Dark Chocolate Frosting

Rich, dark, but still sweet — this Dark Chocolate Frosting is a fantastic topping for any cake!

Reader, I finally got Internet in my apartment!  Woohoo!  Because I had Internet at work and also have a new, shiny smartphone (my first!) I almost felt like Internet at home was unnecessary, but now that I have it life is so much easier.  I can do things like read and write blog posts again.  Especially since my last multi-day training for work ended yesterday.  Which means I should be able to be a lot more active in the blogosphere than I have been for the last few weeks.

Training has been mixed, which I suppose is usually the case with most workplace trainings.  I have never taken so many personality tests in my life (who knew that in order to manage people you needed to take personality tests?!), but I also got to do a few fun things, like clean and repair gravestones and bond with my fellow AmeriCorps members.  Training has been pretty draining, and I’ve only done a little baking in the past few weeks.  Now things are more settled, I hope to be able to do more in the kitchen.  Plus, I get paid on Tuesday, which means I won’t feel like I’m needlessly spending money if I splurge on a few special ingredients at the grocery store.

Today I’m sharing a recipe that might be a splurge if you’re on a diet but shouldn’t be a splurge for your wallet.  This Dark Chocolate Frosting, which is another Martha Stewart recipe, is decadent but only requires ingredients you probably have in your pantry.  I paired it with her Yellow Buttermilk Cake to make a delicious three-layer birthday cake last month.  Some thought that the frosting was too rich for the cake, but I thought it was a great pairing.

This frosting is seriously chocolatey.  It’s got melted semi-sweet chocolate chips (a whole pound!) as well as a cocoa paste made from cocoa powder and boiling water.  And, of course, it’s got the typical frosting ingredients of butter and powdered sugar.  The result is super smooth and shiny, rich and dark, sweet…a winner for when you want to change it up from a basic buttercream!

From Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes

Makes about 5 cups, or enough to frost the layers and top of a triple layer 9” round cake but not the sides

Ingredients

• 1 pound semi-sweet chocolate (I used chocolate chips)
• ¼ cup + 2 T unsweetened cocoa powder (Martha recommends Dutch-process)
• ¼ cup + 2 T boiling water
• 1 ½ cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ½ cup sifted confectioner’s sugar*
• Pinch of salt, to taste

*may need a little more than this

Instructions

In a double boiler, melt chocolate until smooth. You can take it off the heat when there are still a few lumps left—these will disappear when stirred.  Be careful not to let any water come into contact with the chocolate or it will seize.  Let rest until cool before using, about 30 minutes.

When chocolate is cool enough to use, mix together cocoa powder and boiling water until cocoa is dissolved, and set aside.  Beat butter, salt, and sugar until pale and fluffy.  Add melted chocolate, beating until combined.  Add in cocoa mixture, scraping down sides of the bowl as needed.  If the consistency is too thin, chill until set just enough to hold on a cake (1-2 hours, depending on initial thickness and consistency).

Posted to Sweet & Savoury Sunday!