Very important question about chocolate cake

[SeventhRaccoon]

I'm having a debate with DH about the standard way to ice an ordinary chocolate cake. When you make one (talking normal weekend or bake sale type baking here rather than once a year Bake Off style efforts) do you:

Ice it with buttercream icing
Ice it with water icing (think that's what it's called? - icing sugar and cocoa mixed together with hot water)
Ice it with melted chocolate
Ice it with a packet mix (Betty Crocker or similar)
Spread it with whipped cream
Ice it with something completely different (in which case please explain what you use!)
Not ice it at all?

Melted chocolate, because that’s what my mum did.

Chocolate buttercream in the middle, then a layer of chocolate buttercream on the outside, then decorate with piped sweetened whipped cream and grated chocolate

OR a liberal coating of chocolate ganache, with piped whipped cream and grated choc on top!

Buttercream icing with melted chocolate stirred in. Yum!

Buttercream filling. Icing sugar on top.

packet mix ???????

@RickiTarr

Buttercream filling. Icing sugar on top.

Usually this. Occasionally I cover it in butter cream but not so often.

I also vote ganache.

Buttercream in the middle, ganache over the top drools

Buttercream in the middle and either drizzle with melted chocolate or cover In ganache.

Some of the things on your list are quite frankly bonkers - cover in whipped cream?!?

Ganache

Ganache if I'm feeling fancy

Chocolate butter cream in the middle, top with a glaze made from equal parts butter, syrup and cocoa. That is my standard 'mid week' chocolate cake. Ganache is more for special occasions (when I have cream in the house).

You make several cakes and experiment with the different styles. You give me your address and I come round to do the tasting.

Then go with the one I like best.

Looks like DH is winning the debate on a small sample of replies, then! He grew up with buttercream is standard. I grew up with water icing as standard, and buttercream (or alternatively whipped cream in the middle and a dusting of icing sugar on top if it was a fatless sponge version) were for birthdays only. Clearly I was wrong to think water icing was the standard! Interesting to see all the love for ganache - that's one I forgot.

A friend of mine grew up with un-iced cakes (or a bar of melted chocolate for high days and holidays) and therefore thinks icing cakes at all is really extravagant.

Ganache

My favourite is buttercream filling, water icing on top then fine grated milk chocolate sprinkled on top to cover the fact I'm crap at spreading icing

Oh fuck that shit. I just eat the cake. Oink.

Chocolate buttercream in between the layers and then covered in chocolate buttercream.

I genuinely didn't know there was so many other options that you'd included.

I've never understood the water icing before. To me that's always been for little kids cakes and think it looks and tastes terrible.

Buttercream icing or ganache. I've never used hot water to make icing and icing made with water isn't very nice.

Can I add cream cheese frosting into the mix? Not traditional with chocolate cake. But good. So good.

Failing that, vanilla buttercream inside and ganache on the outside. And Maltesers or flakes on the top.

Middle - chocolate buttercream (butter icing with melted plain chocolate)

Top - chocolate ganache - melted chocolate and cream heated together and beaten viciously

Op are you saying water icing in the middle (!) or on top of a buttercream filled cake (OK i guess)?

Ganache, no question.

Never even heard of the water icing option, I know of the one with water and icing sugar but mixing in cacoa is new to me (might give it a try though!!)

Isn't water icing called glacé icing? I actually prefer it to buttercream.