I have a handful of tried-and-true recipes that are used so frequently, the pages are marred by stains and handwritten notes. Many are passed down to me from my mother, who in turn learned them from her parents. Such is the case with Brown Beauty Icing, which never fails to transform even the most boring boxed cake mix into a dense, moist and decadent desert.
Recently, as I was extolling the many virtues of my favorite frosting {the ease! the texture! the intensity!} J remarked that he could not recall ever having tasted it. Though I knew this was merely a symptom of his extremely selective memory, I couldn't allow such an egregious oversight to remain. His birthday offered the perfect opportunity to remedy the situation.
Brown Beauty Icing
1 1/3 cups sifted confectioners sugar
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup milk
3 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate, melted
1 tsp vanilla
1 whole egg
Blend sugar, butter, milk, chocolate and vanilla in a mixing bowl. Add egg. Beat until smooth. Place mixing bowl in ice water and beat until frosting is thick. Makes enough to frost two 8" or 9" round layers or a 13 x 9" cake. {However, I always double the recipe, because I prefer a little cake with my frosting rather than the other way around.}
12 comments:
Oh, bummer! I just baked a chocolate cake the other night and frosted it with a mediocre chocolate peanut butter frosting. I'll give this one a shot on my next cake! Thanks!
My hubby makes a very similar icing and he adds a layer of warmed raspberry jam between each layer too. Totally decadent. Chocolate + raspberry = drooling.
beautiful cake! to pretty to eat!
I'm counting calories so no cake for me right now, I'm saving this recipe for the future. Looks soooo good. Thanks for sharing this family recipe.
Yes, I just frosted something with a boring old white cake type, I will definitely try this one soon! And yes, I have to admit, I too like a little cake with my frosting:)!
You crack me up - love your "extremely selective memory" quote as well as the "little cake with my frosting"; you gave dad and I a good laugh.
But today is Pi day so I'll have to wait til Marie Antoinette day to eat cake. :)
I made a chocolate cake tonight just so I could try this frosting! Wow, it is really great! Any worry about having a raw egg in it? (It didn't really dawn on me that there was a raw egg in it until I made it.)
Thanks,
Cristin
You're right, I forgot to address the raw egg issue! We use fresh eggs from our backyard chickens, which lessens my concern, but also you can just refrigerate the leftover cake if you like. It actually makes it even more dense! {Just be sure to cover it so it doesn't dry out}
I missed Pi day again! Oh, well, better luck next year:). There are TONS of sites like this, my sister in law is great at sharing them so I'd be happy to forward them along, but here's one my mom sent to explore:). Hope you're having a great day! And that red velvet cake looked delicious as well!
http://frugalbabe.com/2008/04/27/our-frugal-homemade-diapers/ (she offered to try out some cloth diapers on her sewing machine, I'm not sure I'm ready to make that plunge until Joseph is done with school but I guess it couldn't hurt to try if they're free:). I have a site that has discounted kits (like $1.60 per diaper) if you're interested:). Well, good luck!
I just finished making (and eating:) chocolate chocolate chocolate cake (chocolate pudding in Devil's food cake mix with chocolate chips) with Brown Beauty icing, now that is truly death by chocolate for me! And on a side note, the icing is great in the stage before you add the egg too, not as fluffy but if anyone is concerned:).
I just made your icing last week for my husband's birthday cake. We all thought it was delicious! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe. Miss your blog presence!
This recipe has been my family's "go to" for at least 60 years. Now having someone in our life who is immunocompromiesed, I'm using a liquid egg alternative (similar to "Eggbeaters") in place of an egg.
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