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
Has anyone tried this on brownies? I love gooey brownies with a good fudge icing.
This is delicious over brownies, Stephanie! Enjoy! xo
Just made this for a butter rum cake. It is humid so i ran the air and used a candy thermometer. I cooked it a tad past soft ball which took 3 minutes after it began to boil. Then i beat it with a mixer an additional 5 minutes. As soon as it began to dull i poured it on and it turned out perfect!
Thanks, Becky. This has been a favorite of mine since I was a little girl. xo
I have been searching for this recipe for AGES!!! My cousin made this when I was a child and she taught me how to make it, over the phone, but that was 40 years ago!! 😀 She’s passed on and I’ve struggled to find it. I know WHY I found it this time. This is a very special finish to a very special birthday cake I bake. Thank you SO VERY MUCH for sharing!!! 🙂 May you be doubly blessed!!!
Aww, bless you too Kejtlin! This one of those delicious favorite recipes my Grandmother made. It was always the requested icing on my sister’s birthday cakes too. I hope you enjoy this for many years to come! Thanks so much for saying hello! xo
This stuff is great!!! Pour it over ice cream. Yummy! But, be ready to serve, it melts the ice cream fast. Hot fudge sauce and its so much better than that jar kind. Boil it 6 minutes and you have fudge candy. But, you have to work quickly or it wont pour out of the pan. Love it!!!
I’m so glad you like it Rachelle! I must say I’ve not tried this icing over ice cream – sounds decadent!!!
You are correct, this poured icing firms up fast, so it is one that you have to move quickly to pour over your cakes or brownies, etc.
I always loved “sampling” the pan for that bit of extra icing after pouring over the cake. It’s so delicious!
Thanks so much! xo
Does this need to be refrigerated?
There’s no need to refrigerate, Deidre. This icing hardens after it’s poured onto your cake, as you’ll be able to see in my photos in this blog post. Enjoy! Thanks!
I have made this icing numerous times because flavor is great. However this is not a simple icing. Sometimes it works; sometimes it don’t ;). I have made it across many states. To get mine to a consistency that I find correct, I have to boil mine for much longer to harden the icing ( about 8 minutes). This makes it the consistency of fudge covering the cake. If I boil it for only one minute as described in the directions, the consistency is hot fudge sauce. If I boil it for 12 minutes, it makes an amazing “cracked fudge” that I use in a layer cake. I have tried this icing with dutch process cocoa and the icing never ever works out.
Hi Krysta,
I’m happy to hear that you enjoy the taste – it’s one of our favorites from my Grandmother. This should actually be one of the very simplest icings. This is supposed to be a poured icing as I describe in my blog post. I recommend pouring it on the cake as in the pictures I show of the Chocolate Pound Cake. The icing will harden after it sits.
I hope this helps! Thanks! xo
Made this icing for your best chocolate cake. It is delish and tastes just like fudge. It came out perfect, I was a little doubtful when I took it off after 1 minute of heavy boiling, but the more you stir it the thicker it becomes. It did take several minutes for mine to get thick, so just keep stirring if yours isn’t getting thick enough. For those of you with a candy thermometer boil until soft ball.
I’ve made this icing many times. All my family and friends love it. I’ve never had a problem with consistency. I pour the frosting over the cake when it’s warm. I’ve used it on moist, cake sheets, bundt cakes and cupcakes.
I’m so happy to hear that you enjoy it too, Larraine! It has been one of our family favorites for so many years. Thanks so much! xo
We love this icing. It’s the closest thing to fudge in an icing that I’ve ever tasted. There is a little problem with who gets to scrape the pot when finished. I have yet to run out of icing when using it on a layer cake. Thanks. Great recipe.
Haha, I remember my sister and I scraping the pot after my grandmother made this icing when we were growing up! That is some kind of delicious! Thanks so much for leaving this kind comment – I’m thrilled that you enjoyed this, C.J.!
What exactly is a “hard boil”? When I look it up on Google just gives me hard boiled eggs lol. I candy thermometer has “hard crack” around the 300 degree mark. Is that the same thing?
A “hard boil” is where you are stirring but the bubbles keep on bubbling – the “boil” can’t be stirred down.
It’s just the most amazing icing EVER!
Yay! I’m so glad to hear you like it too, Vicki! xo