Chocolate Icing
This icing is so rich and delicious that it is popular with our customers even as a “frosting shot”—straight icing eaten with a spoon. Try piping about 2 ounces into shot glasses or espresso cups and serving them (accompanied by demitasse spoons) as an unexpected cocktail party dessert. Or pull out a bowl of the icing on movie night and offer cookies and strawberries for dipping. Just as sour cream is much softer than butter, this icing is very soft, so it’s important to be flexible about the amount of sour cream you add; the amount will depend on the heat and humidity where and when you’re making it. You’ll add it 1/3 cup at a time at the end of the recipe, so stop adding it if the icing gets to the consistency of warm peanut butter. While not essential, for best results keep cakes and cupcakes iced with Chocolate Icing refrigerated until about 30 minutes before serving them. For a more exotic twist, 2 tablespoons of chili powder can add a smokey heat to the icing. Try that atop Devil’s Food Cake (page 98) cupcakes for a Cinco de Mayo party or other fiesta.
Recipe information
Yield
makes enough for one 3-layer 8-inch cake, one 2-layer 9-inch cake, or about 3 dozen cupcakes
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Heat the butter and chocolate in a bowl over a double boiler. Stir constantly with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until the butter and chocolate are fully melted and combined.
Step 2
Remove the bowl from the heat and add the cocoa powder and vanilla, whisking until combined.
Step 3
Add half the confectioners’ sugar and continue to whisk. (If the mixture gets too thick to whisk, you can use a spatula or spoon, but be sure to incorporate all the sugar.)
Step 4
Add half the sour cream and mix with a rubber spatula until combined. Then add the remaining confectioners’ sugar and mix until combined.
Step 5
Begin to add the remaining sour cream, stirring constantly and adding more until you’ve reached a desired consistency for the icing—smooth and spreadable, like peanut butter. (If the climate is hot or humid, not all the sour cream will be necessary.)
Step 6
Let the icing chill in the refrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes before using. The icing can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Beat in a mixer or stir vigorously with a rubber spatula for about 2 minutes before using.
Fashion emergency
Step 7
This is a difficult icing to use for a summertime picnic or other occasions that may take place somewhere hot. If you want to use it for those occasions anyway, just keep the dessert in the shade and be prepared for the icing to get really soft. If you use the icing sparingly between cake layers, the heat won’t affect the construction of your cake. Also, try using only 2/3 to 1 cup sour cream (as opposed to the 1 1/3 cups called for) to make a thicker icing.
