Chocolate Icing. Help?!

Hi

I make Chocolate Cakes alot...

The nack to getting a reaally good chocolate icing is to make chocolate butter icing and then fold in the plain chocolate the butter icing takes the edge off the plain chocolate.
If you want to put icing in the middle make up the whole of the chocolate butter icing seperate enough for the centre and then to cover the whole of the cake mix in the chocolate to the larger portion of the chocolate butter icing.

For butter icing you'll need:

Margerine

Icing Sugar

Cocoa Powder

1. soften the margerine and add part of the icing sugar

2. slowly incorperate all of the icing sugar intil it is smooth

3. add the Cocoa Powder

4. Take 1/3 of the mix and spread on the bottom 1/2 of the cake.

5. place the top half of the cake on top.

6. add the melted plain chocolate to the rest of the icing and ice the top and sides of the cake.

Hope this helps!!

It really depends on the flavor you are going for, for amateur cake making it wont make much difference to the consistency. Plain has a stronger taste to it and is less sweet, if you are using icing sugar and butter and then use milk chocolate which already contains alot of sugar and butter, it will be sweeter and creamier but with less chocolate taste, especially if using your average chocolate bar.
The tip I would give to any beginner is to not use the 'cooking' chocolate if you want a really tasty cake, cooking chocolate tends to taste like vegetable oil and sugar to me. Purchase a high quality chocolate and it will hold most of its taste. For a childrens cake to make it abit more fancy, if he likes things like popping candy, or honey comb, or fudge, you can buy these seperate and mix them into the icing last minute.
Layers also make the cake tastier and more interesting so one layer of sponge, then icing , then the next layer of sponge then the icing ontop.

Milk chocolate has more cocoa butter in it.
Think of melting points.

If you want a stiff frosting with dairy fat already in it, you don't want more greasy crap.

Milk chocolate with melt very quick, so with butter, and unless you have some chocolate flavoring (ouch), I wouldn't suggest it.

Cocoa powder is what you want.
Confectioners chocolate, may work well, I have never tried it, but it does solidify after heated.

Louise may have the idea, but that calls for powder, so put the milk chocolate away, cause I have not a clue what will thicken milk chocolate, maybe try a bit of corn syrup, but never tried that either.

Chocolate is tricky, and moisture is it's enemy.

Double boil less butter than milk chocolate.
Pour that into a bowl with half xxx sugar and granulated.
Mix it.
Add Arrowroot till it starts to become like a pancake mix.

Arrowroot is a great thickener.

I can only give ideas here from what I know, and cornstarch is not my favorite thickener.

You need to try it out, and take all you have been told into heart, and study, test, cause that is mastering baking, trial and error.

Chocolate is crazy, one drop of liquid will curdle the whole batch.

You can use milk chocolate, but unsweetened powdered cocoa is the best when making buttercream icing and use unsweetened butter not shortening.
For flavour cocoa gives a great taste and strength of colour to the icing.
Milk chocolate is good for chocolate curls on top.
http://www.robineau.co.uk/prodpage.asp?P…

Either but plain chocolate has a stronger taste. I have never used block chocolate for icing, just icing sugar, cocoa powder and a little water.
UK