Ingredients
For the Maple-Flour Base
- 3/4 cup + 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup (Use Grade A: dark or very dark for best flavor)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
For Finishing the Frosting
- 3 cups (6 sticks) unsalted butter, cold but pliable
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Make the Maple Flour Base
Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a large saucepan. Whisk together these dry ingredients thoroughly before proceeding with making the base.
Then slowly add in the whole milk while continuing to whisk until it is incorporated. Adding in the whole milk this way helps ensure that you do not have any lumps in your mixture. Once all of the milk has been added to the mixture, then add in the maple syrup and stir with a whisk to mix well.
Cook the Base Until Thick
Now place the saucepan over medium heat. You will want to change from using your whisk to using a silicone spatula when cooking the base. Constantly stir with your spatula, scraping both the bottom and sides of the saucepan to prevent scorching on the pan.
As you continue cooking you will see that the mixture will start to thicken tremendously. Continue cooking the mixture until it has reached a very thick consistency and is no longer pouring off in a steady stream off of your spatula; instead, it is now thick enough that it “plops” down in clumps due to its consistency. The final consistency of the frosting will depend on how thick you cook the base. Cooking the base takes approximately ~30-35 minutes due to having a greater volume than just cooking a small amount at a time.
Cool the Base Completely
Once the maple flour base has reached a thickened state, scrape the entire base out of the pot and put it into a large bowl. Take plastic wrap and press it directly onto the top of the base; doing this helps avoid a skin from forming on top while the base is cooling down.
You will want to let the base cool completely at room temperature until it is no longer warm to the touch before using in the frosting.
To speed up the cooling process, place the bowl into your refrigerator for 20-minute intervals, stirring after each 20-minute interval until it has cooled to the desired temperature.
Do not try to use the base while it is still warm as this will cause the butter to melt into it causing the final product not to turn out properly.
Whip the Butter & Combine
Add the cold, pliable butter into the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment. Whip the cold, pliable butter on medium-high speed until it becomes lighter in color and has an almost white appearance.
With the mixer still running on medium-high speed, start adding in the cooled maple flour base 1 spoonful at a time into the whipped butter; making sure to let each spoonful of base fully incorporate before adding in the next spoonful. You may need to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl occasionally while mixing.
Once all of the maple flour base has been added to the whipped butter, add the vanilla extract and continue mixing the frosting mixture on high speed until it holds stiff peaks.
If at any point during mixing the frosting appears curdled or separated, it is usually due to the fact that the butter and the maple flour base were both at different temperatures when combined together. To fix this, warm the outside of the mixing bowl gently with a kitchen torch, or by wrapping the bowl with a warm damp towel while mixing on low speed until the mixture becomes smooth.
Maple Frosting with a Cooked Flour Base
Ingredients
For the Maple-Flour Base
- 3/4 cup + 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup Use Grade A: dark or very dark for best flavor
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
For Finishing the Frosting
- 3 cups unsalted butter 6 sticks, cold but pliable
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Whisk flour, sugar, and salt in a large saucepan.
- Gradually whisk in milk until smooth, then whisk in maple syrup.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with silicone spatula until very thick and mixture clumps on spatula, about 30-35 minutes.
- Transfer to bowl and cover surface with plastic wrap.
- Cool completely at room temperature or in refrigerator with occasional stirring.
- Beat butter in stand mixer with whisk attachment until light and nearly white.
- Add cooled maple base one spoonful at a time, mixing fully between additions.
- Add vanilla extract and whip until stiff peaks form.
