32 Frosting Recipes for Any Occasion 

March 19, 2019
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

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

Photo: 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.

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Chocolate Avocado Frosting 

Photo: 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

Photo: 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 

Photographer: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Lauren Smith Ford; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos 
Whipped Mascarpone  Recipe

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Irish Whisky Frosting

Photo: 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

Photo: 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 

Photo: 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

Photo: 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

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

Photo: 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 

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

Photo: 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 

Photo: 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

Photo: 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

Photo: Jennifer Davick; Styling: Lydia Degaris Pursell
Lemon-Orange Buttercream Frosting Recipe
 

 

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White Russian Frosting

Photo: 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

Photo: 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

Photo: 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 

Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas; Styling: Buffy Hargett
Orange Buttercream  Recipe

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Key Lime Buttercream

Photo: 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

Photo: 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

Photo: 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

Photo: 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

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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