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
Amazing amazing cake and buttercream frosting recipe. Have made it twice and always received compliments. Thank you. One question though, I have used parchment paper and am buttering and flouring the sides but still lot of cake sticks. Any tips?
Prachi, I always butter and flour the parchment when I use it in my cake pans. Don’t let the cakes sit in the pans more than 10 minutes to cool after removing from the oven or they will stick. I recommend placing the pans on a wire rack when you take them out of the oven to allow them to cool in the pans for the 10 minutes described in the instructions to get more air underneath the pan. Once the cakes have cooled, place a wire cake rack on top of the cake pan and turn the cake upside down onto the rack. Take a second rack and place over the bottom of the cake and, similar to a sandwich, turn the racks so that the bottom of the cake layer is resting on the rack. Remove the rack from the top of the cake and let the cake cool completely. I hope this helps.
I forgot to add my 5 star rating.
This will be my new chocolate frosting recipe. It is delicious!! I didn’t have any espresso so I just added some coffee I had made this morning. Also, it makes more than I needed so I am freezing the rest to use on my next cake. Thank you so much!
Thank you, Judy. This buttercream frosting freezes really well.
Great frosting with lovely flavor. Can the leftover be frozen?
Patty, you can freeze this frosting. 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 refrigerator 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.
The Best Chocolate buttercream frosting recipe I have ever made. It was better then the recipes they gave us from Pastry chef school!!!!! Printed out the recipe as soon as I tried it. No need to search for any other frosting recipe:)
Thank you, Mary. I’m thrilled you love this frosting recipe.
I whipped up this frosting to go with your chocolate cake and it is DELICIOUS. I’m glad I saw the tip above to add 1/2 tsp of salt (because I used unsalted butter – I didn’t see it specified in the recipe 😬). I also didn’t have espresso powder so I used instant espresso and it’s still SO good. Next time I’ll make sure to find espresso powder because I can only imagine how much more incredible the flavour will be!!
Saving this recipe forever.
Thanks, Meg. I’m so happy you liked this cake.
Added about 1/2 tsp salt. Highly recommend that addition.
Riva, I use salted butter in this recipe.
Do you use salted butter instead of the oil in the cake? Or do you use the salted butter in the frosting?
I use salted butter in both the cake and the frosting, Jessica.
A good friend shared this recipe with me. It has become what she makes for her kids birthdays every year. They have a lot of allergies and make it gluten-free. Gluten free sometimes means having a funny texture and taste to those who aren’t used to eating gluten-free. That is definitely not the case with this recipe. I’ve started making it for my family for birthdays. It’s pretty much fool proof. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe with the rest of us!
Thanks, Taylor. I love that this cake is delicious as a gluten-free cake. I have family members who can’t have gluten so this is one recipe I can serve them.
Do I have to use expresso powder? I don’t think I have some but I really want to try this recipe.
Christina, you can omit the espresso powder if you wish.
It was really good! I added 4oz of cream cheese to my icing and that was good!
When did you add the cream cheese, Alexa? At the end? How is that changing the taste?? Thank you
DUDEEEEE this cake was top top top-notch. I used coconut oil and coconut milk where substitutable. A-MAZING. Thank you for introducing this stellar cake into my life.