Robyn Stone
The Perfect Chocolate Buttercream Frosting recipe essential for birthday cakes and celebrations! It’s the best chocolate buttercream frosting I’ve ever tasted!
The Perfect Chocolate Buttercream Frosting is definitely a must in my house! This Chocolate Buttercream is by far the best I’ve ever tasted and is frequently requested for birthday cakes and more!
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
It compliments so many delicious cakes and cupcakes, but my favorite is when it paired with my favorite chocolate cake recipe, chocolate cupcakes or even my white cake recipe. But seriously, it is pretty delicious on anything it touches. Like a spoon works just fine, too! Ha!
How to Make Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
To make this delicious frosting, first add cocoa to a large bowl or bowl of stand mixer. Whisk through the cocoa well to remove any lumps.
Thankfully, this chocolate buttercream comes together quickly and makes plenty to frost a three layer cake or three dozen cupcakes beautifully.
Here’s my Perfect Chocolate Buttercream Frosting Recipe. I can’t wait to hear how you love it.
Perfect Chocolate Buttercream Frosting Recipe
Ingredients
- 1½ cups butter 3 sticks, softened
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa
- 5 cups confectioner’s sugar
- ½ cup milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon espresso powder
Instructions
- Add cocoa to a large bowl or bowl of stand mixer. Whisk through to remove any lumps.
- Cream together butter and cocoa powder until well-combined.
- Add sugar and milk to cocoa mixture by adding 1 cup of sugar followed by about a tablespoon of milk. After each addition has been combined, turn mixer onto a high speed for about a minute. Repeat until all sugar and milk have been added.
- Add vanilla extract and espresso powder and combine well.
- If frosting appears too dry, add more milk, a tablespoon at a time until it reaches the right consistency. If it appears to wet and does not hold its form, add more confectioner’s sugar, a tablespoon at a time until it reaches the right consistency.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
You may also want to try my White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting recipe as well.
Fabulous great incredibly delicious.
My friends flipped over the frosting.
I will be making cake for Christmas and once again using your recipe!
Wow! I love it!!
Thanks, Kristan. I’m so glad everyone liked this frosting.
We have egg and dairy allergies in the house, so I used vegan butter sticks and almond milk and it was superb!
This frosting has to be the BEST frosting I’ve ever made! Other recipes is either too sweet or too buttery. This one was absolutely addicting!
Thank you! I’m so glad this recipe works so well for you.
I’m about to try this tomorrow. Is it enough to cover 7” cake?
This recipe will be enough to cover a 3 layer 9-inch cake, Tina. Hope you enjoy!
Love it. I followed the instructions exactly. Worked out perfect. Perfect consistency. Not too sweet like Buttercream Frosting usually is. 9 of us tried it last night for a birthday cake. Everyone agreed. Wonderful Buttercream Frosting. And I loved working with it to ice the cake 🎂😁
Thank you, Kathleen. I’m glad everyone loved the buttercream frosting. Don’t you love how easy it to make!
Should the butter be salted or unsalted?
I use salted butter, Stephanie. Hope you enjoy!
Thank you! Looking forward to making this for a Christmas party and a Birthday party!
I’m thinking to make this soon!!
is the 1cup cocoa mean , powder? or just cocoa for drink?
It is unsweetened powdered cocoa, Aya. Hope you enjoy!
Will this recipe make five cups. Thanks
This makes at least 4 1/2 cups of frosting, Gloria.
This is the most delicious buttercream. How would you store any extra and how long can you store it?
You can refrigerate or freeze this frosting, Lori. If you refrigerate it, it’s good in the fridge for about 3 – 5 days. Just make sure you store it in an airtight container. If you want to freeze it, put in a freezer safe, airtight food storage container and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to use after freezing, remove from freezer and place it in the fridge overnight to thaw. Right before you get ready to frost your cake, allow the frosting to come to room temperature and mix it well again to make it fluffy before using.
Hope this helps! Thanks so much.
I’ve struugled just making a straight buttercream…this one is phenomenal!!! Very easy to do if you just follow the instrux. And do not skip the beqting on high for a min…truly makes it outstanding & super fluffy!! Thanks for such a great recipe & for the specific directions!!
This really is simple and easy recipe, isn’t it, Jen? I’m so happy you love it.
Hi! What kind of milk to you use?
I use whole milk in this recipe, Mary. Hope you enjoy!
Absolutely love this recipe. Family favorite…made a number of times. Variation: I never have expresso pwd on hand and works out expensive just for this recipe. I use hot cup of extra strong brewed coffee in the cake and 1 teaspoon of instant coffee in the buttercream instead of expresso. People who are not coffee fans like ….not overpowering.
Can this be made as a plain white frosting? Just not add the espresso and cocoa powder? I need a good white buttercream I can add food coloring to!
Erica, try my Classic Vanilla Buttercream Frosting. Hope you enjoy!
Hi Robyn, I’m making this for my one year olds birthday cake, is it just as good when you omit the espresso??
The espresso powder just enhances the chocolate flavor but you can certainly omit it if you choose, Mary Beth. Hope your one year old loves the cake and has a happy birthday!
