This creamy, balanced chocolate frosting is almost pudding-like in texture with a hint of tang thanks to the addition of Greek yogurt. You can use far less butter compared to a normal buttercream with a bit more protein thanks to the yogurt, no mixer needed!
When thinking about which frosting to pair my gluten-free peanut butter cake with, I wanted a frosting that would be equally easy. You don’t need a mixer to make the cake (only a blender), so why pull out the mixer for the frosting?
I had a tub of Greek yogurt on hand and realized that it could be the perfect stand in for King Arthur’s chocolate sour cream frosting. I’ve used this before as a pairing with yellow cake, and it’s a delightfully creamy but balanced chocolate frosting with a bit of tang to offset the sweetness.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Soft and creamy texture: This frosting is quite soft and pudding-like. It won’t form that crisp edge that buttercream sometimes does once it dries out a bit at room temperature. This will stay extremely soft and creamy even after being chilled. It’s not great for precise decorating, but it will perfect for a soft-textured frosting!
- More protein: Instead of relying on butter and sugar to bulk up the frosting, adding a dollop of Greek yogurt adds protein into a frosting where you normally wouldn’t find any.
- One bowl recipe: No need to pull out your mixer for this recipe–you can whisk everything together in one bowl!
How this Greek yogurt frosting recipe originated
The King Arthur chocolate frosting recipe uses a base of melted butter and chocolate. Vanilla, cocoa and salt add additional flavoring, and powdered sugar and sour cream give the frosting body.
I only made two tweaks to the existing recipe:
- Swapped Greek yogurt for the sour cream
- Cut the amount of powdered sugar in half for my ideal sweetness
On the downside, whisking all the ingredients together by hand means that you’ll likely end up with a few lumps in the frosting. If you really want a smooth frosting, I would make sure to sift the dry ingredients in and try whisking the frosting using an electric mixer.
Ingredients you’ll need
- Greek yogurt: I highly recommend using full-fat Greek yogurt for this recipe as it’s the creamiest both in texture and in taste. You can try a low-fat Greek yogurt if that’s all you have, but it may result in a more watery texture. I would not recommend using non-fat Greek yogurt
- Semisweet chocolate: Semisweet chocolate is technically anywhere between 35-60%, but I prefer between the 50-60% range, or even into bittersweet chocolate (closer to 70%). I also tested this with milk chocolate, which yielded a sweeter flavor that I personally didn’t prefer.
- Unsalted butter: I used unsalted butter, but you can feel free to use salted as well! It’s such a small amount that the extra salt won’t really matter.
- Cocoa powder: Look for unsweetened rather than sweetened cocoa powder. We’re using a small amount of cocoa for more depth of flavor and there are no leaveners in the frosting to react with the cocoa, so you can use either natural or Dutch-process cocoa. Dutch-process cocoa may give you a richer hue, but natural cocoa (depending on the brand) can sometimes have a stronger flavor.
- Powdered sugar: Generic or organic powdered sugar will both work here. I actually think flavor-wise, you could leave the powdered sugar out if you use a sweeter chocolate, but I do think the sugar helps with thickening the overall texture of the frosting.
- Vanilla extract: Use real vanilla extract or imitation vanilla–either will work!
This frosting can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to a week. You’ll need to rewhip it again before using, either by hand or using an electric mixer.
Chocolate Greek Yogurt Frosting
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate 85g
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter 42g
- 3/4 tsp vanilla
- pinch kosher salt
- 2/3 cup powdered sugar 76g
- 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, natural or Dutch-process 21g
- 6 tbsp Greek yogurt, cold 85g
Instructions
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate and 3 tbsp unsalted butter together until the chocolate has just started to melt (about 30-60 seconds), then stir together until smooth. Whisk 3/4 tsp vanilla and pinch kosher salt into the chocolate mixture.
- Sift 2/3 cup powdered sugar and 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, natural or Dutch-process over the melted chocolate mixture (I recommend this step to try to avoid lumps as much as possible, though they are a bit unavoidable). Whisk to mix together about 60% of the way.
- Add 6 tbsp Greek yogurt, cold and continue whisking until smooth. There may be a few lumps in the frosting, but they should start to smooth out the more you whisk (the final product may still have a few lumps). Use immediately (or save for later and rewhip before using).
Esther
Delicious and super easy to make!