The Best Chocolate Cake Icing

 

Impressive huh. 

It wasn't! It was dry! And a bit boring! It wasn't great.

I had such high expectations too, since it was a What Katie Ate recipe, and her pictures always look so amazing. Maybe there's something to be said for pretty pictures that hide a not-so-pretty tasting result. I also know it may have been my fault, and not the recipe's. But a friend also baked it on the same day (coincidentally, great minds etc etc.) and she said the same thing, the cake lacked 'welm'.

I may be biased, since cake and me definitely don't have a friendly past. You're all privy by now to my sponge cake phobia, or maybe I should just stop making excuses for it.

After all that complaining (sorry Katie!), we can finally talk about the cake's savior. That icing. It's the icing to end all icings. Icing icing icing, I can't stop thinking about it. You can keep the cake, but I'll take a tub of the glossy, richly dark, espresso-spiked icing any day, and another to keep spare for desperate moments. 

The icing is almost like a mousse. It takes not one block but two blocks of 70% dark chocolate melted with a fantastically exorbitant amount of butter, vanilla and some espresso, it whips up into something transcendent. Yum. You'll love it, use it on cupcakes, or banana cake. Actually, yes! I would definitely slather it on a banana cake. Why didn't I think of that earlier!

A Chocolate Icing To End All Icings:
adapted from a Katie Quinn Davies recipe

200g good quality dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids, I use Lindt)
1 1/4 cups (280g) un-salted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups icing sugar, sifted
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tbsp pre-made instant coffee

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and icing sugar together in a medium bowl.

In another metal bowl, melt the chocolate over a pot of just simmering water, making sure the chocolate doesn't touch the water.

Add the vanilla and the coffee to the melted chocolate and mix to combine, the chocolate will seize up but don't worry. Add the chocolate mixture to the butter mixture and beat with electric beaters until glossy and smooth.