German chocolate cake covered in coconut pecan frosting.

For the cake, I use the Duncan Hines German Chocolate Cake box mix. From the listed ingredients, I replace the water with milk and I also throw in a box of chocolate pudding (dry), but those are the only changes I make. The box mix makes a nice cake with little work. I like that.

But canned German Chocolate frosting is… cloying. German Chocolate frosting is pretty easy to make from scratch and well worth the effort. If you’re nervous about making a “cooked” frosting, don’t be — just be ready to do some serious stirring.

Frosting Recipe Ingredients

• 1 cup evaporated milk
• 1 cup sugar (see note below about “Types of Sugar”)
• 3 egg yolks, beaten
• 4 oz butter (one “stick”) cut into small pieces
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 cup flaked coconut

German Chocolate Frosting Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan (I use a 3.5 quart saucepan)
2. Cook over medium heat. If this recipe doesn’t start bubbling/thickening at about the 10-14 minute mark, try upping the temperature. If the recipe starts bubbling/thickening much earlier than the 10 minute mark, lower the temperature.
3. Stir constantly (yep, for the entire cooking time). When the mixture starts bubbling, stir faster — because you really don’t want this concoction sticking to your pan.
4. Once the mixture starts bubbling (at about the 10-14 minute mark), stir for an additional 3 minutes (it doesn’t have to be exact).
5. Allow the frosting to “rest” for 30 minutes prior to using. You can speed up this process by moving the frosting to a room temperature bowl and placing it in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes.

This recipe makes enough frosting for the traditional German Chocolate Cake with frosting in the middle and on the top, but not on the sides. If, like my sister, you prefer a completely covered cake, make two batches of this recipe. The recipe can be doubled, but because of the cooking method it is much easier to cook two separate batches and then combine them.

German Chocolate frosting can be made with a variety of sugars.

Types of Sugar

For German Chocolate Frosting, you can use granulated white sugar or brown sugar (light or dark). The choice of sugar is dependent on your own taste and appearance preferences. In the pictured cake (above), I used dark brown sugar. For a lighter color frosting, use white sugar. Whether you use white or brown sugar, this coconut pecan frosting will be delicious and the cooking instructions are exactly the same.

Troubleshooting German Chocolate Frosting

Be forewarned: German Chocolate Cake frosting is traditionally thinner than most contemporary frostings (and way thinner than canned frostings). Because it was originally designed to be spread on the cake top and middle only, it wasn’t important for the icing to be stiff enough to stick to the cake sides.

However, if you can’t get this recipe to thicken up enough to use as frosting, there are three possible problems:

1. The cooking temperature is too low. Stovetops vary. Some people recommend cooking German Chocolate frosting on low heat. On my stovetop, “low heat” is about the equivalent of “off” — try upping the temperature.
2. The saucepan is too small. If you use a small saucpan (even if all the ingredients fit), the mixture might be too “deep” to heat up in the given time.
3. Not enough cooking time. For this recipe, you really do have to stir the mixture over heat for a minimum of 13 minutes and more likely 15-18 minutes.

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Decorations piped with Royal Icing.

Traditionally Royal Icing is made with egg whites, but a perfectly lovely Royal Icing can be made with Meringue Powder (dried egg whites) — eliminating concerns about serving an icing made with raw eggs.

Ingredients for Royal Icing

• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons meringue powder (found in cake supply stores, some craft stores such as Michael’s and some grocery stores)
• 1 – 3 teaspoons vanilla extract (or experiment with other flavorings, but add them one teaspoon at a time — it’s easy to overpower Royal Icing with too much added flavoring)
• 8 – 12 tablespoons warm water

Directions for Easy Royal Icing

1. Place all of the powdered sugar and meringue in your mixing bowl.
2. Add vanilla and 1 tablespoon of warm water. Mix thoroughly at low speed.
3. Add another tablespoon of water. Mix thoroughly.
4. Repeat step three until all water is added or until desired consistency is reached.
5. Beat on low to medium speed for another 5 – 7 minutes.

