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    Home » Recipes » Top Amish Recipes

    Best-Ever Brown Sugar Icing

    Published: Feb 26, 2015 · Updated: Aug 8, 2021 by Kevin Williams | 15 Comments

    Jump to Recipe

    A quick, easy and delicious frosting bursting with brown sugar flavor.

    This brown sugar frosting is AMAZING.

    I was trying to make a cake recipe the other night called "Amish Preacher Cake".  It's a brown sugar heavy cake and I thought it sounded good.  The cake flopped and I suspect the Amish cook whom gave me the recipe inadvertently left out an ingredient. I'm suspecting maybe baking powder...

    Since there wasn't any baking soda or powder in the recipe and the cake came out kind of fudgey and flat.  I may try it again sometime and report back!

    Frosting or Icing?

    But the icing that went on it?  Yuuummm, too good not to share!

    brown sugar frosting recipe
    brown sugar frosting

    In fact, Rachel scraped some of the frosting off the cake to put on graham crackers because the frosting was too good to go to waste. I ended up eating some of the cake, not because it was any good, it tasted pretty awful, but just to use as a delivery method for the wonderful frosting.  The icing (SIGH, I never know whether to call this stuff frosting or icing) was so good that I was willing to put with awful cake.

    You can make this frosting/icing look better by using sifted confectioners sugar. I did not so there were "clumps" in the icing.  If you are like me and don't care about such clumps, just use regular ol' confectioners sugar.

    The secret is in the stir!

    I think the secret is to just keep stirring the butter and brown sugar constantly so nothing burns and then remove from the heat as soon as it begins boiling. I also suggest using a deep kettle. There's nothing worse tasting than scorched brown sugar, but there are few things better than a perfectly combined brown sugar frosting.  Enjoy!

    Jump to:
    • 🥚 Ingredients
    • 📋 Instructions
    • 🍰 Suggested Cakes
    • 📖 Full Recipe

    🥚 Ingredients

    • ½ cup unsalted butter
    • 1 cup brown sugar, packed
    • ¼ cup milk
    • 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
    • ½ teaspoon vanilla

    📋 Instructions

    1. In a deep, large kettle melt the butter over high heat until it just starts to boil.
    2. Add the brown sugar.
    3. Bring to a boil and lower heat to medium and continue to boil for 2 minutes.
    4. Don't boil longer than two minutes and be sure to stir constantly while it is boiling.
    5. Add the milk and splash of vanilla and return to a boil, stirring constantly.
    6. As soon as it begins to boil, remove from heat and cool to lukewarm.
    7. Gradually add confectioners' sugar.
    8. Stir with a wooden spoon until thick and spreadable.

    🍰 Suggested Cakes

    Pick a few cakes recipes on your site to link to the icing/frosting would be good on!

    > Bonnie Butter Cake

    Delicious brown butter cake smeared with this brown butter icing might be too much butter for our calorie counters -- but boy would it taste divine together!

    > Amish Magic Chocolate Cake

    Delicious brown butter cake smeared with this brown butter icing might be too much butter for our calorie counters -- but boy would it taste divine together!


    📖 Full Recipe

    brown sugar icing

    Best-Ever Brown Sugar Icing

    Only the most amazing brown sugar icing or frosting you ever had!
    4.37 from 11 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 mins
    Cook Time 30 mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine Amish

    Ingredients
      

    • ½ cup unsalted butter
    • 1 cup brown sugar packed
    • ¼ cup milk
    • 2 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
    • ½ teaspoon vanilla

    Instructions
     

    • In a deep, large kettle melt the butter over high heat until it just starts to boil.
    • Add the brown sugar.
    • Bring to a boil and lower heat to medium and continue to boil for 2 minutes.
    • Don't boil longer than two minutes and stir constantly while it is boiling.
    • Add the milk and splash of vanilla and return to a boil, stirring constantly.
    • As soon as it begins to boil, remove from heat and cool to lukewarm.
    • Gradually add confectioners' sugar.
    • Stir with a wooden spoon until thick and spreadable.
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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    About Kevin Williams

    Hi, my name is Kevin Williams and I am owner of Oasis Newsfeatures and editor of The Amish Cook newspaper column.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Susan Floyd Fletcher

      February 26, 2015 at 12:39 pm

      If you use self rising flour, you don't use baking powder or salt. So, maybe, you were supposed to use self rising flour. If you use plain flour, you need to add salt and baking powder.

      Reply
      • Kevin

        February 26, 2015 at 12:54 pm

        Good points, Susan...maybe I just should have used some SRF

        Reply
    2. Bonnie Pavel

      February 26, 2015 at 12:52 pm

      Does this taste like caramel frosting? It sounds like it might. I think I would like it on a spice cake.

      Reply
      • Kevin

        February 26, 2015 at 12:54 pm

        Yes, Bonnie, it tastes a bit caramely....would be wonderful on a spice cake!

        Reply
    3. Susan

      February 26, 2015 at 2:13 pm

      5 stars
      This icing/frosting is excellent on Cinnamon rolls as well! 🙂

      Reply
      • Kevin

        February 26, 2015 at 2:33 pm

        Yum, good idea, Susan!

        Reply
    4. Kentuckylady717

      February 26, 2015 at 2:37 pm

      5 stars
      Proud of you Kevin, watching what you ate and your cokes too......that really takes will power and you did it 🙂
      I agree with Susan, when you bake a cake you need something in it to make it rise.....I bet you will make sure the next time eh ?
      Next time just buy a box of Duncan Hines cake mix and make the homemade icing.....that is what I do....and to me no homemade cake taste as good as Duncan Hines.....in my opinion.....
      and way less trouble to bake, and probably cheaper......99 box, when on sale....and I bet the spice cake would be good with that icing on it too....
      I never buy store icing in a can or whatever its' in, it taste horrible....I always make my own....usually a cream cheese with powdered sugar.....can't beat it......giving the icing you posted a 5* as it sounds delicious....

      Reply
    5. A. Klopfenstein

      February 26, 2015 at 3:48 pm

      I have made this icing for years. I make mine in the microwave. You need to stir the butter and sugar often so it won't get a burnt taste.

      Reply
    6. Pam

      February 26, 2015 at 4:52 pm

      Kevin, there's an extra dot on the ingredient list with nothing listed. Is there another ingredient that was suppose to be there?

      Reply
      • Kevin

        February 26, 2015 at 5:15 pm

        Good eye, Pam, I removed the dot...no missing ingredient, just a sloppy typist (me!)

        Reply
    7. Diane

      May 29, 2017 at 6:15 pm

      3 stars
      Having trouble seeing the strawberry pudding recipe

      Reply
    8. Stacy

      May 08, 2019 at 3:20 pm

      Spread it hot or let it cool?

      Reply
      • Kevin

        May 08, 2019 at 3:26 pm

        Yes, stacy, spread warm and let cool!

        Reply
    9. Jeanne Kiba

      July 15, 2021 at 4:54 pm

      5 stars
      I used this on zuchinni cupcakes. Amazing!

      Reply
      • Kevin Williams

        July 16, 2021 at 3:41 pm

        Oh, that sounds great! I love the brown sugar frosting and love zucchini cupcakes, so sounds super!

        Reply

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    Kevin Williams - The Amish Editor Amish Cook Column

    Hi There, I'm Kevin!

    Welcome to Amish365, where I share my knowledge of Amish cooking and culture! I’ve spent almost three decades exploring Amish settlements and kitchens from Maine to Montana and almost everywhere in between. I’ll occasionally throw in stories of my travels, journalism adventures (I’m a Pulitzer prize-nominated journalist), fascination with grocery stores and Kmarts, and much more!

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