Low-Fat Chocolate Frosting or Icing

Although low-fat, this chocolate icing or frosting is still delicious: just ask my daughter Bethany!

Sometimes in life, simple is better, less expensive suits your pocket more and you yearn for the plainer, less buttery and creamy things in life. This is a lovely, chocolatey icing which is surprisingly low in fat and hence works well with the low-fat hot chocolate sponge. 

This means that you don't have to go out and purchase the double-thick cream and chocolate you need for a chocolate ganache or icing, which, with the addition of a bar one or mars bar, will turn into a Mars Bar or Bar One icing / frosting / ganache. On the other hand, if you can't resist, I insist you don't, in which case, reserve this low-fat icing instead for a lazy Sunday afternoon when the kids insist on baking and you simply don't have it in you to go out shopping.

Low Fat Chocolate Icing or Frosting Recipe: 

3 tablespoons milk

7 level tablespoons cocoa 

½ Tablespoon butter

260 grams icing sugar (2 cups)

½ teaspoon vanilla essence

Blend cocoa and milk until it becomes a paste and cook over a low heat, stirring all the time, until it is both smooth and shiny looking. Take it off its heat source, add butter and leave it to cool slightly. 

Once it is cool enough to work with, gradually add the icing sugar, beating well after each addition (or throw the whole lot in the Kenwood and leave it to do all the hard work). If the final result is a bit too much like a paste, add more milk until it is a good spreading consistency. This cocoa-rich icing is well worth including in your repertoire.