Chocolate Frosting Recipe + Secret Ingredient!

Okay, obviously not that secret if I'm posting it!

I'm waiting on the pics of my latest cake (the batteries in my camera died before I could finish taking all angles of the cake and I didn't have any extra...grrr!). If I don't get them in the next few days, I'll just post what I have in a later post...which unfortunately isn't much.

While I'm waiting on those, I thought I'd share a delicious chocolate frosting recipe with a special ingredient: Chocolate syrup! (the type of syrup you'd use as an ice cream topper)

I added this ingredient on a whim, and I'm still experimenting with the amount of chocolate syrup (I think I'm going to make more next time) but this batch of frosting turned out wonderful.

FYI, this chocolate frosting recipe isn't the so-rich-it's-nauseating frosting (and I happen to really like that sort). It's flavor is mellow, delicate, and delectable. It pairs well with an extra rich, moist cake.

Here is the recipe for one batch:

3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup butter (NOT margarine...ewww...gross!)
2 teaspoons vanilla (I use real vanilla)
1/3 cup baking cocoa (whatever brand you like)
4 tablespoons milk
1/4 cup chocolate syrup (I think it adds more flavor and makes it creamier)

I would definitely double it for a two layer cake to make sure you have enough. Also, I like to whip it up real good so it's nice and airy and fluffy since I'm not decorating with it. Yum!

Marshmallow Fondant Recipe

Here's the recipe for marshmallow fondant:

1 Cup packed Mini Marshmallows
1 Tbsp. Water
1 3/4 Cup Sifted Powdered Sugar
Food Coloring
Vegetable Shortening

Put Marshmallows in microwave safe bowl and add the water. Microwave for 45 seconds. Stir-It should look kind gloopy-soupy. Add food coloring, if desired. Add the sifted powdered sugar and mix/ fold. Cover your working surface and hands with the vegetable shortening. Knead until pliable but firm, like 3-5 minutes or so. Roll out to 1/4 of an inch.

I like to double the recipe so I can be sure I have enough to cover the entire cake, especially if I place the fondant on the cake askew.

Make sure to sift your powdered sugar so you don't get little hard balls! I have to learn everything the hard way. I got little hard balls in the fondant and it was a pain in the butt to scrape each one out. Don't forget to sift!

Also feel free to use as much vegetable shortening as you feel is necessary. Nobody eats fondant anyway. Though I have heard this particular fondant is more tasty than regular fondant. With that said, I'm pretty sure I'll pass on trying regular fondant, thankyouverymuch.

Royal Icing/Color Flow Recipe

Here's the recipe for Royal Icing:

3 Tablespoons of Meringue Powder (you definitely need it this time)
4 Cups of sifted powdered sugar (always sift!)
5-7 tablespoons of warm water (I don't know why it needs to be warm though)

Blend powdered sugar and meringue powder in a bowl. Add the water and mix for 7-10 minutes on medium-low speed until icing is no longer glossy.

You'll definitely want to use an electric hand mixer for this icing. It doesn't make much bubbles and if it does, the bubbles come out easy. 7-10 minutes is a long time to blend!

**Make sure to cover your icing with a damp cloth while your are working with it. Though it may take a few days to fully harden, it will crust fairly quickly**


For Color Flow Icing, just add more water!

Add a little bit of water at a time. You'll know when you have just enough when you can drizzle a little bit of icing from a spoon and it takes it about 10 seconds for it to disappear back into the rest of the icing.

Wilton "buttercream" frosting Recipe

Okay here's the Wilton recipe for "buttercream" frosting. There is no butter involved...instead its shortening -- aka lard. Wilton would have you frost your entire cake with it. Which is fine if you're not planning on eating it. However, most people like to eat the cakes they make-and I would never eat a cake frosted with this frosting. I think the lard makes it disgusting. Bleech.

I always frost the entire cake in real buttercream (see previous post for recipe).

I use this recipe only for decorations. Roses, borders, writing, etc., not only because its easier to work with but also because Crisco is cheaper and easier than using butter and it lasts longer, a plus if you like to make your roses ahead of time:

1 Cup solid white vegetable shortening
1 teaspoon vanilla or other flavoring
2 Tablespoons of water (more if need/wanted--this is thick consistency recipe)
4 Cups of powdered sugar
1 tablespoon of meringue powder-its not a big deal to skip, but I guess it helps stabilize the frosting. I haven't noticed much difference using. Plus meringue powder isn't that cheap.

Cream shortening, flavoring and water. Add rest of ingredients and mix until creamy.

Tip: Mixing with a hand mixer may seem quicker, but it causes air bubbles which you do not want. Air bubbles cause major problems. Just hand mix if you are just doing one batch. It will save you the time of going through and smoothing the air bubbles out with a spatula and saving the annoyance of whatever problems may come from the air bubbles (trust me, you'll have problems!). So in the end hand mixing is actually faster (who would have thought!).

Classic Butter-cream Frosting

Here is the recipe for butter-cream frosting. So yummy! It should be enough to cover one 2-layer 9-inch cake:

6 Cups powdered sugar---please sift! You don't want little balls of powdered sugar in you frosting.

2/3 Cup butter---b/c margarine is gross.

3 teaspoons of vanilla. Preferably clear vanilla. But if you're coloring your frosting then it doesn't really matter.

1-2 tablespoons of milk. So it says. Just add enough to make it your desired consistency. I use this recipe to frost, not decorate, so I end up adding more milk so I can have thin consistency.