Homemade Chocolate Frosting Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret ingredient that will improve your frosting? ›

But, there are ways to make it more interesting; one such way is to hit it with a shot of vinegar. Don't worry, the icing won't taste sour or like vinegar at all, but the acid will help balance out the sweetness, making it taste more pleasant. Even better, it will make the icing stronger and more durable.

For a (16-ounce) tub of frosting, anywhere from ½ cup to 1 cup of crunchy additions will do the trick. Toasted nuts, coconut flakes, chocolate chips or chunks, halvah, and toffee will all add a fun new dimension of flavor. Stir in chopped up canned pineapple or fresh berries for an extra fruity kick.

If you are trying to avoid any sweetness to your frosting you could try some cream of tartar or some cornstarch mixed with a little milk. You can also whip heavy cream to stiff peaks and fold into the softened cream cheese.

If you are making a chocolate frosting, adding more cocoa powder is a great option for thickening it. The technique is basically the same as if you were thickening with powdered sugar, but you want to use a smaller quantity of cocoa powder than icing sugar. Try adding just 1 to 2 teaspoon at a time.

Sugar is the most important ingredient in all types of frostings, providing sweetness, flavor, bulk and structure.

Add Ins. We also like to stir chopped chocolate, toffee bits, or butterscotch chips to the frosting before using it to decorate. They create a more dynamic texture and add a homemade quality.

You'll be glad to know there is a distinction between the two. In broad terms, frosting is thick and fluffy, and is used to coat the outside (and often the inner layers) of a cake. Icing is thinner and glossier than frosting, and can be used as a glaze or for detailed decorating.

We suspect that the bitterness may have come from the chocolate used. There are now many dark chocolates available with very high cocoa content. Nigella prefers a 70% cocoa content, which gives intensity without bitterness.

You CAN kick it up another notch by adding one teaspoon of instant coffee powder to the frosting for a richness in taste. Try this tip when using dark chocolate canned frosting and dark chocolate cocoa powder for a dark chocolate frosting that is out-of-this-world! Your guests will definitely think it's fully homemade.

If your frosting is too runny, it might just be humid and hot outside, so your ingredients are melting. Or, maybe you accidentally added too many liquid ingredients. Whatever the case is, don't fret! Liquid frosting can be saved and made into a thick, creamy mixture to use on your baked goods.

What happens if you use granulated sugar instead of powdered sugar for frosting? ›

"Regular sugar has a larger crystal size than powdered sugar," he explains. "This means, cup for cup, there would be more sugar in a cup of powdered sugar than in a cup of regular sugar." In addition to inconsistent measurements, regular sugar won't dissolve and mix as well into recipes like frosting and icing.

Add powdered sugar

If the frosting has not reached your desired thickness after chilling, add a few tablespoons of sifted powdered sugar to help your buttercream stiffen.

It is possible that the melted chocolate and butter mixture has not cooled enough before you add the other ingredients which will make the overall mixture a little runny, so let the melted chocolate and butter cool sufficiently, to cool room temperature.

Always begin by scraping the frosting into a mixing bowl and stirring vigorously or mixing with a mixer until smooth and creamy. This simple step of incorporating air into a can of dense store-bought frosting will make it fluffy and enhance the flavor.

If your frosting isn't thickening, there are a few possible reasons: insufficient mixing, incorrect ingredient ratios or having too much liquid are the most common. You can try gradually adding thickening agents like cornstarch or powdered sugar as a last resort.

Confectioners' sugar – Also known as icing sugar, this superfine powdered sugar gives your frosting the sweetness and light, airy texture that'll have everyone asking for more. Milk – Only a little milk is needed to thin out the frosting to the perfect fluffy consistency.

Add white vinegar.

Although many do so to avoid cracks and to achieve a smooth appearance, I find just the tiniest bit — about 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon — also curbs the sweetness, allowing the wonderfully creamy mouth-feel of the icing to truly shine.