Chocolate Icing Recipe - Easy Frosting with Real Chocolate

This chocolate icing is an easy 3 ingredients frosting made with real chocolate, sugar and butter. No heavy cream, milk or cocoa powder required. It's easy, quick and pairs perfectly well with any for cakes and cupcakes!

You can not only use it to fill and cover your cakes and cupcakes, it is also great for piping work.

The best thing about this easy chocolate frosting, besides its taste off course, is its consistency. Compared to chocolate ganache, this icing is easier to work with not only as a cake covering but also for piping.

This is particularly true for people who live in warm climates. This icing is more heat stable and that simply makes it easier to work with compared to chocolate ganache which is very heat sensitive.

Easy Decoration with the Chocolate Frosting

See the cake above? It's a 5 inch round cake baked using my chocolate cake recipe. This cake was all filled and covered in this perfect chocolate icing and I chose to create a simple spiked effect on the cake.

See how the peaks are formed? That is the consistency of the icing. But that does not mean it is too stiff. It is still soft enough for any piping work and is able hold shape well. Get the full tutorial on how to make the spikey cake decoration here.

So this icing is definitely something that can be tried as an alternative to chocolate ganache or even chocolate buttercream or chocolate butter icing. 

The Taste

In terms of taste, this chocolate icing is a little more on the sweeter side as compared to chocolate ganache so this is definitely something to consider when making this icing. Which is also why I use dark chocolate in the recipe. Milk chocolate or any other chocolate tend to make the icing too sweet to some people's liking.

And since the chocolate needs to be melted before other ingredients are added in, I find chopping it into small pieces not only helps to melt it faster but also helps the chocolate to melt more uniformly.

And to make the chopping easier, I normally leave my chocolate at room temperature for at least an hour before chopping. This helps in making the chocolate soft enough, not only for easier chopping, but also helps in reducing the melting time. 

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How to Make

Ingredients

• Dark chocolate
• Butter (salted)
• Powdered sugar (icing sugar or confectioner’s sugar)

Double boiling the chocolate

• The first step in making this chocolate frosting is chop the chocolate into small pieces and then melt it. Chocolate should be melted over a double boiler instead of direct heat to prevent it from burning.
• To double boil the chocolate, you will need a small pot and a slightly larger heat proof bowl. You will have to fill some water in the pot and then place the heat proof bowl over it. The bowl should rest on the pot but should not be touching the water.
• In a typically double boiling process, the chocolate is melted by the heat from the water steam and not the hot water.
• Also, the heat proof bowl in which you place the chocolate pieces for melting should be completely dry. Any presence of water can cause your melted chocolate to seize and it will not be suitable for making the chocolate icing anymore.
• Once you have set up your double boiler, turn on the heat to low heat. Add chocolate into the prepared bowl.
• Let the chocolate sit in the bowl without stirring for a minute or 2. Stir occasionally after that.
• When the chocolate is almost fully melted, add in the butter and remove the mixture from heat by lifting the bowl off the pot. Melt butter from the heat of the chocolate. For quick melting, make sure the butter is cut into small pieces and is at room temperature.
• Stir to mix the chocolate and the melted butter.

Mixing the icing

• Once the butter is melted, sift the powdered sugar and add it into the melted chocolate.
• Beat the butter, chocolate and sugar mixture with an electric mixer (stand mixer or hand mixer) on medium high speed until it is well creamed and fluffy.
• If the icing appear too dry, add some butter and beat well before using the fluffy frosting as a filling or frosting for your cakes and cupcakes.

Notes

Can you replace the chocolate in the recipe with cocoa powder?

• The rich chocolate flavor in this homemade creamy chocolate frosting is contributed by the use of real chocolate in recipe.
• Any type of cocoa powder, be it unsweetened cocoa powder or dutch process cocoa powder or natural cocoa powder will not work for this recipe.

Can you use unsalted butter to make the frosting?

• The salt in the butter does make a difference to the taste of this homemade frosting. You can use unsalted butter to make it, but it is best that you add a tiny pinch of salt (fine salt) with butter when making it.

Would vanilla extract work for the icing?

• Yes, you can. Add 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract to the icing after mixing in the sugar. Beat well before using.

What can you use the icing for?

• As a filling and piped topping for chocolate cupcakes
• Simple piped rosette decoration on bundt cake, sheet cake, vanilla cake or yellow cake
• As a filling for a layer cake
• As a simple frosting for birthday cakes or any celebration cakes, as a substitute for chocolate ganache or chocolate buttercream.

How to store the icing?

• The icing can be kept at room temperature for a one day.
• Any leftover frosting should be kept refrigerated in an airtight container. Bring it to room temperature and give in a quick mix before using.

Like these easy chocolate frosting recipe? Here are my other posts you might want to check out:

• Glaze Icing for Cakes - How to Make
• Royal Icing - 2 Easy Recipes with Meringue Powder and Egg Whites
• Butter Icing Recipe (How to Make)
• Buttercream Icing Recipe for Cake Decorating
• Salted Caramel Recipe (How to Make)
• How to Make Lemon Curd - A Homemade Recipe
• Homemade Golden Syrup - A Quick and Easy Recipe

Recipe (Printable)

Here is the full printable version of the chocolate icing recipe. 

📖Recipe

And that's my easy chocolate icing recipe for you.