Maple Frosting

Simple to make and filled with that dark, silky sweet maple flavor, this maple frosting recipe is sure to become your new favorite frosting!

A close-up of a cupcake with light brown maple frosting, next to a piping bag with frosting on the tip. The background is blurred with hints of cinnamon sticks.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe

This recipe for a simple yet versatile maple frosting is excellent because it has a rich, natural maple flavour that can be used in almost any recipe that requires a frosting or glaze.

Simple to make and filled with that dark, silky, sweet maple flavour, this maple frosting recipe will surely become your new standard frosting!

For more great frosting recipes, why not learn to make The Best Buttercream Frosting Recipe Ever? Or make The BEST Cream Cheese Icing instead?

A white bowl filled with creamy peanut butter sits on a marble countertop, with a striped towel nearby, a jar in the background, and a muffin tin full of baked muffins.

Karlynn’s Recipe Notes

  • Skill Level: This is a simple yet versatile recipe that can be used in any recipe that needs a frosting or glaze.
  • Total Time: This quick frosting will take you approximately 10 minutes.
  • Variations: Want a bit of a tang? Replace half the butter with cream cheese to add a bit of richness that would be perfect for a carrot cake or banana bread. You can also elevate this frosting by adding 1-2 teaspoons of bourbon to enhance the smoky notes of the maple, and it pairs well with a chocolate cake.
  • Tools for This Recipe: You will need a medium saucepan for melting and combining ingredients, and a mixing bowl for combining and bringing the frosting together.
A close-up of several cupcakes with light brown swirled frosting, arranged in a row on a cooling rack, with a blurred background.

What You’ll Need For Ingredients

Maple Flavoring or Syrup: Maple flavoring is needed to give these the maple taste, but if you don’t have any available, you can use good-quality maple syrup.

Six baking ingredients on a white marble surface: a stick of butter on a wooden board, bowls of brown sugar and powdered sugar, a small bowl of heavy cream, and two bowls with vanilla and dark liquid.

How To Make Maple Frosting

This is a quick overview of the recipe. The full list of ingredients & complete step-by-step instructions are in the recipe card below.

  1. Melt butter, brown sugar, and maple syrup in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly to bring it to a boil.
  2. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for approximately 4-5 minutes, until the brown sugar has dissolved well. 
  3. Take the syrup mixture off the heat and let it cool to room temperature. NOTE: Do not cool in the fridge, as the butter will solidify, and the icing will end up lumpy.
  4. Pour the cooled syrup into a mixing bowl and slowly beat the powdered sugar, cream, and maple flavouring until smooth and fluffy. Note: If the icing is too runny, add more powdered sugar a tablespoon until you achieve the desired consistency.
  5. Use immediately to frost cookies, cupcakes, or a cake.
A close-up of a cupcake with swirled frosting on a cooling rack next to a piping bag with more frosting. Other cupcakes, a bowl, and cinnamon sticks are blurred in the background.

Karlynn’s Tips and Tricks for the Perfect Maple Frosting

  • What To Do If You Don’t Have Confectioner’s Sugar? In a pinch, make your own by simply blending regular sugar, as confectioner’s sugar is just finely milled sugar. If you have a good blender or spice grinder, grind half as much sugar as you need into powdered sugar as fine as it will go.
A spoon holds up thick, creamy frosting above a white bowl filled with the same frosting. In the background, a muffin tray with baked goods and a jar are visible on a marble countertop.

Storage Instructions

Storing it in the fridge is the best way to preserve your frosting, the secret trick is to cover the surface of the frosting in the bowl with plastic wrap.

To use the frosting you have been keeping in the fridge, let it warm to room temperature; otherwise, you won’t be able to spread it onto whatever you want to use it on.

More Delicious Frostings, Icings & Puddings Recipes

  • Easy Tapioca Pudding: An easy, rich and creamy tapioca pudding that uses instant tapioca to make a quick and delicious dessert.
  • Easy Salted Caramel Sauce: This caramel sauce tastes like you slaved over it for hours, yet it’s incredibly easy to make in just a few minutes.
  • Powdered Sugar Glaze: The Best powdered sugar glaze that drizzles perfectly for a crackly icing that’s excellent for cakes, muffins and more!

There you have it, a simple, versatile frosting that will quickly become a favourite.

Give it a try and let me know how it turns out in the comments below. I love hearing about your baking adventures.

Happy Baking!

Karlynn

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maple frosting in a white bowl

Maple Frosting

Simple to make and filled with that dark, silky sweet maple flavor, this maple frosting recipe is sure to become your new favorite frosting!
No ratings yet
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 5 minutes
Calories: 2791

Ingredients 

  • ½ Cup salted butter
  • ½ cup brown sugar, (packed)
  • cup real maple syrup
  • 2 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons cream, (Add more if needed)
  • ½ teaspoon maple flavoring, (optional)

Instructions 

  • Over medium heat In a saucepan, melt the butter, brown sugar and maple syrup. Stirring constantly bring it up to a boil.
  • Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer it for about 4-5 minutes, until the brown sugar has dissolved well.
  • Take the syrup mixture off of the heat and let it cool to room temperature. Do not cool in the fridge as the butter will solidify and the icing will be lumpy.
  • Take the cooled syrup and pour it into a mixing bowl.
  • Slowly beat in the powdered sugar, cream and maple flavoring. Beat it until smooth and fluffy. If the icing is a bit too runny, add more icing sugar a tablespoon at a time until you get the consistency you need.
  • Use immediately to frost cookies, cupcakes or a cake!

Notes

If you have any leftover frosting it can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days, just press plastic wrap onto the surface so a skin does not form and store in an airtight container. When you want to use it just let it warm to room temperature and whip it until smooth again.

Nutrition

Calories: 2791kcal | Carbohydrates: 481g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 103g | Saturated Fat: 65g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 27g | Trans Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 278mg | Sodium: 67mg | Potassium: 450mg | Sugar: 465g | Vitamin A: 3277IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 258mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Karlynn Johnston

I’m a busy mom of two, wife & cookbook author who loves creating fast, fresh meals for my little family on the Canadian prairies. Karlynn Facts: I'm allergic to broccoli. I've never met a cocktail that I didn't like. I would rather burn down my house than clean it. Most of all, I love helping YOU get dinner ready because there's nothing more important than connecting with our loved ones around the dinner table!

Learn more about me

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Reader Interactions

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  1. Natalie says

    Question, in your recipe card it says salted butter but in the paragraphs above the recipe card, it says unsalted butter! I just wanted to confirm to use unsalted butter

    • Karlynn Johnston says

      Salted! Always use salted butter for frostings. That’s a typo, thanks for pointing it out, I will fix it!

      • Natalie says

        I’m so glad I waited for your response! I’m about to make this recipe for my maple vanilla cupcakes! Appreciate you

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