Chocolate French Buttercream
Print Pin VideoThis chocolate French buttercream is literally the creamiest chocolate frosting you will ever have! Made with egg yolks, this recipe is super rich, not too sweet and is great for frosting and filling cakes, cupcakes and macarons!
IMPORTANT: For accuracy, I would recommend using the gram measurements provided, as those are the exact quantities I use. Cup measurements are given as estimates (based on US cup measurements) to make it easier for those who do not have a scale.
Ingredients
- 5 (90 g) egg yolks
- ⅔ cup (140 g) white granulated sugar
- 3 tbsp (45 g) water
- 1⅓ cups (302 g) unsalted butter - room temperature, not too soft
- 1¾ tsp vanilla essence/extract
- 1 pinch (1 pinch) salt
- ¾ cup (135 g) dark chocolate - I recommend 50% dark chocolate, semi-sweet okay too
Instructions
- Begin by separating your egg yolks from your egg whites. Once separated, add your egg yolks to the bowl of a stand mixer, and using the whisk attachment, mix on a medium high speed for 5 minutes until the yolks are a pale yellow colour.
- While your egg yolks are mixing, begin working on your sugar mixture. Add your sugar and water to a saucepan, and mix until the sugar granules are coated in the water. Place your saucepan on a low-medium heat, and without mixing, let the sugar heat to a temperature of 115 °C.
- Once the sugar reaches 115 °C, take it off the heat immediately and with your mixer on a low-medium speed, begin slowly pouring the bubbling mixture into your egg yolks (see note 1).
- Once all the sugar is added in, turn your mixer up to medium-high speed and mix for 5-8 minutes, or until your bowl is cool to the touch (see note 2).
- Once the egg yolk/sugar mixture is at room temperature, begin to add in your unsalted butter a tablespoon at a time, letting each tablespoon mix in well before adding the next.
- Once all the butter is mixed in, add in your vanilla and salt, and then continue to mix for a few minutes until your buttercream is smooth.
- Lastly, chop up your chocolate into small pieces and then place in a microwave safe bowl. Melt in the microwave for 20 second bursts at a time, mixing in between each burst until fully melted. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.
- Turn your mixer onto a low-medium speed, and slowly stream in the melted chocolate. Once all the chocolate has been added in, turn your mixer up to a medium high speed and mix until the chocolate is fully mixed in. Once complete, if you frosting feels a little too soft, then pop it into the fridge for 30 minutes, and then rewhip it until smooth.
Video
Notes
Note 1. Once the sugar has reached 115°C, you need to start pouring it into the egg yolks immediately while it's still bubbling, otherwise your sugar will start to crystallize as it cools. This will result in little specks of gritty sugar throughout your frosting, which isn't a HUGE deal, it still tastes great, BUT it's better when the frosting is smooth so just keep this in mind :)
Note 2. It's important that your egg yolk/sugar mixture is cool before you start adding in your butter, otherwise your butter will melt and you'll end up with soupy buttercream. If this does happen, then pop your buttercream into the fridge for 30 minutes, and then rewhip it.
Nutrition
Calories: 1258kcal | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 113g | Saturated Fat: 69g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 31g | Trans Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 664mg | Sodium: 49mg | Potassium: 75mg | Sugar: 57g | Vitamin A: 3716IU | Calcium: 79mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutritional information are estimates only as they are automatically calculated by a third party application. Actual values may differ based on brands and types of products used.
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