This one posted by Marilyn several years ago. It is the only chocolate icing I have used since she posted it.

Chocolate Frosting

4 cups sifted powdered sugar
½ cup cocoa
1 stick (½ cup) butter, melted
¼ cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3+ tablespoons milk
Beat ingredients together until smooth, adding enough milk to make of spreading consistency.

This recipe was posted by Dances in Garden about a million years ago. I absolutely love it especially with Colleen from Oz's chocolate cake........to die for.

Della Dufour's Chocolate Icing (Dances)

1 1/2 Tbl butter
pinch salt
1 1/2 Cups sifted icing sugar
1 Tsp vanilla
5 Tbl cocoa
2 to 3 tbsp hot coffee
Cream butter. Add salt and vanilla. Gradually add cocoa. Add sifted icing sugar alternately with the coffee until the right consistency to spread over cake.

That's dirty pool Chase! ;) There you go, telling us something is to die for... and not post the recipe. Can you pretty please post the cake recipe?

Sorry to digress pat!

Here you go......oh so good!

Colleen's Chocolate Cake

1 Cup caster sugar
1 Cup brown sugar
2 eggs
250 g margarine (8 ounces) (I use butter)
2/3 Cup cocoa
1 Cup sour milk* ( butter milk)
2 Tsp
1 Cup boiling strong coffee
3 Cup plain flour
2 Tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 170C (325F), grease and line two 20cm (8") round cake tins.
Put ingredients into mixing bowl in order listed and turn on mixer. Beat until just combined. Pour into prepared tins and bake 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Remove from oven and leave to stand in tins for 20 minutes. Turn out onto a rack to cool.

Ice with chocolate icing.

*If you have not got sour milk, add a tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to milk and leave in a warm place.~
NOTES : This is a very rich, almost black chocolate cake which stays moist for days and freezes well.

I agree, Colleen's chocolate cake is delicious, I love the addition of coffee. The frosting is pretty darned good too!

Annie

Every since I started making Swiss Meringue Buttercream - it's my go to frosting. Here is a recipe - I think was from Smitten Kitchen. Pure decadence!

Makes enough to generously frost 12 regular cupcakes (double the recipe to generously frost and fill a layer cake.
Jane

Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream
4oz (113g) bittersweet chocolate
6.3oz (around 1.5 sticks, 180g) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 egg whites
3 oz (80g) sugar

1. Melt the chopped chocolate over a water bath or in the microwave. Set aside and let cool.
2. Place egg whites and sugar in a heatproof mixing bowl.
3. Set bowl over 1 inch of water in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk gently until mixture reaches 140°F/60°C (or until sugar has dissolved and mixture is no longer grainy when you rub it between your fingers)
4. Remove from heat and using an electric mixer, whisk on medium speed until egg whites are cool to touch (this takes a while  should be cooler than your hand).
5. Continue beating, gradually add soft butter by tablespoon pieces and continue to beat. It will first look watery or separated, but after 10-15 minutes, it will come together.
6. Once desired, pipe-able consistency has been reached, fold in cooled chocolate until well incorporated.

Thanks everyone! They all sound really good - think I'll try Marilyn's this time since it's so simple. But that swiss buttercream sounds intriguing and I'll HAVE to make that at some point.

Thanks Chase! Sorry, I don't have a computer on the weekend, so I am just now seeing this. Appreciate the efforts.

-Robin

I'm partial to cream cheese mixed with powdered sugar and cocoa powder. I like the sour taste from the cream cheese.

My favorite chocolate frosting is a ganache. It's all I ever use since I first had it years ago. The powdered sugar frostings don't have enough chocolate flavor for me.

Off the top of my head, from The Joy Of Cooking

2 cups chopped chocolate- I use a bag of ghiradelli semi sweet

4-6 tablespoons butter (4 depending on how virtuous I feel)
6 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a heavy pan ( I use a frying pan) melt the chocolate chips and the water on low. Stir until completely smooth. Incorporate 1-2 tablespoons of butter at a time.
When lump free, stir in the vanilla.

The frosting may now be poured as a glaze. Let it sit for about an hour or more and it will become spreadable- to the degree that you can make swirls and ripples with the frosting knife.
The frosting will not harden at room temperature. Refrigerated on a cake, it becomes fudgy.

This makes enough to frost a 2 layer cake.

*Water and chocolate melted at the same time will not seize.