White Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting

A swirl of sour cream frosting on top of mini cakes.

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White Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting

Creamy sour cream frosting with white chocolate that can be whipped thick for swirls or thinned with extra sour cream.

Recipe Makes 2 cups

Servings: servings

Author: Dahn Boquist

Ingredients

4 ounces white chocolate 113 grams; or ⅔ cup chopped
8 tablespoons butter softened, 113 grams
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ⅓ to 2 ⅔ cups powdered sugar 160 to 320 grams
5 to 8 tablespoons sour cream full fat, 71 to 114 grams
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

Melt the white chocolate. Place the finely chopped white chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan with about 1 inch of barely simmering water (the bowl should not touch the water). Stir gently until just melted and smooth. Remove from heat and let cool until slightly warm but no longer hot to the touch.
Beat the butter. Use an electric mixer to beat the softened butter and salt on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute.
Incorporate the melted white chocolate. With the mixer on low speed, pour in the melted white chocolate and mix until fully combined and smooth, stopping to scrape the bowl as needed.
If the white chocolate is still slightly warm and softens the butter more than expected, that’s fine, the frosting will firm up as it sits. It’s better to add the chocolate while it’s still fluid than to let it cool too much, which can cause it to harden into small pieces instead of blending smoothly.
Add the powdered sugar. Add 1 ⅓ cups of the powdered sugar, mixing on low speed until incorporated.
Mix in the sour cream. Add 5 tablespoons of sour cream and the vanilla extract and mix on low speed until combined. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 1 to 2 minutes, until smooth and creamy.
Adjust the consistency. If the frosting seems too soft, let it sit at room temperature 10 to 15 minutes to thicken slightly or let it chill in the fridge for a few minutes. Taste, then beat in more powdered sugar a little at a time for sweetness. If it’s thicker than you want, beat in additional sour cream, 1 to 2 teaspoons at a time, until smooth and spreadable.

Notes

Chop the white chocolate small: White chocolate melts fast, but it also scorches fast. Finely chopped pieces melt evenly and keep you from having to overheat it.

Keep the water barely simmering: Use low heat and don’t let the bowl touch the water. Too much heat can make white chocolate grainy or cause it to seize.

Chocolate temperature matters: Add the white chocolate while it’s still fluid and slightly warm. If it’s warm enough to soften the butter, the frosting may look loose at first, but don't panic. It will firm up as the butterfat and cocoa butter cool. If the chocolate is too cool, it can start setting as you mix and leave little bits that won’t blend smooth.

Adjust consistency: If the frosting is too loose, let it sit 10–15 minutes at room temp (or chill briefly), then re-beat. If it’s still too soft, add a bit more powdered sugar. If it’s too thick, beat in sour cream 1–2 teaspoons at a time until spreadable.

Storage: Store covered in the fridge. Bring to room temp and re-beat briefly to smooth it out before frosting.

Nutrition calculated using 2 tablespoons as a serving.

Nutrition