Our Southern Odyssey

Carob (Chocolate) Frosting

This recipe makes a GREAT frosting that is rich and full of flavor.  We use this frosting over our vanilla cake.  The Carob powder adds a rich chocolate taste while the maple syrup and the coconut milk create the most perfect sweetness to this frosting.  The ghee gives a buttery nutty flavor that makes your mouth water with each bite.

This is not your traditional fluffy frosting.  The Carob (Chocolate) Frosting is the type of frosting that you pour over the cake layers and lightly, with a spatula, spread the frosting where you want it to go.  Think liquid fudge.  Note, the frosting is best after it has had time to chill on the cake.  Mom said, that my paternal Grandmother made a similar version of this frosting with cocoa powder. She was always in the kitchen cooking something new. I think mom and I like cooking and being in the kitchen as much as she did.

We use Carob powder because it is caffeine-free.  But even though we do not use caffeine we still crave chocolate.  So this is our way of having chocolate without the effects of caffeine. Carob is delicious and sweet in its own right. We love using carob; because, it is easy to work with and it does not have the bitterness like cocoa.

So how do you make this delicious frosting?

Instructions:

Take a small saucepan (1 qt. or larger) and add all the ingredients on the list to the pan.  Place the small sauce pan on the stove eye (burner) and cook on medium heat stirring constantly with a spoon.  After all the ingredients are mixed together take a whisk and beat the mixture until it is smooth.  This will take somewhere around a minute.

  Don’t throw the whisk into the sink, yet, we may use it again at the end.  Place the whisk, to the side, on a saucer or plate for later.  You are going to want to continue cooking and stirring the mixture with the spoon until the mixture comes to a boil.  Now that the mixture has come to a boil reduce the heat to simmer and cook for an additional five to ten minutes stirring frequently.  The key here is to not let the frosting stick to the bottom of the pan. Stirring helps prevent this.  After your timer goes off, letting you know that your five minutes are up, set the pan off the eye (burner) and allow to cool.  

Follow the visual step-by-step guide located above for additional information on making this recipe.

This step is optional.  At this time you can take the whisk and whip the frosting.  This allows air into the frosting which allows it to cool a little faster.  Only whip the frosting for about a minute.

Allow the frosting to rest now.  After the frosting cools which takes about 30 minutes it is ready to be used on the cake layers. If you try to spread the hot frosting on the cake layers one of two things will happen. The frosting will run off the layers into the plate, and even onto the counter the plate is sitting on, and puddle. Leaving very little frosting on the cake layers. Or the frosting will absorb into the cake layers causing the layers to turn to mush. We do not want either of these things to happen.

Note: After you have frosted the cake layers place the cake in the fridge to allow all the flavors to blend together perfectly.

Hope you enjoy!!

You can find our Everyday Vanilla Cake Layer Recipe Here.