Sweet success: How to make a great frosting

More often than not, frostings fail my taste bud test.

If the cake features chocolate frosting, then the disappointment runs even deeper. A recent slice of sugary birthday cake inspired me to imagine a frosting with definitive savory flavors.

When most people think of frosting they envision a thick, gooey glop packing a super sweet punch. That image bears little resemblance to what a great frosting recipe can offer a baker's repertoire. Quality trumps the need to boost quantity.

In my world great frosting starts with smooth texture - subtle, yet substantial enough to hold its own atop moist cake. Great frosting melts in your mouth without a crunchy sugar crust to snag your taste buds.

A great frosting should also highlight and embody authentic ingredients. American recipes rely heavily on confectioners' sugar and shortenings to deliver ultra sweet taste and billowy texture while classic European buttercreams use unsalted butter to create smooth essence and creamy taste.

Sadly, both styles miss the mark in showcasing authentic flavors. Many of our favorite frostings feel like a mouthful of greasy sugar while buttercreams offer little more than flavored whipped butter.

Quality over quantity means less is always more with great frosting. If the flavor packs a powerful punch, there's no need to slather on an ultrathick layer. Great cake deserves better than that.

My concept of a great frosting recipe begins with a good quality dark chocolate. Before you envision a bitter start, hear me out. Depending upon the variety, dark chocolate offers a wide range of flavors that deposit savory notes on the taste buds. We can build off that unique characteristic.

Cocoa powder has a place in baking, but not in great frosting. For the cost and ease of preparation, it's hard to beat Ghirardelli's 60 percent cacao chocolate chips. There's no chopping, chips measure quickly and the chocolate melts into smooth cocoa bliss. Ghirardelli chips deliver bold and savory chocolate flavor without bitter after notes.

Chocolate alone won't produce great frosting. Butter in lieu of powdered sugar provides a partner that infuses creamy texture to the finished frosting. The secret lies in balancing the amounts.

Unlike European buttercreams that incorporate sugar syrups into butter, I chose the glaze approach to my savory frosting recipe. Gently heating the butter before adding the chips helps the chocolate blend evenly into the butter. Stirring the chips until melted keeps the chocolate in temper.

While the theme of this frosting aims for a savory topping, don't assume sugar has been banned from my kitchen. Sugar plays an important role in frosting recipes. However, there are other possibilities than powdered sugar to sweeten a frosting.

Tempting as it is, corn syrup does fit the bill for a frosting sweetener. Its viscous nature prevents the chocolate and butter from hardening when chilled yet it brings zero flavors to the bowl. On the other hand, honey offers the same smoothing qualities along with diverse background tastes that harmonize the chocolate and butter.

Top your next cake with today's recipe. Great frosting never gets left behind on the dessert plate.

• Annie Overboe, a Culinary Institute of America graduate, lives in Villa Park. Send questions to Baking Secrets, Daily Herald Food section, P.O. Box 280, Arlington Heights, IL 60006, or e-mail food@dailyherald.com. Questions will not be responded to personally.

Chocolate Frosting

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup Ghirardelli 60 percent cacao chocolate chips

2-3 tablespoons honey, divided

Heat butter in microwave safe glass bowl until melted and hot to the touch. Add chocolate chips and stir constantly for 2 to 3 minutes until chips are melted. If chocolate pieces remain, heat chocolate mixture on low power for 15 seconds. Stir until completely melted and mixture is smooth.

Let frosting cool 10 minutes at room temperature. Add 1 tablespoon honey and stir 1 minute until smooth. Cool frosting 5 minutes at room temperature. Stir in 1 tablespoon honey and taste for sweetness. If desired, add 1 tablespoon honey to taste and stir for 1 minute.

Frosting will thicken as it cools. Use warm as glaze for top of tube or bundt cake. Spread on a warm single layer cake, cool 20 minutes and serve. To ice cupcakes; dip tops into warm frosting and set at room temperature for 1 hour.

Frosting will harden if chilled. Soften by heating in microwave 8 to 10 seconds at low-medium power. Frosting will keep 2 weeks, refrigerated and covered.

Makes enough to frost a 9-inch single layer, 12 cupcakes or 1 tube/bundt cake.

Baker's hint: Vary the taste by using different flavors of honey.

@Recipe nutrition:Nutrition values per serving: 151 calories, 11 g fat (7 g saturated), 15 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber, 1 g protein, 16 mg cholesterol, 3 mg sodium.