Fudge Icing Recipe
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Fudge Icing goes perfectly on so many desserts. Get this heirloom fudge icing recipe that is sure to become a family favorite
For as long as I remember, this Fudge Icing has been a special part of my Grandmother Verdie’s recipe collection. She’d make it each year to top my sister’s Chocolate Pound Cake Grandmother would make her for her birthday.
While the Chocolate Pound Cake was just delicious on its own, it didn’t hold a candle to when it was topped with her fudge icing.
Mercy!
Maybe that’s why I have this obsession with chocolate.
I will tell you though, this fudge icing is thick and rich – and heavenly! I make it while the chocolate pound cake is cooling and then begin pouring the fudge icing over the top once it is ready. By the end, I do end up having to just spoon bits of the fudge icing onto the cake it gets so thick.
Be sure to make this cake WITH the fudge icing soon. It is perfect for celebrations, reunions, picnics, taking on camping trips and just about anything else you can imagine.
Oh yeah – and it works like a charm for those instances when one child is jealous of another’s birthday party.
Believe me, I speak from experience.
How to Make Fudge Icing
- Stir together sugar, cocoa powder, and milk together in a large saucepan set over medium-high heat. Cook until large bubbles begin to form and the mixture reaches a hard boil.
- Boil for 1 minute at a hard boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and vanilla extract. Beat with a wooden spoon until thick and smooth.
- Pour over the cake. The fudge icing will firm as it cools.
This Fudge Icing also works perfectly on so many other desserts! Here are just a few ideas:
Practically just about anything you would use a ganache on, you can now use this fudge icing recipe. You won’t be sorry!
Here’s Grandmother’s Fudge Icing Recipe. I hope you love it as much as we do!
Fudge Icing Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups (396 g) granulated sugar
- 3 heaping tablespoons (16 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2/3 cup (151 g) whole milk
- 1/2 cup (113 g) butter, (1 stick) salted, cubed
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (7 g) vanilla extract
Instructions
- Mix sugar, cocoa powder, and milk together in a large saucepan.
- Cook over medium-high heat until large bubbles form and reaches a hard boil. Boil one minute at a hard boil. Remove from heat and add butter and vanilla.
- Beat with a wooden spoon until thick and smooth.
- Pour over cake. It will harden as it cools.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
I have everything I need to make this right now
except whole milk. Can I use half and half instead?
I have tried this type of recipe several times and the icing never thickens like fudge. Please help!!! It is always to runny.
Reduce the milk to 1/2 cup
Hi. I always fill a larger pot with ice water after I take the icing off the stove. I place the hot pot inside the ice water and let the icing re-granulate. Then when my cake is ready, I hear it back up to desired thickness.
I have looked for this recipe for a very long time. My mother used to make one like this and it was my Dad’s favorite! My children and nephews request it often.
I remember her having issues with the grittiness a time or two and I think having it come out perfect every time just takes a lot of practice. It always tasted great to me!
Can’t wait to try it to see if it truly is the one she made.
I sure hope it is!
Making fudge or fudge icing is a chemical reaction – don’t expect the same results if you use a sugar substitute. As in fudge making, if there are any stray sugar crystals on the side of the pan when you finish cooking and they find their way into the mixture, it will cause a chain reaction of crystallization and a gritty texture in the final product. Several ways to advoid this are to butter the sides of the saucepan before cooking, wipe the sides down with a damp paper towel after the sugar has dissolved, or cover during initial cooking stage so that the steam dissolves any sugar crystals clinging to the sides. I had good results with this recipe, although I used a lower temperature because my stove heats unevenly and a candy thermometer to make sure I didn’t end up with chocolate syrup. It’s easier to me to pop in a candy thermometer and check the temp for soft ball stage than to struggle with trying to reclaim or recook an unusable mess.
What temperatures should I be looking for? Ive tried this before but it as too runny (nowhere near as thick as the photos) but it was OK as I used it to fill the centers of cupcakes. I would like it to turn out exactly as pictured.
Russ, the lowest temp for reaching soft ball stage and a denser fudgey texture is 235 on a candy thermometer, according to my thermometer and the Science of Cooking website
www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/candy/sugar-stages.html
If you don’t have a thermometer you can use the cold water test.
This icing would be awesome poured over a Boston Cream Pie, But im going to try the Pound Cake recipe first, Thanks for Sharing…
i tried to make this sugar free and used Trivuia and never really got very thick. Tastes wonderful but never thickened up at all. I ended up pouring onto SF cake and put in fridge..we’ll see what happens..Love the flavor tho so thanks for posting. I agree with other comment about “boil until thick” is not a good instruction. How long should it take to thicken? Maybe because if used “fake” sugar?? who knows…..
I just made this. While it was very easy and delicious, mine had a gritty texture. Did anyone else experience this? Is there a way to get rid of this or this is the way the frosting is supposed to be? The flavor is amazing so I’m hoping that next time maybe if I cook it a little longer on the stove, it may get rid of the grittiness. Any input would be super appreciated!! Thanks again!!!
Mine wasn’t gritty. Did you keep stirring it after taking it off to make sure it was well mixed?
I know this is a late response, but regarding the gritty texture of frosting: you likely had sugar crystals on the interior wall of pan. After candy/icing cooks, if sugar crystals get in the mix then it recrystallizes the whole batch. To prevent, moisten a pastry brush and brush any crystals back down into melted mixture, then continue to cook. Good luck & happy baking!
I had the same gritty problem and I followed the direction exactly. Do you think using confectioners sugar would solve the problem?
Hi Catherine,
I don’t use confectioners sugar in this icing. It sounds like maybe some sugar remained on the sides of saucepan, which can cause the icing to crystalize. I can’t be sure that is what happened, but I hope this helps. xo
I have a dairy allergy and was able to substitute the milk with almond milk and the butter with vegan butter and I loved how it turned out:)
I thought this was going to be the first recipe from this website I didn’t have success with. It took awhile to thicken but then was perfect! I poured it over cupcakes and though I made quite a mess, the clean up was well worth it! This is my new go to icing for everything! I really need to stay off this website! I just keep finding more great things to make and I am supposed to be reducing my sugar intake but can’t resist these tempting treats!
I don’t know what I did wrong but it came out runny.. I followed the instructions but when I put it back on the stove after adding butter/vanilla, I couldn’t get it to the “thickened” stage before removing it from heat and beating until more thick. I may have overcooked it by trying to get it to thicken 🙁