I made a promise last week.
Today I’m delivering. This is the recipe for the Whipped Chocolate Frosting I used on the Pac Man cake from last week’s Flashback Friday.
For those of you who’ve been following me for awhile, you know that I’m not a fan of frosting that is too sugary (I’ll scrape it off), or too buttery (I’ll scrape it off), and I’m definitely not a fan of crusting butter creams (forget about it.)
My favorite frosting is Whipped Cream Cream Cheese Frosting because it has none of the issues listed above and because it’s met with rave reviews every time I make it.
That recipe was also the base for the Irish Cream filling and frosting I made for the Chocolate Stout Cupcakes. But, you can’t have only one frosting in your arsenal, so I’ve tried many over the years. When I landed on this recipe, I was sold.
It’s creamy, not too sweet, has a nice mellow chocolate flavor and it pipes well. It’s not a traditional American Buttercream or any of the other Swiss, Italian or French varieties.
This frosting has a thickened pudding base and is a “friend” of cooked flour based frostings, if you’ve ever tried any of those.
It’s basically the marriage of butter, melted chocolate and a homemade chocolate pudding. The three get whipped up into this lovely light chocolate frosting that’s perfect when you’re looking for an alternative to ganache or other fudge like toppings.
I used Chocolate Stout Cake as the base to show off this recipe. The cake is rich, chocolatey, moist and dense. (In the photo above, the cake is actually holding the fork in place on it’s own.)
It’s a delicious chocolate cake and I fell in love with it the first time I made it as cupcakes for St. Patrick Day. I was happy to have an excuse to make it again.
The cake is sturdy and comes out of the pan beautifully, so I decided to skip frosting the sides. “Naked cakes” are becoming quite popular (they’re part of the “rustic” trend) and I liked the contrast of color.
But, I couldn’t stop there because naked cakes can also have partially frosted sides, and I had some extra frosting, so I thought I’d I try that as well.
If you use this recipe for a layer cake, as I have, and don’t want to leave the sides naked, double the recipe and you’ll have plenty to fill and frost.
This post is supposed to be all about the frosting. But I have to be honest, the cake and frosting combo is a win win proposition. So, be a winner.
Make them both.
Whipped Chocolate Frosting
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup milk I used whole milk
- 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a small sauce pan, whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder and milk. Cook over medium low heat whisking frequently until the consistency of a thickened pudding. You may get some lumps during this process, especially if your heat is too high.
- Remove from heat. Strain into a separate bowl using a spatula to push the pudding through the sieve. This will give you a completely smooth, lump free mixture. Cool completely in the refrigerator. I usually set the bowl in a larger bowl filled with ice, then put it in the refrigerator. This speeds the cooling process.
- While that mixture is cooling, melt the chocolate chips at 30 second intervals in the microwave, stirring after each interval. Allow to cool as close to room temperature as possible without getting solid again. You want it creamy. If it does get too cool, reheat briefly in the microwave to melt any lumps, stir and allow to cool again.
- When the refrigerated mixture is cool, whip butter with an electric mixer until fluffy, about a minute. Add salt and vanilla and beat to combine.
- Add the chocolate mixture and beat for another minute or two, until combined and fluffy.
- Finally, add the melted chocolate and whip again until completely combined and fluffy.
Recipe Notes
*Store unused frosting and frosted items in the refrigerator. Allow to come to room temperature before serving for creamiest texture.
*Butter should be slightly soft, but not room temperature. I usually let it get to the point where I can make an indentation if I apply pressure to it, but it still has structure.
*I've doubled the recipe with success. When tripling, the texture is a bit softer, but firms up when refrigerated. For the Pac Man cake, I doubled the recipe.
*The cake recipe is from Chocolate Stout Cupcakes. I baked that recipe in 2 (8 inch) pans that were sprayed with cooking spray, bottoms lined with parchment, then I lightly sprayed the parchment. Bake at 350 degrees F. for about 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Allow to cool in pans for 10 minutes, then remove from pans and finish cooling on racks. If using 9" pans, baking time will shorter.
