A few weeks ago, I got this super sweet package of samples from Smuckers / Pillsbury. It included jam, baking mixes (including an infamous box of brownie mix) and some ice cream sauces. And by ice cream sauces I mean hot fudge and salted caramel.
Yesterday, when making my annual Groundhog Day cake, I found myself wondering:
Could I make an easy cake frosting using hot fudge sauce?
Well, once I got that thought in my mind there was no getting it out, so I decided to give it a try. I decided to try combining a jar of Smuckers hot fudge and a stick of butter to see what would happen.
Well, it mixed up nicely, but I could tell it was too soft to be an effective cake frosting, so I added in about a cup of confectioners' sugar, maybe a little more.
That worked nicely. The resulting frosting was creamy, chocolatey, smooth and slippery (in a good way--it glided on to the cake easily from my little icing spatula), and tasted way fancier than you'd think, given its humble ingredients. The hot fudge mixture gave the frosting a different flavor than a buttercream made using cocoa powder--it was thicker and somehow, I don't know, juicier. It seemed to have a more full flavor, with a slightly caramelly aftertaste.
It made for a very sweet little groundhog cake.
So, if you want to make a super easy frosting, try this!
Easy chocolate frosting
Sufficient for an 8-inch cake
- 1 jar Smuckers Hot Fudge Topping, at room temperature
- 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar, plus more to taste
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the hot fudge topping and butter until combined and creamy. Add the confectioners' sugar, and blend until combined. If the frosting is too soft for your liking, add more sugar, 1/4 cup or so at a time until it has your desired spreading consistency.