Well!

If there’s one thing better than a delicious chocolate cake, it’s chocolate frosting!

Cue drool.

I’m a bit ad-hoc when it comes to icing. I have a few set recipes in my head that I call on when getting ready to ice a cake – usually it’s a combination of warm water, softened butter and icing sugar. I just mix until it looks and feels right – not too firm and not too soft…

Anyway, I got a kitchenaid mixer for Christmas. I try to use it every day. Except I don’t. When I do use it, however, it sure gets a workout! Today, for example, I made a loaf of bread, a chocolate cake and this super icing. I feel a bit strange just standing there watching a machine do something I’m capable of doing myself, but it’s fun nonetheless.

Right, so to make this chocolate frosting.

chocolate frosting
ingredients

125g softened butter
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
Splash of milk (2 Tbsp approx, but go easy)
250g icing sugar

method
Whip butter (using flat beater in mixer) on a low setting (1-2 on mixer) until it’s light and fluffy.
Add cocoa and milk and whip slowly (on level 2 of mixer, gradually increasing speed)
Add icing sugar slowly (I turn the mixer off to add ingredients, or I use the plastic pouring shield that came with my glass jug) and whip together, gradually increasing speed from 1-4 until the frosting is thick, creamy and well combined. It looks like chocolate soft serve icecream, or chocolate mousse, and it takes all your strength not to sit down and eat it all up with a spoon…

Grab a small spatula and generously slather it all over your cake, including the sides. I found that this recipe made oodles of frosting. You will have enough for a big cake, or possibly enough to ice two layers of cake, or two cakes, depending on how thick you layer it on. We had leftover icing after generously icing a 20cm heart cake.

And then they added sprinkles, as if it wasn’t already sweet enough…

Delicious!