Frosting recipe adapted from Our Best Bites
The Merchant Baker Copyright © 2015
Glad to know that your delicious cupcake recipe can also be used for a cake. Sometimes thst doesn’t turn out well. The frosting looks so good. Are you able to pipe this with a pastry bag or is it too soft? Thanks, your recipes always turn out great!
I love when cake recipes translate to cupcakes or vice versa. I’ve had issues with other recipes where the cake is wonderful but the cupcakes sink. All cakes don’t work well in all sizes of pans, as you know. But this one works beautifully for both. The frosting pipes well and actually has quite a bit of structure. I haven’t had an issue when doubling, but when I’ve tripled the recipe, the structure is softer and may be difficult to hold a star tip edge. You would need to reduce the ratio of pudding to get that structure back. It’s a great recipe, just plan ahead so your pudding has time to cool.
Thanks for this recipe, it turned out really well. It was definitely one of the strangest frosting recipe and pretty labor intensive. But the results turned out to be worth it!
Glad it worked out for you. Granted, it’s not as easy as making a quick American Buttercream, where you’re just whipping up butter and adding sugar and cream etc…but adding the extra step of making the pudding really makes a difference. So, I agree, the extra step is definitely worth it!
I tried your whipped chocolate frosting recipes with my double chocolate banana cupcake. Yummy. Thanks you for sharing your recipes. It’s perfect for my kids and myself because it’s not too sweet. It’s just right for us. Thanks again.
Myra, thanks for the great feedback. I’m so glad you and your kids liked it. Your double chocolate banana cupcake sounds soooo good! Sounds like a perfect companion for this frosting. Yum!
I made this and your vanilla whipped frosting for my daughter’s birthday cupcakes. I was specifically looking for a not so sweet frosting. Delicious! A hit with the kids and adults. Next I want to try your whipped cream cheese frosting.
Thank you for these recipes. Frosting recipes have always been a fail for me. These and a stabilized whipped cream frosting recipe in my recipe box are the only ones that worked for me on the first try.
Janice, I’m so glad to hear the frosting was a hit! This one is definitely one of our chocolate faves (along with ganache). You MUST try the Whipped Cream Cream Cheese Frosting. It gets raves from everyone. And, read the notes on that one. You can adjust the sugar to your specific taste. Thanks for sharing how well this one worked out for you!
Hi,
I really loved your frosting and so did my guests. One question – what makes yours look light in color? I followed directions and steps, used ingredients called for, didn’t change anything but my frosting was much, much darker.
Just curious as I think I would have preferred it lighter (it looks lighter and fluffier tasting too). I paired mine with chocolate cake.
Let me know and thank you.
Ana, the only thing I can think is that you used a different kind of cocoa. The only way I could hope to make it darker is to use a darker cocoa. But with just 3 Tablespoons of cocoa with all of that cream and cream cheese, it would be hard to come out with a dark frosting. What brand/type of cocoa did you use?
Thanks for your super fast response. I was referring to the whipped chocolate frosting, sorry if I didn’t specify.
I used unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutched) in the pudding and semi sweet chocolate chips that are added at the end.
Maybe I could try making the pudding lighter, with less cocoa? Or adding less chocolate chips?
No worries, my mistake. I didn’t read the recipe title fully. Okay, so you have me stumped. The funny thing is, if you look at the link for the Pac Man Cake, I would have preferred a darker frosting. I covered my cake in cookie crumbs because I needed it to be dark.If your unsweetened cocoa was Hershey’s Special Dark, that would make it darker. Every time I make this frosting it’s always, always, always light. I would check to make sure that you used the right amount of ingredients before you use less of the chocolate. I know it sounds crazy to ask, but did you use two whole sticks of butter? And one whole cup of milk? And 3 level measuring tablespoons of cocoa? If you did than I really just can’t imagine what happened. However, you can definitely use less cocoa. If you check out the vanilla version, you’ll see that it works just fine without any cocoa. So less will definitely work. My only worry is the flavor and whether or not you’ll feel that it’s “chocolatey” enough. But you can absolutely use less of either the cocoa or the melted chocolate. But first, I would make it again as is and double check every measurement and use unsweetened Hershey’s cocoa. (I use all different kinds and qualities of cocoa, but for this one, I simply use Hershey’s.)
