13 Dreamy Frosting Recipes

Tina Rupp

More than just icing on the cake, these creamy and rich toppings include mascarpone, chocolate buttercream, and caramel.

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White Chocolate Buttercream

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Creamy, sweet, and perfect for any treat, you'll wan to make this frosting for all of your favorite cakes.

More Dessert Recipes and Tips

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White Buttercream Frosting

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This simple and straightforward recipe is a perennial favorite. Easy to make, it goes especially well with chocolate and vanilla cupcakes.

Terrific Cupcake Recipes

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Chocolate Frosting

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The inspiration for this frosting technique comes from dessert maven Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts (Alfred A. Knopf).

Fantastic Chocolate Cakes

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Marshmallow Frosting

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This billowy frosting is the perfect upgrade from a classic buttercream.

Amazing Cupcake Recipes

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Mascarpone Frosting

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Mascarpone is an Italian cheese that's superrich, delicate and creamy. Here, it's simply blended with confectioners' sugar to create a sublime, snow-white frosting. For the best results, try to buy mascarpone that's very fresh.

Layer Cakes

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Chocolate Frosting

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The chocolate frosting can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Return to room temperature before using.

Chocolate Cake Recipes

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Fluffy Cream Cheese Frosting

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Carrot cake, that 1970s favorite, has a new audience at luxe restaurants like Manhattan's Le Bernardin. At the Urban Farmer in Portland, Oregon, pastry chef Jodi Elliot prepares the ultimate version: moist and not too sweet.

Carrot Cake Recipes

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Chile Chocolate Buttercream

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In the sixth grade, Lisa Ritter prepared Mexican hot chocolate as part of a social studies project. Years later, she wanted to re-create that sweet-spicy sensation in a layer cake, so she developed a cinnamon-flavored sponge cake and subtly spicy buttercream frosting made with ancho chile powder and cayenne pepper. "This recipe makes great cupcakes, too," Ritter says.