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This is the Best Chocolate Buttercream Frosting recipe! It is silky smooth, use 6 ingredients and is made in 5 minutes. Cocoa powder and melted chocolate create an extra rich chocolate flavor!
You know I am practically married to my Italian meringue buttercream (or Swiss meringue buttercream) but I am having a full-on fling with this easy chocolate buttercream. Sometimes you need a simple buttercream that doesn’t require perfect timing, separating egg whites or any extra steps.
It is so rich, so creamy, so decadent tasting and SO EASY!!! The extra bit of melted chocolate tempers the sweetness, so say good-bye to cloyingly sweet American buttercreams. Try this simple buttercream on fudgy brownies, red velvet cookies, classic yellow cupcakes, easy one bowl chocolate cake or even chocolate sugar cookies!
If you came for the easy but are feeling a more subtle flavor, try this vanilla American buttercream recipe or cream cheese buttercream frosting!
Table of Contents
- Why This is the Best Chocolate Buttercream
- Professional Tips for Making Chocolate Frosting
- Ingredients Needed
- What tastes best with chocolate buttercream?
- How to Make Easy Chocolate Buttercream
- Chef Lindsey’s Recipe Tip
- How to store chocolate buttercream?
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Chocolate Buttercream Frosting Recipe
- Before You Go
Why This is the Best Chocolate Buttercream
- Incredibly rich, chocolate flavor. This chocolate buttercream recipe uses both melted chocolate and cocoa powder for an intense chocolate flavor. The melted chocolate also deepens the flavor, makes the buttercream silkier, and reduces the overall sweetness.
- Make this easy buttercream in 5 minutes. Light, fluffy and silky smooth buttercream in 5 minutes! Even if you forget to soften your butter. I’ll teach you a trick for that below.
- A light & airy buttercream. You can whip more air for frosting cupcakes and brownies, or keep it a little thicker for frosting layer cakes. It is your buttercream and the texture is up to you! It pipes or spreads easily depending on your decorating vision.
Professional Tips for Making Chocolate Frosting
- Make sure the chocolate is cooled. The ideal temperature for the chocolate is around your body temperature. If it feels neutral to the touch, you’re perfect. This ensure it will mix in smoothly without setting, and it won’t melt your buttercream!
- Use Dutch processed cocoa powder. It is deeper in color and more robust in flavor. It helps temper the sweetness of the confectioner’s sugar and gives you a rich chocolate flavor base.
- Don’t skip the salt. The kosher salt and vanilla extract are the Robin to chocolate’s Batman. They amplify the chocolate flavor, round it out and temper the sweetness.
- Beat it until light and fluffy. I like to combine all ingredients except the cream first and beat that with the paddle attachment until super silky smooth, then I use the whisk to whip in the heavy cream. This lightens the whole flavor and texture.
Ingredients Needed
- Unsalted Butter: I use unsalted butter, but you could also use salted without stress. Just be sure to omit the kosher salt below.
- Powdered Sugar: I do recommend sifting the powdered sugar before adding to the butter. Sometimes the little lumps will come out but sometimes they are too stubborn and will remain no matter how much beating and mixing you do! Powdered sugar is also ideal for American buttercreams like this one because the fine granules incorporate better and will not have a gritty texture.
- Kosher Salt
- Dutch Process Cocoa Powder: I also recommend sifting the unsweetened cocoa powder with the confectioner’s sugar (powdered sugar) because sometimes cocoa powder has lumps too! I use Dutch processed but you can use any cocoa powder you like. Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa Powder is also delightful in this recipe!
- Semi-Sweet or Bittersweet Dark Chocolate: Choose a dark chocolate that isn’t too sweet. You can even use unsweetened baking chocolate! The goal is to add a rich, chocolate depth of flavor without adding more sugar. This chocolate buttercream is also delicious and still rich even without the melted chocolate. No other adjustments are needed.
- Vanilla Extract: Vanilla extract is optional but it does round out the flavor and heighten the chocolate.
- Heavy Cream: I use cold heavy cream. This loosens and allows the buttercream to whip up at the end. This keeps it from being heavy on cupcakes and cakes and creates a nice light consistency! That way you can make a statement like with these chocolate cupcakes.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
What tastes best with chocolate buttercream?
- Frost cupcakes: Use this simple, rich chocolate buttercream to frost chocolate cupcakes, vanilla cupcakes, these chocolate caramel cupcakes, or even in place of cream cheese frosting on the best red velvet cupcake recipe! You could also lean into the chocolate and use it on these peanut butter stuffed chocolate cupcakes.
- Frost your favorite cake: Choose a classic cake pairing like a classic yellow cake or devil’s food cake, or break from traditional and try it on a chocolate pound cake, sour cream pound cake or even an angel food cake! This frosting is great on layer cakes but it also fabulous spread over a sheet cake like this funfetti sheet cake!
