Make Old Fashioned Shiny Fudge Frosting For Your Next Chocolate Cake

Shiny fudge frosting is so easy to make and sooooo delicious! It has a great gloss and perfect soft texture. No mixer needed, just a saucepan, a whisk and a knife for spreading.

devilishly good chocolate cake with shiny fudge frosting and sprinkles, one slice missing.

This glossy fudgy chocolate frosting is the perfect wrapper for a cake. It spreads so smoothly and it packs a big flavor punch. You are going to love this vintage recipe for deliciously shiny fudge frosting!

I knew for Little Dude’s birthday I wanted to make a rich and dark chocolate cake. I wanted that cake to be enveloped in a rich and fudgy frosting.

This combination of devilishly good chocolate cake and fudge frosting was the perfect thing! It is so chocolaty, the flavor is deep and delicious.

This is another one of my now infamous cooked frostings. But, it comes together much differently than the whipped cream cheese frosting and whipped cr e am frosting I have been droning on about.

butter and cocoa mixture in saucepan and measuring cup with cream and sour cream mix.

Warm shiny fudge frosting in old fashioned enamel saucepan with whisk.

It is done completely in the saucepan. Then it is allowed to cool to room temperature slowly and is the perfect consistency for smoothing over a cake.

You can tell how rich and wonderful it is just by looking at it!

At first it may not seem like it is going to work. It is relatively thin when it is warm. Delicious and fudgy, but thin.

Email Me The Recipe

I'll email this post to you, so you can easily find it later. Plus you’ll get new recipes from me every week!

A couple of hours later it becomes the perfect spreading consistency. In fact, it spreads so easily.

I generally make this frosting to go with homemade chocolate cake. It almost melts between the layers to make it one continuous and extra moist cake. Just look at that slice of cake below!

The sour cream and cream give this frosting great body. It stays silky and delicious with a great soft texture.

The deep cocoa flavor helps give tons of flavor and cuts the sweetness nicely. The sheen makes the cake extra enticing.

cake frosted with smooth glossy chocolate frosting.

Lifting a slice of layered chocolate wacky cake out of the cake showing layer of fudge frosting between the layers and on the outside of the cake.

With all of the cakes and frosting recipes on the site, I don’t have a chance to many of them too many times after I’ve posted them. This frosting and the devilishly good is by far the cake and frosting combo I make the most.

Whenever I am at a loss as to what to make, this is what I make. Every time it gets rave reviews and I am always so pleasantly surprised at how easily it comes together.

Then it makes a shiny, fudgy, delicious, happy, wonderfully amazing chocolate robe for your cake. I mean yummmmmm! You definitely have to give this a try!

Is there a difference between frosting and icing?

The terms frosting and icing are used somewhat interchangeably. However, frosting is generally thicker and is spread over a dessert. Icing is thinner and can be poured over a dessert to make a smooth layer before it sets up.

If you are a frosting fanatic like me, check out my Frosting 101. It goes through the different types of frosting and links to all sorts of delicious recipes!

4.72 from 35 ratings

Glossy Chocolate Frosting

Author: Carlee

Servings: Servings

This old fashioned shiny fudge frosting is the perfect way to finish off a chocolate cake. The frosting, is soft, chocolaty and has a nice sheet. You are going to love it.

Prep: 5

Cook: 10

Additional Time 2

Total: 2 15

Equipment

Libbey Selene Glass Cake Stand with Dome

Ingredients

Instructions

In a large saucepan, melt ½ cup butter over medium-low heat.
Stir in 1½ cups granulated sugar, 1¼ cups cocoa powder and ½ teaspoon salt.
In a separate bowl, stir together 1¼ cups heavy whipping cream, ¼ cup sour cream and 1 teaspoon instant coffee until smooth.
Continuing to heat over medium-low heat, slowly add the cream mixture to the cocoa mixture. Stir until each addition is incorporated, then add more until the cream mixture is gone.
Keep heating for another 5-6 minutes, being careful not to bring the mixture to a boil
Remove icing from heat and stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Allow to cool at room temperature for at least a couple of hours or until spreading consistency.
Once the frosting is thick enough to stay in place, spread on cooled cake.

Notes

You can hasten the cooling process by putting the frosting in the refrigerator. If it becomes too thick to spread, warm up in the microwave 10 seconds at a time. Stir after each 10 second interval and continue until you reach the desired consistency.