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
This frosting is yummy! I used nescafe instant coffee instead of espresso because I didn’t have any, and also, 5 cups of sugar is too much, I only used 3 and felt it was sweet enough.
OMG!!! I helped my 8 year old daughter make this cake and I must say it was awesome. The steps were easy for her to follow. We just need to figure out what to do with the rest if the icing. 🙂 This recipe is a keeper!
I use leftover frosting by frosting half of a graham cracker and putting the other half on top. A graham cracker sandwich!
Does this cake need to be refrigerated since there is butter in the icing?
If it’s made with butter or cream cheese, then it needs to be refrigerated.
I’ve never, ever refrigerated a cake. I keep my butter in a dish on my counter so it is always room temperature. I don’t refrigerate cream cheese frosted cakes either. Course the cakes don’t last but couple of days cause they are eaten.
I’m with Julie on this, Darla. Seems to me that if salted butter is used in this frosting recipe (and why not, as a little added salt helps balance all the sweetness), that and all the “antioxidant rich” cocoa used in the recipe will surely retard spoilage for a couple days, if it the cake lasts that long! Keep in mind the eggs are baked in the batter, and the uncooked butter, and touch of cream or milk added to the frosting will be fine also for a couple of days for reason of that cocoa! Did you know that when something is baked with butter for the shortening component, the flavor just gets mellower with age!
Those measurements are a little bit odd?
Favourite go to recipe! I put 1/2 cup of hot chocolate mix and 1/2 cup cocoa powder, instead of 1 cup cocoa powder. Delicious!! Thank you so much for sharing this.
When the recipe calls for “milk,” does that mean buttermilk? While milk?
Hello there. Is confectioners sugar icing sugar here i the UK. And how much is in a stick of butter.
Thanks
Icing sugar is the same as powdered sugar. One stick of butter is 113 grams.
8 Tbs. or 1/2 cup butter in one stick
I cut this buttercream recipe in half, and didn’t add expresso powder. It’s simply delicious.
Was there still enough to frost an entire cake?
Hi, I have made this super delicious cake two times. Thank you for sharing, everyone loved it!!
I have one question about the frosting.
The frosting turned both times much darker than yours in the picture and also didn’t spread that nicely. It was somehow harder and clumpy. I tried to follow your recipe carefully. The first time I added too much milk and the other time there was quite a lot of milk left. I started to wonder is there a difference between cocoa powders? What do you use?
Thanks.
Just made this and excited to try it.