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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Add the chocolate mixture and beat for another minute or two, until combined and fluffy.
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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
Sensemillia
Wednesday 7th of July 2021
Hi Ramona, Do you think I could make this with out an electric mixer, I don't not have one but this sounds amazing. Do you think a wooden spatula would work to whip the butter??
Ramona
Thursday 8th of July 2021
Hi Sensemillia, I have to be honest, I'm really not sure. A lot of air gets whipped into the frosting with an electric mixer and I don't think that you'll be able to replicate that by hand. I'd also be worried that the extra time it takes to whip it might allow the butter to become too warm and too soft to get a fluffy texture. That being said, it certainly couldn't hurt to try if you're willing to risk the ingredients. Even if the frosting isn't as fluffy as it would be with a mixer, or ends up a totally different texture, it should still taste good. I'd probably experiment with a half recipe. Good luck and let me know how it turns out.
Suby
Tuesday 18th of May 2021
Hi Ramona, Thanks for the great recipe..I was looking for one with less sweet than the regular buttercream frosting..do you think I can replace the chocolate with white baking chocolate?
Suby
Wednesday 19th of May 2021
Hi Ramona, Appreciate for taking time to reply me with your suggestions.I will update you once I make it. Thank you..
Ramona
Tuesday 18th of May 2021
Hi Suby, I think your best bet is to make the vanilla version of this. White chocolate would simply add more sweetness that you might not want. The vanilla version is part of this post for White Zucchini Cake with Whipped Vanilla Frosting. I might also suggest another huge not too sweet favorite...Whipped Cream Cream Cheese Frosting. In that recipe, you'll see 1 cup of sugar listed, but in the notes, I mention that I currently use only 3/4 cup. And really, lately, I've reduced it to 1/2 cup sugar and no one has seemed to notice. That's a different type of frosting than the Whipped Vanilla, but it get rave reviews as well. So, there's two good choices for you!
Lingting
Thursday 11th of March 2021
Hi! For the butter - it says 1 cup 2 sticks. That means 2 cups?? Or did you mean to say 1 cup (2 sticks)? Thank you!
Ramona
Friday 12th of March 2021
It means 1 cup of butter OR 2 sticks. A stick of butter in the US is equal to 1/2 cup, so for some, it's easier to just grab 2 sticks. But, all you need is 1 cup. Hope that helps!
Tiffany
Tuesday 9th of February 2021
Hi, ive been looking for a not too sweet frosting..pref not buttercream..this looks wonderful. Do you think it would go well with a german chocolate cake im making or my dads bday. I think itll just be a boxed mix. Not sure if the coconut frosting part will be hommade or canned yet... Thoughts? Thank you
Ramona
Tuesday 9th of February 2021
Hi Tiffany, I prefer my German chocolate cake without chocolate frosting. I don't like giving any competition to the coconut pecan frosting. So, it really depends on what you're looking for in your chocolate frosting. This is definitely a not too sweet frosting, but it is a type of buttercream. It's definitely not a super fudgy frosting, so if you're looking for really fudgy, deep chocolate flavor, you might want to find a different recipe. If you're looking for a mellow, not too sweet chocolate frosting, then this is a great choice!
Anne
Monday 28th of December 2020
Brilliant recipe! Taste and texture perfect. I did not find a need to sieve the pudding mixture. Was smooth and lump free. Piped on thick to 15 cupcakes and still have a cup or so left. Tastes like yummy chocolate mousse!
Ramona
Monday 28th of December 2020
Anne, thanks for sharing your success! I don't always sieve the pudding mixture either. It's really more about how well the pudding step went for an individual and if they have any lumps, the sieve will serve to resolve the issue. Happy to hear it worked out so well for you :)