Now, wasn’t that easy? If you’re unsure of what consistency of Royal Icing you need, just experiment. Working with Royal Icing takes practice. For thinner icing, use more water, added one tablespoon at a time. To thicken icing, add powdered sugar, two tablespoons at a time.

Royal icing is perfect for decorating sugar cookies, provides a hard shell for cakes (but is more difficult to smooth than fondant) and is useful for special effects on either cakes or cookies.

The picture shown is of decorations piped onto wax paper (you can also pipe onto parchment). When the decorations dry (drying time can be up to 24 hours), they can be peeled away from the wax paper and placed on the cake. If your decorations are thin, be sure to pipe extras because the thinner the piece, the more likely there will be breakage when removing the piece from the wax paper.

Coloring Royal Icing

Royal icing is simple to color with either liquid food colorings (commonly found in US grocery stores) or gel food colorings (found in cake supply stores, craft stores such as Michael’s, and some grocery stores). However, use caution with liquid food coloring as they can cause the colored Royal Icing to “bleed” into other colors on the cake, particularly if you’re piping onto fondant.

Royal Icing Caution

When exposed to air, royal icing dries/stiffens quickly. When not in use, store in an airtight container and be sure to keep bowl with excess icing covered during the icing process. If the icing gets too stiff, add a teaspoon warm water and mix thorougly.

Feel the Royal Icing Burn

In spite of the preferred directions above, if you don’t have an electric mixer, you can still whip up a batch of Easy Royal Icing by hand. Yes, it provides a good upper arm workout, but it’s also completely doable.

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In the past, I’ve used store bought fondant to make small decorations on buttercream cakes. There was no way, though, that I ever thought I’d use it to fully cover a cake. The stuff tastes like sugared modeling clay, and I never wanted to ruin the entire taste of a cake just for a particular look. I was thrilled, then, when I recently discovered marshmallow fondant. It tastes delicious and is simple and inexpensive to make. It is wonderfully functional and absolutely beautiful on cakes too! Now you can have a cake that’s both yummy and perfectly smooth with this great marshmallow fondant recipe.

Ingredients:

• 15 ounces miniature marshmallows (about a bag and a half)
• 2 pounds powdered sugar
• one stick of shortening
• vanilla
• water

1.  The first step is to add two tablespoons of vanilla (clear vanilla if you want a pure white fondant) to a microwave-safe bowl filled with 15 ounces of mini marshmallows.

2.  Microwave the mixture for 20-30 seconds, remove, and stir.  Repeat this process until the marshmallows are completely melted.

Marshmallows fresh from the Microwave

3. The next step is fun, messy, and very sticky. Coat your work surface with powdered sugar and prepare for some fun. This is where the shortening comes in. Coat your hands completely with it and begin kneading a few cups of powdered sugar at a time into your marshmallow and vanilla mix. Be sure that the marshmallows aren’t too hot before you start!

Powder Sugar Covered Work Space

4. The fondant will get tougher to work with as you add more of the powdered sugar. If it gets too dry, simply add a teaspoon or two of water and put it back into the microwave for 20 seconds, or until it softens when you knead it.  You should end up with a ball the consistency of tough clay.

5. When you have kneaded your ingredients into a ball of fondant, put a thin coat of shortening on it and let it rest for at least an hour before using. This will give it time to harden a bit more since all of the heat from your hands will have made it extra sticky.

Marshmallow Fondant Ball Coated in Shortening

6. When you’re ready to roll out your fondant, it may be necessary to add another teaspoon of water and heat (courtesy of the microwave, of course) so that the big hunk of yumminess becomes more pliable. The result is a beautiful and delicious fondant that even the biggest buttercream diehard is sure to love.

Rested Fondant

Yummy Rolled Marshmallow Fondant

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There is an abundance of recipes out there for chocolate ganache. This is by far the easiest I have used as there is no need to pre-melt the chocolate or any other fiddly bits to mess with.

Ganache is the rich shiny chocolate topping used on cakes as a glaze, an icing or frosting or even can be used to make chocolate truffles.

