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
The chocolate pudding mixture needs time to completely get cool, so plan ahead. I make that part of the frosting recipe first, then work on baking my cake/cupcakes. By the time the cakes are baked and cooled, I'm ready to finish making my 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.
Notes
*This recipe makes enough to frost just the tops of an 8 or 9 inch two layer cake, or about 24 cupcakes.
*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 be shorter.
Frosting recipe adapted from Our Best Bites
The Merchant Baker Copyright © 2015
DJ
Thursday 6th of October 2022
This was disappointing. I expected it to be a lot lighter than buttercream but it was only marginally lighter. The flavor was "meh". It did live up to its promise to not be too sweet. I did NOT double the recipe but had plenty left to frost the sides of the cake, not sure why she said this was only enough for the tops. I used 9" cake pans.
Ramona
Saturday 8th of October 2022
Hi DJ, I'm sorry this recipe was disappointing. It is loved by so many. As far as volume, the pictures should show you how thickly I frosted the cake thus the comment on "just the tops." Certainly you could frost the whole cake with a thinner layer of frosting. I'm glad you didn't end up with too much and hope you are able to find a recipe that suits you better.
Nancy
Sunday 25th of September 2022
My Grandaughter Anna has turned into a baking whiz and she is the one who actually found this recipe. She texted it to me to see if I had the ingredients and if we could make it to frost cupcakes for school. Of course I did and we made it this morning. Was the best light and fluffy frosting I have ever eaten! My husband agreed too. She frosted 20 cupcakes with plenty left to frost a nice 6 inch chocolate. You will be very happy if you try this recipe.
Ramona
Sunday 25th of September 2022
Nancy, I love that you're trying out some of my favorite frostings :) I'm so happy that you're loving them as much as we do! A big thanks to your grand daughter for finding my site and sharing my recipes with you. She sounds like a gem!
Frieda Stewart
Saturday 3rd of September 2022
Can I frost the cake ahead of time and pop in the fridge or will that ruin the texture?
Ramona
Saturday 3rd of September 2022
Hi Frieda, I don't think it will "ruin" the texture but you have to think about temperature. It's still a buttercream, so when it's cold, it will be much firmer. I don't know how far in advance you are frosting the cake. If you do refrigerate, just leave it out at room temperature for a good hour or so before serving. The closer to room temp it is (assuming it's not a hot day) the creamier the frosting will be in texture.
CATHERINE COOPER
Wednesday 13th of April 2022
Excellent recipe! I normally do not like frosting because I find them too sweet. I tried a new chocolate cake recipe which used my discard (unfed) sourdough. The cake is very good but is one I thought would be enhanced with a frosting if I could find one I liked. This frosting is it! I ended up making this recipe using Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa and leaving out the chocolate chips. I also added a touch of expresso powder. Since cocoa is usually a little lumpy I sifted all the dry ingredients into the sauce pan and then stirred in the milk. This eliminated having to sieve the cooked 'pudding' mixture. Put a layer of wax paper on top of the hot mixture & let it cool. Will definitely make this frosting again.
Ramona
Wednesday 13th of April 2022
Catherine, thanks for all the positive feedback and your helpful tips! I'm happy it worked out so well for your cake. I bet it was delish!
Mary Ann
Sunday 13th of March 2022
If using 9" pans, baking time will shorter. (You left out the word "be".)
Ramona
Sunday 13th of March 2022
Thanks, Mary Ann! I hate a typo and love an extra set of eyes! :)