Chocolate

Classic Chocolate Frosting

by:
October 21, 2013
4
4 Ratings
Classic Chocolate Frosting
  • Serves one 8-inch cake
Author Notes

Foolproof and delicious. Classic, decadent, rich, and perfectly sweet. Over the years I have tweaked this recipe a bit, its originally from The New York Times Dessert Book. Its the perfect companion frosting on a yellow layer cake. —Camille Becerra

Test Kitchen Notes

I love this frosting, Camile Becerra's Classic Chocolate Frosting the perfect hybrid of a classic American buttercream, ganache and a swiss meringue buttercream. Not too sweet, super creamy, spreads like a dream this frosting has it all. The sum of all it's parts yields one of the best chocolate frostings I have had in a long time. The olive oil, butter and egg yolks add richness and keep it supremely spreadable. This is a very adult frosting and this recipe is going to the top of the list of frostings that I will always use. —sdebrango

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1 pound semi-sweet or dark bitter chocolate
  • 2 1/2 sticks of salted butter, at room temperature
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 1 cup confectioners sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 6 egg yolks
  • 1 pinch sea salt
Directions
  1. Chop the chocolate into small pieces and melt gently in a bain marie, stirring frequently. Once all the chocolate is melted, remove from heat and allow to cool completely, stirring here and there while you prepare the remaining recipe.
  2. In a mixer bowl with a paddle attachment cream one stick of butter, olive oil and cocoa powder on medium speed for 5 minutes until smooth. Add the remaining butter and continue to cream for another 3 minutes.
  3. Sift in the confectioners sugar and add the vanilla extract. Mix until completely smooth.
  4. Add the egg yolks one at a time, mixing well before adding the next egg.
  5. Add the chocolate and sea salt, stir till well combined. Use right away. If making in advance, refrigerate and pull an hour before use, mix with paddle attachment for a couple minutes till smooth.
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6 Reviews

Mary J.
Mary J. September 7, 2020
Excellent frosting! Recipe makes a HUGE amount...made half portion and still had gobs for a one tall-ish layer cake. Am experimenting with freezing extra. Anyone tried this? OK once soft and re-mixed a bit?
 
TheWimpyVegetarian
TheWimpyVegetarian April 8, 2018
Oh, and I used pasteurized eggs, just to be safe.
 
TheWimpyVegetarian
TheWimpyVegetarian April 8, 2018
Made this yesterday for a chocolate cake I served after dinner last night. It was really, really wonderful!
 
Heather S.
Heather S. April 1, 2018
So great. I added a dash of coffee liqueur in addition to the vanilla. After frosting, I put the cake in the freezer, which made it gorgeous and easy to slice as well.
 
AC
AC July 12, 2016
I had great success using this recipe over the weekend. One thought - I didn't ice my cake straight away so the icing did harden. I did as suggested and brought it back to life in a paddle mixer. But it was still hard to glide on, luckily my Nana has a great tip to counteract this; have a glass of warm water at the ready and dip your knife in it as you ice. It makes it so much easier! You can decorate beautifully.
 
em-i-lis
em-i-lis October 26, 2013
This sounds so interesting! I've never seen olive oil used in a frosting, but as I love it in cakes can't imagine why I wouldn't love it here.
Have you ever had any issue with the amount of raw egg? How long would you let this sit at room temp once on a cake?