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
When you say add the confectionary sugar followed by milk and then beat after each addition has been combined. Do you beat after confectionary sugar and then add milk then beat again. Or add both sugar and milk and then beat?? Thank you!
Jacquie, you will add 1 cup of sugar followed by about a tablespoon of milk. Mix until sugar and milk are well combined, then turn mixer onto a HIGH speed for about a minute. You will do this with each addition of confectioner’s sugar and milk until all has been added. I hope you enjoy the frosting.
From one Robyn to another: this frosting is amazing! It’s smooth, creamy, and delicious with just the right amount of sweetness. The consistency is perfect, too; it glides right on the cake but holds its shape. This is my new go-to chocolate buttercream!
Thank you, Robyn. It sounds like you love this frosting about as much as I do.
I’d like to make this cake and frosting a day ahead of serving. How would you recommend to store the cake and frosting overnight? Thank you for your help.
LH, you don’t need to refrigerate the cake or frosting. You can store the frosted cake under a covered cake dome for up to 3-4 days at room temperature.
Absolutely loved this recipe! It came out perfect! I made the buttercream frosting as well and even though it was way more than I personally needed, it was so delicious! I only used about half of the frosting for my cake. 5 star for both! TY!
You can store the extra frosting in the refrigerator 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.
Best chocolate cake I ever had. Truly a gift for the chocolate lover!!
When I make the Chocolate Buttercream Frosting recipe (1x) is that enough frosting to frost the two cake recipe or do I need to do the 2x?
Diane, this recipe makes enough frosting to frost a three layer cake or three dozen cupcakes beautifully. There is plenty of frosting for the 2 layer Best Chocolate Cake (Ever). I hope you enjoy!
Can you make this without a mixer?
Lela, it will be a lot of mixing by hand, you’ll just have to make sure you get the ingredients creamed and mixed together well.Several people have said they mixed it by hand. Hope you enjoy it! Thanks!
This cake is a hit! We’re traveling with the cake and would prefer to frost it when we get to our destination. Is it possible to make the frosting a day ahead?
Melissa, you can make this frosting ahead and use when you get to your destination. To Refrigerate: 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.
To 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.
csn leftover frosting be frozen or should it just be refrigerated? I put caramel in between my layers so the frosting I made still is a lot left.
Jessica, you can freeze the buttercream frosting. 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.
I made the Best Chocolate Cake to go with this frosting and both were delicious. I couldn’t find expresso powder but read to substitute espresso coffee and it worked! The flavor was so rich and yummy! The cake was very moist and everyone loved it!
The batter seems very watery after adding the 1 cup of boiling water but it truly made for a tasty cake!
All around great recipe for the cake and frosting! I will definitely make this again!
One of the guest at the table asked if I could make it for their birthday next year!
It’s a winner!
would this work with green food dye?
Tasha, I have never added green food coloring to the chocolate buttercream but if you do add any food dye, I would suggest a gel based food coloring. It shouldn’t change the consistency of the frosting. Maybe someone on here has added green food dye to chocolate buttercream and can tell what they did and how it turned out.