Frosting that isn't too sweet

If you're making a cake, whether it's from scratch or from a box, you might also consider making your own frosting. Cakes can be quite sweet on their own, so it's a good idea to make frosting that's a little less sweet. 

There are several different ways you can do this, and following are a few ideas for making frosting that is not quite as sweet as the average icing.

Chocolate whipped cream frosting
This is an easy frosting to make. All you need is a pint of whipping cream and an instant chocolate pudding mix. Make your whipped cream as usual, but don't add sugar or vanilla. Instead, when the cream starts to form peaks, mix in the contents of the small box of instant chocolate pudding. You can then spread this onto the cake or cut your cake and place a dollop on each piece. It is delicious and inexpensive to make.  The flavor of pudding can of course be changed to vary the recipe.

Helen Evans Brown chocolate frosting
This recipe is a big hit for dark chocolate lovers. Kids may find it a bit too intense. If that happens, you can replace the semi-sweet chocolate bits with milk chocolate, which will definitely ramp up the sweetness.

The recipe is from a James Beard Cookbook. Melt 5 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate bits in a double boiler or in the microwave, mix in 1/2 cup of sour cream and a pinch of salt. That's it! So simple and so delicious. It is good enough to eat by the spoonful as a treat. I have to admit, this is my go to chocolate frosting. 

Cream cheese frosting
There are many cake recipes that call for cream cheese frosting: carrot, pumpkin, zucchini and red velvet, to name a few. This recipe comes from My San Francisco Kitchen blog and is traditional but adds less sugar than other recipes call for. You only need four ingredients, an 8-ounce block of cream cheese, 1 cup of confectionery sugar, 1/4 cup of unsweetened butter and a teaspoon of vanilla.

When you are looking for a frosting that is not cloyingly sweet, any of these recipes will fit the bill nicely. All of them are simple to make, require no special equipment and are made from items that you probably already have in your pantry and fridge.