Chocolate Crisco Frosting Recipe (2024)

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by Alea Milham 13 Comments

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This chocolate Crisco frosting recipe holds up well in warmer weather!

Chocolate Crisco Frosting Recipe (1)

Why would you make chocolate icing with Crisco shortening? I answer this in detail in my Vanilla Crisco Frosting recipe, but the main reasons are:

Shortening is a solid at room temperature, so frosting made with Crisco holds up better in warm weather than buttercream frosting.

Crisco is dairy-free, so people who have a dairy allergy can eat it.

Shortening is shelf-stable, so it is easy to keep some on hand at all times, so when you run out of butter, you can grab Crisco from the pantry rather than making a store run.

How to Make Chocolate Crisco Frosting

When I made chocolate frosting using Crisco, I also use cocoa powder. To get a deep flavor from cocoa powder, you want to let it blossom. To do this, you need to use a hot liquid and pour it over the cocoa powder, then let it sit for a minute or two to allow the flavor to develop. I usually use hot water, but you can use hot coffee to create a mocha chocolate flavor. You can also use hot milk, to create a mild chocolate flavor.

Chocolate Crisco Frosting Recipe

This Crisco chocolate frosting recipe is smooth, fluffy, and has a deep chocolate flavor. This makes enough to frost 24 cupcakes, a 13 x 9 cake, or a 2 layer cake using 8-inch or 9-inch round cake pans.

Ingredients:

  • 8 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 8 tablespoons hot water, coffee, or milk
  • 8 tablespoons Crisco shortening
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 4 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Add the cocoa powder to a mixing bowl.

2. Pour the hot water over the cocoa powder and let it sit for a minute.

3. Add the Crisco, vanilla, and salt to the cocoa and mix on slow to blend.

4. Slowly add the powdered sugar while blending on slow until fully incorporated.

5. Once the powdered sugar is fully mixed in, beat on high for 1 – 2 minutes until fluffy.

Chocolate Crisco Frosting Recipe (2)

Printable Recipe for Chocolate Crisco Frosting

Chocolate Crisco Frosting Recipe (3)

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5 from 4 votes

Chocolate Crisco Frosting Recipe

An easy chocolate frosting recipe that is dairy-free and holds its shape well

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 18

Author Alea Milham

Ingredients

  • 8 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 8 tablespoons hot water coffee, or milk
  • 8 tablespoons Crisco shortening
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 4 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

  • Add the cocoa powder to a mixing bowl.

  • Pour the hot water over the cocoa powder and let it sit for a minute.

  • Add the Crisco, vanilla, and salt to the cocoa and mix on slow to blend.

  • Slowly add the powdered sugar while blending on slow until fully incorporated.

  • Once the powdered sugar is fully mixed in, beat on high for 1 - 2 minutes until fluffy.

More Frosting Recipes

Vanilla Crisco Frosting

Fluffy Dairy-Free Chocolate Frosting

Fluffy Dairy-Free Vanilla Frosting

How to Make Royal Icing

Dairy-Free “Butter Cream” Frosting

About Alea Milham

Alea Milham is the owner of Premeditated Leftovers and the author of Prep-Ahead Meals from Scatch. She shares her tips for saving money and time while reducing waste in her home. Her favorite hobby, gardening, is a frugal source of organic produce for her recipes. She believes it is possible to live fully and eat well while spending less.

Comments

  1. Destiny says

    can this frosting be saved and used at a later date?

    Reply

  2. Nancy Morra says

    Is this frosting enough for 2 layer cake?

    Reply

  3. CJ says

    Chocolate Crisco Frosting Recipe (4)
    This is a great recipe, thank you for posting it. My husband usually only likes Crisco-based WHITE frosting. But I prefer chocolate frosting. So I thought I’d try this one. He still prefers the WHITE frosting, but he said this is an EXCELLENT one for chocolate. I love that the consistency is good and not fussy to get right.

    Reply

    • Tracy says

      How does it hold up when on a cake and at room temp?

      Reply

  4. Christina L. says

    Is this recipe also gluten free?

    Reply

    • Alea Milham says

      Yes, it is.

      Reply

  5. Sil says

    Cutting on the sugar will compromise the results?

    Reply

  6. Terry C says

    Chocolate Crisco Frosting Recipe (5)
    This is awesome! My daughter is dairy free and is always wanting frosting on her cakes and cupcakes and now I can give her her wish with your yummy recipes. Thank you! I used hot coffee and added 1/4 tsp of esspresso.powder for a rich mocha chocolate frosting! It.is SO good!!

    Reply

  7. Lisa says

    Reminiscent of my Mom’s frosting,it’s been a looooong time! I halved it for 8×8 raspberry brownie topping,used half coffee,half hot water ,super good,a keeper!.

