Runny Icing on Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake | Ask Nigella.com (2024)

FAQs

Why is my chocolate icing runny? ›

The other reason the frosting may be too runny is if the chocolate had become overheated and split (in which case the frosting could look a little oily as well) or if the chocolate and butter mixture had not cooled enough before being added to the other ingredients.

If you are making a chocolate frosting, adding more cocoa powder is a great option for thickening it. The technique is basically the same as if you were thickening with powdered sugar, but you want to use a smaller quantity of cocoa powder than icing sugar. Try adding just 1 to 2 teaspoon at a time.

Otherwise refrigerate the icing for up to 10 minutes, stirring it every 2 minutes, until it has reached a thick, but still spreadable, consistency. You do need to be careful doing this as the icing can become firm quite quickly once it has cooled down.

MAKE AHEAD / STORE: The cake can be made and iced a day ahead and stored in an airtight container. The sponge layers can also be frozen, wrapped individually in a double layer of food wrap and a layer of foil, for up to 3 months. Unwrap and thaw at room temperature for 2-3 hours.

Add small amounts of ingredients like powdered sugar, cornstarch, gelatin, heavy whipping cream, or cream cheese to make your frosting less runny. For flavored frostings, ingredients like cocoa powder and peanut butter can also work. When your frosting is the right consistency, it'll be easy to spread or pipe.

Add more chocolate

Therefore, our chefs recommend you to add chopped chocolate into the ganache to thicken it back. If you are using chocolate coins, then you don't need to chop it up. The more chocolate you add into the ganache, the thicker your ganache will be.

Add corn starch

If you want to thicken your royal icing without adding additional sugar, you can add a minimal amount of corn starch (less than a teaspoon) to help your icing thicken up.

To thicken your ganache, try putting it in the fridge for an hour. After half an hour, take it out and stir it to help it set. If you don't have an hour to wait, try adding more melted chocolate. For a thick ganache, you'll want twice as much chocolate as cream.

I'd experienced this issue when I thinned my icing with too much water for flooding. The good news on that front is that if you noticed that you'd done it before you start icing a cookie, you can stir in some sifted powdered sugar (or some reserved piping consistency icing if you want some) and recover.

If there is too much liquid, the frosting can be runny. If the frosting isn't beaten well enough, there may be larger portions of shortening that aren't held in the matrix and will melt or sag.

How do you harden icing quickly? ›

Luckily, there are multiple ways that you can speed up the process. Leave your cookies to try at room temperature and expose them to as much airflow as possible. If your home is humid, use a dehumidifier or a fan to help dry the cookies quicker, or use a heat gun to solidify the icing at lightning speed.

Plain Cake (like unfrosted Moist Vanilla Cake): About 5-7 days in the fridge. Cake with Buttercream, Whipped Cream or Custard (like Moist Chocolate Cake with Fluffy Chocolate Frosting): 4 days, since dairy spoils quicker.

How long can cake sit out unrefrigerated? If your cake is frosted with buttercream, it will last covered at room temperature for up to four days. However, it is best to refrigerate cakes with other frostings such as cream cheese or ganache. A fully covered unfrosted cake will last for up to 2 days at room temperature.

Should Cake Be Refrigerated? Most cakes—whether frosted, unfrosted, cut, or uncut—are fine for a few days when properly stored at room temperature.

A: One way to thicken your runny ganache is by adding more chocolate. Heating it up and then adding in parts of chocolate can help the ganache to thicken. You could also let it cool down and thicken naturally as it cools.

Vegetable oil. Before you melt your chocolate, add a little vegetable oil. This will keep your chocolate from drying out. It can also fix slightly overheated chocolate!