A Reader Writes, asking, “Can anyone give me a milk chocolate recipe for icing that isn’t sweet. Every recipe that I’ve looked at calls for powdered sugar. Yuk, it’s like eating a bag of sugar on a chocolate cake.” I certainly share your sentiment regarding cake frosting that’s too sweet. Here’s an idea that should solve your problem ...

... Try using a variation on a ganache-style icing; chocolate and cream, with perhaps a little butter. For a single-layer cake, start with 8 ounces of milk chocolate chopped into small pieces (because you’re trying to cut the sweeness, use a high cocoa content milk chocolate such as the Felchlin Creole (49%) or substitute a small amount of the milk chocolate with dark chocolate to your taste preference), to 6 ounces (by weight) of heavy cream. Heat the cream to just boiling and then pour over the chopped chocolate. Let sit for two minutes and then stir gently with a spoon from the center until all the chocolate is melted and the consistency is perfectly even. If you want, you can pour this over the cake right now.

If you want something a little fluffier, add a tablespoon of butter to the chocolate before you pour the hot cream over it. When fully incorporated, let the mixture cool completely and then sit covered for several hours or overnight in the refrigerator so that the mixture sets.

When you’re ready to ice the cake, take the ganache out of the fridge and, still covered, let it come to room temperature. Now, take a wire whisk and beat the ganache until it’s fluffy and ice the cake with that. Now normally you would not want to incorporate so much air into a ganache because it shortens the shelf life, but in this case, the cake is probably meant to be eaten right away so that should not be an issue.

Previous Questions and Answers:

1. Cheryl :: At this point I am at a loss to understand what's not working for you. Does the method I mention above not work for you? Can you tell me more about what's not working? Please also be patient. Although there are many people who read this site every day, most read and don't comment. :: Clay
   Posted by  on  09/03  at  08:48 AM
2. Frosting made with confectioner's sugar seems to crack on larger cakes (1/2 sheet to full sheet). any suggestions as to what type of frosting i can use to eliminate this problem? Perhaps whipped ganache? :: Bonnie; You could try a whipped ganache, I like those a lot -- just make sure to use a higher-than-normal amount of liquid. Another option is to flavor whipped cream with cocoa powder and then sweeten to taste. You can really control the flavor intensity and color of the frosting that way. :: Clay
   Posted by  on  12/05  at  07:43 PM