Hi. Novice frosting maker here, and I'd like to relate an experience and
hear your theories. This was the first place I thought of coming to ask...

I made some frosting the other night. The basic recipe was:

1 tbsp butter
1/3 c milk
2 oz baker's chocolate
2 cups confectioner's sugar

Melt butter and chocolate with milk, cool, add sugar, beat til thick enough
to spread.

Well, I didn't have baker's chocolate so I used a tablespoon of duch cocoa,
and I used 2 tablespoons of butter rather than one.

Instead of 2 cups confectioner's sugar, the frosting required 2 boxes to get
thick. It ended up quite tasty with the addition of a little bit of
peppermint extract, but do you think the slight changes I made caused it to
require that much more confectioner's sugar, or was the recipe inaccurate?

Thanks for your perspective, and while we're at it, I'd love to know your
favorite easy frosting recipe.

Cheers.

"rox" > wrote in message
news
> Hi. Novice frosting maker here, and I'd like to relate an experience and
> hear your theories. This was the first place I thought of coming to ask...
>
> I made some frosting the other night. The basic recipe was:
>
> 1 tbsp butter
> 1/3 c milk
> 2 oz baker's chocolate
> 2 cups confectioner's sugar
>
> Melt butter and chocolate with milk, cool, add sugar, beat til thick
enough
> to spread.
>
> Well, I didn't have baker's chocolate so I used a tablespoon of duch
cocoa,
> and I used 2 tablespoons of butter rather than one.
>
> Instead of 2 cups confectioner's sugar, the frosting required 2 boxes to
get
> thick. It ended up quite tasty with the addition of a little bit of
> peppermint extract, but do you think the slight changes I made caused it
to
> require that much more confectioner's sugar, or was the recipe inaccurate?
>
> Thanks for your perspective, and while we're at it, I'd love to know your
> favorite easy frosting recipe.
>
> Cheers.

It sounds like an awful lot of milk for frosting, to me. Generally when I
make a fudge frosting (where the chocolate/butter is melted) I combine the
chocolate butter combo with the powdered sugar, and then add the milk until
I get the right consistency. Sometimes I skip the milk and use coffee.
Lately, though, I've been using a chocolate cream cheese recipe I threw
together one night, because I like the texture better. It stays creamier,
and is very versatile. I use an 8 oz block of cream cheese, 4 tbsp butter,
both softened and creamed together. (this is a larger recipe than yours, so
you can half it). Then I added 1/4 cup cocoa powder and 2 ounces melted
unsweetened or bittersweet cocoa, depending on what I have on hand and about
a pound of powdered sugar (4 cups). Begin blending and add 2 tsp vanilla and
milk or coffee, 1 tbsp at a time, until the right consistency is achieved.
Increase speed and beat a couple more minutes (I use the paddle attachment
on my stand mixer for this recipe). It will lighten a tiny bit, and you'll
notice the powdered sugar will not be so starchy tasting.
It's yummy, and the cool part is you can make it in a variety of flavor
twists, just by adding different extracts. Peppermint, orange, raspberry,
etc. You can also do the same cream cheese-butter-powdered sugar blend
without the chocolate and flavor from there. Try grating some orange peel,
adding a couple drops of orange oil, and subbing orange juice for the milk.
Use to frost a white cake with orange curd filling. Awesome!


kimberly

>
>

On Tue, 10 Aug 2004 23:27:31 GMT, "rox"
> wrote:

>Hi. Novice frosting maker here, and I'd like to relate an experience and
>hear your theories. This was the first place I thought of coming to ask...
>
>I made some frosting the other night. The basic recipe was:
>
>1 tbsp butter
>1/3 c milk

I'd have to agree with Nexis, this is quite a bit of milk. I'd start
with 2-3 tablespoons & then add a 1 tablespoon until the consistency
is correct.

>2 oz baker's chocolate
>2 cups confectioner's sugar
>
>Melt butter and chocolate with milk, cool, add sugar, beat til thick enough
>to spread.
>
>Well, I didn't have baker's chocolate so I used a tablespoon of duch cocoa,

Same thing, pretty much.

Here's some interesting reading on cocoas
http://www.cafecreosote.com/dictiona...cocoa%20powder

>and I used 2 tablespoons of butter rather than one.

Yeah, you added in more moisture & the milk may have pushed it over
the edge.

>Instead of 2 cups confectioner's sugar, the frosting required 2 boxes to get
>thick. It ended up quite tasty with the addition of a little bit of
>peppermint extract, but do you think the slight changes I made caused it to
>require that much more confectioner's sugar, or was the recipe inaccurate?

Powdered sugar doesn't need much moisture to dissolve, although, I'd
use less milk & increase if you think you need more.

>Thanks for your perspective, and while we're at it, I'd love to know your
>favorite easy frosting recipe.
>
>Cheers.
>


Denise, Brian & Wyatt (May 31, 02)

A good friend will come and bail you out of jail...
A true friend will be sitting next to you saying,
"Damn...that was fun!"

"rox" > wrote in message
news
> Hi. Novice frosting maker here, and I'd like to relate an experience and
> hear your theories. This was the first place I thought of coming to ask...
>
> I made some frosting the other night. The basic recipe was:
>
> 1 tbsp butter
> 1/3 c milk
> 2 oz baker's chocolate
> 2 cups confectioner's sugar
>
> Melt butter and chocolate with milk, cool, add sugar, beat til thick
enough
> to spread.
>
> Well, I didn't have baker's chocolate so I used a tablespoon of duch
cocoa,
> and I used 2 tablespoons of butter rather than one.
>
> Instead of 2 cups confectioner's sugar, the frosting required 2 boxes to
get
> thick. It ended up quite tasty with the addition of a little bit of
> peppermint extract, but do you think the slight changes I made caused it
to
> require that much more confectioner's sugar, or was the recipe inaccurate?
>
> Thanks for your perspective, and while we're at it, I'd love to know your
> favorite easy frosting recipe.
>
> Cheers.

It sounds like an awful lot of milk for frosting, to me. Generally when I
make a fudge frosting (where the chocolate/butter is melted) I combine the
chocolate butter combo with the powdered sugar, and then add the milk until
I get the right consistency. Sometimes I skip the milk and use coffee.
Lately, though, I've been using a chocolate cream cheese recipe I threw
together one night, because I like the texture better. It stays creamier,
and is very versatile. I use an 8 oz block of cream cheese, 4 tbsp butter,
both softened and creamed together. (this is a larger recipe than yours, so
you can half it). Then I added 1/4 cup cocoa powder and 2 ounces melted
unsweetened or bittersweet cocoa, depending on what I have on hand and about
a pound of powdered sugar (4 cups). Begin blending and add 2 tsp vanilla and
milk or coffee, 1 tbsp at a time, until the right consistency is achieved.
Increase speed and beat a couple more minutes (I use the paddle attachment
on my stand mixer for this recipe). It will lighten a tiny bit, and you'll
notice the powdered sugar will not be so starchy tasting.
It's yummy, and the cool part is you can make it in a variety of flavor
twists, just by adding different extracts. Peppermint, orange, raspberry,
etc. You can also do the same cream cheese-butter-powdered sugar blend
without the chocolate and flavor from there. Try grating some orange peel,
adding a couple drops of orange oil, and subbing orange juice for the milk.
Use to frost a white cake with orange curd filling. Awesome!


kimberly

>
>