American Chocolate Buttercream that is fudgy, silky, smooth, whipped, and absolutely delicious! You will love this homemade frosting, it pipes and spreads beautifully on cupcakes and cakes.
Homemade frostings are much better than anything store-bought. They are so easy to make and are ready in just a few minutes. This Chocolate Buttercream is thick, rich, creamy, and melts in your mouth and you will want to make it to decorate all of your chocolate cupcakes and cakes.
If you’re looking for more frosting ideas, you should check out my White Chocolate Buttercream, Classic Vanilla Buttercream, and this Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting.
Key Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make this homemade chocolate frosting:
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
- Butter: You need real unsalted butter that is softened to room temperature. Salted butter also works, but I prefer unsalted butter as I can control the sodium and the flavor a little more.
- Cocoa Powder: Use natural unsweetened cocoa powder, or dutch processed cocoa powder. You can also use melted semi-sweet chocolate chips if you prefer.
- Powdered Sugar: Regular confectioners sugar works well here, the finer the better. Measure it before sifting, and you don’t really need to sift it if you don’t see any lumps.
- Heavy Cream: This ingredient makes your frosting light and fluffy! It can be substituted with half and half or milk, but heavy cream will make the creamiest frosting.
- Vanilla: I recommend using pure vanilla extract for the best flavor. Imitation vanilla is not the same.
- Salt: Use fine sea salt. It’s added to balance the sweetness, so your frosting won’t be too sweet.
Yield
This recipe makes 2.5 cups of frosting, which is enough to frost 12 cupcakes or one 9×13 inch cake.
To frost a 2-layer or a 3-layer cake, increase the ingredients by 50%.
Tips for Making the Best Chocolate Buttercream
The detailed instructions on how to make chocolate buttercream are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. But here I wanted to share some success tips to make sure that your buttercream is perfect every time!
- The butter MUST be at room temperature. Take it out of the fridge about 1 hour before you start making the buttercream.
- Start at Low Speed: When you add cocoa powder and powdered sugar, be sure to beat the mixture on low speed to avoid a sugar storm.
- Scrape Down the Bowl as needed to make sure your buttercream is well blended.
Storing Tips
If you don’t plan on using the frosting immediately, it can be stored in the fridge for up to 1 week. When you want to use it, allow it to come to room temperature then beat it again for a few seconds until it’s smooth and creamy.
You can also freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge, then whip again until it’s creamy and fluffy, use immediately.
FAQs
Yes, you can. The milk will thin out the frosting, so you will probably need a little bit less.
This chocolate frosting is so good on soft sugar cookies! Keep in mind that this frosting won’t harden like royal icing will, so it may not be your best choice for detailed cut outs, or cookies that you’ll be shipping.
Enjoy frosting your cakes, cupcakes, and cookies! It’s a foolproof recipe that you will love and come back to every time.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Chocolate Buttercream
Equipment
- Electric Hand mixer or Stand mixer
Ingredients
- 1 cup (225g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 3 cups (375g) powdered sugar
- ½ cup (50g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 3-4 tablespoons heavy whipping cream or half and half, or milk
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl using a hand mixer, or using a stand mixer that’s fitted with a whisk or a paddle attachment. Beat the butter at medium speed for 1 minute until creamy.
- Decrease the speed to low, and gradually add the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, heavy cream, vanilla extract, and salt and beat again.
- When the sugar is mixed in, increase the speed to high and beat for 3 minutes.
- If the frosting is too thick, add cream and beat again. If it’s too thin, add powdered sugar and beat again.
Notes:
- This recipe makes 2.5 cups of frosting, which is enough to frost 12 cupcakes or one 9×13 inch cake.
- To frost a 2-layer or a 3-layer cake, increase the ingredients by 50%.
- The butter MUST be at room temperature. Take it out of the fridge about 1 hour before you start making the buttercream.
- Start at Low Speed: When you add cocoa powder and powdered sugar, be sure to beat the mixture on low speed to avoid a sugar storm.
- Scrape Down the Bowl as needed to make sure your buttercream is well blended.
- Storing and Freezing: Store the buttercream in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. When you want to use it, allow it to come to room temperature then beat it again for a few seconds until it’s smooth and creamy. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge, then whip again until it’s creamy and fluffy, use immediately.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
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