This American Chocolate Buttercream Frosting is silky, whipped, decadent, and chocolatey with just the right amount of sweetness. It has 6 simple ingredients and takes just 6 minutes to make.
This Chocolate Buttercream spreads and pipes beautifully over chocolate cakes and cupcakes so it’s perfect for all of your baking projects.
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
We love homemade frosting recipes from Vanilla Buttercream to Cream Cheese Frosting and of course, this easy Chocolate Buttercream Frosting. In fact, we loved it so much that I even used it on my daughter’s Chocolate Birthday Cake in Natasha’s Kitchen Cookbook. Homemade frostings use higher-quality ingredients and taste way better than store-bought.
Chocolate Frosting Video Tutorial
If you enjoyed this video for Chocolate Buttercream Frosting, please subscribe to our Youtube Channel (P.S. Click the BELL icon so you can be the first to know when we post a new video). Thank you for subscribing!
Chocolate Buttercream Recipe
This chocolate buttercream frosting is thick and fluffy. It holds its shape well, just like Swiss Meringue Buttercream so it’s great for decorating and piping. It also has a rich chocolate flavor.
How much frosting does this make?
Frosting Cupcakes? This recipe yields about 2 1/4 cups frosting and generously frosts 12 cupcakes or lightly frosts 24 cupcakes.
Frosting a Cakes? To frost a 9” 2-layer cake, increase the recipe by 50% (i.e. 1 1/2 cups butter, 4 1/2 cups sugar, etc).
The Key to Great Chocolate Buttercream
Soften Butter Correctly – For the best-textured buttercream, make sure the butter is at the correct temperature. Properly softened butter should be left at room temperature for about 1 1/2 hours, or watch our video on how to soften butter in 5 minutes.
Your butter should feel cool to the touch and you should be able to indent it with your fingertip. Never melt or over-soften butter for the frosting or it will become too thin and greasy.
Scrape down the bowl several times while mixing to ensure your chocolate and sugar are incorporated with the butter. If you don’t scrape down the bowl, your frosting will have streaks of cocoa and won’t be uniform in color. It will be especially obvious if you pipe the frosting.
Ingredients for Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- Unsalted butter – should be softened at room temperature. Use unsalted so you can control the salt in the recipe.
- Confectioners sugar – also known as powdered sugar. This is measured before sifting (sifting is not necessary).
- Cocoa powder – natural unsweetened cocoa powder or Dutch process.
- Heavy whipping cream – lightens up and thins the frosting.
- Vanilla extract – we use real vanilla extract for the best flavor.
- Salt – balances the sweetness of the buttercream. It’s the secret ingredient in buttercream that makes it taste not too sweet. We use fine sea salt.
How to Make Chocolate Buttercream
The best Chocolate Buttercream is easier and takes less time than you think!
- Beat butter in a mixing bowl with the whisk attachment on high speed for 3 minutes until creamy and lightened in color.
- Add remaining ingredients – powdered sugar, cocoa powder, heavy cream, vanilla extract, and salt.
- Beat together on low speed until powdered sugar is incorporated then on medium/high speed for another 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl several times. Add more cream at the end if needed to thin the frosting.
Pro Tip:
Use a silicone spatula to scrape down the bowl several times while mixing to ensure the frosting is evenly blended and even in color and texture.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can use unsweetened natural cocoa powder such as Hershey’s brand, or use Dutch process cocoa powder to make chocolate buttercream.
You can thin the frosting with milk instead of heavy cream, but you may need slightly less. Add it until you reach your desired texture.
You can easily double the recipe, increasing your mixing times slightly.
Funny story, I spent years sifting the dry ingredients for this recipe until I decided to skip the step one day and found it did not make a difference. The ingredients will be incorporated easily without sifting.
How to Serve Chocolate Buttercream
This frosting is delicious over cakes, cupcakes, sweet bread, cookies you name it! Here are some of our favorite ways to use Chocolate Buttercream frosting:
- Chocolate Cupcakes
- Sugar Cookies
- Vanilla Cupcakes
- Honey Cupcakes
- Greek Yogurt Cupcakes
- Chocolate Cake or Vanilla Cake – scale it up by 50% for a 2-layer cake.
Enjoy this easy 6-minute Chocolate Buttercream Frosting. It’s one I’ve been making for years and I will never stop loving this recipe.
Make-Ahead
- To Refrigerate: Store in an airtight container or ziploc bag for up to a week (do not store near fish or meat as it may absorb those fridge odors). Bring to room temperature and re-whip to make the frosting fluffy.
- Freezing: Package the same way as for refrigerating, then freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight then bring to room temperature before re-whipping to a fluffy consistency.
