13 Dreamy Frosting Recipes

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

This is a slightly tangy, super-caramelly frosting.

This amazingly fast recipe can be whipped up in a cool 10 minutes.

This silky buttercream frosting is made with rich dark chocolate. For a fun variation, try it with white chocolate or hazelnut paste instead.

This classic buttercream frosting is rich and luxurious. Tom Douglas sometimes folds in whipped cream for a lighter touch.

Smear this creamy frosting on a classic carrot cake.