I really want to try this recipe, but I was hoping to make this frosting in a different color. Do you think adding food coloring (no cocoa) would affect the stability of the frosting? I really am not a fan of sweet and sugary frostings but I want this one in different colors. Have you ever tried it?a
Yes, you can color it. Check out the original recipe that has no cocoa. It’s a little different, so use that recipe instead of just taking the cocoa out of this one. The post is for a cake, but the vanilla frosting recipe is included. You shouldn’t have any issues with stability. I would use gel food coloring for the best results. I use Americolor, but there are other brands available.
Ramona –
I LOVE this recipe. I am that weirdo that scrapes frosting off cake and only eats the cake… needless to say, I typically hate frosting… but this one.. WOW!!! So so super delicious!
I am about to make it again for an awesome cake but don’t have much time to finish the cake after work so I am trying to space everything out over two days. Can I make the pudding and refrigerate that for about 18 hours prior to finishing the frosting or will that make it clump up and get all nasty?
Hey Meg! Yep, it’s a winner of a frosting recipe! I just posted a peppermint version! Yes, you can make the pudding ahead and stick it in the fridge. I often do that. Here’s the thing though, it’s just a little trickier to whip up because once you add it in, one spoonful at a time, you might not get past that icky curdled stage because it’s simply too cold. It often happens to me because I generally refrigerate the pudding mixture. Read the body of the peppermint post. I talk about it there. It’s an easy fix though. Here’s what I wrote in the notes of that recipe…”If your mixture won’t get passed the curdled stage, it might be too cold. Take about a Tablespoon of the curdled frosting and put it in a small microwave safe bowl. Heat for 5 seconds or until JUST melted. It should not be hot, just melted. Add back into the bowl with the rest of the frosting and continue beating until whipped and fluffy.” So, yep, you can make it ahead. Just be prepared to have to take one more step in case it doesn’t come together. But read that post. It will help you. Good luck!
How many cups of frosting does this recipe make?
Janice, I don’t think I’ve ever measured it in cups. Since I can pipe 24 cupcakes with it, as shown, and sometimes have a bit left over. I can’t give you an exact measurement, but I would estimate maybe somewhere between 4-6 cups? If I’m making a larger cake or want a thick filling between the layers, I’ll make one batch, then either make an additional half batch or full batch depending upon my needs. You can double this recipe, but I think it works best made in individual batches.
Thanks for the recipe! I am going to try this for my daughters birthday cupcakes this weekend. I want a cross between whipped cream frosting and buttercream. This sounds like it may work perfectly! Do you think I could substitute whipping cream for the milk?
Arlene, I haven’t tried it, but I really don’t think it’s necessary. The milk mixture lightens up the butter that you eventually add it to making the whole frosting feel lighter and airier. You would simply be adding more fat to the butter and I think that would, in some ways, defeat the purpose of the milk mixture. This cooked flour frosting is often described as a cross between whipped cream and buttercream, that’s why I love it. I find most buttercreams too heavy and/or too sweet.
Just the recipe I was looking for. I wanted something light and pudding like for a dirt and worms cupcake I was trying to make, and this recipe was perfect. I think it will be my go-to from now on. Definitely labor intensive, but totally worth it.
Katie, yes…the cooked flour portion is an extra step, but it really is the secret to this fluffy, not too sweet frosting. Glad it worked out for your cupcakes!
This is phenomenal. As I was putting it together I was thinking there’s no way this is going to work…I was wrong. It was perfect. I bow down to you and will be following your recipes from now on. 😉
This is now my go-to favourite chocolate frosting!
Kim, I’m so excited that it worked out for you! I know there are some comments that would lead you to believe this is an incredibly tricky frosting. It can be frustrating because it’s one of the easiest ones I make. I wish I could hop into my reader’s kitchens and trouble shoot their issues. I try to do that without being there, but as you can see…it’s really not difficult and it’s sooooooo good!
Do you have to refrigerate the frosted cake? Or can you leave it out for 24 hours?
I always err on the conservative side for food safety. I just prefer to be safe and go ahead and refrigerate it if I know it needs to be stored for longer than a few hours.
Hi ramona,
Im wondering if this frosting can be eaten cold from the ref or does it get rock hard? I hate it when that happens to frosting. Also i am a fan of cold desserts.
