I need a really delicious crusting chocolate buttercream frosting. Saw one online here but it uses transfats. I don't want to do that and margarine and I don't want to do that either. Any ideas would really help!

Thanks
rosie

This is the recipe I use for all of my chocolate buttercream icing. Everyone loves it and it pairs well with a ganache filling. I prefer using all butter for this if possible. However if you are worried about humidity do the 50/50

1 cup of salted butter

OR

1/2 cup of salted butter
1/2 cup Crisco

1 lb icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3 tbs meringue powder (optional)
3 tbs table cream

100 g 71% cocoa chocolate
cocoa powder(see below)


1. Cream your butter until it's light and fluffy.
2. Add vanilla (and meringue) and beat until blended.
3 Melt* the chocolate using a double boiler or in the microwave. Make sure not to let it scorch or get any water in the chocolate.
4. Add melted chocolate to the butter and beat until well blended.
5. Add icing sugar in 3 batches. Blend well between each addition.
6 Add table cream and mix for about 2 minutes.

This should give you a mocha colored chocolate icing. If you need a darker color. Add cocoa powder until you reach the color you want. Adding cocoa powder will make your icing a bit dry so you will need to adjust the amount of table cream until the consistency is where you want it.

1/2 cup - 3/4 cup cocoa should give you a nice dark chocolate. Add another 2 tbs of table cream.

*Melting chocolate.
Double boiler
Bring water to a boil in a pot. Lower the heat slightly. Place a bowl on top of the pot so the bottom is not in the water and the bowl rest on top of The pot. Then add your roughly chopped chocolate. Stir chocolate as it melts. Be careful not to get any water in the chocolate.

Microwave
Rough chop chocolate and place it in a microwaveable bowl. Heat for 20 seconds remove and stir with a spatula. Keep repeating this until the chocolate is melted. It's important to remember that melting time will vary depending on your microwave. So I do not recommend putting a high time and walking away you could end up with scorched chocolate. Stirring in between nuking uses the residual heat in the chocolate to help melt without scorching.

With regards to the meringue powder being optional. I make this icing without it and it still crust over. If you feel more comfortable adding it by all means go ahead.
If you have any questions concerning this please feel free to PM me.

Hi there, I just posted one on here:
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake_recipe-7226-2-Chocolate-Buttercream-crusting.html
It's very very good!!

Do you have a crusting icing you like already? If so, you can add cocoa powder or melted chocolate to it until you get the taste/color you want. You may just need to add a bit of extra liquid to your icing.