I need a appropriate colour icing for a double-layer chocolate cake!?

Question

The cake is frosted with ganache which is dark brown in colour. I need an icing which is appropriate to the colour of the ganache! And of course, I need the recipe for it.

P.S: Light Brown icing?

Thanks alot!

Answer 1

You could consider a chocolate buttercream or several other flavors such as mocha, raspberry or even peanut butter! Since you frosted your entire cake with chocolate ganache, perhaps an alternative flavor would be appropriate? Here are some suggestions:

Raspberry Buttercream:

3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cube butter, softened
1/4 cup raspberry liquor
1/4 tsp red food coloring

Blend butter and powdered sugar, add chambord (raspberry liquor) by the table spoon until the mixture is the consistency you prefer. Add red food coloring to enhance the color.

Mocha Buttercream:

3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cube butter, softened
1 tsp coffee granules (mixed with 3 T hot water), or very strong coffee.
2 T unsweetened cocoa powder

Blend sugar with butter, add cocoa powder and coffee. Continue to add coffee to get desired consistency. Milk can also be substituted.

Peanut Butter Buttercream:

3 cups powdered sugar
2 T butter
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
3 T milk
1 Tsp vanilla

Blend until desired consistency has been reached, adding milk to thin if too thick.

Answer 2

Most likely your cake layers are not level. If they are just a little bit off, then take the "ugliest" of the layers and turn it upside down to form the bottom layer. Examine it all around to see if one side is higher than the other. Put the second layer on "top" side (it will be a little more rounded) up, being careful to line up the sides so the shorter side of the top layer is over the higher side of the bottom. If your layers are really domed in the middle you may have to trim them to get them to lie correctly. This is how you do that the way that cake decorators do: Take a bunch of toothpicks and a ruler. Measure up from the base of the cake layer to the height you want your layer to be. Insert a toothpick at that point every inch or so all around your cake. Now take a length of heavy thread - like carpet thread - and wrap it around the cake so that it lays on top of all of the toothpicks. Cross the two ends of the thread and pull tight, like you are tying shoes. The thread will slice cleanly through the cake and you can just lift off the uneven top part. (You do NOT need to spend a small fortune on a "cake leveler" that you might use twice a year.) Also note that when you are putting your frosting or filling between layers you should leave the outer half-inch unfrosted. The weight of the top layer will squish the frosting out adequately without causing the layers to slide apart.

Answer 3

Well it depends what kind of taste you have. For me I would have a banana topping, and my friend would probably prefer an orange vanilla frosting. To cut all the richness of the cake... and if you want a French flavor theme I recommend serving the cake with some raspberry puree.
Here is the link to make the puree.
http://www.joyofbaking.com/raspberrypuree.html

It gives the cake a very rich appeal to it. If you add icing I swear you will over do the texture and flavor of the cake.

Answer 4

Use natural white icing for a contrast, or see what other food colourings are available.
A little coffee powder would probably make a light brown icing.

Answer 5

Carmel Icing

1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tbsp milk
1 cup icing sugar

Melt butter; add brown sugar and milk; bring to boil 2 minutes; remove from heat; add icing sugar and stir until soft enough to spread.

You may have to double or triple this since I use it to ice brownies(9inch square pan)

Hope this helps.