• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to secondary sidebar

KitchenLane

Original, well-tested recipes, enticing photos, and helpful cookbook writing how-tos

  • Home
  • meet nancy
  • Blog
  • news and events
  • The Art of Cooking with Lavender
  • articles
  • recipe archives
  • cookbooks
  • reviews
  • Newsletter
  • videos
  • contact
  • New Lavender Cookbook
  • Connecticut Attorney’s Polish Client Snatched from His Car

Updated American Caramel Frosting–Creamy Smooth and Stays that Way

August 24, 2021 By Nancy Baggett 2 Comments

Creamy-Smooth American Caramel Frosting

Yesterday, I posted  a short Instagram video https://tinyurl.com/zh8w5f5z  showing myself icing my grandson’s birthday cake with this frosting. Suddenly a lot of peeps were drooling and clamoring for the recipe!  So here it is.

Called “American Caramel Frosting,” it’s from my All-American Dessert Book. As you can see from both the video and this still photo, the frosting is exceptionally smooth and creamy. Even more important, it stays that way. Many versions of this frosting tend to dry out and become sugary, but this updated one remains succulent even after several days of storage. In fact, in hot, humid weather it can become a little soft (due to the butter), so needs to be kept covered and in a cool place.

My recipe is adapted from my mother’s, which tasted wonderful, but frankly, it often did turn grainy and dry on the second day. After lots of testing, I solved the graininess problem by incorporating a little corn syrup. This ingredient happens to very effective at preventing sugar from crystalizing and turning gritty, so don’t leave it out.  To prevent dryness, I incorporated enough extra cream and butter to produce a runny frosting, then let it stand long enough for the powdered sugar to absorb plenty of liquid before gradually stiffening the mixture to a spreadable consistency. In pastry chef lingo, I let the powdered sugar fully hydrate in the bowl. This meant it wouldn’t draw up more moisture and dry out the frosting once it was on the cake.

In case you wonder, American caramel frosting and French caramel frosting are not alike.  They’re similar mostly only in name and in that they feature sugar! Traditional “American Caramel Frosting” gets its flavor from brown sugar, not cooked caramelized granulated sugar, as classic French caramel does. Since the sugar isn’t coooked until dark and bitter (caramelized), American caramel recipes tend to be sweeter, lighter in color and more mellow tasting than French caramel. American caramel frostings have been popular for well over a hundred years. The first recipe I’ve come upon is in the 1896 edition of the Boston Cooking-School Cook Book by Fannie Merritt Farmer. My version here is a favorite for family birthday and holiday cakes. It was a hit on the yellow layer cake at my grandson’s party last night.

5.0 from 1 reviews
American Caramel Frosting--Creamy Smooth and Luscious
 
Save Print
Author: Nancy Baggett
Ingredients
  • ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into chunks
  • 2½ cups packed light brown sugar
  • ¼ cup light corn syrup
  • Generous pinch of salt
  • ½ cup heavy (whipping) cream, at room temperature
  • 3 cups powdered sugar, plus ⅓ cup more, if necessary
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
  1. In a heavy 2-quart saucepan, using a long-handled wooden spoon, combine the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Stirring constantly, cook over medium heat until the mixture just comes to a boil. Immediately stir in the cream, standing back to avoid any splattering. Bring the mixture back to a boil and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a large mixer bowl. Let stand to cool 5 minutes
  2. Add 3 cups powdered sugar and vanilla to the bowl. With a mixer on low, then medium speed beat until completely smooth and free of lumps, 2 to 3 minutes; scrape down the bowl as needed. Let stand until cool to the touch and stiff enough for frosting, at least 30 minutes. (Or to speed cooling, set the bowl in a larger bowl of ice cubes and cold water, and let stand, stirring occasionally, until cool to the touch and stiff enough for frosting, 10 to 15 minutes.)
  3. If the mixture seems too stiff for frosting when completely cooled, thoroughly stir in a teaspoon or two of water. Beat the frosting on medium speed just until lightened in color, slightly fluffy and creamy but not too soft to spread, about 1 minute; don’t overbeat or it will overheat and soften too much to frost easily. If the mixture still seems too soft for frosting when completely cooled, sift ⅓ cup more powdered sugar into the bowl and beat just until incorporated, about 1 minute. Then spread the frosting on a thoroughly cooled cake, or cupcakes. Makes enough to frost a large layer cake.
3.5.3251

