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 so easy to make and so incredible! My family is going to love this. Thank you for posting this recipe! 💕
Thanks, Lisa. Hope your family enjoys this.
The name explains it all. Big hit for my fathers 65th Birthday. Everyone really enjoyed it and that’s saying a lot since the whole family is a food critic. Lol. Thank you!
Bonnie, I’m so glad everyone loved the cake. Happy belated birthday to your father. xo
This was one on the best from scratch recipes I’ve ever made. Used stand mixed and made half batch.
Did not have instant coffee either.
I was concerned how thin the batter was but baked up in a circle pan. It was flat and evenly baked. I cut in half to make a half a cake.
Light,moist and uniform crumb,
Frosting was light and great chocolate taste
Delicious!😋🍫🍰🤎
Thank you, Paula. I think a lot of people are concerned when they see how thin the batter is for the Best Chocolate Cake (Ever) but it is always light and moist for me. I’m so happy you enjoyed this cake, too.
If you use espresso powered for the both cake and icing. Does it have the taste of coffee? I want to try this recipe but I don’t like the taste of coffee!
Thank you
I have never tasted coffee in either of those, Tamanda. You can omit the espresso in both if you wish. It just enhances the chocolate flavor. Hope this helped. Thanks
Absolutely delicious!! Easy to make and you know exactly what is in it.
Thank you, Allen. So glad you liked it. I’m like you; I want to know the ingredients in whatever I’m eating and feeding my family, too.
This looks divine. Can’t wait to try it! I only have unsalted butter, however. How much salt would you recommend adding?
You can use unsalted butter in this recipe, Susan. You don’t have to add salt to it. I just prefer to use salted butter in my baking.
I made this for cupcakes for my dinner party and one of my guests loved it so much he sought out the bowl and stuck his finger in to have more. I was planning to save the rest for another time, but unfortunately couldn’t keep track of where his fingers had been! I am very happy to be making this recipe again this weekend. Thank you for the recipe!
That’s funny, Meghan. Sorry you couldn’t save the extra frosting, though. So glad everyone loved it.
We made the cupcakes and we really enjoyed them
I’m so glad everyone loved them, Alissia.
Best.Frostng.Ever!!
I am a good baker from England and enjoy this site very much. I’m going to make the icing and cake and wanted to know how to measure the sugar – before or after sifting ? Many thanks! Barbara
Barbara, I sift the confectioner’s sugar and then measure. Hope this helps and hope you enjoy the cake!
Can we eliminate the espresso powder?
You can omit the espresso powder if you wish, Kerri.
Hi Robyn. Since I have buttercream milk (from your chocolate cake recipe), is it better to use that in the frosting recipe or just stick with plain milk?
If you are asking about using buttermilk for this frosting, I have never used it and don’t know how it would taste. I always use whole milk. Hope this helps, Erin.
Amazing recipe. It covered a two-layer cake with a tiny bit to spare (cook’s sample!). The people who ate the cake were raving about your icing recipe – not too sweet, nice mouth feel, not too heavy. It’s literally perfect. Thank you SO much for sharing this recipe. I didn’t have espresso powder, so I replaced a couple of tablespoons of milk with strongly brewed decaf coffee. Worked fine. Thank you!