Perfect Chocolate Buttercream Frosting Recipe
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Chocolate buttercream frosting is an essential recipe. Rich, soft, creamy, and delicious, my recipe for chocolate buttercream is easy to make and simple to pipe and decorate for cakes, cupcakes, and other desserts. It is the best I’ve ever tasted and pairs perfectly with my favorite chocolate cake recipe.
Why I Love This Recipe
This recipe has a rich chocolate taste and a smooth and creamy texture. Made from just six simple ingredients, this buttercream frosting comes together quickly. This recipe yields enough to frost a three-layer cake or three dozen cupcakes beautifully. It stores well if I need to make it ahead.
Ingredients to Use & Why
You’ll need these ingredients to make this frosting.
- Butter – Use softened butter for the creamiest frosting. If you use butter that has not been properly softened, the butter will not mix appropriately with the other ingredients for the frosting.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder—The chocolate flavor in this frosting comes from the cocoa powder. You can use natural or Dutch-processed. You can also use raw cacao powder if you prefer. Cacao powder is pure cacao bean powder and is less processed than either natural or Dutch-processed. You may choose to use a bit less cacao powder, as it can have a richer taste.
- Confectioner’s sugar (also called powdered sugar and icing sugar) adds sweetness to the finished frosting. Since confectioner’s sugar is a fine-grain sugar, it combines easily with the other ingredients for the creamiest texture.
- Milk—Whole milk, heavy cream, or half-and-half have a higher fat content than reduced-fat milk. This adds creaminess and stability to the frosting. Make sure that the milk used is at room temperature. Cold milk can separate and cause the frosting to have a grainy texture.
- Vanilla extract—Use pure vanilla extract rather than vanilla flavoring for the best flavor. I love to use my homemade vanilla extract (such a simple recipe!).
- Espresso powder – While optional, I highly recommend adding espresso powder to chocolate recipes. Like vanilla extract brings out the flavor in sweet recipes, espresso powder further enhances the chocolate flavor in chocolate recipes. It is easy to make your own and is available in many grocery stores, cooking supply stores, or online.
How to Make Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting is incredibly easy to make and takes about 10 minutes from start to finish!
- Beat the cocoa powder and butter until creamy. Whisk through the cocoa powder in a large bowl to remove any lumps. Add the softened butter and cream together until well combined and creamy.
- Add the sugar and milk. Alternately mix in the confectioner’s sugar and the milk. After each addition, mix on HIGH speed for about a minute. This is a key step and makes the frosting fluffy and delicious!
- Add vanilla extract and espresso powder. Mix in the vanilla and espresso powder until well combined.
How to Tell When Buttercream Frosting is Done
Swipe a kitchen spoon back and forth through the buttercream frosting. It is ready if it is fluffy, creamy, smooth, and holds shape. If too dry? Add more milk, a tablespoon at a time, until it reaches the desired consistency. If too wet? Add more confectioner’s sugar, a tablespoon at a time, until the frosting holds its form.
Thankfully, this chocolate buttercream comes together quickly and makes plenty to frost a three-layer cake or three dozen cupcakes beautifully.
Storage Tips
Refrigerator: Place frosting in an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 5 days. Once ready to use, remove from the refrigerator and allow to reach room temperature, then whisk well to fluff the frosting.
Freeze: Place frosting in an airtight, freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Once ready to use, place in refrigerator overnight to thaw, then remove from fridge for a short time prior to use as described previously and whisk to fluff the frosting.
Vanilla Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
More Favorite Frosting Recipes
Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
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 (339 g) butter, softened
- 1 cup (84 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 5 cups (567.5 g) confectioner’s sugar
- ½ cup (113.5 g) milk, whole, half and half, or heavy cream preferred
- 2 teaspoons (9 g) vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon (1 g) espresso powder
Instructions
- Add cocoa powder 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 confectioner's sugar to a large bowl. Whisk through to remove any lumps. Alternatively, you may sift the confectioner's sugar into the large bowl. Add the confectioner's sugar and milk to the cocoa mixture by adding 1 cup of confectioner's sugar followed by about a tablespoon of milk. After each addition has been combined, turn the 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.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
Can you please provide a vanilla buttercream frosting. My granddaughter has requested pink frosting on a chocolate cake 😃
Thank you so much!
Joyce, you might want to try my Classic Vanilla Buttercream Frosting Recipe. You also might want to try my Best Chocolate Cake (Ever) Recipe if she wants a chocolate cake. I hope your granddaughter has a very happy birthday and loves her cake. xo
Can I use buttermilk for the milk?
I haven’t made this frosting with buttermilk, Eleanor, so I’m not sure how it tastes.
Great recipe! Easy and delicious. This will be my go to for chocolate cupcakes. I made the chocolate buttercream icing. Only used 3 cups of icing sugar and about 1/2 the milk. Absolutely out of this world!
Thanks so much, Jenn. So happy you love the cupcakes and frosting. xo
Does this frosting work well for piping?
This frosting has worked great for me in a piping bag, Michelle.
Does the type of milk matter? Could I use heavy cream?
Annette, you can use heavy cream in this recipe. Hope you enjoy!
How about buttermilk in frosting?
I haven’t made this frosting with buttermilk, Eleanor, so I’m not sure how it tastes.
Uh, yea…that’s what I was thinking. I’m going all out on this – my first chocolate frosted cake!
Perfection! Easy recipe to follow. Take your time mixing the ingredients (icing sugar and milk). Left out the Espresso powder. (Had added it to the chocolate cake recipe, so I wasn’t sure it would over power the flavour for the kids.). Creamy, chocolaty goodness. Cut the recipe in half because I only had 2 1/2 cups of icing sugar and it was enough for a two layer 9″ cake.
Thanks, Karen.
By “sticks of butter” do you mean 250g sticks? Silly question but I broke my 1cup while baking the cake and I’m not good with measuring cups by eyes, silly me!
The US stick of butter is 4 oz, Bella, and is 113 grams. Hope this helps.
After frosting cupcakes with this, do these have to be put in the fridge since there is milk in it or will it be fine for 24 hours on the counter ? Thanks
Danielle, I leave mine under a covered dome on my counter. Buttercream frosting does not have to be refrigerated.
Hey can this be frozen? I made too much! Waaay too much!
You can freeze the buttercream frosting, Aoife. Put the frosting 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.
Can I use any other kind of fat instead of butter? Have you tried this with solidified coconut oil?
I haven’t tried making this without butter but you can make this buttercream frosting with the solid coconut oil, Mona.
Is it unsweetened coca powder you use for the frosting? Making this for my son’s 10th birthday on Wednesday so I want to make sure I have it right! 🙂
Yes, Staci, I use natural unsweetened cocoa powder for the frosting. Hope your son has the best 10th birthday! My son was so happy when he finally got to the “double digit” birthdays.
About how many cups of frosting does this recipe make?
How do I proportion to make less icing. I don’t have enough confectioners sugar and we won’t need that much icing.
You can always half the ingredients in the recipe, Ella.
Could I add some sort of orange flavouring to this to make it a chocolate orange frosting please? Thank you xx
Nisha, I haven’t added any orange flavoring to this frosting but others have commented on here that they have successfully. This is part of the comment Lynette made: ” I also used Orange extract in place of the Vanilla because I really wanted a chocolate orange frosting, and guess what…. it was the best frosting I have ever tasted!” I hope this helps.