My issue with most versions of cake frosting is that the first bite is really delicious, the second one is ok, and after that the experience goes downhill very quickly. This recipe does a great job of solving this problem. It is based on a butter cream from Julia Child’s “Mastering the art of French cooking” – if you don’t have this book, I highly recommend buying it. It’s worth it even just for the dessert section, but the part on “real food” is great too.

Julia’s recipe starts with a crème anglaise base, which gives the frosting a wonderfully smooth, slightly custardy taste and feel. There is a lightness to the cream which stretches out the pleasure you get from eating it significantly. It has none of the graininess that happens when you use icing sugar, and it doesn’t feel like you’re eating a stick of butter. It may take slightly longer to make (about half an hour) but it’s not difficult, and it will be worth your while!

This recipe differs from the cookbook version slightly: I like my desserts – even my cake frosting – a bit less sweet than Julia does. I also like using grams as opposed to cups: it is an easier, cleaner, and more precise way to bake. A digital kitchen scale is well worth having, but if you don’t have one you can do a little math arithmetic to convert the quantities to cups and spoons. The quantity below makes just over a cup of frosting, which is appropriate for filling Cute little chocolate cookies. If you plan to fill and ice an 8-inch cake, you should double this amount. Leftovers can be frozen or used immediately as a fruit dip.

Ingredients:

• 50 g sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 60 ml (=60 g =1/4 cup) hot milk
• 110 g soft butter
• 30 g melted chocolate (I use 85%; if you are a milk chocolate person, I still recommend using 70%.)
• 1 Tbsp rum or espresso (optional)

Preparation:

1. Beat the sugar into the egg yolks in a mixing bowl until the mixture is thick, pale yellow, and folds back on itself forming a slowly dissolving “ribbon”. I recommend using an electric beater on medium-high, otherwise this will be a bit of a workout. Continue beating as you add the hot milk in a slow, thin stream.
2. Bring some water to a simmer in a small pot and place the yolk mixture over it double-boiler style. Stir with a wooden spoon or spatula continuously until it is too hot for your finger and thickens slightly. A thermometer is useful, you want 165 F/ 75 C.
3. While still beating the mixture, plunge the bottom of the mixing bowl into a basin of cold water. Keep beating until it returns to almost room temperature.
4. Beat in the butter by spoonfuls. I use an electric beater, but you can do it with a whisk if you have strong arms. If the consistency seems right but the mixture is still grainy or separates, not to worry: beat it on a low speed for a while. If this doesn’t help, add a bit more butter.
5. Using a spatula, fold in the melted chocolate and the rum or coffee if you are adding any. Done!

General tips and advice:

• On chocolate: there is no such thing as “baking chocolate” versus “eating chocolate”. If I wouldn’t eat it, I wouldn’t bake with it either. This is especially true for desserts with a high chocolate content, like flourless chocolate cake; those will turn out exactly as good as the chocolate you use. But I believe it’s true for all chocolate baking: good chocolate means good results, and it is also easier to work with. I like Lindt, Green & Black’s, and Calibeaut, but any brand that displays the cocoa content on the bars is a good start. Speaking of cocoa content, don’t be scared to go high. I bake almost exclusively with 85%, and no-one has ever complained that it’s too bitter. I’ve just had a toddler (who is not generally what you would call a “good eater”) gobble down two slices of a cake covered in 85% chocolate ganache.
• On melting chocolate: it’s easy to burn chocolate in the melting process, and burnt cocoa is very bitter. My two preferred reasonably safe methods are melting in the microwave or in a water bath. For the microwave method, I use a ceramic ramekin dish or mug. I break the chocolate into squares, put them in the dish, and microwave on 50% in 30, then 20 second intervals. In between intervals I push the hard pieces into the melted chocolate and let the temperature even out. When it’s almost all melted, I stir with a teaspoon until the last pieces melt. For the water bath, fill a small thick-bottomed pot part of the way with water and place a mug in it. Place your chocolate in the mug and heat the whole thing to barely a simmer. Then turn the heat off or down to very low and stir the chocolate occasionally until it’s just melted.
• Other flavours of cake frosting: instead of chocolate, you can mix any other flavouring into the butter cream as well. Some ideas: a tablespoon or two of your favourite strongly flavoured liqueur and/or coffee, or 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract, or 2 tablespoons lemon juice plus grated rind of a lemon. Feel free to share your favourite flavours and ideas in the comments.