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
What type of milk do you suggest I use?
I use whole milk, Asmi.
Simple and quick but with a little extra pop from the espresso. Coffee lovers at my house, so I add a little extra (double) espresso.
This chocolate icing recipe is so creamy, light and delicious! I used your chocolate cake recipe with it too and we’ll have it tomorrow on Christmas. Because the icing has one-half cup milk in it, (I used half and half), I’m wondering if it can be left on the counter in a cake taker, or if it needs to be refrigerated?
Tina, I place my frosted cake under a covered cake dome and leave it on my counter for up to 3 days. I use salted butter in the recipe which keeps longer at room temperature than unsalted. Hope this helps.
Hubby’s eyes got big and he gave it a thumbs up when I gave him a taste……that’s high praise!! New go-to chocolate frosting recipe!
Will this frost (2) 6″ 3-layer cakes? Thank you!!
This recipe makes enough frosting to frost one 3 layer 9-inch cake so I don’t think it would be enough to frost 2 6-inch 3 layer cakes. I would make 1 1/2 times this recipe for your 6-inch cakes.
i made this for my friends for our secret santa party and my family couldn’t resist licking the icing. my sister LOVED it and used the recipe to make icing just for her to eat!! of course my friends loved it too, they didn’t believe that i had made it!!
I accidentally used granulated sugar and ended up with a gritty frosting. I was sooo sad! I thought of heating it to melt the sugar and then cooling it. But I wasn’t too sure whether that would ruin it!
I’m sorry, May, but I don’t think heating and then cooling the frosting will help. That would melt the butter. You may be able to dissolve some of the sugar by beating on high speed for about 5 to 6 minutes. If that doesn’t work, you can try adding just a half teaspoon of water at a time to the mix and then beat each time on high speed for about 5 to 6 minutes. Maybe that will help dissolve the sugar. If it makes the frosting too thin, you can add a little powdered sugar and then whip for several minutes. I’m not sure this will work but hope it will reduce at least some of the graininess of not all.
This chocolate buttercream frosting recipe is amazing! I did adjust it a tad but it was this recipe AND the instructions that I followed. What I love is that it is silky and creamy and sinful and not a bit cloying in the back of your throat. I admit I haven’t even put it on the cake yet that’s how badly I wanted to share my delight. Let me share what I changed just for information… I used heavy whipping cream instead of whole milk (because I love the creamy richness of it) and I added 1/4 tsp salt to cut the sweetness and allow the cocoa to rise to glory and because my daughter wanted a plain chocolate frosting I omitted the espresso powder (though I admit I would have loved that bit of yummy goodness). So, other than that I didn’t change a thing and am so pleased. I hope my daughter loves her birthday cake tomorrow. If I have left over I will freeze it and make some sandwich cookies for the holidays. 😉
Happy birthday to your daughter, Tracy! I hope she loves her cake! Thanks.
Thank you. She loved the cake and she LOVED the frosting. She doesn’t like that too sweet frosting and normally scrapes most frosting off her cake. But she said, “This is the best chocolate frosting I ever had! This recipe has to go into my recipe collection book!” High praise indeed. I still can’t believe how yummy it is. I did have a good amount left over but I stuck it in the freezer. Thanks again for the recipe.
Thanks again
I have never made a cake before but wanted to try to make one for my wife’s birthday. I went on line and found addapinch.com and the rest is history. I found the best chocolate cake ever recipe my wife’s favorite and couldn’t believe how easy it was to make. I also made the frosting. Afterwards my wife said it was the best chocolate cake she ever had. Thanks for the recipe. PS for you beginners like me when doing the frosting and mixing in the sugar put the mixer on low for a few seconds before turning it to high so you don’t get powderpuff sugar flying everywhere.
Paul, Happy Birthday to your wife. I’m so glad you found my recipe so easy to make and you loved it.