This will be the richest, creamiest, most delicious Chocolate Buttercream Frosting to ever cross your lips. It’s silky smooth, made with six simple ingredients and has a rich chocolate flavor. It’s perfect for frosting cakes, cupcakes, brownies and more!
Table of Contents
- Ingredients You’ll Need
- How to Make Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- How Much Frosting Does This Make?
- Expert Tips
- Storage Tips
- Use this Chocolate Buttercream Frosting for:
- The Best Chocolate Buttercream Frosting Video
- Common Questions
- Try These Frosting Recipes Next
- Chocolate Buttercream Frosting Recipe Recipe
I have a confession to make. Chocolate buttercream frosting has always been an item on my grocery list rather than a recipe in my baking repertoire.
Who has the time to make buttercream frosting when it takes all of 2 seconds to toss it into your shopping cart and call it a day? But after a reader emailed me asking for a fool-proof chocolate buttercream frosting recipe (to follow up on my vanilla buttercream recipe), I knew it was time to wave goodbye to the store-bought stuff and finally go the DIY route.
Little did I know, 5 minutes into my recipe creation process I’d be licking a spatula slathered in the best chocolate buttercream frosting to ever cross my lips. I repeat, 5 minutes.
No fancy preservatives. No seven-syllable ingredients. Just six simple ingredients:
- Unsalted butter: Be sure it’s softened to room temp before you start. It should feel cool and lightly indent with a fingertip. Avoid melting or over-softening for the best consistency.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder: You can use either natural or Dutch-process cocoa powder for this recipe. Just be sure to avoid varieties with added sugar for better control over the sweetness.
- Confectioners’ sugar: Also known as powdered sugar.
- Milk: Use whole milk for that perfectly creamy texture. Other milks work, but your frosting will be slightly less creamy.
- Vanilla: Use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor.
- Salt: My secret ingredient! Just a pinch of salt helps balance out the sweetness and round out the flavors.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Kelly’s Note: Some people swear by sifting the cocoa powder and confectioners’ sugar for a silky frosting, but I find that just adds unnecessary time. Trust me, if you follow my recipe you’ll have velvety smooth frosting without the extra step!
I make this in my stand mixer but a large bowl and a hand mixer works, too! Just note that your buttercream may not be as smooth.
- Beat the butter. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until it is smooth. This will take about 1 minute.
- Add the confectioners’ sugar and cocoa powder to the bowl and beat until combined.
- With the stand mixer running on low speed, slowly stream in the milk and vanilla extract. Add the salt and continue beating until well combined. Be sure to scrape down the sides as needed so everything gets incorporated.
- Increase the speed to high and beat the frosting for an additional 2 minutes.
Kelly’s Note: The key to achieving a light and smooth buttercream is giving it a good beating. The longer you whip it, the more air gets incorporated, resulting in a lighter and smoother texture. By the end, your buttercream should be a lighter color than when you started.
How Much Frosting Does This Make?
This recipe yields 2 cups of chocolate frosting or about enough to frost 1 ½ – 2 dozen cupcakes or a 9 x 13 sheet cake.
If you’re frosting a 2 layer cake, I recommend doubling the recipe as I’d rather you have ample frosting than not enough. This chocolate buttercream is especially fantastic on my chocolate cake recipe—it’s a match made in dessert heaven!
- Use good quality cocoa powder. The better the quality, the better the taste of your frosting. Natural cocoa powder has a brighter, more acidic flavor, while Dutch-processed cocoa is treated with an alkaline solution, resulting in a milder, smoother taste.
- This recipe can be easily doubled for all my fellow chocoholics out there.
- Use the beater blade with your stand mixer (rather than the whisk). It’ll result in creamy frosting that lightens in color the longer it’s mixed.
- This buttercream frosting pipes like a breeze. So get your fancy pants on and check out my simple trick for piping two-tone swirled frosting.
- If your frosting is runny: Add additional powdered sugar, ¼ cup at a time, until the frosting reaches your desired consistency.
If your frosting is too thick: Slowly add more milk until the desired consistency is reached.
Pro Decorating Tip: Grab a small spoon and use the back of it to make luscious, deep swirls and create the perfect peaks and valleys for a shower of sprinkles in every color.
Store the chocolate buttercream in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days. When ready to use, allow it to come to room temp and mix with a spoon or electric mixer.