Generally for a normal coating or filling I use:
1 part chocolate (white, plain* or milk)
1 part heavy cream
Small knob of butter (for shine can be omitted)

Chop 200g of your choice of chocolate and place in a bowl.
Place 200ml of cream into a pan and slowly bring to the boil.

pour boiling cream over chocolate

When boiling pour over the chocolate and leave alone for 5 mins.

Add a small knob of melted butter or ½ teaspoon of oil.

After the 5 minutes are up whisk/stir everything in the bowl until fully mixed together.

Chocolate ganache - mix well

Leave to stand a short while until almost cool and it starts to thicken then use as a topping or filling or both.
If allowed to cool completely the texture will be more of a frosting consistency

Simple!

*If you choose to use a chocolate that is more than 60% cocoa mass it will be necessary to use more cream. Between 60-70% cocoa mass around ½ the amount of cream again and over 70% up to ¾ of the amount again.

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Black Frosting

These days, there’s not a lot of mystery left to making black frosting. Wilton’s colored gels (which include black) are available in more places (like many Michael’s craft stores) and McCormick’s has a liquid black food coloring available in many grocery stores.

Still, some tips are in order for the easiest black frosting you can make.

1. Make your life easier by starting with chocolate frosting. It’s possible to get a black frosting when starting with white frosting, but you’ll have to add so much food coloring (liquid or gel) that you might notice a change in the taste of the frosting.
2. If the Wilton’s gel colorings are available, choose those over the liquid coloring. You’ll use less coloring and run less risk of ruining the texture of your icing.
3. If your black is looking a little green (sometimes a problem with McCormick’s), add a few drops of red coloring (one drop at a time). If your black is looking a little purple (a problem with some gels), add a few drops of green coloring (one drop at a time).
4. The first time you make black frosting, be aware that the color will deepen with time. You may think you can’t get any deeper than a very dark grey, but if you’ve started with chocolate frosting, that very dark grey will likely be very black within an hour or so.
5. If you simply can’t find black food coloring (or it’s a late night cake emergency and no stores are open), you can combine green, red, and blue, food coloring to make a passable very dark grey. It won’t be black frosting, but in a Cake Emergency, sometimes a compromise is good enough.

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Chocolate Buttercream

This is a great chocolate buttercream frosting for people who love a rich and buttery frosting that is shortening free.

It’s soft, creamy and makes gentle peaks. This chocolate buttercream recipe spreads easily and has a warm chocolate glow.

Added bonus? It’s super easy to make!

Ingredients

• 14 oz (3.5 “sticks”) room temperature butter
• 1 tbsp plus 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 – 1 cup cocoa powder
• 6 – 7 cups powdered sugar (approximately 1.5 pounds)
• 7 tbsp milk

Directions

1. Thoroughly cream butter, vanilla, and one cup of powdered sugar.
2. Add one cup of powdered sugar and one tablespoon of milk. Beat thoroughly at medium speed.
3. Add 1/4 cup cocoa powder.
4. Repeat step #2 until you have added all of the milk and powdered sugar, repeat step #3 to taste (up to 1 cup of cocoa).
5. Beat for an additional 5-7 minutes at medium speed.

Yield: Approximately five cups of frosting.

Because this is a shortening-free frosting, it is softer than many people expect. For a stiffer frosting, try decreasing the milk or adding more powdered sugar (whichever suits your tastebuds better).

Oh, and be forewarned — cocoa powder puts up more dust than powdered sugar, so until it’s blended in, keep those mixers on low speed.

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A fresh batch of the Butteriest Buttercream Frosting.

This is the best buttercream frosting for people who love a rich and buttery tasting frosting (and for those who prefer a shortening-free frosting).

It’s a soft and creamy frosting that makes gentle peaks, spreads easily, and has a warm glow.

Added bonus? It’s super easy to make!

Ingredients

• 14 oz (3.5 “sticks”) room temperature butter
• 1 tbsp plus 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 7 cups powdered sugar (approximately 2 pounds)*
• 6 tbsp milk

Directions

1. Thoroughly cream butter, vanilla, and one cup of powdered sugar.
2. Add one cup of powdered sugar and one tablespoon of milk. Beat thoroughly at medium speed.
3. Repeat step #2 until you have added all of the milk and powdered sugar.
4. Beat for an additional 5-7 minutes at medium speed.

