White chocolate frosting recipe by Lisa Yockelson

A while back I blogged about my problems with too-soft frosting. Julia from Seattle (you have to see her fondant work!) wrote in and suggested using white chocolate, which I kept thinking about. I don't know if I'd use the white chocolate with the cream cheese frosting, but I might want to try it out in a white chocolate buttercream frosting.




Coincidentally, I have been drooling over the "Chocolate Chocolate" cookbook by Lisa Yockelson, published by Wiley. Just look at the cupcake on the cover! The photography, which is coffee-table-worthy, is by Ben Fink, and the book is an IACP Cookbook Award winner. Anyway, while dreaming of spacious professional kitchens to bake in, I decided that I will try Lisa's White Chocolate Frosting recipe.

Here's the recipe, reprinted with permission:

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
4 cups confectioners sugar, sifted
large pinch of salt
3 ounces white chocolate, melted and cooled to tepid
1/3 cup milk, heated to tepid
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Place the butter in the bowl of a heavy-duty freestanding electric mixer fitted with the flat paddle attachment. Beat on moderate speed for 1 to 2 minutes. Beat in one-third of the confectioners sugar and salt. Blend in the melted chocolate, then another third of the confectioners sugar and milk. Beat for 2 minutes on moderately high speed. Beat in the remaining confectioners sugar and vanilla.

Beat on moderately high speed for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the frosting is very smooth. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl frequently to keep the frosting even-textured. Adjust the texture of the frosting to spreading consistency, as needed, by adding additional teaspoons of milk or tablespoons of confectioners sugar. Use the frosting immediately.


Notes: In a hot kitchen or on a humid day, you may need to add up to 1/2 cup additional confectioners sugar for the frosting to spread easily. If the frosting is too soft, thicken by adding the confectioners sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time. On a cool day or in a cold kitchen, you may need to soften the frosting by adding additional milk, 2 teaspoons at a time (there is no need to warm the milk).

For an abundant amount of frosting to use for enclosing between layers of cake and for decorative piping, make two separate batches rather than doubling the ingredients; this protects the fluidity of the melted white chocolate when combined with the confectioners sugar.

Makes about 4 cups of frosting.

(Note: I used the only "open" image of the cookbook cover I could find but it may be copyright -- I don't know.)


I'll let y'all know how things turn out. If you have any white chocolate frosting recipes that you love, please share them!





Comments

smartcookie said…
I love this book! I just made the oatmeal chocolate chip scones and they are to die for!
Briana said…
My friend just let me try a slice of a cake she made using a White Chocolate Cream Cheese icing, and it was the most amazing icing I've ever tasted! She shares it on her blog, http://blackroostergardening.blogspot.com & I copied it here for you to see!

White Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing (way better than regular Cream Cheese)
3 - 8 oz packages of cream cheese (room temp)
2 - 12 oz packages of Toll House white chocolate morsels
3/4 cup - unsalted butter (room temp)
2 tsp - grated lemon rind

Beat cream cheese on medium speed with a mixer until smooth. Melt chocolate, then mix with cream cheese. Add butter a little at a time. Add lemon rind and beat until smooth.

Tip: If icing is too runny to stay on cake, due to the chocolate being warm, place in fridge for 10 mins until cool.