On Tue, 4 Sep 2012 00:24:40 -0700, "Julie Bove"
> wrote:

>
>"Polly Esther" > wrote in message
...
>>I am so embarrassed and ashamed. A friend asked me for my recipe for
>>chocolate cake frosting. She loves mine. Enjoyed it here many times.
>> There is nothing in my heart that would prompt me to hide special
>> touches or techniques to make her look like an 'also ran' cook. I wanted
>> her to enjoy success and compliments.
>> It's the ordinary 'in every cookbook' recipe where you bake a sheet
>> cake and pour a chocolate frosting on top while the cake is still hot out
>> of the oven.
>> Butter, powdered sugar, milk, cocoa, and bit of salt and a little
>> vanilla.
>> I've seriously considered every ingredient in the mix.
>> The concoction works with butter - or margarine.
>> It works with 'real' milk or 2% or whatever's in the refrigerator.
>> My box of powdered sugar ( one pound) says it contains 3 3/4 cups. She
>> used a sack (?) that's said to contain 4 cups.
>> Are any of you familiar with this cake frosting and have just ANY
>> clue as to why hers turned to soup? It didn't matter to her brothers who
>> were quite agreeable about using a drinking straw =) but she (and I )
>> are disappointed and puzzled.
>> Is it possible that a store-brand powdered sugar caused the failure?
>> Would the post-hurricane strange weather be a factor? Any thoughts?
>> Polly
>
>That is the same sort of frosting I have almost always made. I never even
>used a recipe. The only time it didn't come out right for me was when I
>added too much milk. Now mind you this was when I was like 8 years old. I
>learned that I had to add the milk a drop at a time until I got the right
>consistency. And I learned to make it thicker than what I thought it should
>be. Add just enough liquid to get it to where you could spread it.
>
>If it does get too thin, the trick to fixing it is to add more powdered
>sugar. But then that will also change the flavor. So you'll need to add a
>little more vanilla, salt and if you are using it, cocoa. I just did it to
>taste.
>
>Also keep in mind that if you are using a liquid vanilla, you'll not need
>very much milk at all. If you are using a powdered vanilla, you'll need a
>little more. But still, the amount of milk to use is usually just a few
>drops. Maybe at the most a Tablespoon, but it's highly unlikely that you'd
>need that much.

An experienced cook would add liquid incrementally drop by drop until
achieving the desired consistancy... most cookbooks would include a
note to add liquid incrementally to powdered sugar... the same thing
in reverse when thickening a gravy. Experienced bakers never dump all
the liquid (or flour) into the bowl all at one, they begin mixing and
then adjust. Same with salt, you're supposed to add pinch by pinch
while tasting with each addition... experienced cooks never ever add
salt directly from a container, one little brain fart and yer screwed.