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
Hi Robyn,
The chocolate cake recipe is yum and so simple to make. I love that it has gluten free, dairy free and egg free options. Do you have a chocolate frosting recipe that’s dairy free?
Kim, I haven’t made this frosting as dairy free but here is a comment from someone who has. Here is Cilla’s comment on how she made it dairy free. “I have a dairy allergy and was able to substitute the milk with almond milk and the butter with vegan butter and I loved how it turned out.” Hope this helps!
I like it its so cool and good
can i microwave the frosting for a short period of time to get it to room temperature and still be able to use it ?
Ella, I don’t recommend microwaving this frosting. Only a short period in the microwave could cause the butter to separate.
This looks amazing! Can’t wait to try it. Do you recommend salted or unsalted butter?
Christy, I use salted butter but you can use whichever you prefer.
Isn’t 567.5 grams of powdered sugar too much for this chocolate cream?
Aleksandra, the amount of grams is correct. I use 5 US cups of powdered sugar in this recipe.
I love the recipe but the icing has so many tiny holes as it’s smoothed onto cake-is it due to all the air whipped in? I couldn’t even smooth out the little holes with a hot spatula as is done with buttercream frostings. No one else has commented on this that l could see. Any advice?
Kirsten, over-mixing the buttercream frosting will cause too many air bubbles to form and the frosting will have tiny holes in it. Usually running a hot spatula over the frosted cake will help break up the bubbles and smooth the frosting. Make sure the spatula stays hot. Keep running it through hot water and drying off while you are smoothing the frosting. Another is running the spatula in the opposite direction around the cake than you did originally. One other method is to press a Viva paper towel over the top and sides of the cake and use a fondant roller or flat tool to smooth out the frosting.
Lovely and perfect recipe. I had no expresso powder so I opened a coffee pod and steeped the dry grinds in the heavy cream for about a half hour and strained it before adding to the frosting.
This is my favourite chocolate cake frosting of all time.
Thank you for bringing it to the table
Does the chocolate cake with the buttercream frosting need to be refrigerated once the cake is frosted?
Sue, you don’t need to refrigerate this cake after it is frosted. You can keep it on the counter under a covered cake dome 3 to 4 days.
Would this be enough to cover a 2 layer 9×13 cake or should I make two batches?
Shane, there should be plenty of frosting for a 2 layer 9×13 cake. Hope you enjoy!