A pourable brown sugar boiled icing for a smooth, glossy finish. Best with Madagascar vanilla (rich, creamy, classic); any pure vanilla works. Makes about 1 cup; covers an 8-inch cake.
Brown Sugar Boiled Icing
Baking
Frostings fillings toppings
Origin: Madagascar
Vanilla: Extract
Medium
A pourable brown sugar boiled icing for a smooth, glossy finish. Best with Madagascar vanilla (rich, creamy, classic); any pure vanilla works. Makes about 1 cup; covers an 8-inch cake.
Prep
5 min
Cook
10 min
Cool
10 min
Total
25 min
Servings
12
Diet
—
Ingredients
Adjust yield
servings
Ingredient amounts change with yield. Follow the recipe instructions for times, temperatures, and equipment.
- 1.0 cup (213.0 g)light brown sugar, packed
- ⅓ cup (80.0 ml)whole milk
- ¼ cup (57.0 g)unsalted butter
- ⅛ tspfine sea salt
- 1.0 tsp (5.0 ml)VanillaGoods pure vanilla extract
Make it at home
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Instructions
- Stir the brown sugar, milk, butter, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves.
- Boil without stirring until the mixture reaches 234°F on a candy thermometer.
- Remove from the heat, add the vanilla without stirring, and cool for 10 minutes.
- Beat with a wooden spoon until creamy and just losing its gloss, 3 to 5 minutes. Spread over the cake at once.
Tips
- Vanilla swap: use vanilla bean paste 1:1 in place of the extract for visible specks, or the seeds of 1 vanilla bean for each tablespoon of extract.
- Best vanilla for this: Madagascar (rich, creamy, classic), or Mexican (spiced, warm, woodsy). Any pure vanilla works.
- Storage: Keep iced cake covered at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Recipe FAQ
How long does it take to make brown sugar boiled icing?
Plan on 5 minutes of prep and 10 minutes of cooking, plus 10 minutes to cool. It makes about 1 cup; covers an 8-inch cake.
How should I store brown sugar boiled icing?
Keep iced cake covered at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Can I use a different form of vanilla?
use vanilla bean paste 1:1 in place of the extract for visible specks, or the seeds of 1 vanilla bean for each tablespoon of extract.
Estimated · per serving
Nutrition
Per serving = 1 of 12 servings this recipe makes.
107
Calories / serving
4.1g
Fat
17.8g
Carbs
0.3g
Protein
17.6g
Sugar
Whole recipe (12 servings): ~1284 cal · 49g fat · 214g carbs · 4g protein · 211g sugar
Estimated values per serving, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not verified Nutrition Facts; actual values vary with brands, measurements, and preparation.
Per serving · 107 calories
What it takes to burn one serving
- Brisk walking 20 min·1.2 mi·~2350 steps
- Walking uphill or incline treadmill 14 min·0.7 mi·~1400 steps
- Moderate cycling 11 min·2.2 mi
- Swimming laps 15 min
- Jogging 10 min·0.8 mi·~1600 steps
- Stair climbing 10 min·~900 steps
- Dancing 17 min
- Bodyweight circuit training 11 min
- Cleaning, errands, or playing with the dog 25 min
Rough estimates for one serving, based on standard MET values at about 155 lb. Your own burn depends on body size, effort, and fitness. Shown for context only — food is not something you have to earn.
Made with VanillaGoods
Recipe Rating
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