Food and Recipes Desserts 46 Decadent Flavored Frostings to Elevate Boxed Cake Mix By Hallie Milstein Hallie Milstein Hallie Milstein is an Editorial Fellow for Southern Living covering food and culture. She has been published in Modern Luxury magazines, Our State Magazine, and Hudson Valley Magazine. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on November 2, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Southern Living While we can't resist a homemade cake, on some days we just don't have the time or patience to whip up a three-tiered layer cake. In a perfect world, all of our cakes would be made from scratch, but we'll admit that there have been many forgotten school bake sales or church potlucks when boxed cake mix has come to the rescue at the last minute. Boxed cake mix is much more versatile than it may seem, and we're here to show you how to pass that Duncan Hines off as homemade. Our number one tip for upgrading your boxed cake mix? Fresh frosting. Frosting is much simpler (and quicker) to make from scratch than cake batter. While your cake is baking, you can whip up a batch of one of these creative flavored icings to top it off. From holiday-party-ready buttercreams to a Strawberry Frosting meant for summer potlucks, these fun frosting recipes will carry you through the seasons. With these decadent frosting and icing recipes, none of the guests will ever guess that the cake came from a box. And while you're at it, upgrade your boxed cake mix with this simple hack from our Food Editor. 01 of 46 Salted Caramel Frosting Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Salted Caramel Frosting Use this sweet-and-salty caramel frosting to dress up a vanilla cake. It's made with three different types of sugar to achieve depth of flavor. 02 of 46 Lemon-Orange Buttercream Frosting Southern Living Recipe: Lemon-Orange Buttercream Frosting This bright, citrus-packed frosting is worthy of a prime place on the dessert buffet. Uplift any simple yellow cake with this zesty frosting spread thickly all around. 03 of 46 Strawberry Frosting Hector Sanchez; Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham Recipe: Strawberry Frosting Loaded with fresh chopped strawberries, this frosting pairs beautifully with any fruity cake. A drop of food coloring guarantees that your cakes will be pretty in pink surrounded by bright berries. 04 of 46 Homemade Caramel Frosting Jennifer Davick Recipe: Homemade Caramel Frosting This caramel frosting can pair with vanilla, chocolate, or spice cake, making it the ultimate versatile choice for your baking year-round. We promise, it's so much better than store-bought. 05 of 46 Buttermilk Frosting Hector Sanchez Recipe: Buttermilk Frosting Southerners love to use buttermilk in everything, including in our frostings. This reliable frosting will pair beautifully with any cake flavor, but we especially love it with our Gingerbread Cake. 06 of 46 Coconut Buttercream Photo: Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas Recipe: Coconut Buttercream Bring a bit of tropical flair to your cake with this double-action coconut buttercream. It's made with unsweetened coconut milk and coconut extract for extra flavor with just a dash of vanilla extract. 07 of 46 Coconut-Pecan Frosting Jennifer Davick Recipe: Coconut-Pecan Frosting We use this Coconut-Pecan Frosting to top our German Chocolate Cake, but it's truly delicious all on its own. You're welcome to lick the spoon but remember to save enough to make it on the cake. 08 of 46 Brown Sugar-Cream Cheese Frosting Alison Miksch Recipe: Brown Sugar-Cream Cheese Frosting Brown sugar brings warmth to the classic cream cheese frosting, making it the perfect pairing for a carrot cake. This silky frosting comes together in about 10 minutes and we think it looks best garnished with candied carrot curls. 09 of 46 Peppermint Buttercream Hector Manuel Sanchez Recipe: Peppermint Buttercream Pretty pink peppermint buttercream? Sounds like the holiday frosting of our dreams. It couldn't look dreamier in heavy-handed dollops. 10 of 46 Fudgy Coca Cola Cake Frosting Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner Recipe: Fudgy Coca Cola Cake Frosting A fudgy chocolate frosting gets a hint of cherry spice with the addition of your family's favorite soft drink. This frosting goes great with chocolate and vanilla, but we especially love it with our Coca-Cola Layer Cake. 11 of 46 Cherry Swirl Frosting Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner Recipe: Cherry Swirl Frosting A two-toned swirl of white and pink frosting means that these cupcakes look as good as they taste. Cherry Swirl Frosting is infused with Cheerwine soda and looks adorable topped with a maraschino cherry. 12 of 46 Coca Cola Frosting Micah A. Leal Recipe: Coca Cola Frosting This cream cheese frosting is spiked with a few cups of cola to add tang and zing. Reduce the soda to a syrup and mix it into the buttercream for a frosting as sweet and refreshing as its namesake. 