Fluffiest White Chocolate Icing

The Fluffiest White Chocolate Icing is a silky smooth, melt-in-your-mouth icing.  It is satiny, less sweet, and quite unusual.  It’s made with a sweet white chocolate roux then mixed with butter until light and fluffy.

This is an old-fashioned icing recipe that I had as a child and is called “Ermine Frosting”.  My neighbor used to bring us cupcakes with the most usual frosting. She called it “Satin Icing” because it was so smooth and creamy.  I was lucky enough to snag the recipe from her before she moved.

How the Fluffiest White Chocolate Icing is Made

• Sugar and flour are mixed with milk and cooked to make a sweet thickened roux.  In this recipe, I reduced the amount of sugar and added white chocolate for another depth of flavor.
• Once the roux is cooked, it is covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated until chilled.  The roux will hold for at least 3 days before use.
• When ready to make the icing, beat butter until smooth.  Add the chilled roux a spoonful at a time while continually mixing.
• Watch the magic happen.  Add vanilla for a magical fluffy icing that is killer on chocolate cake.

Cooking Instructions For White Chocolate Roux

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1. Gather and measure all of the ingredients for the roux.  You will need flour, sugar, milk, and white chocolate chips.
2. In a small saucepan stir flour and sugar together.
3. Pour the milk into the flour/sugar mixture.
4. Whisk in the milk mixture until smooth.
5. Place the pan over low heat and cook until the mixture begins to heat up and the sugar begins to dissolve.
6. Add white chocolate baking chips and whisk until the chips melt. Continue mixing until the mixture thickens and begins to bubble. 

Chill Time

• Once the mixture is has thickened remove the saucepan from the heat and pour the hot roux into a glass bowl.
• Gently press a sheet of plastic wrap onto the top of the hot icing.  (parchment or waxed paper may be used instead of plastic wrap.  Refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

Mixing the Fluffiest White Chocolate Icing

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1. Remove the white chocolate roux from the refrigerator at the same time the butter is set out to soften.
2. Soften the butter only until your finger leaves an indentation.  The butter will still hold its shape yet soft to the touch.  You do not want the butter to be too soft.
3. Using a hand electric mixer or stand mixer, beat the butter until smooth and fluffy.  About 5 minutes.
4. Begin to spoon the roux into the beaten butter.  Adding just one heaping spoonful at a time.  The roux mixture will be sticky to the touch.
5. After all of the roux has been added continue mixing for another 3-4 minutes.  Add the vanilla and mix another minute or so.

Useful facts for the Fluffiest White Chocolate Icing

• The recipe makes enough to pipe 18-20 cupcakes depending on how high the swirl is made.  It will ice a 9 x 13-inch cake, or an 8-inch round double layer cake.
• Icing can be made in advance and refrigerated.  Bring to room temperature and re-beat the icing until fluffy.
• “Ermine Icing” was originally used to ice Red Velvet cake.
• Keep in mind the icing will harden up a bit when refrigerated and is best served at room temperature.
• Iced cupcakes or cakes can be frozen.  Just bring to room temperature and allow the icing to soften before serving.  It’s best served soft and smooth.
• Fluffy white chocolate icing pairs very well with a chocolate cake, vanilla cake, red velvet, pumpkin cake, or even carrot cake.

This is my go-to chocolate cake recipe:  Chocolate Cupcakes with Strawberry Swiss Buttercream

Perfect cake recipes to top with this fluffy icing

Click on the photo to be re-directed to the recipe

3.8 from 25 votes

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Fluffiest White Chocolate Icing

Fluffiest White Chocolate Icing is silky smooth, melt-in-your-mouth icing.  It is satiny smooth, less sweet, and quite unusual.  It's made with a sweet white chocolate roux and mixed with butter until light and fluffy.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword Cake icing, cupcake icing, frosting, white chocolate icing

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 7 minutes

chill time 4 hours

Servings 18 servings

Calories 183 kcal

Author Janet Barton

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole milk 2% can be used
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 5 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 cup white chocolate baking chips
• 1 cup unsalted butter Room temperature. Salted butter can be used just omit the salt
• pinch salt
• 2 tsp vanilla

Instructions

White Chocolate Roux

1. In a small saucepan stir flour and sugar together. Whisk in the milk. Place the pan over low heat and cook until the mixture begins to heat up and the sugar begins to dissolve. Add white chocolate baking chips and whisk until the chips melt. Continue mixing until the mixture thickens and begins to bubble.

2. Remove from the heat and stir in vanilla. Pour the mixture into a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Press the plastic wrap (or waxed or parchment paper) against the top of the hot mixture. Refrigerate until completely cool. This can be made a few days in advance and kept in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Fluffiest White Chocolate Icing

1. Remove butter from the refrigerator to soften. Don't let the butter warm too much. Just until your finger presses into the butter easily and the hole still holds its shape.

2. In a large mixing bowl beat the butter until very light yellow and fluffy. Begin to add the white chocolate roux one heaping tablespoon at a time. Beating and whipping the after each addition. Once all of the roux has been incorporated into the butter, add the vanilla and a pinch of salt. Continue mixing for another 3-4 minutes. The icing is now ready to use.

Piping Icing

1. Carefully spoon icing into a pastry bag fitted with the desired tip. Pipe swirls onto cupcakes. This should be enough to ice 18 -20 cupcakes depending on how thick you pipe the icing.

   Alternatively, spread icing on cupcakes with a spatula or butter knife.

Recipe Notes

How the Fluffiest White Chocolate Icing is Made

• Sugar and flour are mixed with milk and cooked to make a sweet thickened roux.  In this recipe, I reduced the amount of sugar and added white chocolate for another depth of flavor.
• Once the roux is cooked, it is covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated until chilled.  The roux will hold for at least 3 days before use.
• When ready to make the icing, beat butter until smooth.  Add the chilled roux a spoonful at a time while continually mixing.
• Watch the magic happen.  Add vanilla for a magical fluffy icing that is killer on chocolate cake. 

Useful facts for the Fluffiest White Chocolate Icing

• The recipe makes enough to pipe 18-20 cupcakes depending on how high the swirl is made.  It will ice a 9 x 13-inch cake, or an 8-inch round double layer cake.
• Icing can be made in advance and refrigerated.  Bring to room temperature and re-beat the icing until fluffy.
• "Ermine Icing" was originally used to ice a Red Velvet cake.
• Keep in mind the icing will harden up a bit when refrigerated and is best served at room temperature.
• Iced cupcakes or cakes can be frozen.  Just bring to room temperature and allow the icing to soften before serving.  It's best served soft and smooth.
• Fluffy white chocolate icing pairs very well with a chocolate cake, vanilla cake, red velvet, pumpkin cake, or even carrot cake. 

*Nutrition facts are only calculated for the White Chocolate Icing.  They do NOT include nutrition for the cake.

• Regular Ermine icing is made with 1 cup of sugar.  This recipe deletes 1/2 cup of the sugar and I have replaced it with 1 cup of white chocolate chips.

Nutrition Facts

Fluffiest White Chocolate Icing

Amount Per Serving (1 g)

Calories 183 Calories from Fat 126

% Daily Value*

Fat 14g22%

Saturated Fat 9g45%

Trans Fat 1g

Cholesterol 31mg10%

Sodium 16mg1%

Potassium 53mg2%

Carbohydrates 14g5%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 12g13%

Protein 1g2%

Vitamin A 340IU7%

Vitamin C 1mg1%

Calcium 39mg4%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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