Candy Coated Chocolate Frosting

This Chocolate Frosting is HANDS DOWN my Favorite Chocolate Frosting. This is NO Ganache! It's actually a frosting that coats your cake and hardens like a soft chocolate candy!

This chocolate frosting keeps the cake moist!! This icing is perfect if making cake pops as well. Cake pops have the firm frosting shell on the outside, and inside is the flavored cake of your choice!

This from scratch chocolate frosting is absolutely a must try! You'll be making it all the time for more than just cakes! :-D

This frosting starts off with lots of Cocoa Powder! This recipe is FROM SCRATCH! You will be so happy with yourself for making your own frosting!

Another plus is you can actually control the amount of sugar in this frosting. Which is great for those who want to monitor the sugar usage in their household.

To get started, before you add any liquids you want to make sure the two dry ingredients (Cocoa & Sugar) are together and well mixed. A whisk works very well at mixing the ingredients fast. This granulated sugar keeps the cocoa powder from clumping if you've mixed it well.

Now it's time for the wet ingredient(s). The evaporated milk, and if you decide to use the 1/2 cup of coffee. I use decaf, but regular is equally as flavorful. I personally have to watch my caffeine intake, thats is the sole reason for choosing decaf over regular :-)

Coffee brings out the chocolate flavor. It's amazing how well those ingredients go together. If you are out of coffee or don't ever have coffee on hand. There is absolutely no reason to go out of your way to buy this! This recipe is just as awesome without it!

Once you have all the ingredients, besides the butter. Wait for your mixture to cook before adding the butter. After adding the butter, let your mixture get to a boil. This step can be accomplished on Medium Heat.

Remember to constantly stir as your chocolate heats up. This will keep your chocolate from sticking and overflowing from the pot when it starts to boil.

While keeping an eye on the chocolate, you should also alternate the heat from med low to medium to keep the boiling mixture from sticking and overflowing. Keep watching and alternating heat until the boiled chocolate starts to visually and physically thicken.

NOTE: I add the butter while chocolate mixture is cooking and starts to thicken. This is the absolute trick to a firm frosting that will coat your cake. After a few hours the smooth cooled frosting will transform into a hard shell.

The hard shell won't be super hard, it will still be soft as well. This is perfect for cutting a wonderful slice of cake! 

Once the frosting is cooled, yet still workable. You can pour or spoon the cooled chocolate frosting on top your cake of choice. Let the chocolate spread everywhere. Where ever the chocolate doesn't go, try to direct your spoonful of frosting in the area you want to get covered.

You want to try your best to let the chocolate spread on it's own. Without smoothing it out with a knife or spoon like other frostings. Just start slowly from the middle and watch the chocolate spread.

If the chocolate has thickened and cooled long enough. This process can seem like watching lava flow from a Volcano! It can be slow, but soon you will have a perfectly Frosted Cake! 

Ingredients

1 can evaporated milk

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup Cocoa Powder

1/2 cup Coffee (I use Decaf, Optional)

2-3 Tbsp butter, salted (or unsalted, I prefer salted)

Directions:

    1    Mix Sugar and cocoa together in medium pot

    2    Add Evaporated milk, stir, then turn heat on to medium

    3    Pour in Coffee and continue cooking and stirring 

    4    Stir continuously, alternating heat temperature to keep from boiling over

    5    Bring chocolate to a light bubbling boil

    6    Keep stirring till chocolate starts to get candied on the side of the pot

    7   Add Butter when chocolate starts to thicken

    8    Then remove fro heat

    9    Stir till the chocolate stops bubbling, and let cool till thick enough to spread onto cake

Tips:

If there is more chocolate than needed you can either let the extra pool on the bottom of your dish or you can store it in your fridge in a plastic baggie.

To loosen: Leave chocolate in plastic baggie. Place baggie in a pot of hot water to loosen again.

Use your extra delicious chocolate to coat strawberries, your favorite nuts, or anything your heart desires! :-D