subject: Tips For Selecting The Right Chocolate Cake Icing [print this page] While most people might, somewhat accurately, feel that any chocolate cake icing is the "right" icing, there is actually much more to it than that. For example, it might sound good to pair a dark chocolate cake with a bittersweet chocolate buttercream because the two flavors are so similar, but in reality this sort of combination could end up being nauseatingly sweet and rich. The way to select the right icing for a chocolate cake is to first determine if the frosting really "works" with the type and flavor of the cake selected.
What does that mean? The type of cake indicates the sort of "crumb" and texture that the cake has, and the flavor simply means the actual variety of cake. Is it to be a yellow cake, vanilla, chocolate? Is it to be a moist cake, a dense cake, a cake made with fruit and nuts? All of these factors have a tremendous impact on the type of frosting or icing used. For instance, is the icing to be fluffy and light? Is it to be more of a glaze? Perhaps a chocolate fondant is the solution? It takes some thought and even a bit of experimentation to select the ideal pairing.
Luckily, the large number of recipes for icings using chocolate as the main flavor can make it somewhat easy to create a winning combination. There is then the need to really gauge the outcome before committing to the recipe, because there is always the issue of the weight of the cake and the icing too. This means that you should consider if the cake can actually "stand up" beneath the weight of the frosting.
Need an example? For this illustration we will say that you are trying to select the right icing for a batch of cupcakes that are to be served at a party. You want to decorate these cupcakes with symbols and designs that match the overall theme of the party. You know that the cupcake batter is based on a golden cake and that it has the sort of texture that is similar to a sponge cake recipe. This means that the cake can easily stand up to heavier icings, and would in fact be more suited to them. This means you can scout out a good ganache, fondant, or chocolate glaze recipe to use on this sturdier type of cake. Had you opted for a lighter batter, such as a cake mix that boasted of its moist and fluffy texture, you would have been better served by a chocolate buttercream or a whipped frosting that didn't put any sort of weight atop the cake.
We have considered the various factors that you must use when selecting a frosting recipe, and they include the weight of the cake and the icing, the balance of sweetness and flavor, and the ability for the chocolate frosting to really work with the actual cake itself. When you make a habit of considering these factors before selecting a recipe, you can usually anticipate really excellent results.
