Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting

This is the easiest chocolate frosting.  It comes together in minutes and never fails.  I love the tartness of the sour cream against the earthy chocolate.  Just lovely!

1 Tablespoon butter

1/3 cup sour cream (not low-fat)

3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla

pinch of kosher salt

6 ounces (1 1/2 cups, spooned and leveled) confectioner's sugar

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled slightly

Chop and melt chocolate with butter using double boiler or technique described in mocha choc. chip cupcake recipe.  In medium bowl, whisk the sour cream, vanilla, and salt to blend.  Gradually whisk in the confectioner's sugar until smooth.  Add the chocolate and whisk until frosting is smooth and creamy.  YUM!

Frosting Technique

Got a phone message from my friend Fitzy today --"inquiring minds want to know, how are you going to package up that cake?!!"  Um, yeah, well....good question.  Things are not going so well in the packing or the sending department.  Do I still get credit for the thoughtful idea?

Please make my Heirloom Cake for your family.  It is a scrumptions homespun creation.  The frosting need not be perfectly applied to the cake --see below for help.

Portsmouth Icing
(I usually make 1 ½ of this recipe when I am frosting the layer cake version.)
From The Fannie Farmer Baking Book

3 cups confectioner’s sugar
¼ cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons melted butter, unsalted
2 teaspoons vanilla
Beat all ingredients together until smooth and spreadable. Add more cream as needed.

To make 1 1/2 recipe of the frosting will need 4 1/2 c confectioner's sugar.  One 1 lb box is about 4 cups so I have the other 1/2 cup in this picture

Melt the butter in the microwave on high for 1 min --take out and stir until completely melted

Hold the wisk with your hand to stir up the cream, butter & vanilla

here's what it looks like right after the confectioner's sugar is incorporated

a couple minutes more and perfect frosting!

put a dab on your cake plate or board to hold cake in place

put first layer upside down and dollop of frosting on top

spread to edges with your off-set spatula

flip the 2n d layer over the frosted layer, three dollops on top

spread over sides and top to coat --roughly to trap the crumbs in place

the completed crumb coating

let sit for 5-10 minutes to set --touch to see if not sticky, hardened slightly

three more dollops and spread

it doesn't need to be perfect

boiling water and some off-set spatulas

will help to smooth out any rough spots (optional!)

add decorative trim with a disposable piping bag, coupler, and piping tip#5

put coupler inside bag and cut top of bag, push couple down, should fit snugly

add tip to coupler

fasten couple to secure the tip

fold bag over

fill with frosting

push frosting down to tip

make it pretty (if you like)