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32 Frosting Recipes for Any Occasion

32 Frosting Recipes for Any Occasion

Updated March 19, 2019

Credit: Oxmoor House

No matter what time of year it is, there's always an occasion that'll warrant cake. In other words, that also means you never can't use a good frosting recipe.

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Champagne Buttercream

Credit: Time Inc. Video Studio

Champagne Buttercream Recipe

Use this luscious Champagne Buttercream to frost our Champagne-infused New Year's Cake, or any of your other favorite cake or cupcake recipes that could use a sparkling upgrade.

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Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Credit: Daniel Agee; Food Styling: Pam Lolley

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting Recipe

While this simple Vanilla Buttercream is the perfect frosting for crafting our Unicorn Cake (pictured above), it's also a fantastic go-to recipe for anytime you need to frost a cake. Layer cakes and cupcakes alike, this classic buttercream frosting will aways be a crowd-pleaser and makes for a great vanilla base when you plan to dress a cake up with additional garnishes, like fresh fruit or chocolate shavings.

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Chocolate Avocado Frosting

Credit: Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Anna Hampton; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis

Chocolate Avocado Frosting Recipe

This vegan frosting is silky smooth and loaded with chocolate flavor and healthy fats.

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Strawberry Cream Frosting

Credit: Whitney Ott; Food Styling: Mary-Claire Britton; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis

Strawberry Cream Frosting Recipe

This light, fluffy strawberry and cream cheese frosting is the perfect finishing tough for our Confetti Flower Cake.

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Whipped Mascarpone

Credit: Photographer: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Lauren Smith Ford; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos

Whipped Mascarpone Recipe

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Irish Whisky Frosting

Credit: Gina DeSimone; Prop Styling: Kashara Johnson; Food Styling: Karen Rankin

Irish Whisky Frosting Recipe

Add this dangerously scrumptious Irish whisky frosting to any chocolate stout dessert.

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Strawberry Frosting

Credit: Iain Bagwell; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Hadas Smirnoff

Strawberry Frosting Recipe

Celebrate springtime and the arrival of fresh strawberries with this Strawberry Frosting. With a short ingredient list and just 15 minutes, you have a decadently beautiful frosting. We love including the freshest ingredients in our recipes, so stock up on strawberries while they’re in season. Whether you’re using it to dress up vanilla cupcakes, make a layer-cake masterpiece, cover an ice box pie, or spread over a sheet cake for a crowd, this strawberry icing is the sweetest way to welcome warm weather. This gorgeous white frosting with flecks of fresh strawberries would be ideal on mini cupcakes for a bridal or baby shower, and the colors would look perfectly patriotic with a blueberry dessert for the Fourth of July. If you’re a fan of strawberry cake, this icing recipe needs to be the next one you use to top it off. If you’d rather your strawberry desserts be painted pink, just add a drop of pink food coloring gel.

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Confetti Frosting

Credit: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Confetti Frosting Recipe

Don't skip the fresh lemon juice!

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Strawberry Buttercream

Credit: Aaron Kirk; Prop Styling: Kashara Johnson; Food Styling: Pam Lolley

Strawberry Buttercream Recipe

Paired with our Tahini-Blueberry Sheet Cake, this simple buttercream ties everything together and makes for a low-effort, eye-catching presentation.

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Perfect Italian Meringue

Credit: Time Inc. Video Studio

Perfect Italian Meringue Recipe

Whether you’re topping a pie or coating cake, follow this foolproof technique to produce stunningly fluffy swoops of Italian Meringue every time.

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Fudge Frosting

Fudge Frosting Recipe

Time: 25 minutes. This recipe goes with our Best Butter Cake—but it's also great as a cookie frosting.

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Fluffy Marshmallow Buttercream Frosting

Credit: Lee Harrelson; Styling: Jan Gautro

Fluffy Marshmallow Buttercream Frosting Recipe

A fluffy buttercream that is perfect for frosting cupcakes and is super fluffy and airy This frosting only takes a few minutes of your time to make.

