Recipe Collection: Salted Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

It’s the day before Valentine’s Day, so naturally, I have to share this treat with you.  It is so fabulous.  It tastes like fluffy French silk pie.  Or…a chocolate cloud.  I don’t know.  But it is amazing.

And, as frostings go, this one’s pretty healthy.  I know, you can’t ever really call frosting healthy.  But the whole batch has less than 3/4 cup sugar, and plenty of butter and eggs.  That’s *health food,* right?

Whether you consider it healthy or not, it’s delicious.  It’s awesome.  There are not enough positive adjectives to describe this.  You just have to try this.  You will not regret it.

(It might have been so awesome that my children took the bowl out of the fridge and ate it for breakfast before I could get a truly awesome picture of it.  Yeah….)

Salted Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:

  • 1 whole egg + 2 egg yolks
  • 1/2 + 2 tbsp. cane sugar (or 1/2 c. honey)
  • 1/4 c. water (omit if using honey)
  • 2 – 3 sticks butter, salted (or you can add 1/4 – 1/2 tsp. sea salt)
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 2 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate

Directions:

First, put the eggs and egg yolk in the bowl of a stand mixer.  If you don’t have one (I didn’t until very recently), you can do this with a hand mixer instead.  It’s a little easier with the stand mixer, but it’s definitely doable without.

eggs

Whip the eggs until pale yellow and frothy.  Meanwhile, cook the sugar and water in a saucepan over low heat.

cooking sugar

When the sugar syrup has reached the softball stage (238 degrees), it’s ready.

Pour the sugar syrup into the mixer while it’s running.  Yes, you can do this with a hand mixer…I have!  You just can’t also take a picture of it. 🙂

sugar into eggs edit

Let this continue to whip until it’s cooled.  Put your hand on the bottom of the bowl to check — it should be roughly room temperature.

While this is whipping, start melting the chocolate.  I just do it directly on the stove, on very low heat.

chocolate in pot

Now, start adding the butter, a tablespoon or two at a time.

butter edit

This is going to look soupy and lumpy — that is normal.  Add more butter, a small amount at a time, until it thickens up and looks beautifully whipped.  At this point, add the vanilla, and the chocolate.

melted chocolate

You may need to scrape down the sides, because the mixer will fling the chocolate all over the place.  Then again, the sides will be coated in random bits of sugar syrup, butter, and chocolate, which is delicious to taste….

See how beautiful the frosting is now?

frosting

 

chocolate buttercream

Now it can be eaten however you like.  Spread it on cupcakes, or cookies, or eat it with a spoon.  That last way might be my favorite.

Salted Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients
  

  • 1 whole egg + 2 egg yolks
  • 1/2 + 2 tbsp cane sugar (or 1/2 c. honey)
  • 1/4 cup water (omit if using honey)
  • 2-3 sticks butter, salted (or you can add 1/4 - 1/2 tsp. sea salt)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 oz unsweetened baking chocolate

Instructions
 

  • Put the egg and egg yolks in the bowl of a stand mixer and whip until pale yellow and frothy.
  • While eggs are whipping, cook the sugar and water in a saucepan over low heat until it reaches the softball stage (238 degrees).
  • While mixer is still running, pour hot sugar syrup into the egg mixture. Continue to whip until it's cooled to room temperature.
  • While mixture is whipping/cooling, melt chocolate in saucepan over low heat.
  • Once egg mixture has cooled, add butter a tablespoon or two at a time. It will thicken as more butter is added.
  • Add the vanilla and melted chocolate.

What’s your favorite use for frosting?

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2 thoughts on “Recipe Collection: Salted Chocolate Buttercream Frosting”

  1. I just finished making this and I won’t lie, there was a time during the soupy, lumpy stage that I doubted you. I let it keep whipping and promised not to look at the at all for a couple for minutes. When I went back to the mixer, it was beautiful, lol.
    Thanks so much!

    Reply

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