Hi Robyn. Thanks for sharing this recipe. I’m about to make your chocolate cake tomorrow as well as this frosting to frost the cake. I love buttercream frosting. I just want to know if I can use instant coffee instead of espresso powder for the cake and the frosting? Thank you so much.
Amazing recipe. It covered a two-layer cake with a tiny bit to spare (cook’s sample!). The people who ate the cake were raving about your icing recipe – not too sweet, nice mouth feel, not too heavy. It’s literally perfect. Thank you SO much for sharing this recipe. I didn’t have espresso powder, so I replaced a couple of tablespoons of milk with strongly brewed decaf coffee. Worked fine. Thank you!
Hi Robyn. Since I have buttercream milk (from your chocolate cake recipe), is it better to use that in the frosting recipe or just stick with plain milk?
If you are asking about using buttermilk for this frosting, I have never used it and don’t know how it would taste. I always use whole milk. Hope this helps, Erin.
I am a good baker from England and enjoy this site very much. I’m going to make the icing and cake and wanted to know how to measure the sugar – before or after sifting ? Many thanks! Barbara
Barbara, I sift the confectioner’s sugar and then measure. Hope this helps and hope you enjoy the cake!
Can we eliminate the espresso powder?
You can omit the espresso powder if you wish, Kerri.
Best.Frostng.Ever!!
We made the cupcakes and we really enjoyed them
I’m so glad everyone loved them, Alissia.
I made this for cupcakes for my dinner party and one of my guests loved it so much he sought out the bowl and stuck his finger in to have more. I was planning to save the rest for another time, but unfortunately couldn’t keep track of where his fingers had been! I am very happy to be making this recipe again this weekend. Thank you for the recipe!
That’s funny, Meghan. Sorry you couldn’t save the extra frosting, though. So glad everyone loved it.
Absolutely delicious!! Easy to make and you know exactly what is in it.
Thank you, Allen. So glad you liked it. I’m like you; I want to know the ingredients in whatever I’m eating and feeding my family, too.
This looks divine. Can’t wait to try it! I only have unsalted butter, however. How much salt would you recommend adding?
You can use unsalted butter in this recipe, Susan. You don’t have to add salt to it. I just prefer to use salted butter in my baking.
This was one on the best from scratch recipes I’ve ever made. Used stand mixed and made half batch.
Did not have instant coffee either.
I was concerned how thin the batter was but baked up in a circle pan. It was flat and evenly baked. I cut in half to make a half a cake.
Light,moist and uniform crumb,
Frosting was light and great chocolate taste
Delicious!😋🍫🍰🤎
Thank you, Paula. I think a lot of people are concerned when they see how thin the batter is for the Best Chocolate Cake (Ever) but it is always light and moist for me. I’m so happy you enjoyed this cake, too.
The name explains it all. Big hit for my fathers 65th Birthday. Everyone really enjoyed it and that’s saying a lot since the whole family is a food critic. Lol. Thank you!
Bonnie, I’m so glad everyone loved the cake. Happy belated birthday to your father. xo
OMG so easy to make and so incredible! My family is going to love this. Thank you for posting this recipe! 💕
Thanks, Lisa. Hope your family enjoys this.
Dear Robyn,
I made the chocolate cake and the icing for my Daughter’s baby shower. Needless to say, it was the absolute hit of the day. It couldn’t have gone any better! I received so many compliments from everyone (I also made a Hummingbird cake). You have made this Father so proud on such a special day. I can’t thank you enough!
Oh, how sweet. Congratulations on your new grandchild! It’s so amazing that you made the cake for your daughter’s special day.
I’m worried there’s too strong a coffee taste in the frosting. I used less than 1/2 a teaspoon.
Think it’s fine for a 5 year old to eat?
Liz, you can simply omit the espresso powder if you wish. It simply enhances the chocolate flavor.
Do you know how many 8 inch rounds this would cover if just frosting the tops?
Hot damn! I added a tiny extra milk at the end to make the frosting more fluffy. This stuff is amazing. I’ve finally found my go-to chocolate buttercream. This stuff is fluffy but intensely chocolatey.
Happy you loved the chocolate buttercream frosting, Deirdre. Don’t you just love that rich chocolate flavor?
This recipe sounds awesome! Is it a good consistency for piping rosettes?
This frosting has worked great for me in a piping bag, Sherry.
Everyone’s been asking about this. It really is a fantastic recipe!
Since I found this recipe, I’ve never used another. It is perfection!
Thank you so much, Kimberly.
10/10 The best frosting I’ve ever made ! I even misread the recipe and added ALL the milk in at once and it still came together perfectly !
Thanks, Jen. Don’t you love how easy this frosting is to make?
This is ridiculous.
I love this stuff. Eat it by the spoonful.
Thanks, Lori! This frosting is delicious, isn’t it? xo
Yummy! Didn’t have espresso and it was perfect! Made it for my daughters friendiversary and they loved it!
Thanks, Tracy. I’m so glad your daughter and her friends loved the cake. xo
Hi, Can I use food processor to whisk buttercream?
You can use the food processor, Neha. I would process the butter until smooth, add the confectioner’s sugar and cocoa powder and process, then process the milk, vanilla and espresso powder. Hope you enjoy!