    Reply

  8. Laura says

    Thank you for this! Icing was tasty and was easily used to ice cupcakes with an icing bag and tip!

    Reply

  9. Aylee says

    Chocolate Crisco Frosting Recipe (6)
    Nice texture! Good to know that Crisco is a decent option for frosting.
    Also, I had a positive result from combining a melted 1/2 bar of lowsugar, quality dark chocolate into the crisco portion prior to mixing into the rest. Yum . Thank You for this..

    Reply

  10. Z says

    Chocolate Crisco Frosting Recipe (7)
    Hello, I needed a dairy free frosting recipe to ice a yule log cake. I used this Chocolate Crisco Frosting Recipe and it was really nice, tasted good and was spreadable. Thank you

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Chocolate Crisco Frosting Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Is frosting better with butter or Crisco? ›

When it comes to frosting, it's best to lean into the topping's richness. That means using full-fat ingredients like shortening to your advantage. Although butter has a creamy, sweet taste, it still contains some moisture, making it susceptible to melting — cue, shortening.

How do you make frosting taste like bakery? ›

Whip the frosting with half a block of cream cheese and an extra cup of powdered sugar and a few drops of the appropriate flavoring extract. If you're using chocolate, add cocoa powder. If you want a richer buttery flavor add a few tablespoons of butter as well.

How do you stiffen icing without powdered sugar? ›

If you are trying to avoid any sweetness to your frosting you could try some cream of tartar or some cornstarch mixed with a little milk. You can also whip heavy cream to stiff peaks and fold into the softened cream cheese. People use gelatin to thicken and set whipped cream frostings.

How to improve chocolate can frosting? ›

Raid your pantry for flavor boosters.

Other smooth ingredients that you can add to amp up a canned frosting are peanut butter (or any nut butter of your choosing), fruit preserves or jam, nutella, marshmallow creme, cookie butter, or a citrus curd.

What is the most important ingredient in frosting? ›

Sugar is the most important ingredient in all types of frostings, providing sweetness, flavor, bulk and structure.

What frosting holds the best? ›

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Butter and flavorings are beaten into the meringue to create the buttercream. Because of its stiff meringue base, the frosting holds up well, will not crust and is great for piping cupcakes and decorating cakes.

What kind of frosting do most bakeries use? ›

1. Buttercream Frosting. Buttercream frostings rely on the main ingredient of butter and will be the most common type of frosting you will find in a bakery.

What type of frosting do professional bakers use? ›

Swiss meringue buttercream is probably the most standard buttercream for pastry professionals. It is incredibly smooth, making it an extremely popular choice for icing cakes.

Do bakeries use shortening in frosting? ›

A-Two things set bakery-style icings apart from all homemade versions: the fat used and the addition of an Italian meringue. Unlike buttercream icings, which are made with real butter, many commercial products are made with a solid vegetable shortening, such as Crisco.

How do you thicken chocolate frosting? ›

If you are making a chocolate frosting, adding more cocoa powder is a great option for thickening it. The technique is basically the same as if you were thickening with powdered sugar, but you want to use a smaller quantity of cocoa powder than icing sugar. Try adding just 1 to 2 teaspoon at a time.

Does cream cheese thicken frosting? ›

As the fats from the cream cheese and butter cool, the frosting will change consistency and become much thicker. No extra powdered sugar required!

Why is my frosting so runny? ›

Frosting is too runny.

This could be because the butter was too soft or you added too much milk if it is buttercream frosting or it could be that you have overbeaten it if you're making cream cheese frosting. Also, a hot kitchen can make frostings go runny, so be mindful of the temperature.

What is the secret ingredient that will improve your frosting? ›

By mixing in some vinegar, it will give another layer of flavor and also help hold the icing together better. (In general, you'll need a quarter of a teaspoon of vinegar for every three egg whites you use.)

Why is my chocolate icing not setting? ›

It is really important that the cake is still warm when the icing is poured over, so that the cake can absorb some of the frosting. If the cake is cold then the crust will have set fully, which means the icing can't sink in and will sit on the surface and be runnier.

Why does my chocolate frosting get hard? ›

Frosting hardens because water evaporates. Most frostings contain sugar and some liquid. Sugar is hard and crunchy.

Is shortening or butter better for buttercream frosting? ›

While you certainly can make an all-butter or all-shortening frosting, we suggest using a little of each ingredient to get the best of both worlds. For a rich and creamy flavor in your frosting, butter is key. We suggest using a good-quality unsalted butter for tasty results every time.

Does shortening make frosting better? ›

Crisco - Shortening is the secret to a dreamy, creamy frosting. It has a higher melting point than butter—so it holds its shape better. | Facebook.

Do professional bakers use shortening? ›

If you want to add additional flavor to the dish, lard is the right choice. Shortening is ideal for its neutral flavor, many professional bakers use it for icing.

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