Thanks in
Advance!! :)
Hi Anna, it can definitely be eaten right from the fridge. It is too creamy to get rock hard. It definitely gets firm, though, sort of like a cheesecake ice cream, if that makes sense. Or, like cold cheesecake. My husband likes it best cold :) But he likes cold cake. I think cake loses some flavor if it’s too cold, so while I will happily eat a piece straight from the fridge, I usually let it sit for a bit so the cake gets a bit softer.
I thank Jesus for leading me to this particular site! I’ve been searching for so long trying to find an excellent Chocolate fosting. This really does hit the mark. Exactly as described! Thanks a mil Ramona. The pudding step addition is very much worth it! This is definitely my go to chocolate frosting from now on! I wish I could post a picture of the finished product on my cake…Thanks again Ramona! :D
You’re welcome, Gen! I bet your cake looks fab! You can always post your photo on instagram and tag me. I’d love to see it! There’s a yummy vanilla version too!
Hi – looks perfect for my upcoming projects I want to to espresso mini cheesecakes and will be freezing some. How do you think this would hold up after being frozen? Thanks in advance!
I have frozen cakes that have been frosted with this and the frosting holds up pretty well. I’ve never frosted a batch of it and then tried to re-whip it up to use, though. I’ve only frozen finished cakes…so, post piping or decorating. Then, all it has to do is thaw in whatever state you used it to decorate. Does that make sense? It’s possible that it could re-whip, but I can’t advise you on that since I haven’t tried it.(The cheesecakes sound delicious!)
Hi, Ramona, I made the frosting this afternoon, and it was so good! I made it first before cake batter because I really wanted to know how the frosting would turn out. Now I am waiting on cupcakes to bake. I have long wondered what the best way is to fluff up or get frosting to be more of a spreading consistency when it’s been in the refrigerator. Once, I left a different chocolate frosting out at room temperature for a couple hours because it was so hard out of the frig and then tried to whip it up….did not turn out well.
Your frosting has been in the refrigerator for about 5 hours, and it has firmed up a little. What should I do to make it light and more like it was after it was just made?
I appreciate your answer in advance and thank you so much!
Toni, I never store frosting before I use it. I always think it’s easiest and best to use it right after I make it. I’m not going to be able to guarantee success for you, but this is what I would try. First, let the frosting come to cool room temperature. You should be able to press gently but firmly on the frosting with the back of a spoon and make an indent that holds its shape. It shouldn’t flake or crack and it should be so soft that it can’t hold the indented shape. Once it’s at that point, I would try re-whipping it. If it is still too cold to whip, you could take a tablespoon of the frosting out of the bowl, melt it in the microwave and then pour that warm, melted frosting back into the bowl and try re-whipping again. Good luck! Let me know how it turns out for you.
Okay, my posts pop up after I write a post and then hit “post.” Thank you so much for your response to my frosting question.
Hi, again. The frosting did whip up quite well the next day after refrigerating it. I let it set like you said until it was cool room temperature (it was about 1 1/2 hours) and did not have to melt a tablespoon of the frosting to get it to whip. I think you meant “It shouldn’t flake or crack and it SHOULDN’T be so soft that it can’t hold the indented shape” right? You did help me, especially having a little more confidence in going this route. When I am having people over, it is next to impossible to have to make a frosting the same day I am making the meal. Thank you again!
Toni, I’m so glad to hear that it all worked out! Thanks for coming back to share the details. I’m sure they’ll be helpful to others who’d like to take the make ahead option.
I let you know how the frosting turned out, but my comment is not showing. I wrote of the problem above that my post doesn’t show up until I write another one and then the previous one shows up. Let’s see if that happens again. I am going to click on “post.”
No worries. Your comments are getting through; they just don’t automatically post on this site. They go through moderation first and generally get posted when the response is written. Thanks for being both patient and persistent. So glad everything worked out well!
Ramona, I am going to make a frosting again on Monday, but I’m wondering if you have ever made a version with milk chocolate–either all milk chocolate or part milk chocolate and part semi-sweet chocolate. I’m trying to get a mellow, yet creamy, light frosting, and I’m wondering how I would adapt the sugar and milk when using milk chocolate. Have you ever used milk chocolate and semi-sweet together? If you have a recipe or think of a suggestion to alter your whipped chocolate frosting, I would love your thoughts. Thank you again for such helpful ideas!
