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    Home » Recipes » Dessert Recipes

    How To Make The Best Chocolate Frosting

    Published: Mar 31, 2017 · Modified: Aug 19, 2022 by Andrea

    Jump to Recipe

    Forget store-bought chocolate frosting, you're just 10 mins away from making the BEST chocolate frosting!


    For me, chocolate frosting is just as important as the cake (or cupcakes).

    It must be smooth, rich and complement well the spongy cake. I've always made my own frostings, and this chocolate one is hands down the best of them all.

    To make the best chocolate frosting you only need 4 ingredients:

    • dark chocolate
    • butter
    • sugar
    • milk

    Your food is only as good as the ingredients you use, so choose them wisely.ingredients: butter on a plate, icing sugar in a cup, chopped chocolate bar, milk in its carton

    Chocolate:

    Go for high-quality organic dark chocolate, I find the 72% works very well, it's not too sweet and not too bitter.

    A bar of good dark chocolate should have in its ingredients list cocoa, cocoa butter, sugar and sometimes vanilla flavoring.

    Stay away from chocolates that list sugar as first ingredient, or have unnecessary additives.

    Butter:

    I use my homemade butter whenever I can, but any good quality butter will work just as well.

    I opt for slightly salted butter, but if you use unsalted butter, add a pinch of sea salt in the frosting mixture, which will enhance the flavor of the chocolate.

    Sugar:

    Icing sugar is a common road.

    Most of the frosting recipes out there list a huge amount of sugar, I tried the versions with 3 cups of sugar and it's just overly sweet for me, so I only use half the amount.

    Also, I like to make my own using a powerful blender (such as a Vitamix). Homemade icing sugar is super easy to make and doesn't have cornstarch or other additions like the store-bought version.

    Milk:

    For a rich texture opt for fresh whole milk. You can also use semi-skimmed milk, but I wouldn't recommend skimmed-milk or 0% fat milk.

    chocolate frosting on a white spatula over a bowl of chocolate frostingOnce you have gathered all the right ingredients, you're just 10 mins away from making the BEST chocolate frosting.

    All you have to do is mixing the melted butter with chocolate, then slowly incorporate the sugar and milk.

    Et-voila', before you know it, your chocolate frosting is all ready to go.chocolate cupcake topped with chocoalte frosting

    You can frost cakes, donuts, cupcakes, cookie sandwiches or just grab a spoon and eat it like that.

    This chocolate frosting is smooth, rich, decadent and SO delicious, you'll never buy pre-made frosting again!chocolate frosting on a spoon, chopped chocolate bar in the background

    More Chocolate Desserts You’ll Love:

    Water Cake: A Dairy-free, Egg-free, Magic Cake

    Caprese Cake (Gluten-free Chocolate Cake)

    Italian Chocolate Hazelnut Spread

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    5 from 1 vote

    How To Make The Best Chocolate Frosting

    Prevent your screen from going dark
    How To Make The Best Chocolate Frosting - All you need is 4 simple ingredients and it's ready in just 10 mins!
    Prep Time10 mins
    Total Time10 mins
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: British
    Serving: 2 cups
    Author: Andrea Soranidis

    Ingredients

    • 70 g butter, I use homemade butter
    • 100 g 72% dark chocolate, chopped
    • 125 g icing sugar
    • 50 ml whole fresh milk

    Instructions

    • Put the butter in a microwave-proof bowl and microwave for 30 secs, until melted.
    • Transfer the butter in a large bowl and add the chopped chocolate. Mix until the chocolate has melted and you have a smooth mixture.
    • Mix in the sugar slowly, alternating it with the milk.
    • Mix all the ingredients until the frosting reaches a smooth rich consistency.
    • Use it straight away, or refrigerate for 15 min if you want a more solid texture.
    • Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge.
    Did you try this recipe? Tag @thepetitecook or use the hashtag #thepetitecook - Looking at your pictures makes my day!

    The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

     

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    Comments

    1. Natalie says

      October 04, 2017 at 6:33 am

      Oo this looks good never tried melting the butter first.
      How much does this recipe yield?
      Does the cake when frosted need to be refrigerated? Because of the milk? X

      Reply
      • Andrea says

        October 08, 2017 at 8:49 pm

        It makes about 2 cups 🙂 I keep my frosting in the fridge because it contains milk and butter, so I would definitely keep the frosted cake in the fridge!

        Reply
    2. Indian Eagle says

      April 11, 2017 at 9:48 am

      Indian eagle congratulates you for making a progress in your blogs. Your information are really worthy...

      Reply
    3. Camilla Hawkins says

      April 03, 2017 at 2:04 pm

      Love the sound of your Chocolate Frosting, I never knew icing sugar had corn starch in it but have made my own icing sugar on occasions when I've run out.

      Reply
    4. Kate Veggie Desserts (@veggie_desserts) says

      April 03, 2017 at 1:53 pm

      Oooooh yum! This really does sound like the best chocolate frosting ever!

      Reply
    5. Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy says

      April 03, 2017 at 12:03 pm

      That really does look like the best chocolate frosting. I would happily eat that out of the bowl!

      Reply
    6. Brandi Crawford says

      April 03, 2017 at 10:37 am

      Awesome tips! I definitely needed this.

      Reply
    7. Everyday Sarah Jane says

      April 03, 2017 at 10:28 am

      This looks so rich and decadent! Can't wait to try!! {...and devour!}

      Reply
    8. HedgeComber says

      April 03, 2017 at 10:06 am

      Brilliant! And as someone that would rather eating the frosting than the cake, this looks just perfect for me!
      Jane x

      Reply
    9. beautyqueenuk ?? (@beautyqueen_UK) says

      April 03, 2017 at 8:46 am

      OOh this looks so easy, I never thought to use whole milk so thanks for the tip x

      Reply
    10. MissSparkles says

      April 03, 2017 at 8:10 am

      Wow this looks amazing! I had no idea that it was so easy to make either 🙂

      Reply
    11. Diana says

      April 03, 2017 at 6:34 am

      I usually do 1:2 butter with powdered sugar for buttercream, if it's too dry I add some milk. Melting chocolate in it sounds so lush!

      Reply

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    Andrea Soranidis, founder of The Petite Cook.


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