Chocolate buttercream frosting is the perfect finishing touch for your next cake or cupcake recipe. This sweet chocolate frosting comes together in minutes and can easily be doubled or tripled for your next cake.
Recipe summary
Flavor/texture: Sweet, chocolatey buttercream frosting with a smooth, velvety texture.
How much frosting do I need? This recipe makes enough for 18 cupcakes, a 9x13 or 13x18 sheet cake, or a two layer 8-9 inch round cake.
Yield: About 3 ½ cups
Similar to: Whipped Chocolate Buttercream Frosting, Vanilla Buttercream Frosting, Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
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Ingredients and substitutions
- Frosting ingredients - Unsalted butter, confectioner's sugar, natural cocoa powder, and heavy cream are the base of the recipe. Make sure your butter is room temperature (not melted, not cold) to create a smooth, even frosting. Heavy cream can be substituted with whole milk if needed (your frosting will turn out slightly thinner).
- Flavor - Vanilla extract and salt add flavor to your frosting and balance with the sweetness of the sugar. Don't omit the salt unless you're using salted butter!
How to make chocolate buttercream
- Beat room temperature butter until smooth.
- Add confectioner's sugar and cocoa powder one cup at a time and mix until fully combined. Whip at high speed until fluffy.
- Add vanilla, salt, and heavy cream and whip until fluffy.
- Pipe or spread frosting onto cooled cake.
Tips and tricks
Whisk dry ingredients - After measuring, whisk your dry ingredients together until you don't see any clumps. You can also use a flour sifter or fine mesh sieve for this if you don't have a whisk handy. Cocoa powder is often clumpy straight from the container so it's important not to skip this step if you'd like a smooth, creamy buttercream.
To bring butter to room temperature - Set your butter out on the counter about 1 hour before making your frosting. To bring it to room temperature faster, unwrap your butter and slice it into pieces. Small pieces warm up faster than a whole stick.
Don't be tempted to use the microwave - I don't recommend microwaving your butter because any melted butter in the recipe can ruin the texture of the frosting.
Don't skip the salt - The salt listed in this recipe helps balance with the sweetness of the frosting and enhances the flavor.
Frequently asked questions
This recipe makes enough frosting for the following baked goods:
- 6-inch three layer cake
- 18 cupcakes with piped frosting
- 24 cupcakes spread with a knife
- 9x13 sheet cake
- 13x18 sheet cake
- 8-inch or 9-inch two layer cake on the top, middle, and sides.
No. Buttercream frosting is a traditional, very sweet frosting that is often found in grocery store bakeries and used on birthday cakes. It is popular because it's easy to prepare with two main ingredients - butter and confectioner's sugar. Since buttercream frosting includes so few ingredients, it is not easy to alter or make less sweet. Adding less sugar makes the frosting too soft to pipe and tastes like sweetened butter.
Instead, I'd suggest making a less sweet frosting recipe like ermine frosting, homemade whipped cream, Italian meringue buttercream, or Swiss meringue buttercream.
Baked goods can be frosted with buttercream the day before an event and left at room temperature in a sealed container. Keep in mind that butter (and in turn, buttercream) melts around 90 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit.
If your location is nearing this temperature, refrigerate your baked goods until an hour before you're ready to serve them. Refrigerating frosted baked goods for a short amount of time will not hurt them. However, you will want to give them some time to come to room temperature before serving.
Here's a fantastic article about how frosting holds up to heat: The Best Cake Frosting For Hot Weather
No, chocolate buttercream frosting can be kept at room temperature for 3 to 4 days with no issues because the sugar acts as a preservative.
Leftover buttercream frosting can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Yes. I made this recipe with natural cocoa powder, which produces a brown frosting. Dutch cocoa powder will also work and creates a greyish-brown frosting with a milder chocolate flavor.
Troubleshooting
Buttercream frosting is made with butter, which melts around 90 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit. If your home is nearing that temperature or your cake is being displayed outside or in the sunlight, it may begin to melt.
Confectioner's sugar and cocoa powder can contain lumps straight from the container. For chocolate frosting I specifically note in the recipe card to sift or whisk your dry ingredients before beginning. Otherwise, lumps of cocoa are likely to be found throughout your frosting.
When refrigerated, buttercream frosting will firm up. Allow refrigerated frosting come to room temperature before spreading. If your room temperature frosting is still too thick to spread, add a splash of heavy cream or whole milk and mix until incorporated.
Recommended
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
- 4 cups (450 g) confectioner's sugar
- 6 tablespoons (32 g) cocoa powder
- 1.5 cups (339 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup (57 g) heavy cream, or milk
Instructions
- In a bowl, add confectioner's sugar and cocoa powder. Sift or whisk to remove lumps, then set aside.
- In a separate bowl, add butter. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat until creamy and smooth, about a minute. Add confectioner's sugar and cocoa powder mixture, 1 cup at a time, and starting slowly, mix until ingredients are fully combined. Then, whip at high speed for 2-3 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add vanilla extract, salt, and heavy cream, then beat for another minute until fluffy.
- Pipe or spread frosting with a knife onto cupcakes and serve.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- Yield: About 3 ½ cups of frosting
- How much frosting do I need? Recipe makes enough to frost up to 18 cupcakes with piped frosting, 24 cupcakes spread with a knife, a 9x13 sheet cake, a 13x18 sheet cake, or a round 8 or 9 inch 2-layer cake on the top, middle, and sides.
- Decorate while fresh: This frosting will crust, so sprinkles or additional decorations need to be added before your frosting dries.
- Storage: Buttercream frosting will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator or 3 months in the freezer.
Made this YUMMY frosting for my nephew’s birthday cupcakes. My family are not big sweet eaters but, everyone raved about the frosting. It’s delicious, light & fluffy and pipes perfectly. I added white & chocolate jimmies to top it off. Beautiful & tasty too !
Making this frosting for my birthday cake!
Great choice Karen! Let us know how you like it, and happy birthday!