Did u cook the sugar in with the flour and cocoa? I have seen several recipes for ermine frosting along with chocolate ermine and some say to add the sugar with the butter which to me would be grainy.
I do cook it with the milk and flour mixture for the same reason. I have done it both ways. It gets smoother than you would expect if you whip it with the butter, but you have to whip it a long time to get a smooth texture.