Classic Thick Sour Cream Frosting for Cake
A simple, tasty sour cream frosting for all kinds of baking! The classic version is great on its own and also a base for creativity - you can add any ingredients you like. The flavor is lightly tangy and pairs perfectly with sweet sponge layers.
Updated : 03 March, 2026
Easy
About 20 min.
Ingredients
500 grams
Sour cream
200 grams
Powdered sugar
to taste
Vanillin
Table
Table of volume measurements:
- teaspoon - 5 ml
- dessert spoon - 10 ml
- tablespoon - 20 ml
- glass - 200 ml
Preparation
Step 1
How to make classic thick sour cream frosting? You need only a few ingredients: sour cream, powdered sugar, and a pinch of vanillin for aroma. Use sour cream with at least 25% fat. Lower-fat sour cream won’t whip up and will stay runny. It’s best to drain the sour cream overnight through cheesecloth to remove excess whey. You can also add a little cream/sour-cream stabilizer.
Step 2
The bowl and whisk (or beaters) for whipping, and the sour cream itself, should be well chilled in the refrigerator. Put the needed amount of sour cream into the bowl. Mine was 30% fat and quite thick.
Step 3
Start whipping the sour cream on low speed and gradually add the powdered sugar and a pinch of vanillin. Then switch the mixer to full power. At first it may seem the sour cream becomes thinner, but with maximum whipping it will start to thicken soon - this takes about 10 minutes. Add more or less powdered sugar to taste.
Step 4
The finished sour cream frosting is fluffy and stable. It’s ready when it doesn’t spread around the bowl.
Step 5
This frosting is great for layering a sponge cake. Lightly soak the cake layers with any syrup and spread the frosting between them.
Step 6
Coat the assembled cake with frosting on all sides and refrigerate for a few hours. The frosting should set and soak into the layers. Decorate the cake with this frosting however you like. Enjoy baking!
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