Use this Chocolate Buttercream Frosting for:
This velvety chocolate buttercream frosting is perfect for cakes, cupcakes, brownies, cookies and beyond! These are just a few of my favorite desserts to pair with this frosting:
The Best Chocolate Buttercream Frosting Video
Common Questions
A decorated cake with buttercream frosting can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days. However, if it’s hot or humid where you live, store the cake in the fridge.
Absolutely! But you might need to adjust the quantity since it’s a bit thicker.
Yes, you can, but be mindful of the overall saltiness. Adjust the added salt accordingly or omit it if using salted butter.
I haven’t tried this substitution but it should work. However, you might need to adjust the quantity since it’s a bit thinner.
The most common culprit is that the sugar didn’t dissolve into the butter properly, so really take your time to cream the ingredients together.
I go both ways when it comes to this question! Yes, you absolutely can freeze buttercream, but in order to maintain the silky smooth consistency, you need to know how to thaw it. Once your buttercream is frozen solid (in an airtight container), bring it to room temp in the refrigerator, then if necessary, re-whip it in a stand mixer to guarantee the best texture.
Balance sweetness by adding more cocoa powder or a pinch of salt. Adjust gradually, tasting as you go.
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Ingredients
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 2 1/3 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/3 cup whole milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until it is smooth, about 1 minute.
- Add the confectioners’ sugar and cocoa powder to the bowl and beat until combined. With the stand mixer running on low speed, slowly stream in the milk and vanilla extract then add the salt and continue beating until well combined, scraping down the sides as needed, about 2 minutes.
- Increase the speed to high and beat the frosting for an additional 2 minutes. Use the frosting immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge. (If you refrigerate the frosting, you may want to re-blend it for a few seconds in the stand mixer before using it.)
Kelly’s Notes
- This recipe yields 2 cups of frosting or about enough to frost 1 ½ – 2 dozen cupcakes or a 9 x 13 sheet cake.
- If you’re frosting a 2 layer cake, I recommend doubling the recipe as I’d rather you have ample frosting than not enough.
- No stand mixer? No problem! You can make this using a large bowl and a hand mixer.
- Use good quality cocoa powder. The better the quality, the better the taste of your frosting.
- This recipe can be easily doubled.
- Use the beater blade with your stand mixer (rather than the whisk). It’ll result in creamy frosting that lightens in color the longer it’s mixed.
- If your frosting is runny: Add additional powdered sugar, ¼ cup at a time, until the frosting reaches your desired consistency.
- If your frosting is too thick: Slowly add more milk until the desired consistency is reached.
- Store the chocolate buttercream in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days. When ready to use, allow it to come to room temp and mix with a spoon or electric mixer.
- ★ Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
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Recipe by Kelly Senyei of Just a Taste. Please do not reprint this recipe without my permission. If you'd like to feature this recipe on your site, please rewrite the method of preparation and link to this post as the original source.
This. is. perfect!
I use this recipe for everything!
Today, I’m going to add a little Irish Cream to the milk, and frost my double chocolate St. Patrick’s Day cake.
Yum.
So thrilled you’re enjoying it, Beth!
Hi,
Quick question, would 2% milk work too?
It will!
I get rave reviews every time I make this for company. Thank you for sharing.
You are so welcome, Edith! I’m thrilled you’ve been enjoying the recipe!
Great chocolate frosting with really smooth texture. I’ll make this again and again.
So glad you enjoyed it, Mary!
Amazing!!!!!!!!!!
So glad you enjoyed it, Sarah!
This recipe turned out perfectly. I had my serious doubts when, upon mixing the powdered sugar and cocoa with the butter, the whole thing just looked so dry. It looked like a bowl of sugar and cocoa mixed together and that’s it! I was convinced I was going to have to find another recipe and re-do the whole thing. BUT, as soon as I added that 1/3c. of cream/milk (I happened to have half and half), a miracle occurred, and it turned into beautiful chocolate frosting!!! I then beat it for two minutes as the recipe said, and it turned out to be the most creamy, flawless frosting I have ever made! I piped it on 18 cupcakes and still had frosting left over. Thank you for this recipe!!
Love reading this glowing review! Thanks, Rita!
Delish! I had enough to do a 2 layer cake with this recipe, really yummy!
So glad you enjoyed it!