Toni, here’s a few ideas… First, I haven’t tried mixing the chocolates, but if I used all milk chocolate, I would probably reduce the sugar about 1/2 cup. I’d probably lean towards mixing the chocolates. I don’t think you need to change any ratio with the milk. Second, you can try my Chocolate Whipped Cream Cream Cheese Frosting. That’s creamier and more mellow than this and it’s the chocolate version of my favorite frosting of all time. You could also try making a whipped chocolate ganache. Since you want it very creamy, I would try 2 parts cream to 1 part chocolate. Heat cream (you can do this in the microwave, if you want) until hot but not boiling. Pour over chopped chocolate. Allow to sit for a couple of minutes. Stir until smooth. At this stage, add any flavorings if you want to like vanilla etc, even a pinch of salt if you need to balance sweetness. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface and allow to cool almost to room temperature before chilling in the refrigerator. When it’s thoroughly chilled, use your mixer to whip it up as if you were whipping cream. If you think you’d like that route, you should do a search on whipped ganache for more details. I’ve made whipped ganache and it’s delicious, but I haven’t written an actual recipe with steps to share, so I can’t even tell you the exact ratio I used the last time I did it. You may have to do some experimenting to get exactly what you want. Good luck! And as always, come back to share what you did and how it turned out.
Hello Ramona, i fell in love with your frosting when my sister in law made it in April for her kids’ birthday party (which is why i give it top rating). I figured it would be great for my three boys’ June birthdays. However, something went wrong today, and i ended up with a thick mess. I used 60% dark chocolate chips instead of semi sweet, and cut back just a little on the sugar (maybe a Tbls or two), otherwise i followed the directions as best i could. I ran out of time waiting for the cooling process, and we had a BBQ date with our neighbors for a few hours. When i came back i took everything out of the frig, warmed it up as close to room temp as possible, and went from there. The butter sat out while we were gone, though. The frosting ended up thick and more like a thick fudge frosting rather than whipped and light. Do you think it was the butter, it was too soft? It’s also an 80 degree day and humid. I’m curious if you have any suggestions? we still used the frosting on the cake and its still yummy, just not the whipped texture for which I was hoping! Thank you much-
Hi Carrie, I think you’re right, the butter was probably too soft. Think about heavy whipping cream. It’s needs to be cold to whip nicely into fluffy cream. Here, the butter needs to be soft enough to make an indentation with your finger, but then firm enough to hold the shape, kind of like clay. If it’s squishy, you’re past the point where you’re going to get fluffiness. You need that solidified fat to maintain the structure. Also, if your chocolate didn’t cool down enough, it also could have affected the butter temperature. So, instead of a whipped frosting, you ended up with more of a ganache (which is made with warm cream.) However, you can whip ganache once it’s cool. I don’t know if that would work perfectly for this recipe, but theoretically,if you ended up with the fudgy frosting again, you could probably refrigerate it to firm it up (again, not rock solid, but firm and malleable) then just try whipping it again. Hopefully that will help you for the next time.
Can you make this recipe with a hand mixer instead of a stand mixer?
Kelly, you can definitely use an electric hand mixer.
Great! Thanks for the quick response! I’m baking a cake this weekend at my mom’s and she doesn’t have a stand mixer, nor much space in her refrigerator so I was trying to decide between this chocolate frosting recipe and your cream cheese version. I’m guessing this one might be more stable on the counter for a longer period of time. Do you think piping something simple like polka dots on the sides of my cake would stay put with this frosting (or your cream cheese version) or do you think they would slide down the cake? I’ve only made buttercream frosting so far and it’s too sickly sweet for my palate. I’m still pretty new to baking and I’m loving your site!
