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 this be a 3 tiered cake? If so is it possible for me to get a revised recipe for that? I know it would be a lot of work to revise the recipe just for me so I understand if you cant.
You would need to make 1 1/2 times the recipe for a 3 layer 9-inch round cake. Hope you enjoy!
Will 2% milk work?
Sraa, you can use 2% milk if you prefer.
Hi – do you ever use part shortening in place of some of the butter? Does the frosting recipe as is work for actual piping and decorating?
I just use butter, Laura. I use the recipe as written for piping and decoration.
Followed the recipe exactly for the Chocolate buttercream frosting and Chocolate cake. They both turned out perfectly!! Definitely a huge hit in my family! I made cupcakes instead of two cakes. For the chocolate cake when it came to adding milk , I did use a cup of buttermilk . They turned out so rich, moist, and light. My oven baked the cupcakes at 350 for 20 minutes and they came out perfect. These two recipes are keepers.
Thanks, Nikki. I love to use buttermilk in this cake sometimes, too. I’m so happy you loved this recipe as cupcakes.
I used dates (blending them with milk) instead of sugar and it is perfect. Health-tasting and the best cake ever.
I would love to try to use dates, what is the ratio of cups of sugar to dates? Could you please tell me exactly how you did this?
I made this for a 9×13 cake following the instructions to the letter! However, it fll in the middle! The outside edges are perfectly risen. I’m a pretty experienced baker but I can’t figure out what went wrong!
Mary, there can be several reasons this can happen. If you live in a high altitude area, you will definitely need to make adjustments for high altitude baking for this cake. Other reasons can be opening the oven door before the cake has finished cooking, taking the cake out of the oven before it is completely done in the middle, over mixing the batter which incorporates too much air in the batter – this is easy to do with the high powered mixers today, oven not heating to the set temperature or having uneven areas of temperature, letting the batter sit too long before placing it in the oven, all ingredients not warmed to room temperature, and oven not preheated to correct temperature before cake pans are placed inside. To make sure the cake is done in the middle, the cake should spring back when you lightly touch the center of the cake or cake tester or toothpick will come out clean when inserted in the center of the cake. I hope this helps.
I would like to make my chocolate cake a day in advance. would this buttercream frosting be ok made a day in advance and on the cake overnight?
Yes, you can make this cake and frost it a day ahead. It does not need to be refrigerated. Just make sure you cover the cake. I make mine ahead and leave on the counter under a covered cake dome.
forgot add 5 stars
made chocolate cake and this icing for superbowl party! omg it is best cake ever. Only thing i changed is half cup is 8 TBS so added one cup sugar with table spoon and half and beat for one minute after each addition. I am beginner baker and it turned out perfect. Thanks for all extra instructions.
beautifully deep and delicious