Fluffy Brown Sugar Icing {Pat's Recipes} (2024)

FAQs

How to make fluffy frosting from store bought? ›

You can give store-bought frosting a fluffier texture by mixing in heavy whipping cream. Just add a tablespoon at a time until it's your desired consistency. Or fold in fresh homemade whipped cream for a rich flavor and a lighter, airy texture; try using equal parts frosting and cream.

Usually it is grainy from the sugar not dissolving into the butter properly. One easy fix is to re-whip the frosting, preferably with the paddle attachment, on medium speed until it becomes smoother.

If you don't have molasses on hand, you can easily swap it out for maple syrup with almost no change to your recipe's final product. Combine 1 cup (200 g) of granulated white sugar with 1 tbsp. (15 mL) of pure maple syrup to make a brown sugar substitute that can fool even the most sophisticated palette.

You can also whip in a few tablespoons of softened butter to replicate a homemade buttercream frosting. Another advantage of adding any of these dairy products to alter the consistency of the frosting is that they'll also dilute the sweetness of the canned frosting, which has a tendency to be intoxicatingly sweet.

Try thickening it with a bit of heavy whipping cream. You can add up to ¼ cup of heavy cream, depending on how much you need to thicken it. Then whip the frosting until it fluffs up. Heavy cream also works if the recipe instructs you to heat the frosting.

To quickly soften brown sugar: place the sugar in a microwave safe bowl and cover it with a damp paper towel for about 20 second, or use a food processor to loosen the brown sugar. If you aren't pressed for time, use a slice of bread or an apple in an airtight container with the brown sugar for 24 hours.

The most obvious way to prevent brown sugar from getting hard is by storing it in an air-tight container. You want the container to be on the smaller side, so there's not too much air trapped inside—the shape doesn't really matter as long as it doesn't allow any air to pass through.

The temperature of your butter is critical when creaming butter and sugar. Too cold, and your sugar won't properly dissolve into your butter. Too hot, and your cakes will end up flat and greasy. The magical temperature of softened butter is actually around 65℉, slightly cooler than the ambient temperature of your home.

While they are produced differently, resulting in distinct tastes, colors, and culinary uses, brown sugar is often simply processed white sugar with molasses. Contrary to common belief, they are nutritionally similar. Brown sugar contains slightly more minerals than white sugar but will not provide any health benefits.

And then recently, I discovered how to make purchased frosting stretch further with an equally easy hack: whipping it. Yes, the canned frosting hack is simply whipping straight-from-the-can frosting with your electric mixer.

How can I improve my grocery store frosting? ›

Quick and Easy Flavor Boosts

Extract. 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract works with any flavor and will turn up the volume on any other addition. Other options include lemon, almond, orange, peppermint, or any extract that goes with the frosting or the cake. Flavored coffee syrups. 2 tablespoons, or more to taste.

Empty both cans of frosting in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Pour in ½ cup of powdered sugar. Mix on low speed until powdered sugar is incorporated then whip on medium speed for 30 seconds. Turn the mixer off, lift the paddle attachment and see if the frosting is stiff and thick.

If you are trying to avoid any sweetness to your frosting you could try some cream of tartar or some cornstarch mixed with a little milk. You can also whip heavy cream to stiff peaks and fold into the softened cream cheese. People use gelatin to thicken and set whipped cream frostings.

Most frostings contain powdered sugar, or icing sugar, and the most common way to thicken a runny frosting is by gradually mixing in a bit more powdered sugar to offset the liquid ingredients. Sprinkle in 1 to 2 tbsp (15 to 30 mL) of powdered sugar at a time, then stir it in and check the consistency.