This is the frosting that goes with the chocolate cake my family has made for birthdays ever since I can remember. This makes a fairly thick frosting that hardens as it sits. Cream cheese used to be sold in small 3 oz. packets, but I haven't been able to find those in a while.

CHOCOLATE CREAM CHEESE ICING

• 3 oz. cream cheese
• 1 Tbsp. milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• dash salt
• 2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted (2 squares)
• 2.5 cups confectioners sugar, sifted

Let the cream cheese come to room temperature. Mix in the milk, vanilla, salt, and chocolate. Mix in the confectioners sugar slowly. (Note, sifting is an important step here, otherwise you'll get lots of lumps.) You may have to adjust the final frosting with a very tiny amount of milk or additional sugar until it is the correct consistency.

Makes enough to frost and fill a two-layer cake.