Chocolate Fudge Frosting (No Mixer!)
A 4 ingredient chocolate fudge frosting made in a saucepan. No mixer, no melted chocolate, not too sweet and deeply chocolatey!
Yield:4 to 5 cups
- Cook Time:
- 15 mins
- Chilling Time:
- 1 hr
- Total Time:
- 1 hr, 15 mins
Ingredients
- 3 cups unsalted butter (6 sticks or 675g)
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk (360g)
- 3 cups powdered sugar (360g)
- 1 cup cocoa powder (100g), preferably Dutch processed
- 1 tsp instant coffee (optional, but recommended)
- ½ tsp salt (optional, but recommended)
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to a large saucepan (or deep frying pan) and place on the stove on medium to medium low heat.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until the butter has melted. The mixture might look funny and lumpy at first, but keep stirring and cooking and it will turn into a smooth chocolatey sauce. You can taste it at this stage and add more sugar or cocoa powder if desired
- Keep cooking and stirring until the mixture comes to a boil. It will start to bubble up, then become frothy all over and rise in volume. At this stage, it will start to thicken up
- After a few more minutes of stirring and cooking, the mixture will stop bubbling and turn into a thick, glossy chocolate sauce. The consistency should be similar to a thick chocolate syrup (like Hershey’s). This will take around 10-15 minutes of total cooking
- Once done, pour the frosting into a wide dish such as a 9×13 pan. It will still be quite runny, don’t worry. Press cling wrap directly onto the surface of the frosting (otherwise, it will form a skin which will then create lumps in the frosting)
- Refrigerate for about 1-2 hours, or until the frosting becomes firm and spreadable. Now use it however you want!
Notes
- Texture: This frosting is in between an icing and a buttercream, so it is very spreadable, but not firm enough for piping. For a pipeable consistency, you can stir in 150g or dark of semi-sweet chocolate into the hot frosting after it cooks. Wait 5 minutes, then stir into a smooth sauce. Pour into a pan, cover, and rest at room temperature until it is set.
- Temperature: You can use the temperature of this frosting to your advantage. If it feels too firm to work with, leave it at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes. If it feels too runny, back into the fridge. I generally find it easiest to use when it is well chilled
- Storage: You can keep the frosting in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.