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
FacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmailFacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmail

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: American caramel frosting, American sweets, brown sugar frosting, brown sugar frosting. creamy, brown sugar icing, caramel frosting, creamy brown sugar frosting, creamy caramel frosting, traditional American caramel frosting

Previous Post: « Join Nancy for a Fun Cook-Along Virtual Cooking Class
Next Post: Easy Gourmet Lavender Cocoa for Two »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Nancy Baggett says

    February 26, 2025 at 7:35 pm

    So glad you like it. “Spread” the word. N

  2. Intermediate Baker says

    November 30, 2024 at 10:05 pm

    Absolutely AMAZING! This is so smooth and spreadable, it’s insane. No gritty or grainy texture! My new go-to caramel icing recipe. Thank you!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rate this recipe:  

Primary Sidebar

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Welcome to KitchenLane! It’s a comfortable place where I create, thoroughly test, and photograph recipes for my cookbooks and blog. All my recipes are original, not adaptations from others. I trained as a pastry chef, so many offerings are desserts and baked goods. Some are also healthful, savory dishes I contribute to healthy eating publications. My recipes are always free of artificial dyes, flavorings, and other iffy additives, which I won’t serve my family—or you! Instead, dishes feature naturally flavorful, colorful ingredients including fresh herbs, berries, edible flowers, and fruits, many from my own suburban garden or local farmers’ markets. Since lots of readers aspire to write cookbooks, I also blog on recipe writing and editing and other helpful publishing how-to info accumulated while authoring nearly 20 well-received cookbooks over many years.


The Art of Cooking with Lavender

The Art of Cooking with Lavender
 

The 2 Day A Week Diet Cookbook

Now available on Amazon! The 2 Day a Week Diet Cookbook
75 Recipes & 50 Photos
 

SIMPLY SENSATIONAL COOKIES

Simply Sensational Cookies
Visit the book page.
 

KNEADLESSLY SIMPLE

Kneadlessly Simple
Visit the book page

The All-American Dessert Book

The All-American Dessert Book
Visit the book page

The All-American Cookie Book

The All-American Cookie Book
 

Nancy Baggett’s Food Network Gingerbread Demo!

Watch demo HERE. Find Cookie Recipe HERE.

Secondary Sidebar

Archives

Kitchen Lane Trailer

Nasturtium Recipes & Quick Tricks

Nasturtium Recipes & Quick Tricks

Violet Quick Tips

Violet Quick Tips

Fun, Easy Cookie Decorating with Marbling

Fun, Easy Cookie Decorating with Marbling

Pretty Piping with Only a Baggie

Pretty Piping with Only a Baggie

Latest Video – Pretty Daisy Cookies

Pretty Daisy Cookies

Fun, Quick Cooking Baking with the Kids Video

Fun, Quick Cooking Baking with the Kids Video

The Best Way to Roll Out Cookie Dough

The Best Way to Roll Out Cookie Dough

The Best Way to Roll Out Cookie Dough

- Part 2 -

Best Tips for Cutting Out Cookies

Featured Bread Recipe and Video

Featured Bread Recipe and Video

Most Popular Posts

Getting to Yes on Foodgawker and Tastespotting (My Six-Month Journey, Plus Tips)

Strawberry-Rhubarb Freezer Jam–Spring in Every Jar

The Kneadlessly Simple Crusty White Pot Bread

Featured Bread Recipe and Video

Copyright © 2025 · Nancy Baggett's Kitchenlane. All material on this website is copyrighted and may not be reused without the permission of Nancy Baggett.