Chocolate Guinness Cake Icing

Asked by DIPASCOE. Answered on 5th February 2014

Full question

I love making the Chocolate Guinness cake but struggle to get my icing thick enough. I have tried different methods of mixing the Philly, cream and icing sugar but the icing always seem to be a little on the runny side. I am using full fat cream and cream cheese. I would appreciate any tips. Thanks. Diane.

Our answer

The icing on Nigella's Chocolate Guinness cake (from Feast and on the Nigella website) is made from cream cheese, icing sugar (confectioner's sugar) and double cream (heavy cream). Unfortunately in the last few years cream cheese icing seems to have come slightly difficult to make and we wonder whether the cream cheese (in the UK soft white cheese) now sold in plastic containers has a slightly different consistency to the old-fashioned blocks as there is usually a little water sitting in the container when you open it (even the full-fat kind). We would suggest substituting half of the cream cheese with softened, unsalted butter.

Beat the butter and icing sugar together first then beat in the cream cheese. Whip the cream to soft peaks and then fold or beat it into the frosting a little at a time, adding just enough to give a soft, spreading consistency.

If you live in the US then adding a tablespoon or two of instant vanilla pudding mix to the frosting can help to thicken a runny cream cheese frosting.