- Spread on cookies, brownies or bars! Omit the heavy cream and use a thicker version of this buttercream on cookies or on brownies! It is fabulous on these one bowl brownies or even these brown butter brownies! You can add the heavy cream for a lighter frosting but it will set softer. You will want to store them in the refrigerator before transport or cutting.
How to Make Easy Chocolate Buttercream
Use these instructions to make the perfect light, fluffy chocolate buttercream every time!
Prepare buttercream:
Step 1: In a large bowl sift together the powdered sugar and the cocoa powder.
Step 2: In the bowl of stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment add softened butter, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and salt until light and smooth. Start the mixer on low until combined and then gradually increase the speed.
Wait! I forgot to soften my butter! No worries, me too {wink}. Cube the butter and place it in the bowl of the stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium while warming the sides of the bowl with a kitchen torch. Keep the torch moving so the butter doesn’t melt, and stop frequently to let the butter redistribute the heat. The goal is to soften the butter not melt it!
Step 2: Add all the melted chocolate and vanilla to the butter mixture and beat with the paddle until slightly lightened.
Step 3: If a lighter, airier buttercream is desired, switch to the whisk before adding the cream. Add the heavy cream and whisk on high until light and fluffy and white. For a smoother buttercream with fewer bubbles, keep the paddle attachment.
How to use chocolate buttercream:
- For Piping: Fit a piping bag with your favorite piping tip or a coupler. Place bag with tip in a large glass and fold the edges over the rim of the glass. Fill the bag about 2/3 full. Press the buttercream to the bottom of the bag, getting out any air pockets, twist the top and get ready to pipe!
- For Spreading: Simple grab a large offset spatula, dollop on some buttercream and start spreading! Add more as needed.
Chef Lindsey’s Recipe Tip
The estimated yields (frosting either 12 cupcakes or 1, 2-layer 9-inch cake) depend on whipping in some air for volume. If you omit that step, you will need more buttercream to frost the same amount of cake.
How to store chocolate buttercream?
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 weeks or frozen for 3 months.
- For compact storage, place it in air-tight zip-top bags, remove excess air, flatten and zip up. Freeze flat then stack or store vertically.
- You can also store chocolate buttercream at room temperature for up to 5 days, though most baked goods should only be stored at room temperature for 1-3 days. You should defer to the storage instructions on the cake, cupcakes, brownies, etc.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can make chocolate buttercream ahead of time. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 weeks or frozen for 3 months. Allow to soften slightly in the container before mixing on low with the paddle attachment in a stand mixer. Once the buttercream is smooth, beat until light and fluffy with the whisk attachment.
The best way to make chocolate buttercream thicker is to chill the whole batch in the mixing bowl along with the paddle attachment. Allow the buttercream to set for 30-60 minutes and then mix the buttercream on low speed until it softens. Switch to the paddle attachment and then beat until light and fluffy. If it is still too loose, add more cocoa powder or powdered sugar to thicken.
In my professional experience, chocolate American buttercream is great for assembling 2 – 3 layer cakes. It is not as stable as Swiss meringue or Italian meringue buttercream, and I would not use it to create a damn for filling layers with more liquid fillings like salted caramel sauce or lemon curd.
It will provide enough support for multiple tier cakes without fillings if assembled using cake straws or rods for support.
The most common reasons American buttercream frostings separate is from getting too warm. With chocolate this can often happen if the melted chocolate is added while still warm, but it can also happen if the room is warm or was mixed for too long and the friction warmed up the buttercream. Simply chill the buttercream in the refrigerator before continuing to mix and frost.
You will need to make a powerful choice here: do you want air bubbles and a lighter frosting or do you want no air bubbles and a thicker frosting? If you want fewer air bubbles, I recommend not switching to the whisk attachment or pressing out some of the air bubbles with a spatula, if you mixed it with an electric mixer. I personally like a light, fluffy frosting and I choose a chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream if I want perfectly smooth sides.
If you tried this recipe and loved it please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below. I love hearing from you; your comments make my day!
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 3 ½ cups powdered sugar sifted
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup Dutch processed cocoa powder
- 4 oz dark chocolate melted and cooled
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ cup heavy cream
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat together butter, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and until light and smooth.
- Add all the melted chocolate and beat in until slightly lightened.
- Switch to the whisk.
- Add cream and whisk on high until light and fluffy and white.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Before You Go
Explore more cake recipes and cupcake recipes to pair with this easy chocolate buttercream! You might also enjoy perusing all our buttercream and frosting recipes. Or, why not make a batch of buttercream for a Chocolate Fudge Cake?
