Frosting

Ganache—a smooth mixture of chocolate and cream—is one of the richest, most luscious of all chocolate frostings. The frosting is made in the same manner as the chocolate ganache glaze (opposite), and then allowed to thicken until the frosting is spreadable. Achieving the perfect consistency can be tricky; if the frosting becomes too firm to spread, reheat in a bowl over a pan of simmering water until it begins to melt around the edges, then remove from heat and stir until smooth.

Timing is key, so have everything you need ready, and start whisking egg whites once the syrup is at a full boil.

Using solid shortening instead of butter results in a pure white frosting that you can tint any color you like.

This recipe is basically the same as the White Cream Decorator Frosting (page 168) except that, because you’re not worried about the icing staying white, you can use milk and regular vanilla extract.

Most of the Swiss buttercream flavors we create have acidity, bitterness, or alcohol to cut the intensity of the butter, but mixing caramel with Swiss Buttercream, on the other hand, results in an extra buttery and rich icing. If you have homemade Caramel Sauce to use, then do so. The flecks of vanilla bean in the homemade caramel sauce add a nice look to the finished icing. Otherwise, you can still achieve a flavorful icing with a store-bought sauce, without the additional effort. Because the intensity of flavor may vary by brand, feel free to add a little more or less caramel, as desired. You can garnish with crushed chocolate-dipped pretzels or roasted peanuts as well as additional caramel sauce.

Swiss meringue adds a lightness to traditional mocha flavor, which makes this icing a more delicate addition to chocolate desserts. To be sure to highlight the coffee flavor, use a good-quality espresso and brew it strong. If you don’t have an espresso maker, go down to your local coffee shop and order two double shots of espresso to go. Also, consider a garnish of chocolate-covered espresso beans.

Swiss Buttercream is a little more time consuming to make than many of the other icings in this book because it requires a few more steps, but it is still quite simple. The slight sheen and smooth texture make it a beautiful icing to use for more formal cakes, and a bubbly, dry champagne pairs well with this icing, making it just the thing for celebratory occasions. While useful, a candy thermometer is not required. When you are heating the egg whites, just make sure that the sugar has dissolved entirely and the mixture feels hot to the touch before you whip the egg whites to a meringue. For best results in rebeating cold Swiss Buttercream, take about one-quarter of the icing and microwave it for 1 minute, until melted. Pour the melted icing over the cold icing, then beat it in a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment at high speed until it is smooth and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes.

This is a basic frosting good for cupcakes and decorated cookies. This makes enough frosting for one 9-inch cake or 24 cupcakes.

One of our favorite things to do is to make a frosting with an unexpected flavor. For this one, we puree graham crust down to a liquid form and then paddle it into whipping butter with a little seasoning.