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
OMG this was such a good recipe! Thanks for sharing it!!!!
Hello!
How much frosting does this recipe make? I am wanting to do a ruffle look to my chocolate cake and was wondering how many batches that I would need.
Thanks in advance
My honey has been asking for chocolate cake for 20 years and I’ve tried to no avail to satisfy. But the smile I got said it all after the first bite. ? I’m thrilled to finally have the recipie that had satisfies a long awaiting dream. This cake is so moist and perfectly chocolatly. Thank you ?
How many cupcakes can be frosted with this recipe?
I made 24 and froze a whole coolwhip bowl full
I just finished frosting 24 cupcakes with this recipe and I had a bit left over
Hi,
The recipe sounds yummy !! I am planning to bake a cake for my husband’s birthday ! Can we use margarine instead of butter ?
Thanks,
Kiran
You would possibly change the consistency and flavor with margarine. Someone in a previous comment used Country Crock and the frosting came out runny. Buttercream frosting is generally best with real butter, margarine often has a high percentage of water, thus affecting the consistency.
My sister in law is allergic to dairy. Is there a butter substitute that you think might be better than another? Or, any tips on what to look for ingredient-wise to get it as close as possible? Thank you!
Have you tried Earth Balance margarine? I use it when I have vegan friends over and it’s pretty decent.
Is the coffee flavor very strong? I don’t like coffee and when I made the cake I left out the espresso (it was still awesome).
Normally when you make chocolate recipes with espresso you can’t taste it I haven’t personally tried this one but from my experience with other recipes it really just enhances the chocolate flavour
I tried this recipe for the first time for my husbands birthday yesterday. We liked it, but it was very intense – I couldn’t find expresso powder so I used expresso finely ground then I put it in the mortar and ground it up even more fine- so that may have been why it tasted that way. The really odd thing was it tastes just like the chocolate in rocky road ice cream. Without telling them I thought that, I had three people taste it and they all said that it tasted like rocky road.
Hi Heather,
When testing the recipe, I tried using espresso, finely ground coffee, a little bit of brewed coffee, and a few other variations to name a few. I didn’t care for the taste personally but loved the flavor the espresso powder brought out of the chocolate. You can omit the espresso powder if you do not have it on hand.
Hello….I just
Whipped up this icing…what can I do if the espresso powder is too overpowering??
rave reviews. absolutly best choc cake ever! awesome to be able to make such a good cake at home. better than anything else iv tasted.
This was a very good chocolate buttercream frosting!! I left out the espresso powder because I didn’t have any, and I had to have the cake to take to church. It was very good without it, but the next time , I will put in the espresso powder. I liked that there was enough frosting to cover a three layered cake. Thank you for the Best Chocolate Buttercream Frosting Ever!!!