I swear, I'm starting to be on this site more than facebook LOL The more I read, the more ideas I get, which means even more questions!

So, I am making a grad cake in a couple of weeks. I'm tired of plain old buttercream. I'm just not a big fan. On my grad cake, I want something chocoalte. It's going to be a full sheet (2 12x18 cakes put togher, 2 layers each). Since I have to bake it in parts, I'm doing half chocolate and half yellow. I want to do a chocolate icing. What do you suggest? I have watched some videos and looked up some stuff on the ganache, but I'm not crazy about dark chocolate. Could I use regular chocolate? What brand/kind would I use? I also found this recipe belowfor a chocolate BC. Has anyone tried it? The regular BC I have been using is a recipe w/o shortening as I cannont find anything that is not 0 trans fat, and I'm afraid shortening will make the BC feel greasy. I appreciate any tips, help and/or suggestions!!

http://www.cakeswebake.com/forum/topics/crusting-chocolate-buttercream

Okay, so that link didn't work! Let me just copy and paste it. If anyone has anything better or that has been tried, please let me know! Thanks again!

This is Serious Cakes' recipe for crusting chocolate buttercream.


Chocolate Buttercream (crusting)


Ingredients:

22 tbs. salted butter (its almost 3 sticks)

2/3 c. Crisco shortening

5-8 tbs half and half or light cream

2 tsp vanilla extract

6 oz. unsweetened chocolate thats been melted and cooled to room temp.

2 lbs powdered sugar (about 8 cups)1-3 tbs corn syrup


Instructions:

Melt the chocolate first using either the microwave or like I do: I put my chocolate in a glass measuring cup, place that in a pot with water in it (making sure the water isnt so deep it flows into the measuring cup) and heat on the stove over medium, stirring occasionally until fully melted. Allow to cool to room temp.


Once the chocolate is cooled, cream together butter and shortening until smooth. Slowly add 2 tsp. vanilla and 5 tbs. of cream, then add the chocolate. Gradually add the powdered sugar and scrape down the bowl very well once its all added. Slowly add more cream and corn syrup a tbs at a time until frosting reaches desired consistency (you may not need a lot, depending on how hot your kitchen is and how humid it is outside).

You can use milk or white chocolate for ganache - use a ratio of 3:1 chocolate to cream by weight. Let it set overnight out of the fridge, then zap it for 20-30sec at a time in the microwave mixing after each time, until you get it the consistency of smooth peanut butter for spreading.

Use any kind of chocolate - obviously the nicer chocolate will mke a nicer tasting ganache.

Sorry I can't help with your buttercream question.

I just melt some squares of unsweeteded baking chocolate and add it to the buttercream recipe I already use, instead of finding a different recipe. Then I would spread ganache on top of the buttercream as the filling, if you want extra chocolatey flavor. My family loves this combo on chocolate cake. HTH