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
Hello Robyn, I really enjoyed reading ur post. I can’t wait to try it out. I need to ask! Is espresso powder coffee?
I love your website! > <3 <3 <3 but can you give me an important tip because I made the chocolate buttercream 3x and twice the icing goes down on the cake .how does the icing stay. i made roses icing around the cake. thank you
Hi Liza,
I’m so glad you are enjoying the website! It sounds like maybe your butter may be a little to warm and causing the buttercream to not hold as you frost the cake. I hope that helps!
thank you so much Robyn! that really helps so next time I’ll be on top of that.
Wow! I just made this buttercream frosting as I didn’t have my own favourite recipe to hand (which seemed to have all the same ingredients) and I am never going back!
This recipe is absolutely amazing – so light and fluffy and the perfect consistency. I just want to eat it with a spoon. Not heavy at all. I can’t taste the coffee (which I wouldn’t have minded anyway) but it is so delicious.
Thank you for sharing. I’m glad I didn’t have my own recipe – my cakes will never be the same again with your frosting on.
PS the chocolate cake is amazing too, even though I only had very mild olive oil at hand and only half the sugar!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Emma! xo
I followed the recipe exactly but the frosting was too sweet and too watery for my liking. I added more sugar like the recipe stated but I just wasn’t liking it! Finally I added about a cup of cocoa and it made all the difference! Not too sweet and a little bitter, yummy! Thanks for the recipe.
Hi Robyn
This chocolate cake & buttercream is AMAZING!!! I first made this cake for my daughter’s 4th birthday last year and everyone LOVED it!! I’d like to make it for her 5th birthday again which is in 2 weeks time. Thing is she’s having a Disney princess party so I was wondering if I could omit the cocoa and add some pink food colouring to the buttercream to make it pink to suit the princess theme? Do you think this will compromise the taste and texture of the buttercream?
This truly is the most delicious buttercream icing that I’ve ever made. I even had the confidence to use the icing bag kit that my kids bought for me last Christmas so my cake looks as amazing as it tastes. I will definitely be using your recipe from now on. Thanks
I have yet to make this cake but after reading the wonderful reviews I can hardly wait. Thank you so much for sharing this 5 star recipe. I will not omit the espresso.
Hi Robyn, your cake looks amazing! id love to make it for my sons birthday, im juts wondering if you could tell me the measurements equivalent in grams please? (I’m in the uk) no idea what size ‘cup’ i should use, thank you 🙂
melissa x
This is a wonderfully easy buttercream frosting to make. I just used half the powdered sugar and half the milk and it was perfect for our household: sweet but not too sweet. It pairs perfectly with the chocolate cake.
This buttercream frosting was delicious. Have made plenty of different frostings and they have always been mehhh!
Used this frosting for a birthday cake all the way in little ole New Zealand. This recipie was easy and everyone at my daughters 5th birthday commented on how decadent and light and yummy it was. Someone even asked for a slice of icing!!
Thanks Robyn! A big fan!
your cake looks so yummy ..i will surely try it out ,do we have to use normal suger or powdered sugar for the icing?
Thank you
You’ll use powdered sugar for the frosting.