Dark chocolate frosting can be made with cocoa powder or melted dark chocolate, mixed with butter and powdered sugar. Some dark chocolate bars contain enough sugar to make them sweet enough for frosting. A recipe for dark chocolate fudge candy frosting uses chopped dark chocolate instead of cocoa powder. A third option is to use both dark chocolate chunks and cocoa powder.
Dark chocolate frosting, like many other frostings, starts with a base of buttercream or shortening. In this recipe, dark chocolate cocoa powder and dark chocolate chunks replace the flavoring extracts and milk chocolate chunks. Some dark chocolate frosting recipes use cocoa powder only, some use only melted dark chocolate, and some use a combination of the two. The choice is up to the baker and may depend on what ingredients he has on hand when making the glaze.
Only a few types of dark chocolate are sugar-free. Cocoa Power usually contains no sweeteners, and unsweetened and semi-sweet dark chocolates are usually true to their names. Many dark chocolate bars and chunks contain enough sugar to make them pleasantly sweet. This is often the type chocolatiers should use in their frosting recipes. Semisweet chocolate is acceptable, but too much unsweetened chocolate in the mix can create a bitter glaze.
A basic recipe for dark chocolate frosting using dark chocolate cocoa powder starts with about 1/2 part softened butter and shortening. The cook must mix these two ingredients with an electric mixer until they are relatively smooth. In a separate bowl, the cook should mix about 1 part dark chocolate cocoa powder and 3 to 4 parts powdered sugar. He or she can then slowly pour the cocoa mixture into the butter mixture, turning on the electric mixer to fully incorporate the ingredients. If the frosting doesn’t taste sweet enough after it’s thoroughly mixed, a capful or two of vanilla flavoring should bring out both the sweetness and the chocolate.
Those interested in making Dark Chocolate Fudge Candy Frosting require the same proportions of butter, shortening, sugar, and vanilla as above. The cook simply replaces the dark chocolate cocoa powder with 1 part chopped dark chocolate. This solid dark chocolate should be melted in a microwave safe bowl or over a double boiler and allowed to cool for about a minute. Allowing the chocolate to cool a bit typically helps it become slightly thick and prevents the butter from melting and shortening. This type of dark chocolate frosting should stick together just like cocoa powder-based frosting.
A third type of dark chocolate frosting uses both dark chocolate chunks and cocoa powder. The cook has two choices here. He or she can use 1/2 part each of melted chocolate and cocoa powder, or a complete part of each ingredient. Using a full portion of each usually creates a very rich and intense glaze. Chocolate lovers who can’t get enough may prefer this latest version of the recipe.
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