How To Thin Out Store-Bought Frosting (2024)

jaylen heady

·2 min read

How To Thin Out Store-Bought Frosting (1)

If you ask most bakers, they'll tell you that store-bought frosting is one of the best inventions. It's accessible, quick, and best of all, it can easily be elevated with simple adjustments. Need more flavor? Splash in some vanilla extract. Too sweet? Balance the sugar with a pinch of salt. There are endless opportunities to use ingredients from your pantry to upgrade the flavor of any plain ready-made frosting, and thinning the texture is just as easy.

When you need to thin out canned frosting, use milk or whipping cream. You can use water as a substitute if you're out of milk, but the added creaminess of milk makes the frosting richer. Depending on your preference, any dairy-free alternative for whole milk also works the same. There are no exact measurements for this technique, so beware that you'll need to conquer any fear of eyeballing ingredients. It's all about the ratio of frosting to milk. Start by tossing in about a teaspoon of milk and whisk. From there, you're the judge. If it's too thick, keep adding teaspoons of milk until it reaches the desired consistency. If you accidentally add too much milk, don't panic: Just add small measurements of powdered sugar or cream cheese until the frosting thickens back up.

Read more: 13 Store-Bought Ice Cream Bars Ranked From Worst To Best

Turning Frosting Into Icing

How To Thin Out Store-Bought Frosting (2)

The neat thing is that this technique works for any type offrosting. Whether it's Duncan Hines buttercream or whipped Pillsbury, the basic science behind throwing a thin liquid into a thick, fluffy frosting never fails. In fact, thinned-out frosting is technicallyjust icing, orstore-boughticingif you dabble in the cookie decorating aisle. The thinner you go, the more it becomes like a glaze. So, there's a lot of room to be creative with this process. In the history of DIY icings, there are probably no two that are exactly the same, so don't worry if yours doesn't come out perfect on the first try.

For best results, remember that you can always put more in, but you can't take more out. Combine any embellishing liquid ingredients like food coloring or vanilla extract before adding your thinning agent rather than after. Otherwise, it could turn out oilier than you expect. If all you want to do is make it easier to spread, skip the liquids entirely and pop the frosting in the microwave for about 20 seconds. If you tack on more time, it will get closer to a glaze.The key is trial and error. You'll find out what methods work for you the more you practice. Consider the store-bought frosting as a blank canvas, and you as the artist. Once you perfect your technique, you'll be able to turn frosting into icing in no time.

Read the original article on Mashed

How To Thin Out Store-Bought Frosting (2024)

FAQs

How To Thin Out Store-Bought Frosting? ›

Make it Spreadable

Whether you buy vanilla, chocolate, or another flavor, softened cream cheese or mascarpone are great ways to adjust the texture of the frosting. The fat from the dairy helps smooth out the frosting so that it's perfectly spreadable.

How to make store-bought frosting more spreadable? ›

Make it Spreadable

Whether you buy vanilla, chocolate, or another flavor, softened cream cheese or mascarpone are great ways to adjust the texture of the frosting. The fat from the dairy helps smooth out the frosting so that it's perfectly spreadable.

How do you make store bought frosting taste like bakery? ›

For a (16-ounce) tub of frosting, anywhere from ½ cup to 1 cup of crunchy additions will do the trick. Toasted nuts, coconut flakes, chocolate chips or chunks, halvah, and toffee will all add a fun new dimension of flavor. Stir in chopped up canned pineapple or fresh berries for an extra fruity kick.

What can I add to frosting to make it less thick? ›

If the doctored frosting is too thick or stiff to spread, start by beating with a mixer on high speed to incorporate air, and if that isn't sufficient, beat in milk, cream, coffee, or even flavored coffee creamer 1 tablespoon at a time.

What if frosting is too thick to spread? ›

If you stick your spatula into the buttercream, your frosting should maintain a stiff peak. If your buttercream is too thick and can't flow through a piping tip, add more milk – about 1 teaspoon at a time – to slightly thin it out.

How to enhance Betty Crocker frosting? ›

Creamy ingredients like Nutella, cream cheese, marshmallow creme, peanut butter or another nut butter will give the store-bought frosting tons of flavor with some additional smoothness. Mix in 1 cup of cream cheese or 1/2 cup of marshmallow creme or nut butter per can of frosting for a creamy delight.

What can I do with extra store-bought frosting? ›

When you're done decorating a cake and have extra frosting to spare, try one of these fun and delicious ideas.
  1. Fruit Dipped in Icing.
  2. Frosting co*cktail Rim with Sprinkles.
  3. Frosting-Dipped Pretzel Rods.
  4. Serve Up A Kids' Platter.
  5. Sweet Potato Fry Drizzle.

How to thin frosting to drizzle? ›

Just add about two cups of confectioner's sugar to a bowl and then add in a couple of tablespoons of liquid like milk, water, lemon juice etc. Mix well and add more liquid until you get to a drizzle consistency.

What can I add to store-bought frosting to make it fluffy? ›

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.

What icing do cake shops usually use? ›

What Frosting Do Professionals Use For Cakes? Professionals often use Swiss meringue buttercream for its smooth texture and stability, which is perfect for creating intricate designs with piping tips & bags .

How do you make store-bought frosting like a glaze? ›

Making a glaze from canned frosting

The basic process is simple: scoop any flavor of canned frosting into a microwave-safe bowl and heat it on high for 30 to 45 seconds, stirring in between each interval until you achieve your desired consistency. For half a can of frosting, reduce the cooking time by half.

How can you thicken runny frosting? ›

Add small amounts of ingredients like powdered sugar, cornstarch, gelatin, heavy whipping cream, or cream cheese to make your frosting less runny. For flavored frostings, ingredients like cocoa powder and peanut butter can also work. When your frosting is the right consistency, it'll be easy to spread or pipe.

How to thicken store-bought frosting without powdered sugar? ›

These thickening agents include: cornstarch, gelatin, cream cheese, cocoa powder, cold heavy cream, tapioca, arrowroot starch, flour and even butter.

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