Mary Berry Chocolate Butter Icing Recipe

This Mary Berry Chocolate Butter Icing is a rich and glossy recipe, which uses cocoa powder bloomed in hot water for depth. It creates a smooth, fudge-like frosting perfect for birthday cakes, ready in about 10 minutes.

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Mary Berry Chocolate Butter Icing Ingredients

175g (6oz) unsalted butter, softened
350g (12oz) icing sugar (confectioners’ sugar), sifted
50g (2oz) cocoa powder, sifted
3–4 tbsp boiling water (to mix with cocoa)
1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

Mary Berry Chocolate Butter Icing Recipe

How To Make Mary Berry Chocolate Butter Icing

Bloom the cocoa: Place the sifted cocoa powder into a small heatproof bowl or mug. Pour over the boiling water. Stir well until you have a smooth, thick paste. It should look like melted dark chocolate. Set this aside to cool slightly (it should be tepid, not piping hot).
Prepare the butter: Place the softened butter into a large mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter on its own for about 3–4 minutes until it is very pale and creamy. This aeration creates the fluffy texture.
Add the sugar: Gradually add the sifted icing sugar to the butter, beating well between each addition. Start on a low speed to avoid a sugar cloud, then increase to high. The mixture will be stiff.
Combine: Add the cooled cocoa paste and the vanilla extract to the butter and sugar mixture.
Whip until smooth: Beat on medium-high speed for another 2–3 minutes. The cocoa paste will loosen the icing and turn it a rich, dark brown color. Continue beating until the icing is glossy and spreadable.
Check consistency: If the icing feels too stiff to spread, add another teaspoon of hot water. If it is too runny, add a little more sifted icing sugar.
Use: Use immediately to sandwich cakes or pipe swirls onto cupcakes.

Recipe Tips

Blooming cocoa: Mixing the cocoa with hot water is the game-changer. It dissolves the cocoa butter, removes the dusty texture of dry cocoa, and intensifies the chocolate flavor significantly.
Butter temperature: The butter must be soft. If it’s too cold, you will get lumps of butter in your brown icing. If it’s melted, the icing will be soupy.
Cocoa quality: Since cocoa is the primary flavor, use a good quality high-fat cocoa powder (like Bournville or Green & Black’s) rather than a cheap baking cocoa.
Cooling the paste: Ensure the cocoa paste isn’t boiling hot when you add it to the butter, or it will melt the butter and split the icing. It should be warm to the touch.

What To Serve With Mary Berry Chocolate Butter Icing

This is the standard frosting for Mary’s chocolate cakes.

Chocolate Victoria Sandwich: Use for filling and topping.
Chocolate Cupcakes: Pipes beautifully.
Vanilla Cake: A classic contrast.
Marble Cake: Complements the swirl.
Digestive Biscuits: Sandwich two cookies together for a treat.

How To Store Mary Berry Chocolate Butter Icing

Refrigerate: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. It will set hard like fudge.
Room Temp: It is safe at cool room temperature for 2–3 days.
Freeze: You can freeze the icing for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and re-whip before using.

Mary Berry Chocolate Butter Icing Nutrition Facts

Calories: 160kcal
Protein: 1g
Carbohydrates: 25g
Fat: 7g
Saturates: 5g
Sugar: 24g
Salt: 0g

Nutrition information is estimated per cupcake swirl (based on 12 servings).

FAQs

Can I use melted chocolate instead?

Yes, Mary Berry has a u0022Chocolate Ganacheu0022 icing that uses melted chocolate and cream, but for Butter Icing, cocoa powder is the traditional ingredient as it is more stable in warm weather.

Why is my icing gritty?

Grittiness comes from not sifting the icing sugar. Icing sugar clumps in the bag and those hard rocks of sugar will never dissolve in butter alone.

Can I make it darker?

To get a very dark, almost black color, use u0022Black Cocoau0022 or Dutch-processed cocoa powder, but be aware the flavor will be more like an Oreo cookie.

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