Mascarpone Chocolate Fudge Frosting

This mascarpone chocolate fudge frosting is rich, smooth, super chocolatey & perfect for layer & sheet cakes! The added mascarpone makes this frosting creamier & easier to spread.

This homemade chocolate fudge frosting is super rich & chocolatey, with a smooth, fluffy texture. It’s the perfect frosting for layer cakes (especially chocolate cake!) but can also be used to top sheet cakes & brownies and for piping on top of cupcakes.

To give this fudge frosting the richest chocolate flavour & a deep, dark brown colour, we’re making it with a mix of black cocoa powder & dark chocolate. Plus, there’s a generous amount of mascarpone added in, which adds richness & creaminess and some golden syrup, for that glossy finish. All of this combined, plus the usual butter & sugar that you’d use in a regular American style frosting, make a chocolate fudge frosting that’s really easy to work with & has loads of flavour.

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What You’ll Need

• Cocoa Powder – To give our frosting a deep, dark colour, we’re using black Dutch processed cocoa powder. Regular Dutch processed cocoa powder will work as well but the frosting won’t be as dark. Dutch processed cocoa is available in most supermarkets & has a more intense flavour compared to regular cocoa powder. You’ll probably need to order black cocoa powder online though.
• Dark Chocolate – Using a good quality bar of dark chocolate makes all the difference with this frosting (chips won’t melt as well). I used a 72% dark chocolate to give the frosting a richer flavour but a slightly lighter dark chocolate like a 54% will work as well.
• Mascarpone – Adding mascarpone to chocolate fudge frosting gives it a creamier flavour & a softer, more spreadable texture/consistency. Make sure to use full fat mascarpone for this frosting. Letting the mascarpone sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before using will make it mix into the frosting easier as well.
• Cream – We’re using warm double cream to bloom the cocoa powder in, which intensifies it’s flavour.
• Butter – I like to use unsalted butter when making frosting, then add in salt myself. It’s important that the butter has been softened at room temperature before using, so that it mixes properly.
• Sugar – This frosting is made with icing sugar. Make sure to sift it first to avoid any lumps!
• Golden Syrup – Added to give the fudge frosting a glossier finish, plus extra flavour & sweetness. If you can’t get hold of golden syrup, light corn syrup will work instead.

How To Make Mascarpone Chocolate Fudge Frosting

This chocolate fudge frosting is made like a classic American stye frosting but with the addition of mascarpone, to make it creamier & easier to spread. The key thing here is to make sure that the melted chocolate & bloomed cocoa powder are completely cool before using, otherwise it will melt the frosting!

1. Bloom Cocoa & Melt Chocolate
   Before making our frosting, we need to melt dark chocolate and bloom the cocoa powder to intensify the flavour. The chocolate gets melted in the microwave & to bloom the cocoa, we mix it with warm cream (separate to the chocolate). Both are then left to cool completely before we move on to the next step.
2. Beat Butter & Sugar
   Next, we add softened butter, sifted icing sugar & a pinch of salt into the bowl of a stand mixer then beat with the paddle attachment until light & fluffy. This will take around 5 minutes on a medium speed.
3. Add Mascarpone, Chocolate & Golden Syrup
   Once the butter is fluffy, we add in room temperature mascarpone, the cooled chocolate & cocoa and golden syrup.
4. Beat Until Fluffy
   To finish the frosting, we need to beat it on a medium speed for another 2-3 minutes until it’s light & fluffy. Make sure to give the bowl a scrape down as you do this, to avoid any steaks of butter in the frosting.

Using Chocolate Fudge Frosting

I developed this chocolate fudge frosting to use in my chocolate fudge layer cake, in between the layers of chocolate sponge! This frosting works great in different layer cakes though & can also be used to frost a sheet cake or a pan of brownies and it can be piped on top of muffins. It’s rich, deep flavour is the perfect accompaniment to chocolate cakes but will work with other flavours like banana, peanut butter & salted caramel. When I made my chocolate fudge cake, I use this fudge frosting in between the layers of cake, with a chocolate ganache around the outside.

Tips, Tricks & Troubleshooting

• Use a black Dutch processed cocoa powder to give your frosting a deep, dark colour.
• Add mascarpone to your fudge frosting for a creamier flavour & to make it easier to spread. Mascarpone also helps stabilise the frosting, which helps it keep it’s fluffy texture.
• Add golden syrup (or light corn syrup) to your frosting to give it a glossy finish.
• Use your chocolate fudge frosting straight away, as it will be easier to spread.
• For the best flavour, bloom the cocoa powder in warm cream before using & use a good quality dark chocolate.
• When mixing the frosting, make sure to scrape the bowl & paddle down regularly, to avoid streaks of butter in the frosting.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Baking Recipes To Try!

• Chocolate Fudge Layer Cake
• Pecan Pie Date Bark
• Chocolate Cherry Swiss Roll
• Homemade Country Slices
• Lemon Drizzle Cookies
• Kettle Chip Rocky Road

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Mascarpone Chocolate Fudge Frosting

This mascarpone chocolate fudge frosting is rich, smooth, super chocolatey & perfect for layer & sheet cakes! The added mascarpone makes this frosting creamier & easier to spread.

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Total Time30 minutes mins

Course: Baking, Dessert

Cuisine: American, Italian

Servings: 12 Servings

Author: Ben Racey

Equipment

• Stand Mixer
• Small Mixing Bowls

Ingredients

• 100 g Double Cream
• 40 g Black Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder
• 120 g Dark Chocolate (72% Is Best)
• 120 g Unsalted Butter (Softened)
• 200 g Icing Sugar (Sifted)
• A Pinch Of Table Salt
• 100 g Mascarpone (At Room Temperature)
• 50 g Golden Syrup (Or Light Corn Syrup)

Instructions

• Place the cream into a small heatproof bowl then microwave until steaming hot (but not boiling). Add in the cocoa powder, whisk to combine then leave to cool completely.
• Roughly chop up the dark chocolate then place into a small, heatproof bowl. Melt the chocolate (either in a microwave or over a bain marie) then leave to cool completely as well.

  Wait for both components to cool before continuing with the frosting. This will take around 20 minutes.
• Next, add the softened butter, sifted icing sugar & salt into the bowl of a stand mixer then use the paddle attachment to beat on a medium speed until light & fluffy and the icing sugar has dissolved fully. This will take 4-5 minutes.

  Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl down regularly with a spatula.
• Once the butter is mixed, add in the mascarpone, golden syrup and the cooled cocoa mix & melted chocolate then mix on a medium speed for another 2-3 minutes until you've got a smooth, fluffy frosting.

  Make sure to scrape the bowl & paddle down frequently to avoid streaks in the frosting.
• Once made, it's best to use the frosting straight away!

Notes

1. Cocoa Powder – This recipe uses a black Dutch cocoa powder, which gives the frosting its’ deep colour. Regular Dutch processed cocoa powder will work as well but the frosting won’t be as dark. Before making the frosting, we bloom the cocoa in warm cream to intensify the flavour.

2. Chocolate – Using a good quality bar of dark chocolate makes all the difference with this frosting (chips won’t melt as well). I used a 72% dark chocolate to give the frosting a richer flavour but a slightly lighter dark chocolate like a 54% will work as well.

3. Mascarpone – Make sure to use full fat mascarpone for this frosting. Letting the mascarpone sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before using will make it mix into the frosting easier.

4. Making Ahead Of Time – This frosting is best made just before you use it, as it will be easier to work with. However, it will keep for up to 2 days in the fridge. You’ll need to let the frosting sit at room temperature for around 30 minutes before using it though, as it will have firmed up in the fridge.