I remember in the 50’s how chocolate frosting used to taste, it was real fudgy and have not had anything like it since, does anyone out there have a old recipe that bakery’s used to use?
I have my mother’s recipe book “Culinary Arts Institute Encyclopedic Cookbook” copyright 1950 which she got for free when she purchased her first new set of stainless steel pots in 1952. It has the following recipe. Let me know if you would like more of the frosting/icing recipes. I will be more than happy to post them.
Fudge Icing
2 cups sugar
2 tbsp corn sirup
3 ounces (squares) chocolate
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp butter
Cook sugar, corn sirup, chocolate and milk (stirring constantly) to 232 degrees Farenheit or until a small amount of sirup forms a very soft ball when dropped into cold water. Remove from heat, add vanilla and butter.
Cool to lukewarm without stirring. Beat until creamy and thick enough to spread. Will cover tops and sides of 2 (8-inch) layers.
Here’s another recipe from the same book.
Chocolate Cream Frosting
3 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup milk
3 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
3 ounces (squares) chocolate, melted
Blend cream cheese with milk. Add confectioners’ sugar, salt and vanilla; beat in chocolate. Will frost 2 (8-inch) layers.
The second frosting sounds “to-die-for” LOL 
Here’s another from the book.
Five-Minute Chocolate Frosting
2 ounces (squares) chocolate
1-1/3 cups (1 can) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)
Melt chocolate over boiling water, add condensed milk and stir 5 minutes or until thickened.
Thin with a few drops water if too thick. Will cover top and sides of 1 (9x9 inch) cake.
**Now this recipe sounds fudgy!!
Master Chef, thanks I will try these as soon as weather cools off to use my oven. They all sound especially good. I remember when there were free gifts with purchases and even free glasses with gasoline!!!
FROM FANNIE FARMER 1918 BOSTON COOKBOOK
CHOCOLATE FROSTING I
1 ½ squares chocolate
1 egg Yolk
1/3 cup scalded cream
1/2 teaspoon melted butter
Few grains salt
Confectioners’ sugar
1/2-teaspoon vanilla
Melt chocolate over hot water, add cream gradually, salt, Egg yolk , and butter. Stir in confectioners’ sugar until of right consistency to spread: then add flavoring.
CHOCOLATE FROSTING II
13/4 cups sugar
4 squares chocolate, melted
3/4-cup hot water
1/2-teaspoon vanilla
Boil sugar and water, without stirring, until syrup will thread when dropped from tip of spoon. Pour syrup gradually on melted chocolate, and continue beating until of right consistency to spread; then add flavoring.
CHOCOLATE FROSTING III
2 squares chocolate
3 tablespoons hot water
1-teaspoon butter
Confectioners’ sugar
1/4-teaspoon vanilla
Melt chocolate over boiling water, add butter and hot water. Cool, and add sugar to make of right consistency to spread. Flavor with vanilla.
ALSO FROM FANNIE FARMER 1918 BOSTON COOKBOOK
CHOCOLATE FUDGE FROSTING
11/2 tablespoons butter
Few grains salt
1/3 cup unsweetened powdered cocoa
1/4-cup milk
11/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2-teaspoon vanilla
Melt butter; add cocoa, sugar, salt, and milk. Heat to boiling point, and boil about eight minutes. Remove from fire and beat until creamy. Add vanilla and pour over cake.
These arn’t chocolate, but their to die for! LOL
FROM FANNIE FARMER 1918 BOSTON COOKBOOK
MILK FROSTING
11/2 cups sugar
1-teaspoon butter
1/2-cup milk
1/2-teaspoon vanilla
Put butter in saucepan; when melted, add sugar and„ milk. Stir, to be sure that sugar does not adhere to saucepan, heat to boiling point, and boil without stirring thirteen minutes. Remove from fire, and beat until of right consistency to spread; then add flavoring and pour over cake, spreading evenly with back of spoon. Crease as soon as firm.
CARAMEL FROSTING I
Make same as Milk Frosting, adding one and one-half squares melted chocolate as soon as boiling-point is reached, and flavoring with one-eighth teaspoon cinnamon.
Caramel Frosting II
11/3 cups sugar
1/2-cup butter
2/3 cups grated maple sugar
2/3-cup cream
Mix ingredients and boil thirteen minutes. Beat until of right consistency to spread.
NUT CARAMEL FROSTING
11/4 cups brown sugar
1-teaspoon vanilla
1/3-cup water
1/4-cup English walnut meats, broken in pieces
1/4 cup white sugar
Whites 2 eggs
Boil sugar and water as for White Mountain Cream. Pour gradually, while beating constantly, on beaten whites of eggs, and continue the beating until mixture is nearly cool. Set pan-containing mixture in pan of boiling water, and cook over range, stirring constantly, until mixture becomes granular around edge of
pan. Remove from pan of hot water and beat, using a spoon, until mixture will hold its shape. Add nuts and vanilla, pour on cake, and spread with back of spoon, leaving a rough surface.
OPERA CARAMEL FROSTING
11/2 cups brown sugar
3/4-cup thin cream
1/2-tablespoon butter
Boil ingredients together in a smooth granite saucepan until a ball can be formed when mixture is tried in cold water. It takes about forty minutes for boiling. Beat until of right consistency to spread.