Chocolate Frosting

How to make chocolate frosting?

It is very convenient for people to buy pre-packaged and easy chocolate frosting, which is readily available at most grocery stores. These are very easy to prepare and taste quite good too. However, it has been seen that most people prefer the taste, as well as the texture of homemade chocolate frosting, which they regard as the best chocolate frosting. Hence, most of the people who like baking their own cakes also prefer making their own chocolate frosting from scratch at home. Given below are some of the most common types of chocolate frosting recipes:

Cream cheese chocolate frosting

This type of frosting is fairly rich and goes quite well with cupcakes, as well as brownies. Because of its consistency, this is also at times referred to, as fluffy chocolate frosting.

Ingredients:

• Confectioner’s sugar:      4 cups
• Cream Cheese (at room temperature):   1 package, 8 oz.
• Evaporated milk:      2 tablespoons
• Salt:        1/8 tablespoon
• Unsweetened chocolate:     4 squares
• Vanilla Extract:       1 tablespoon

Preparation:

• Melt the squares of chocolate in a saucepan over low heat, or preferably in a double boiler
• Take a large bowl and add the cream cheese to it. Beat the cheese until it reaches a fluffy consistency.
• Add the melted chocolate to the fluffy cheese and stir it in, preferably with an electric beater, on medium speed, until the chocolate and the cheese have been blended thoroughly.
• Add the salt, as well as the vanilla extract into the frosting
• Gradually, blend the sugar in and increase the speed of the electric beater to medium high.
• Add the evaporated milk, into the icing mixture and beat it well, till the frosting is of a smooth, creamy and fluffy consistency.

The cream cheese chocolate frosting is ready to be spread on the cake, a brownie or a cupcake.

Chocolate buttercream frosting

This type of frosting generally goes very well with homemade cake, as it spreads more easily, as compared to some of the others

Ingredients:

• Butter:        6 tablespoons
• Confectioner’s sugar:      2 ½ cups
• Milk:        5 to 6 tablespoons
• Unsweetened cocoa powder:     ¾ cup
• Vanilla:        1 teaspoon

Preparation:

• Take a medium sized mixing bowl and add the unsweetened cocoa as well as the sugar
• Place the butter in another bowl and add around half of the cocoa sugar mixture. Beat them well, until they are blended. 
• Alternately, pour in the rest of the cocoa sugar mixture and the milk into the bowl.  Keep beating the frosting till it reaches a smooth and creamy texture
• Add the vanilla to the bowl and blend it well with all the other ingredients.

The chocolate butter cream frosting is ready to top a cake.

Chocolate fudge frosting

Most people use chocolate fudge frosting on brownies, to enhance their taste and flavor. However, this type of frosting can also be seen on donuts and cupcakes. Given below is the recipe for chocolate fudge frosting:

Ingredients:

• Baking chocolate:       3 squares
• Confectioner’s sugar:      3 ½ cups
• Butter:         5 tablespoons
• Milk:        7 tablespoons
• Vanilla:        1 teaspoon
• Salt:         A pinch

Preparation:

• Take a saucepan with a thick bottom and place it on low heat. Add the butter as well as the chocolate squares and cook both the ingredients, till they melt. As soon as the butter and the chocolate melt, take the saucepan off the flame.
• Take a large mixing bowl and add the sugar to it. Pour the milk, vanilla and salt in the bowl and mix all the ingredients thoroughly.
• Slowly, add the chocolate and butter mixture, to the bowl and beat all the ingredients together, till they form a smooth frosting.

The chocolate fudge frosting is ready and can be spread quite easily over the cake or the brownie.

Dark chocolate frosting

Bitter chocolate is a favorite with many people around the globe and such people usually prefer to use dark chocolate frosting on their cakes or other baked desserts. Given below is the recipe for dark chocolate frosting:

Ingredients:

• Semisweet chocolate, melted cooled:     1 ½ pounds
• Unsweetened cocoa powder:      ¾ cup
• Confectioner’s sugar:      ¼ cup
• Unsalted butter, at room temperature:    2 ¼ cups
• Salt:         ¼ teaspoon
• Hot water (preferably boiling):     ½ cup

Preparation:

• First, mix the cocoa powder in the boiling water, till it has dissolved completely.
• In a large bowl add the sugar, salt and the butter and beat them together, using an electric beater. Continue beating the mixture, till it becomes fluffy and pale. Add the melted chocolate to it and continue beating the mixture again, to blend all the ingredients thoroughly.
• Add the cocoa mixture to the bowl and mix thoroughly.

The dark chocolate frosting is ready to use and can be refrigerated for up to 5 days, if necessary.