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    Home » Recipes » Desserts

    5-Minute Almond Icing

    Published: May 13, 2023 by Tiffany Dahle · This post may contain affiliate links.

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    Jump to Recipe - Pin Recipe
    The photo collage shows a slice of cake with almond icing on top and the prepared icing being spread on a sheet cake below.

    Easy almond icing is the perfect frosting for a sheet cake, pan of brownies, bundt cake, or homemade cupcakes. Thick and creamy and so easy to spread, it can be tinted a special color or topped with sprinkles for easy cake decorating in just minutes.

    A square piece of almond cake has a smooth layer of almond icing on top.

    When I made this easy almond icing to top my favorite almond cake, I nearly swooned after the first taste test.

    This is absolutely my new favorite icing recipe for easy homemade cakes. It would be the perfect frosting for a lemon cake, vanilla cake, or chocolate cake.

    It comes together quickly in just minutes, is thick enough to spread and stay put, and makes a stunning smooth topping for a special treat.

    Jump to:
    • Why This is the Best Recipe
    • Ingredients
    • Make the Icing
    • Spread the Icing
    • How to Use Almond Icing
    • 📖 Recipe
    • More Easy Cake Baking Tips
    • 💬 Comments

    Why This is the Best Recipe

    My oldest daughter and I strongly agree that almond extract is the secret ingredient in most of our favorite desserts. This is the best almond icing recipe because:

    1. Delicate Almond Flavor: The sweet icing has just a hint of almond that will perfectly accent a wide variety of desserts.
    2. Thick and Fluffy: The icing has a thick and fluffy texture that is much easier to spread than traditional frosting but holds its shape better than a thin glaze.
    3. Easy to Make: Just a few ingredients, a hand mixer, and less than 5 minutes and you're ready to ice your dessert.
    4. Gorgeous Smooth Surface: The texture will hold the shape of the swirls you use when spreading it but it will settle into a smooth and glossy surface for your dessert.

    Ingredients

    The ingredients to make the almond icing.

    This budget friendly cake icing can be made with just a few easy ingredients:

    • Butter: I used salted butter. If you use unsalted, you'll want to add two pinches of kosher salt.
    • Milk: I used 2% milk. You can use any milk you have on hand but fat free milk may make the texture a little thinner.
    • Almond Extract
    • Powdered Sugar
    • Kosher Salt: Just a tiny pinch of salt enhances the sweetness of the icing.

    Make the Icing

    First, melt the butter in the microwave and add it to a large mixing bowl.

    Powdered sugar tends to make a bit of a mess if the bowl is too small, be sure you've got room for it in the bowl.

    Add the milk and almond extract and stir them in. Add the powdered sugar on top.

    The mixing bowl has the melted butter on the bottom and the powdered sugar on the top ready to be mixed in.

    Use a hand mixer to stir the powdered sugar into the butter on low speed for 30 seconds.

    Once it has been incorporated, increase the speed to high and beat it for 1 - 2 minutes or until the icing is thick, smooth, and slightly fluffy:

    The icing has been beaten with a hand mixer and is thick and fluffy.

    Spread the Icing

    Be ready to put the almond icing to use as soon as it is finished. It is so soft and easy to work with but will begin to set within a few minutes.

    The icing will be thick enough to spread with a spatula or butter knife and works best on completely cooled cakes:

    The icing has been scooped onto the top of the cake and is about to be iced.

    Decorate the top of your cake with gentle swirls in the icing for a classy plain white frosted cake.

    You could also tint the icing with food gel or plan to add sprinkles to the top for simple festive decor:

    The cake has the almond icing spread evenly over the top. Pretty swirl marks cover the top of the cake.

    How to Use Almond Icing

    • A square of almond cake with white almond icing is on a blue plate and topped with fresh strawberries. A fork is taking a bite.
      Classic Almond Cake

    The obvious choice for using this almond icing recipe is to frost my classic almond cake. They are a match made in heaven.

    If you find you love this recipe as much as I do, you'll want to use it on other desserts, too.

    You could make a simple box cake mix in a 9 x 13-inch pan and this would be an instant upgrade from the prepared canned frosting from the store.

    Add my easy pineapple filling to the cake and chill it. Then top that with a layer of almond icing.

    Make an apple almond cake by using this recipe instead of the browned butter frosting on my apple cake.

    You could spread it over my orange chocolate chip bundt cake instead of the chocolate ganache.

    Bake a pan of the best homemade brownies and let them cool completely. Ice them with almond icing for a chocolate almond brownie treat.

    • A slice of coconut cake with cream cheese frosting and shredded coconut has a layer of bright yellow pineapple filling.
      Pineapple Filling
    • A square slice of apple cake topped with soft frosting and pecans sits in front of the metal baking pan it came from. A bite is missing.
      Make-Ahead Apple Cake
    • A chocolate glazed bundt cake sits on a white cake plate with a blue robins egg decoration to the left.
      Orange Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake
    • A round platter of a pile of chocolate brownies with a bite taken out of the one on top and a sprinkle of chocolate chips to the side.
      The Best Homemade Brownies for Kids

    📖 Recipe

    A square piece of almond cake has a smooth layer of almond icing on top.

    Almond Icing

    5 from 1 vote
    This easy almond icing takes just 5 minutes to make and is thick enough to spread onto a prepared sheet cake, bundt cake, or cupcakes.
    TOTAL TIME 5 minutes minutes
    PREP TIME 5 minutes minutes
    YIELD 2 cups
    PIN RECIPE FOR LATER PRINT RECIPE NOW

    Ingredients
      

    • ½ cup (1 stick) butter
    • ⅓ cup milk
    • ½ tsp almond extract
    • 4 cups powdered sugar
    • Pinch of kosher salt

    Instructions

    • Melt the butter in the microwave on HIGH. Pour it into a large mixing bowl.
    • Add the milk and almond extract and stir them in to the butter. Add the powdered sugar to the mixing bowl.
    • Use a hand mixer on low speed to incorporate the powdered sugar, about 30 seconds. Then increase the speed to medium-high and beat for 1 - 2 minutes or until thick but light and fluffy. Add the pinch of kosher salt and beat it in for 5 seconds.
    • Spread the almond icing immediately onto a prepared dessert.
    COURSEFrosting
    CUISINEAmerican
    AUTHORTiffany Dahle

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      6 Incredibly Easy Ways to Decorate a Cake
    The photo collage shows the almond icing on a piece of cake and below it is about to be spread onto the sheet cake.

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    Hi, I'm Tiffany!
    I believe a great family recipe is one that makes everyone at the table happy, not just the kids. I'm the author of two bestselling cookbooks for kids that are chock full of recipes everyone in your family will love. I'm also the hostess of the best online book club for moms.

    More about me →

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