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?

water icing is not for chocolate cake. We used to do that for cup cakes and vanilla cake, but you cannot make a decent water icing with chocolate in it!

we use buttercream as bog standard.

But in a rush we also sometimes do raspberry jam in the middle and sprinkle of icing sugar on the top

I don't ice cakes at all as I think whilst it might pretty them up, it usually ruins the taste and makes them too sickly. I expect I am weird though as I always pick icing off if cakes and find those fancy cupcake things an abomination.

Buttercream and jam in the middle, ganache over the top.

Black cherry jam in the middle. Ganache on top. 😋

There is no standard way. When I could eat chocolate, in the dim and distant, it was anything from buttercream to Mary Berry's chocolate fudge icing to ganache to actual chocolate. Or just cream, mascarpone or some other dairy based filling, if I felt like living dangerously. I even tried and failed at American frosting, once.

Never glace icing though.

Nutella 🥰

I don't care which is the norm but I'm totally making chocolate cake in the morning...... droool

Ganache in the middle- Nutella would do. Nothing on top.

Black cherry jam is good, yes. Or apricot, like in a sachertorte.

Ganache every time - don't like buttercream

I'd go ganache too with milk chocolate instead of dark, Mary Berry.

Why ruin a nice cake with buttercream? ideally ganache, but cherry jam in the middle and just a bit of icing sugar or nothing on top would be better than sickly buttercream.

Ganache.
I'm going to dream about chocolate cake now 😂

Buttercream or ganache for chocolate cake. In between layers, and on the top and sides.

For a regular cake I'd use vanilla buttercream and jam inside, then maybe sprinkle the top with caster sugar or icing sugar if I'm feeling fancy.

The only cake I'd use water icing for is coffee cake, which has coffee buttercream inside, then coffee icing on top with walnuts.

I've never had or heard of chocolate water icing, I don't like the sound of it.

Yes to any of the other options though, I do love chocolate cake.

Chocolate butter cream in the middle. Drinking chocolate, icing sugar and water mixed for icing the top.

And glace cherries all round the edge and one in the middle.

Oh bollocks, it's quarter to midnight and I now need to make a chocolate cake.

Buttercream and strawberry jam in the middle, buttercream piped around the edge of the top with chocolate icing in the centre, then sprinkle the top with sugar strands.

Buutercream on a big cake

We'd use the water method on fairy cakes, growing up. We called it 'glace' (sp?) icing.

Not made that for years though.

For all the people saying 'ganache' - how is that made please ?

Buttercream in the middle and ganache over the top

Coffee butter icing is a favourite here, or sandwich together with apricot jam and serve with pouring cream.

Nutella. In between layers and slathered on the top.

Always buttercream in the middle and then ganache or buttercream made with either melted dark chocolate or Nutella on the top and sides.

The only exception is nigellas chocokate guinness cake which absolutely must have vanilla cream cheese frosting on top

I do a filling which is half whipped ganache and half buttercream. It's absolutely delicious. I would strongly recommend it to everyone, for eating with or without cake.

Buttercream in the middle and around the sides, then rolled in crushed Flake. Melted chocolate (half milk half dark) on the top.

@LBOCS2

I do a filling which is half whipped ganache and half buttercream. It's absolutely delicious. I would strongly recommend it to everyone, for eating with or without cake.

I do this too!