You’re welcome Kelly. You are correct. This one is definitely more stable than the whipped cream cream cheese frosting, especially if you’re going to be anywhere where this heat wave is…(It was 100 here today.) Assuming you’ll be serving this in an air conditioned room, I think you should be okay to pipe dots. It should be just about as stable as a buttercream, it just has the extra cooked flour mixture in it. Make sure you have everything at the proper temperature…the flour mixture is cool, the chocolate has cooled, but not hardened, and your butter is not mushy. You should be able to press into the butter and leave a clear indentation while the butter still maintains it’s shape. This can be a tricky frosting for some, you might want a practice run if it’s an important cake. You could make a half batch just to test out the process. (And, on a future day, when you have more room in the fridge, you HAVE to try my cream cheese frosting…It is just ridiculously good!)
This is by far my absolute favorite frosting recipe! Thank you for a not-too-sweet chocolate frosting! I’m one of those people that scrapes off buttercream. I usually prefer cake dusted with a little powdered sugar… But this frosting actually makes cake better and it comes out superb each time! Thank you!
Amanda, I’m with you. If the frosting doesn’t enhance the cake, I scrape it right off. It’s not worth the calories. You should definitely try my other not too sweet frostings Whipped Cream Cream Cheese Frosting and it’s chocolate version. They might fall right into your favorite pile as well. Everyone LOVES them!
Hi! My friend asked me to make her a bridal cake with chocolate frosting that is whipped and not too sweet, and this recipe looks perfect. My question is: do you think it would be possible to put a layer of fondant over the cake if I chill it beforehand? Maybe if I add just a little bit of powdered sugar? Thanks!
Monica, I have to say that I am not a fondant expert. Love the way it looks, not fond of the taste, so I never use it except for decorations. I would make a small cake and test it out before I’d risk it on a friend’s bridal cake. You want to make sure it does exactly what you want it to. One more thing…The thing with fondant is that the coating of frosting underneath really needs to be thin so that the fondant doesn’t weigh it down. For me, this defeats the purpose of having a delicious frosting because you don’t get much of it, at least on the outside of the cake. You’d have to rely on the frosting between the layers to make up for it, if you’re looking to really get a good taste of it.
Wow. I just made this for the first time and it’s AMAZING. I am not a huge chocolate person usually but this is light and fluffy but still very chocolaty. So so so glad I found your site. I don’t care for overly buttery or overly sweet frosting either so your recipes are right up my street. Thank you!!
So happy to hear you liked the recipe, Aly! There’s also a vanilla version on the White Zucchini Cake post and a mint version on another post. Of course, my all time favorite is this Whipped Cream Cream Cheese Frosting. Yes, my friend, you have definitely found a kindred spirit here in the land of not too sweet frosting! :)
Hi!
I just made it and it tastes delicious but it is a little runny… should i just let it set for a while? Refrigerate before using?
Thanks in advance!
I think the issue was that your butter may have been too soft or you may have added the cooked flour portion before it was fully cooled. Thankfully, because this is more like a buttercream than some of my other frosting recipes, you can pop it in the fridge and then try whipping it up again. This will help the butter firm up a bit more. If you leave it in the fridge for too long, then it may actually get too cold to whip properly. In that case, you may have to just warm the bottom of the mixing bowl over a hot water bath, just until you see a bit of melting around the edges and then try whipping again. It’s really all about managing the temperature. But, you should be able to get it right where you want it by using those tricks. One thing about buttercream type frostings, you can usually fix just about any issue. Good luck. Let me know how it goes!
AMAZING! This is my go-to chocolate frosting. My family asks for it when I make cake! We like lighter frostings so I whip a cup or so of heavy cream and fold it in at the end. Make this frosting!!!
I’m so happy you love it! And I also love adding extra whipped cream when I need a lighter frosting :)
This recipe is fantastic!! Rich chocolaty flavor, silky whipped texture, and not overly sweet. My quest for the perfect chocolate frosting is over!
Yay, Rebekah! I’m thrilled to hear you love it too! Mission accomplished :)
This hit it out of the park! It is a little fussy with the timing and straining, but very well worth it. It is silky smooth, chocolatey, and not grainy or cloyingly sweet. I love it!
Mary, happy to hear this recipe was a home run :) I hear you on the bit of fussiness, but it’s so worth it, right? You might also try my Chocolate Whipped Cream Cream Cheese Frosting for another not too sweet option that everyone loves. It’s another good one to add to your frosting arsenal.