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Creamy and rich, this silky Chocolate Frosting is easy to make. Sweetly balanced with deep chocolate flavor, this easy chocolate buttercream frosting is perfect for cupcakes, cake, and more!
Creamy, Dreamy Frosting You’ll Love
- Easy to make: just sift, beat, and pipe your way to dessert deliciousness!
- Thick, fluffy frosting that’s not too sweet, yet hits that rich chocolate flavor spot. Every. Time.
- Your new go-to chocolate frosting recipe that has it all: great flavor, easy steps, and delicious on everything, including chocolate cupcakes, cake, and more!
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting Recipe
Chocolate buttercream frosting is a simple, yet standout, family favorite that makes cakes and cupcakes so much better. (Just like cream cheese frosting). Using butter, confectioners’ sugar and cocoa powder, we’ll be making a creamy, fluffy homemade chocolate frosting from scratch that’ll generously top (and enhance) your favorite baked goods like pumpkin cake.
Easy Chocolate Buttercream Ingredients
- Confectioners’ sugar: you can add a little more for a thicker frosting or less for a thinner one.
- Cocoa powder: this ingredient puts the chocolate in chocolate buttercream frosting.
- Unsalted butter: the base for buttercream frosting, it’s critical to ensure this is room temperature for a smooth frosting.
- Heavy cream: this ingredient adds a creamier texture and helps the dry ingredients meld together with the butter.
- Vanilla: always use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor.
- Salt: just an 1/8 teaspoon adds a subtle boost to the sweetness of your frosting.
How to Make Chocolate Frosting with Cocoa
If you’re wondering, “how do you make chocolate frosting with cocoa powder?”, this is the place for answers! It’ll take just a few steps and 6 ingredients.
- Sift together confectioner’s sugar and cocoa powder.
- Using a hand mixer, beat butter until creamy.
- In thirds, beat cocoa powder mixture into butter, heavy cream, vanilla, and salt, increasing speed as it incorporates. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, beating chocolate buttercream frosting until smooth.
- Using a piping tip, pipe frosting onto chocolate cupcakes, v gf chocolate cake, and more!
Tips for the Best Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- Sift together the confectioners’ sugar and cocoa powder: this prevents clumps of cocoa powder appearing in your frosting, or uneven streaks of it throughout. Here’s the sifter I used.
- Soften the butter to room temperature: this takes about 90 minutes sitting out on the counter, or place in a warm glass to quicken the softening process.
- Make sure your heavy cream or milk is room temp: cold cream can harden the butter up again, preventing a smooth, silky chocolate frosting.
Frosting Cupcakes or Cakes?
For cupcakes: this homemade chocolate frosting recipe can thickly top 12 cupcakes, or lightly top 24 cupcakes. To pipe your cupcakes exactly how I have in these pics, use this piping tip.
For cake: to generously coat a 2 layer 8-inch cake, make a double batch (I never like to run out of frosting while frosting a cake.) You can make less for a lightly frosted cake.
For more delicious ideas like this recipe for chocolate frosting, follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. If you’ve tried this recipe, take a pic and tag us on Instagram using #beamingbaker. We can’t wait to see it! Sending you all my love and maybe even a dove, xo Demeter ❤️
More Frosting Recipes
Creamy Chocolate Frosting
Ingredients
- 3 ¼ cups confectioners’ sugar
- ½ cup + 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder, natural or dutch-process
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3-4 tablespoons heavy cream or milk, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Sift together confectioners’ sugar and cocoa powder in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- With a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, beat butter on high speed for about 2 minutes, until creamy.
- Beat in cocoa powder mixture, heavy cream, vanilla, and salt. I like to add the cocoa powder mixture in thirds. Beat on medium speed until dry ingredients are incorporated with the butter. Then increase to high and beat until a thick, smooth frosting forms. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- If needed, add in a few tablespoons confectioners’ sugar to thicken or 1 tablespoon of heavy cream to thin out the frosting to your liking. You can also add in a dash more of salt if desired. Frost chocolate cupcakes or cake. Enjoy!
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