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Margarita Frosting

Credit: Time Inc. Video Studio

Margarita Frosting Recipe

Truly, what could be better? With tart lime curd and tequila syrup, this festive show-stopper does justice to the flavors of an authentic margarita.

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Chocolate-Cream Cheese Frosting

Credit: Hector Sanchez; Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham

Chocolate-Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

Chocolate-Cream Cheese Frosting makes a decadent garnish on any Southern dessert.

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Cream Cheese Frosting

Credit: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Heathe Chadduck Hillegas

Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

Cream cheese frosting and red velvet cake are inseparable for a reason: The frosting's tangy flavor is a perfect contrast to the cake's sweetness.

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White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Credit: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Heather Chadduck

White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting Recipe

White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting is an all-around favorite topping for cakes, cupcakes, or cookies.

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Lemonade Frosting

Lemonade Frosting Recipe

Hands-on 15 min., Total 15 min.

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Lemon-Orange Buttercream Frosting

Credit: Jennifer Davick; Styling: Lydia Degaris Pursell

Lemon-Orange Buttercream Frosting Recipe

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White Russian Frosting

Credit: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Heather Chadduck

White Russian Frosting Recipe

A White Russian cocktail is typically made with vodka, coffee liqueur and cream. This creamy frosting version of the cocktail contains coffee liqueur but no vodka. Use it to frost a layer cake or cupcakes, either vanilla or chocolate.

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Crème de Menthe Frosting

Credit: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Heather Chadduck

Crème de Menthe Frosting Recipe

Green crème de menthe adds faint color and cool flavor to Crème de Menthe Frosting. Spread on top of your favorite cake.

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Peppermint-Cream Frosting

Credit: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Heather Chadduck

Peppermint-Cream Frosting Recipe

A couple of drops of peppermint extract adds cool flavor to this 3-ingredient Peppermint-Cream Frosting.

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Orange Buttercream

Credit: Beth Dreiling Hontzas; Styling: Buffy Hargett

Orange Buttercream Recipe

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Key Lime Buttercream

Credit: Greg Dupree; Styling: Lindsey Ellis Beatty

Key Lime Buttercream Recipe

This recipe goes with: Rum Cake with Key Lime Buttercream

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Mint Chocolate Chip Buttercream Frosting

Credit: Beth Dreiling Hontzas; Styling: Rose Nguyen

Mint Chocolate Chip Buttercream Frosting Recipe

Whip up a mint chocolate chip buttercream frosting and you will be an instant hero. This rich frosting alone takes any cake from ordinary to extraordinary.

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Salted Caramel Frosting

Credit: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Heather Chadduck

Salted Caramel Frosting Recipe

Pair your favorite cake with Salted Caramel Frosting. A pinch of sea salt sets this frosting apart from other caramel frostings.

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Blackberry Buttercream Frosting

Credit: Beth Dreiling Hontzas; Styling: Rose Nguyen

Blackberry Buttercream Frosting Recipe

If you love lots of frosting, double this blackberry buttercream recipe.

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Whipped Cream Caramel Frosting

Credit: Oxmoor House

Whipped Cream Caramel Frosting Recipe

Shy away from making caramel frosting? No worries here-- this is the easiest caramel frosting ever. It takes its time firming up, so there's no need to rush while frosting the layers.

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32 Frosting Recipes for Any Occasion

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Champagne Buttercream

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Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

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Chocolate Avocado Frosting

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Strawberry Cream Frosting

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Whipped Mascarpone

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Irish Whisky Frosting

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Strawberry Frosting

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Confetti Frosting

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Strawberry Buttercream

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Perfect Italian Meringue

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Fudge Frosting

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Fluffy Marshmallow Buttercream Frosting

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Margarita Frosting

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Chocolate-Cream Cheese Frosting

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Cream Cheese Frosting

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White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

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Lemonade Frosting

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Lemon-Orange Buttercream Frosting

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White Russian Frosting

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Crème de Menthe Frosting

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Peppermint-Cream Frosting

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Orange Buttercream

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Key Lime Buttercream

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Mint Chocolate Chip Buttercream Frosting

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Salted Caramel Frosting

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Blackberry Buttercream Frosting

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