13 of 46 Lemon-Lime Cream Cheese Frosting Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner Recipe: Lemon-Lime Cream Cheese Frosting Fresh lime and lemon juice combine with lemon zest to create a creamy frosting you'll be using to top all your springtime cakes. Slather this on top of a Bundt or sheet cake to add citrus flare to any last-minute cake. 14 of 46 Strawberry-Sour Cream Buttercream Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Strawberry-Sour Cream Buttercream Strawberry and sour cream? Don't knock it until you try it. This topping delivers just the right ratio of fruity sweetness to tang. 15 of 46 Brown Butter-Pistachio Frosting Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Brown Butter-Pistachio Frosting If you lean more towards savory than sweet, this creative frosting recipe is for you. Use it to top a decadent chocolate cake. 16 of 46 Orange Buttercream Hector Sanchez Recipe: Orange Buttercream Pair this fruity orange buttercream with cranberry at Christmastime or strawberry in the summer. With citrus frosting so tasty, you simply can't go wrong. 17 of 46 Browned Butter Frosting Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Browned Butter Frosting Browning your butter gives it a deliciously deep nutty flavor that shines in this Browned Butter Frosting. Pair it with toasty, buttery pecans and you've hit a home-run. 18 of 46 Peanut Butter Frosting Southern Living Recipe: Peanut Butter Frosting The dreamiest way to upgrade your chocolate cake? With a heavy dollop of Peanut Butter Frosting. Spread a layer of nutty frosting onto chocolate cake and revel in every delicious bite. 19 of 46 Ginger Whipped Cream Jennifer Davick; Styling: Lydia Degaris Pursell Recipe: Ginger Whipped Cream Spice up your go-to whipped cream frosting with this Ginger Whipped Cream recipe. Slices of peeled fresh ginger lend themselves to delectable frosting that's perfect for seasonal baking. 20 of 46 Nutty Cream Cheese Frosting Southern Living Recipe: Nutty Cream Cheese Frosting Nutty Cream Cheese Frosting is just five simple ingredients and two steps away with this recipe. Soften your cream cheese before preparing this decadent icing filled with pecans. 21 of 46 Brown Butter Toffee Frosting Greg DuPree Recipe: Brown Butter Toffee Frosting Creamy Brown Butter Toffee Frosting with dark brown sugar can save the day for any last-minute cake. We recommend making the frosting before the cake to give it time to firm up. 22 of 46 Coconut Cream Frosting Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Coconut Cream Frosting Cream of coconut and coconut extract give this frosting a double-dose of coconut flavor. This dreamy frosting pairs excellently with both fruity and rich cakes. 23 of 46 Lavender Frosting Hector Sanchez Recipe: Lavender Frosting Whipped cream sweetened with lavender buds or tea is a delicate flavor combination fit for a light cake. Use a touch of pale purple food coloring to give curious cake-lovers a hint at its unique and delightful flavor before digging in. 24 of 46 Luscious Lemon Frosting Jennifer Davick Recipe: Luscious Lemon Frosting Lemon juice and lemon zest pair up to deliver the most decadent lemon frosting to grace your cake. Luscious frosting is as simple as can be and lives up to its name in spades. 25 of 46 Pecan Frosting Southern Living Recipe: Pecan Frosting This nutty and sugary frosting is well-equipped to take any cake to the next level. With only three ingredients, you've got a killer cake-topper. 26 of 46 Mascarpone Frosting Hector Sanchez Recipe: Mascarpone Frosting Traditionally used in Tiramisu and beloved savory dishes across the South, mascarpone also makes for wonderful frosting. Best of all, Mascarpone Frosting only has four ingredients. 27 of 46 Ermine Frosting Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Ermine Frosting Somewhat like a cross between a buttercream and a whipped cream, Ermine Cream is light and airy, yet a solid choice. This vintage recipe shines with simple flavor and texture. 28 of 46 Praline Frosting Recipe: Praline Frosting Be warned, this frosting hardens quickly, so it is served best right away. With a little planning, you've got sweet Southern frosting with lots of nutty texture that's sure to impress atop a boxed cake. 29 of 46 Vanilla Buttercream Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke Recipe: Vanilla Buttercream When in doubt, stick to the classics. Make sure to start with softened butter for this go-to recipe. We use heavy cream to make Vanilla Buttercream fluffier than ever. 30 of 46 Peach Buttercream Frosting Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Peach Buttercream Frosting This Peach Buttercream Frosting delivers smooth and rich icing signature to a buttercream, with the delicate, sweet flavor of summer peaches. Brown your butter and process your peaches for the best results. 