Yield: Approximately five cups of frosting.

For flavor, this frosting recipe is my absolute favorite and always my first choice for dressing up a cake.

However, if your cake will be attending the company’s summer picnic and expected to stand up to a sunny day, you might prefer the Bright White Buttercream Frosting which substitutes shortening for part of the butter. The shortening makes for a stiffer and sturdier frosting, less prone to wilting in the summer heat.

*For a stiffer frosting add up to one and one-half cups additional powdered sugar (one half cup at a time) until you reach the desired consistency and flavor.

1/2 Batch

To make half a batch, follow the instructions above, but use the following list of ingredients

• 8 oz (2 “sticks”) room temperature butter
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3-4 cups powdered sugar (approximately 1 pound)
• 3-4 tbsp milk

Yield: Approximately three cups of frosting.

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A fresh batch of Bright White Buttercream Frosting.

Bright White Buttercream is a great decorating frosting with a heavenly taste.

This frosting has a lighter taste than the shortening free Butteriest Buttercream, spreads easily, and is stiff enough to form lovely peaks. An easy decorator frosting that’s great for novelty cakes.

Ingredients

• 8 oz (2 “sticks”) room temperature butter
• 1 cup shortening
• 1 tbsp plus 1 tsp clear vanilla extract
• 7 cups powdered sugar (approximately 2 pounds)
• 6 tbsp milk
• <1 drop blue liquid food coloring (optional)

Directions

(See below for addition of food coloring directions.)

1. In one bowl, thoroughly cream butter, shortening, and vanilla.
2. Add one cup of powdered sugar and one tablespoon of milk. Beat thoroughly at medium speed.
3. Repeat step #2 until you have added all of the milk and powdered sugar.
4. Beat for an additional 3-5 minutes at medium speed.

Yield: Approximately five cups of frosting.

The blue food coloring used for whitening icing.

First, the easy way to get “white white” frosting is to replace the eight ounces of butter in this recipe with one cup of shortening (and be sure to use clear vanilla extract). But if you want to keep the butter and the buttery taste, you’ll want to “neutralize” the yellow color of the butter.

Rather than starting a lengthy discussion on Color Theory, I’m just going to tell you that the secret to a bright white buttercream frosting is the tiniest bit of blue food coloring. If you want more information on the science behind why blue “neutralizes” the yellow of the butter, read this Wikipedia article, but if you just want white frosting without all the theory stay here and read on.

CAUTION! The first time you experiment with adding blue food coloring to white icing should not be at the same time you’re making an important last minute dessert that must be perfect — if you’re not careful, it’s easy to cross from “bright white” right into “pastel blue”.

For “whitening” an icing, my preferred food coloring is the liquid blue coloring (McCormick) available at most U.S. grocery stores. With more concentrated food colorings (like Wilton’s), it’s difficult to get a small enough amount to keep the icing white and not blue.

Whitening Buttercream Frosting During Preparation

1. Place one drop of blue food coloring in a measuring spoon (this makes it easier to control how much food coloring goes in the frosting).
2. At the point you add the third cup of powdered sugar to the mix, carefully tip the spoon with blue coloring and add the tiniest amount possible to your frosting. Do not worry if the icing turns blue.
3. Each time you stop to add another cup of powdered sugar, evaluate the color of the frosting. If the frosting appears yellow, again add the tiniest amount of blue you can manage. If the frosting doesn’t appear yellow, skip the coloring.
4. Once you’ve added all the powdered sugar, evaluate the color. If the frosting is still yellow, again tip the spoon, dispensing the smallest amount of blue possible. You should never need more than the initial drop of blue food coloring to whiten the amount of frosting in the above recipe. In fact, the odds are strong that you will not use the full drop.

And there you have it — a wonderful decorating frosting that is bright white and tastes great. Now get spreading!

If you prefer a shortening-free frosting, check out the Butteriest Buttercream Frosting Recipe.

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