Icing for a chocolate cake my kids might like?

[LaTrucha]

I want to make a chocolate cake at Christmas but my children don't like any of the chocolate icings I've done for them in the past. They particularly don't like anything with cream in. Any ideas?

Melt some dairy milk and coat the cake in it. Everyone likes dairy milk :)

The chocolate icing from this Nigella recipe is popular with my kids. It's very sweet but I rather like it too.

I use the Nigella icing to sandwich the cakes together too because I don't like buttercream.

well i was going to say ganache which is delish, but that has cream in. although how would they ever know???
it's also less sickly than buttercream

i would let them go without, or eat the cake and leave the icing. but i'm mean like that

Melted dairy milk sounds right up their street!

Thanks for the Nigella too. I'm sure I'll have the chance to try both.

bundaberg - they wouldn't know it was cream they were eating, just that they didn't like it. Anything at all with cream in, sweet or savoury, gets a complete no from everyone in my family.

more for you then

I was wondering if there was anything a bit crucnhcy like a toffeeish one I do for another cake (although my kids won't eat that one as it does have cream)

MY DCs dont like very chocolatey chocolate cakes. There is a Nigella recipe for chocolate malteser cake which they love. The icing has a slighlty malty taste and is not too chocolatey- contains butter, icing, milk, cocoa and horlicks as far as I can recall. Cake also contains horlicks but i think you could use the icing on a normal chocolate cake.

I think I've seen that one. I'll look it up. My children like the plainest of the plain, and I'm trying to find something nice enough for adult family which they can join in with and enjoy too.

what about making something like a chocolate bundt cake? and just dusting with icing sugar?

Good idea. Might be lusting after one of those beautiful christams tree moulds if I decide to though.

Coconut buttercream is delicious on a chocolate cake.

Just thought I'd mention that melted chocolate on cakes can bloom and take on that whitish film.

You can make a kind of ganache with evaporated milk. it tastes good and lasts longer out of the fridge.

There has to be a reason people don't do it, I suppose!

I made this chocolate buttercream for a four year old birthday cake - they all loved it!

What about an american frosting.

Thanks for the buttercream icing recipe. what is an american frosting, please?

Its a meringue type frosting. I used to make a devils food cake covered in it.

1 egg white
175g icing sugar
1 tablespoon golden syrp
3 tablespoons water
pinch salt
1teaspoon lemon juice
place all ingredients in a bowl over a saucepan of hot water. Whisk until it stands up in peaks
Remove from heat and carry on whisking until it has cooled.
You need to use it straight away as it starts setting straight away

Thanks for posting the recipe. Very kind. Lots to try. Thanks very much.

I recently discovered a simple fudge topping, 1/2 can condensed milk, 100g chocolate, 75g butter, melted in a pan then left to cool until spreadable. It's not too sickly sweet, just fudgey and delicious!

BBC website has a nice and simple recipe for chocolate icing.