Friday, October 7, 2011

The Best Chocolate Icing


In the last couple of days, I've made a couple of cakes and a few dozen cupcakes. I've used the same recipes for basic chocolate cake and vanilla cake for years and years, but I've recently started to use Martha Stewart's Dark Chocolate Frosting, and I have to say that is, hands-down, the best recipe for a simple buttercream that I've used in the twenty years I've been baking.

Here it is:

Dark Chocolate Frosting


1 pound best-quality bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
6 T Dutch-process cocoa powder, good quality
6 T boiling water
3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
pinch of salt


Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over (but not touching) simmering water. Turn off the heat; stir occasionally until chocolate has melted completely, about 15 minutes. Set bowl on countertop and let chocolate cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. 


Meanwhile, combine cocoa powder and boiling water in a small bowl; stir until cocoa is dissolved.


In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle, beat butter, confectioner's sugar, and salt on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add melted chocolate; beat on low speed until combined, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the cocoa mixture.


Lick the glossy frosting until you feel queasy.



12 comments:

  1. Speaking as a former butter freak I'm sure it's scrumptious!

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  2. How much does a stick of butter weigh, Elizabeth? Here in Australia butter comes in 250 gram rectangular or 500 gram square blocks.

    If one 250 gram rectangle constitutes a stick of butter that's an awful lot of butter, and an awful lot of icing, but maybe that's the intention.

    It looks marvelous, by the way.

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  3. THIS is information I NEED to know. Thank-you, love.

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  4. Do you think there is a problem with me making this and just eating it. Plain. By the spoonful?


    I have NO self-control when it comes to chocolate. None whatsoever.

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  5. I MUST have some! My mouth is watering....

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  6. Get thee behind me, Satan. Just kidding. xoxo

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  7. I am very grateful for this recipe :)
    Chocolate frosting never comes out right for me ...

    Queasy? Never :)

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  8. Would you tell me what a "stick" of butter is please? I read this all the time in U.S. recipes and I have no clue what that translates to in quantity. Thanks! That recipe sounds wonderful.

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  9. I will feed this to my children until they become queasy - buttercream they're favorite.Thx!

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  10. I am copying this down. In my quest towards becoming a food purist I must have this on hand at all times....

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  11. It is already copied and safely placed into my recipe file. Gracias.

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