31 of 46 Bourbon-Vanilla Bean Buttercream Frosting Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Bourbon-Vanilla Bean Buttercream Frosting We layered this spirited frosting on Eggnog Cake, but Bourbon-Vanilla Bean Buttercream is so good, it'll wow with any flavor underneath. It's simple and oh-so creamy with a dash of bourbon. 32 of 46 Lemon-Thyme Frosting Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones Recipe: Lemon-Thyme Frosting Adding thyme to classic citrus frosting makes it infinitely more elegant. This VIP-worthy, herb-infused frosting may seem chic, but it couldn't be easier to put together. 33 of 46 Berry-Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones Recipe: Berry-Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting This meringue frosting is the bright and pillowy topping on hand to make your box cake the center of attention. Freeze-dried raspberries are the key to pink buttercream that's fluffy and not too sweet. 34 of 46 Vanilla-Sour Cream Frosting Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones Recipe: Vanilla-Sour Cream Frosting Using sour cream in frosting, rather than more obvious choices like cream cheese, makes it tangier than ever. It's the perfect element to balance sweet vanilla flavor and the sugary cake of your choice. 35 of 46 Fresh Raspberry-Cream Cheese Frosting Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Margaret Monroe Dickey; Prop Styling: Christina Daley Recipe: Fresh Raspberry-Cream Cheese Frosting Give your boxed cake the old razzle-dazzle with tart and sweet raspberry-filled frosting. Gather your freshest berries and just a few other ingredients you probably already have to get started on a dependable topping for chocolate or vanilla cake. 36 of 46 Fudge Icing Iain Bagwell; Styling: Kay Clark Recipe: Fudge Icing Rich, chocolate icing is the result of this well-loved recipe. It's secret ingredient? Dr. Pepper. 37 of 46 Salted Peanut Butter Frosting Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones Recipe: Salted Peanut Butter Frosting We love this recipe spread atop a Devil's Food Cake, but we're convinced it could save any average cake. There's a reason our Test Kitchen calls this Salted Peanut Butter Frosting "out of this world." 38 of 46 Coffee Liqueur Ganache Icing Southern Living Recipe: Coffee Liqueur Ganache Icing What's a party without cake? Grab your go-to coffee liqueur, we like Kahlúa, and let's get the party started. The result is a decadent frosting with bittersweet chocolate and deep flavor. 39 of 46 Browned Buttercream Frosting Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop styling: Lydia Pursell Recipe: Browned Buttercream Frosting If you love our Brown Butter Frosting (#19!), you won't be able to get enough of its boozy cousin: Browned Buttercream Frosting. Browned butter and bourbon are an all-star pairing on top of a cake. 40 of 46 White Chocolate-Cream Cheese Frosting Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones Recipe: White Chocolate-Cream Cheese Frosting If you're looking to turn your box mix red velvet cake into a class act, this is the recipe for you. White Chocolate-Cream Cheese Frosting is rich elegant, and presents wonderfully spread in a ruffled design. 41 of 46 Wacky Cake Frosting Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Wacky Cake Frosting What makes this frosting so wacky, you ask? It's crazy good. It's also shockingly easy to whip up. 42 of 46 Malted Chocolate Buttercream Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones Recipe: Malted Chocolate Buttercream Malted milk powder is mixed into this chocolate buttercream frosting for nostalgic flavor we can't get enough of. It's simple, straightforward, and honestly, one of our best to date. 43 of 46 Chocolate-Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe: Chocolate-Cream Cheese Frosting This is a light and creamy frosting that all chocolate-lovers can get behind. To amplify the gooey chocolate effect, slather this frosting on top of a moist and fluffy chocolate cake. 44 of 46 Salted Milk Chocolate Frosting Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke Recipe: Salted Milk Chocolate Frosting You've heard of salted caramel; Now introducing Salted Milk Chocolate Frosting. The addition of salt makes this frosting a perfect not-too-sweet pairing with raspberries. 45 of 46 Cream Cheese Frosting Victor Protasio Recipe: Cream Cheese Frosting Classic cream cheese frosting is an essential recipe to have in your repertoire. It's the ideal mix of sweet, creamy, and tangy flavors. 46 of 46 Chocolate Frosting Cyndi Monaghan / Getty Images Recipe: Chocolate Frosting When it comes to simple chocolate frosting, going for the homemade type is infinitely better than the kind you can get from a jar. It's a decadent classic that will light up virtually every flavor cake. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit