Truly the most perfect Chocolate Frosting Recipe I’ve ever made! See how glossy and perfect it is??? It’s the best, and you must try it!
This is a non-traditional frosting recipe. It’s warmed on the stove, and it has sour cream in it! There is no powdered sugar in this recipe (only granulated white sugar). It’s rich and delicious!
I love the look of the smooth and shiny frosting. It isn’t a frosting recipe that is meant to pipe on to cakes or cupcakes. Plan to spread it on and enjoy the smooth and shiny texture.
Turns out I’ve been messing around with cake and frosting recipes this week. Cake is awesome… especially on Tuesdays. You see, Tuesday is my Weigh-In Day for my weight loss challenge. So basically I get to weigh myself in the morning and then bake to my heart’s content (aka cheat big-time) in the afternoon. Then all is back to normal on Wednesday and into the following week. Does that sound like a good plan?? I figure you can’t be perfect 100% of the time. Otherwise, you set yourself up for failure.
So cheating by making a fabulous yellow cake with the best chocolate frosting is totally worth it.
This chocolate frosting used on this cake is AMAZING. It’s shiny and smooth and perfect, and it glides on just right. I’m not even that crazy about chocolate, but I am in love with this chocolate frosting recipe. It’s perfect for a two-layer cake, and it would frost about 36 cupcakes.
It’s important to note that it’s a very soft and slick frosting. The instructions given are to prepare the frosting and then chill it in the refrigerator until the consistency is just right. You don’t want to add it to your cake when it’s not quite thick enough or you might get a cake that is slipping and sliding!
Make yourself a cake today so you can try out this awesome chocolate frosting recipe. Enjoy!
Here are a few more chocolate frosting recipes you might like to try:
- Hershey’s Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Frosting
- Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
- Sugar Free Chocolate Frosting
- Rich Chocolate Vegan Frosting
- Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- Dark Chocolate Frosting
Chocolate Frosting
Recipe Details
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter
- 1½ cups granulated white sugar
- 1¼ cups unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1¼ cups heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 cup full fat sour cream
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Whisk in the sugar and cocoa powder. In a separate bowl, whisk together the cream and the sour cream. Slowly add this to the pan, whisking it in until well combined and smooth. Mix in the espresso powder and heat until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.
- Let the icing sit at room temperature until it is a good consistency for icing your cake or cupcakes. To speed up the process, place it in the refrigerator. Keep an eye on it and take it out when it firms up enough to ice. If it gets too firm, you can always stick it in the microwave for a few seconds to soften it up again.
Notes
- *this recipe will make enough frosting for a two-layer cake, and MAYBE enough for a 3-layer cake. It will also be enough to frost about 36 cupcakes.
I must have found this recipe shortly after you published because I’ve been making it for years! This is the cake that my family requests for special occasions, or just when “Mama hasn’t made her chocolate cake in a while!” My son’s 11th birthday is today, and this was his request for birthday cake (even over bakery cakes and ice cream cakes!). I make a yellow box cake (hacked with butter, milk and an extra egg) to top this with. I can’t imagine a time when this isn’t the favorite cake of my sweet little family. Thank you for sharing such a great recipe!
Oh, and I don’t really have trouble with the frosting setting up. I leave it on the counter to cool. I usually encourage it/rush it in our big freezer-I just stir it every so often so it cools evenly.
I made the recipe it is a success
I liked the fact that You cook it
I made this for the second time today and once again it was delicious!
I love, love, love this recipe. Thanks so much for sharing it. It was great on my halloween ghost cake topped with meringue ghosts, shiny and delicious, didn’t slip, sat just where i spread it (I let it cool). Thanks so much!
This sounds yummy. Going to try pouring this warm over a pan of gooey brownies. Years ago, a friend gave me an Osterizer blender recipe made with hot milk that was a blend and pour. It was wonderful. Can’t find it, but this might be close. Thanks.
I had a hard time getting the icing to thicken up. I let it get to room temperature and I even put it in the fridge! But when I tried to frost the cake it would just slide off. It taste amazing though. Please help;)
I was able to get mine to a good consistency in the fridge, but you might try whipping it with an electric mixer.
This is gorgeous! Can I just have a spoon and eat it without the cake?
Looks like a keeper. Can’t wait to try this one.
Love chocolate recipes. Chocolate makes me happy
This is the shinest frosting I’ve ever seen! Can’t wait to try it.
Lori,
I’d eat all the frosting right out of the bowl. Isn’t cake just reason to have frosting?!?
Annamaria
That really looks like the perfect frosting! I am not sure I’d have enough for the cake… I would probably keep putting a spoon into the bowl to make sure it tastes good! 😉
This looks spectacular! I am wondering if you would consider it more of an icing or a frosting.
@Teresa, I hadn’t really thought about it, actually! Maybe- because it isn’t made w/ powdered sugar, and it is heated rather than just mixed in a bowl. I spread mine on when it was still a little warm, which gives it that smooth and glossy look. If you wait longer to let it chill, it may spread on more like frosting.
Love this “real talk”. Always good to treat yourself after weigh in day. Then you have a whole week to undo it!
This looks so creamy and fudgy! If I were not on a diet, I would make this frosting soon. Does espresso keep in the cupboard for a long time? It is not something I have on hand.
I love your plan to eat what you want after weigh in, and you’re right — you’ve got to be able to indulge on occasion or good-bye diet. 🙂 I’ve never seen a frosting like this — it’s so shiny and gorgeous! I’m very much into chocolate, so this looks right up my alley! Pinning. 🙂
Gorgeous frosting Lori! I love how shiny and glossy it is – love that you added sour cream in here! I just want to grab a spoon and dig in – pinning 🙂
I’m not usually a huge frosting fan because I don’t really like powdered sugar. This recipe sounds amazing! I can’t wait to have a reason to try it out.
This sounds sooo good! I made a huge chocolate cake for my birthday yesterday and I added sour cream to my frosting too. It was a fabulous choice. 🙂
You can never go wrong with a fail-proof frosting recipe, especially when there’s chocolate involved!
Due to the sour cream and heavy cream in this, Will it need to be refrigerated even tho it’s cooked?
Do you think this frosting would be good on brownies?
sure!
Pass a spoon please!! 🙂
Pinned!
Yes!! We make this similar frosting for yellow cakes (my grandma calls it chocolate sour cream frosting)!! So dark and glossy 🙂 Makes me want some right now!!
That frosting is seriously beautiful! SO shiny and perfect! Thanks for sharing this Lori! Pinned 🙂