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Dessert

Chocolate Frosting I

A chocolate frosting made with chocolate, powdered sugar, cornstarch, sweet milk, and boiling water.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 5 ingredients
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Why it works: Chocolate and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 13% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 15,404 recipes. Both carry guaiacol, which smells smoky, sweet. The science ↓

Chocolate Frosting I

Ingredients

Directions

Make the frosting

  1. In a saucepan, combine chocolate, powdered sugar, cornstarch, and sweet milk.

  2. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens.

Finish

  1. Add a little boiling water to achieve a glossy finish.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Chocolate + sugartop 13% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together15,404 recipes

    Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

  2. Chocolate + milktop 13% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together9,128 recipes

    Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).

  3. Sugar + milktop 18% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together77,875 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

Sugar and milk barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 77,875 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Chocolate
Gives the frosting its flavor and cocoa fat, adding richness and body as it sets.
Powdered sugar
Adds sweetness and bulk, helping the frosting hold a spreadable consistency.
Cornstarch
Thickens the mixture as it heats, because starch swells in liquid and sets when warm.
Sweet milk
Provides the liquid that dissolves the sugar and cornstarch and gives a creamy texture.

The step that matters

Stir constantly while the mixture thickens. Cornstarch swells and thickens as it heats, but it can settle and scorch on the pan bottom or form lumps if not stirred. Constant stirring over medium heat keeps the mixture smooth and evenly thickened.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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