[I’]m not one for secrets. Especially where chocolate is involved.
I always have a few tricks up my sleeve and I can never keep them secrets for long. Brown sugar baked bacon is one secret. Sweet, salty, crisp, and perfect. Adding that bacon to biscuits, completely over the top good! Brown butter in everything, most especially chocolate chip cookies…. another secret I just couldn’t keep to myself.
Today another secret comes out. We’re talking about the most perfect Chocolate Buttercream Frosting. Soft, glossy, light and spreadable… and the secret ingredients are Rich Chocolate Ovaltine and heavy cream! Malted chocolate milk powder and cream to add extra body, and a light whipped texture to our frosting. It’s unexpected and perfect!
I hope there is cake (and waaaay too much buttercream) in your future.
Here’s what you’ll need:
• Three sticks (1 1/2 cups or 12 ounces) softened, unsalted butter. I think it’s best to leave the butter out overnight to softened to room temperature through and through. Softening butter in the microwave makes the butter more melty than soft and can break our perfect buttercream,
• Unsweetened cocoa powder, and lots of it.
• Salt, to balance the mountain of powdered sugar.
• A mountain of powdered sugar.
• Milk for moisture and softness.
• Rich Chocolate Ovaltine, the chocolate malted milk powder adds a creamy softness to this buttercream and makes it extra rich, glossy, and luscious.
• Heavy cream because, always.
• Extra credit: pure vanilla extract.
Whipping together perfect buttercream frosting isn’t hard, but there are a few tricks to make things go smoothly.
First, room temperature butter is creamed together with unsweetened cocoa powder and salt. No sugar just yet. Incorporating the butter and cocoa powder will ensure that the butter is soft and pliable and the chocolate is evenly distributed throughout the frosting. The mixture will be thick. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl once or twice during mixing.
Next, add the powdered sugar all at once. Just go for it. Mix on low and slowly drizzle in milk and vanilla extract. Get the mixture incorporated, but no need to whip the frosting on high just yet. We’ll get to that soon. The frosting should be relatively smooth and glossy (and it’s only going to get better!).
In a small bowl, stir together Ovaltine and heavy cream.
The mixture will thicken a bit as it sits.
With the mixer on medium, add half of the Ovaltine and cream mixture. Increase the speed and add a bit more. The buttercream will lighten slightly in color as it comes together.
Stop the mixer and scrape along the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure that it’s all mixing evenly. You may not need the entire Ovaltine mixture, but just add enough to create a glossy, smooth, completely spreadable frosting. I find that beating the buttercream on medium for about 1 minute makes a lovely frosting. Try not to overheat the buttercream as that might break the butter.
This buttercream is whipped and soft. Perfect for frosting cakes. It’s so soft and creamy it won’t rip the cakes or cause you undue stress. Plenty of frosting for a three layer cake or a sheet cake with frosting to spare. Any leftover frosting can be stored in the freezer for a cake or chocolate emergency.
This buttercream is also supreme eaten directly from the bowl with a spoon.
Print
The Best Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- Prep Time: 20
- Total Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 2/3 cup Rich Chocolate Ovaltine powder
Instructions
- Cream together butter, cocoa powder and salt. Butter mixture will be very thick. Turn off the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add powdered sugar. Turn mixer on low and mix in powdered sugar while adding milk and vanilla extract. As the sugar incorporates, raise the speed of the mixer to beat the frosting. Beat until smooth, about 1 minute.
- In a 2 cup measuring glass, stir together heavy cream and Ovaltine. Turn mixer speed to medium and pour half of the cream mixture into frosting in a slow, steady stream. Stop the mister scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add remaining cream mixture or until you’ve reached your desired consistency. Beat until soft and creamy, about 1 minute.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer. Bring to room temperature before frosting cakes and cupcakes.
Sapaththu
Can I use milo(a chocolate malt powder) in this recipe instead of ovaltine?
joythebaker
I’m not sure, I haven’t tested it. But if you do let me know how it works out.
Jean Cogdill
Might I add that if you want a bit of a surprise to your frosting… add Stephens Mint Truffle cocoa to it! Wonderful… if you are into mint of course! But really if you add this to the frosting and then chopped up Andes mints to the frosting you are putting inbetween the layers….. yummmm….. be still my heart! Really Great! Try if you like (read: Love Mint!)
SANJANA
when ever I make butter cream it turns grainy no matter what I do
K.
If we take out the ovaltine will it work just as plain buttercream?
Noreen
BEST. CHOCOLATE. FROSTING. EVERRRRRR.
Meaghan
Hi Joy!
I just made this and it’s phenomenal but is it completely necessary to refrigerate the cake? Wanted to double check with you!
Thanks!!
H
This icing is AMAZING. I wasn’t able to find chocolate ovaltine so I used hot chocolate mix and it worked wonderfully. Be careful, you might eat the entire bowl
Caroline
I could only get Chocolate Ovaltine light – will that work OK d’you reckon?
joythebaker
Sure!
Noreen
No words! You had me with the sheen and color. I just made it. Best recipe ever!
MaggieToo
I just made this buttercream this weekend and can’t say enough good things about it. It’s light, fluffy and rich all at the same time. I used it on a birthday cake and all eight tasters went bonkers for it. I would never have thought Ovaltine could bring so much actual malt flavor to a recipe, but it does indeed taste like the best chocolate malt you ever had. (Next time I think I’d bump the Ovaltine up to a full cup because I liked it so much.) I used it on a dark chocolate cake, and I’d suggest using it on a very moist (oil-based) cake because the frosting tastes best when it’s chilled, and moister cakes hold up better when cold.
I did not sub buttermilk for the cream as I’d mused in an earlier comment, but I might try that next time; I do think that tang might add an interesting touch, but honestly, just as you’ve written it here it’s just about the best American-style buttercream I’ve ever had.
Mine needed one more cup of 10X sugar than listed here to get to the right spreading consistency, and I wound up with more than enough to completely fill and frost a 3-layer 8-inch cake. Oh, and I only had regular cocoa on hand but think it would be better with a good, dark cocoa.
Thanks so much for this, Joy. Not only was the frosting wonderful, but you brought me back to an appreciation of Ovaltine, which I hadn’t even thought about since I was a child, and now I can hardly stop eating it out of the jar with a spoon.
Camille - Love Life Post Blog
Yum, this looks amazing and doable.
kino_domowe
This buttercream looks awesome!
Lexy
Is Ovaltine the same as Malted Milk Powder?
Cheryl C ~
What does ‘break the butter’ mean? Also, I was taught to always sift the powder sugar. After measuring it, of course. You don’t include this step. I’ve actually had lumps I couldn’t get out when I don’t sift the powder sugar. Any thoughts?
Katharina
I’m very much in love with this part:
“Salt, to balance the mountain of powdered sugar. A mountain of powdered sugar.”
The buttercream looks great, too!