Food & Cooking Recipes Dessert & Treats Recipes Milk Chocolate Frosting 4.3 (85) 9 Reviews Use this creamy frosting with your favorite cake, cupcake, or whoopie pie recipe. By Martha Stewart Martha Stewart Martha Stewart is a bestselling author, entrepreneur, and lifestyle expert who has taught millions of people through generations the joy of entertaining, cooking, gardening, collecting, crafting, and home renovating via her eponymous magazine, Martha Stewart Living, Emmy-winning television shows, and 99 books (and counting). Based in Katonah, N.Y., where she helms her 156-acre Bedford Farm, Martha is America's first self-made female billionaire. Editorial Guidelines Updated on June 28, 2024 Rate PRINT Share Close Photo: Christ Court Prep Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 5 mins Total Time: 20 mins Servings: 16 Yield: 5 cups Our milk chocolate frosting recipe produces a rich and fluffy topping for cakes, cupcakes, and more. It's made with melted milk chocolate, a generous amount of butter, and confectioners' sugar and gets its subtle tanginess from a cup of sour cream mixed in at the end. You'll need an electric mixer to make this recipe, first to beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy—similar to when making cookie batter—and then to incorporate the chocolate and sour cream. This frosting pairs perfectly with our chocolate-flecked layer cake but would be just as delicious with a classic yellow cake. Devil's Food, German Chocolate, and Red Velvet: The Differences Between These Chocolate Cakes, Explained Buttercream vs. Icing This milk chocolate frosting falls under the buttercream umbrella, thanks to the generous amount of softened butter that's creamed together with the sugar. Many different varieties of buttercream exist, from straight-forward versions that simply involve beating butter with sugar to more complex recipes that incorporate a meringue. The different ingredients and techniques impact the flavor and texture of the finished result, from how sweet it is to how it holds up between layers. Icing, on the other hand, is made by combining sugar—typically confectioners'—with a liquid like milk, cream, or juice. Whereas most buttercreams are rich and fluffy, icing is thinner and creates a crackly glaze when poured or spooned onto cakes and cookies. When melting the chocolate in step one, be sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the simmering water—you'll only need an inch or two of water in the saucepan to generate the steam needed to melt the chocolate. Also, be sure that no water makes its way into the bowl during this process, as it can cause the chocolate to seize. Ingredients 1 pound milk chocolate, finely chopped 4 sticks unsalted butter, softened 1 cup confectioners' sugar Pinch of coarse salt 1 cup sour cream Directions Melt chocolate; cool slightly: Melt chocolate in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Let cool slightly. Beat butter, sugar, and salt: Beat together butter, sugar, and salt with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in chocolate and sour cream: Gradually beat in chocolate, then sour cream, and beat until thoroughly incorporated. Frosting should be spreadable. If too loose, refrigerate, stirring occasionally, until thickened. Storage If you're not using this frosting right away, transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to three days. Before using, let frosting come to room temperature, then beat until smooth. Frosting can also be frozen for up to three months; let thaw in the refrigerator overnight before beating. Other Frosting Recipes to Try: Dark Chocolate Frosting Our Favorite Cream Cheese Frosting Vanilla Frosting Perfect Seven-Minute Frosting Vegan Chocolate-Ganache Frosting Sprinkles' Strawberry Frosting Originally appeared: Martha Stewart Living, February 2013 Rate It PRINT Updated by Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds is an experienced recipe developer, recipe tester, food editor, and freelance writer with over a decade of experience in the food and media industries.