10 Types of Frosting to Make at Home

Frosting is a butter- or cream-based whipped topping that bakers use to decorate cakes and cupcakes. A basic frosting recipe typically consists of butter and sugar whipped together until light and fluffy, then flavored with vanilla beans or cocoa powder. From buttercream to cream cheese frosting, this decadent topping holds its shape well, perfect for lining a layer cake or piping into decorative swirls on top of cupcakes.

Many consider frosting and icing interchangeable, but there are a few key differences between these popular cake toppings:

• Ingredients: Whipped butter or cream are often the main ingredients in frosting. On the other hand, a basic icing recipe incorporates confectioners’ sugar (or powdered sugar) mixed with a liquid, such as milk or cream, lemon juice, or liqueur. Two of the most common types of icing include rolled fondant (a thick, moldable, gelatin- or marshmallow-based topping) and royal icing (a thin, sticky, egg-white-based mixture).
• Texture: Fat-based, creamy frosting is thicker and fluffier than sugar-based icing, which is thinner, sets quickly, and hardens when dry.
• Uses: Frosting holds its shape when bakers use it, making it perfect to line rounds of a layer cake or pipe decorative patterns onto cupcakes. Icing is typically not spreadable like frosting, requiring bakers to spoon or drizzle it over baked goods like cookies or cakes. Use icing for desserts that need a thin layer of sweetness on top—such as cinnamon rolls, pound cake, or bundt cake—or as a sticking agent—to connect the panels of a gingerbread house.

Try out these recipes for different kinds of frostings you can use to make a slew of desserts.

1. 1. American buttercream: As reflected in its name, this versatile frosting counts butter and cream as its two primary ingredients. A basic American buttercream recipe typically involves mixing confectioners' sugar (also known as powdered sugar or icing sugar) with butter and sometimes milk or heavy cream—no heat, no eggs, no flour. This mixture absorbs food coloring well, ideal for intricate designs with many flavors and hues. It’s sweeter than many of its international counterparts (like Swiss, Italian, or French buttercream, all of which require egg whites or yolks). Still, the powdered sugar in American buttercream makes it distinctively soft and spreadable.
2. 2. Brown sugar frosting: This brown sugar–based variation of traditional buttercream frosting comes together in almost no time. With a deep caramel, almost spicy flavor due to the high molasses content, brown sugar frosting adds sweet depth to many cupcake or cake recipes. For a fluffier consistency similar to Italian meringue buttercream, use brown sugar to make a seven-minute frosting, which involves boiling the brown sugar before combining it with corn syrup and stiffly beaten egg whites.
3. 3. Chocolate whipped cream frosting: This popular decorative frosting consists of heavy cream, powdered sugar, and cocoa powder whisked into stiff peaks. Unlike chocolate ganache or buttercream (which gain their rich density from butter or melted chocolate chips), chocolate whipped cream frosting uses cocoa powder, making it a light and subtle option for decorating cakes and other desserts. Bakers in warmer climates worried about runny cake frosting can stabilize this whipped cream frosting with cornstarch or gelatin, creating stylish stiff peaks that won’t collapse easily.
4. 4. Cream cheese frosting: Cream cheese is the key ingredient in this frosting, giving it a tangy, rich taste and smooth texture. The simplest way to make cream cheese frosting is to combine cream cheese with butter and powdered sugar. Alternatively, bakers can make it with a base of buttercream frosting or even whipped cream. Top dense desserts like carrot cake or red velvet cake with tangy, rich cream cheese frosting.
5. 5. Ermine frosting: Making ermine frosting involves cooking milk, sugar, and flour together into a sweet, spreadable paste. It’s also known as ermine buttercream, milk frosting, flour frosting, flour buttercream, and American buttercream. Unlike German or Swiss meringue buttercream, ermine frosting does not contain eggs.
6. 6. French buttercream: Making French buttercream involves whipping homemade hot sugar syrup, beaten egg yolks, and softened butter together. The egg yolks give French buttercream a rich flavor and yellow color. Traditionally, this topping fills the layers of dacquoise, a French meringue cake.
7. 7. German buttercream: This creamy, rich, dairy-forward buttercream also makes an excellent base for cream cheese frosting. A German buttercream frosting recipe starts with making a vanilla custard out of whole milk and eggs. Use a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment to beat the butter until it’s light and fluffy. To finish, slowly add the custard to the butter.
8. 8. Italian meringue buttercream: To make Italian meringue, add hot sugar syrup to beaten egg whites, and turn it into buttercream by adding butter. Italian meringue buttercream is quite heat-stable, making it ideal for frosting a wedding cake or birthday cake that might spend hours at room temperature.
9. 9. Swiss meringue buttercream: This international buttercream is quick to make and yields impressive results. To make Swiss meringue buttercream, beat egg whites with sugar over hot water and add the butter bit by bit. Cooking the egg whites over the hot water gives Swiss buttercream its signature light, silky texture.
10. 10. Vegan frosting: Dairy-free vegan frosting is a whipped, fluffy dessert topping made by beating vegan butter with vanilla extract, powdered sugar, and a small amount of oat or nut milk. Use vegan frosting between the layers of an animal product–free layer cake or spread it over favorite sugar cookies or cupcakes. Add ingredients like lemon zest, powdered freeze-dried fruit, cocoa powder, spices, or almond extract for extra flavor. Vegan gel food coloring is an easy way to add color.

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