More Homemade Frosting Recipes
If you love to bake, here are the frosting recipes that you should have in your recipe box. They are my go-to’s for cakes and cupcakes:
- Vanilla Cupcake Frosting
- Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
- Chocolate Ganache
- Cinnamon Roll Icing
- Blackberry Frosting
- White Chocolate Frosting
- Homemade Whipped Cream
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting (6-Minute Recipe)
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3 cups confectioners sugar
- 1/2 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 3 to 4 Tbsp heavy whipping cream, plus more to thin the frosting
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- With a handheld mixer or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat butter on high speed for about 3 minutes or until creamy and lightened in color, scraping down the bowl as needed.
- Add confectioners sugar, cocoa powder, 3 Tbsp heavy cream, 2 tsp vanilla extract, and 1/4 tsp salt.
- Beat on low speed until sugar is incorporated then increase to medium/high speed and beat for 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl several times to ensure everything is well blended. Add another Tablespoon of heavy cream if needed to thin the frosting.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
Hello Natasha I love yr baking please tell me the trick to make a soft and moist chocolate cake
Hi Beenish, have you tried our chocolate cake recipe? It is so soft! I hope you give it a try!
Should I double the recipe to 18 people in the recipe card for 9”2 layer cake to frost the cake
He Meerub, To frost a 9” 2-layer cake, increase the recipe by 50% (i.e., 1 1/2 cups butter, 4 1/2 cups sugar, etc.). Also, have you tried our chocolate cake recipe? It is so soft! I hope you give it a try!
Hi there, I don’t have heavy cream, will 10% be okay? I made the cupcakes last night and they turned out perfectly! All your cake recipes are outstanding!
Hi Susanna, I think that will work. If you do an experiment, please share with us how it goes.
Should I double the recipe to 18 people in the recipe card
Hi Meerub, this recipe makes 12 cupcakes, so you can make double the recipe and have extra or adjust the recipe to 18 cupcakes and use those measurements. I hope that helps!
I want to make a 9”2-layer cake so can u tell me how much coco powder to use to make this
buttercream
Btw love your videos:)
Hi Merrub, I recommend reading through the recipe notes, we note there “scale it up by 50% for a 2-layer cake”. “Frosting a Cakes? To frost a 9” 2-layer cake, increase the recipe by 50% (i.e. 1 1/2 cups butter, 4 1/2 cups sugar, etc).” I hope this is helpful!
Simply perfect. New go to recipe. I used salted butter, so left that out and it was perfect. Soooo much better than canned frosting, which tastes awful to me anymore! Thanks for sharing.
Hi Vicky, you are very welcome! I’m glad to know that you enjoyed the recipe, thanks for sharing that with us.
Extremely decadent and delicious frosting! Went perfectly on top of your chocolate cupcake recipe!! My 3 kids wanted to eat the frosting off the top slowly to enjoy it by itself before diving into the wonderful cupcake 😀
Yum! I’m so glad you paired those two together! Sounds perfect! That is the best when kids love what we parents make. That’s so great!
Easiest and best chocolate frosting ever! I halved the recipe to go along with the chocolate cupcakes recipe, making only one major change and two minor ones: I decreased the amount of powdered/confectioner’s sugar to a 1/2 cup (personal preference). It still turned out so fluffy and creamy, perfectly chocolatey too! The minor changes I made were halving the salt and swapping heavy cream for half and half. You can’t beat an easy to follow recipe with impressive results!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Chloe!
how do you make chocolate and vanilla cupcakes on march 14 you got to help me please.
Hi Ashlin, are you looking for a recipe to make cupcakes on March 14? I have a chocolate and vanilla recipe you can try. I will attach the links. I will also attach a link to the vanilla frosting that goes well with the vanilla cupcakes.
CHOCOLATE CUPCAKE RECIPE.
VANILLA CUPCAKE RECIPE.
VANILLA BUTTERCREAM FROSTING RECIPE.
CUPCAKE FROSTING RECIPE.
I made the frosting last week it is sooooo yummy!
thanks for the recipe 😉
You’re welcome and glad you liked it!
Can I use cold whipping cream?
Hi Tanuja, yes, I add cold whipping cream at the end.
So I started, and it worked beautifully tasted REALLY GOOD, and looked awesome, then I scooped it into the piping bag only to realize it wasn’t creamy enough.
So I had to throw away the piping bag after scooping out the frosting, and that was sad .
BUT then I added cream and it worked better, I mean, I’m no expert at piping , but this was much better than my attempt with your Swiss buttercream (very badly done on my part and I’m quite sure it was operators error)
So yeah I filled the cupcakes with whipped chocolate ganache (they were chocolate cupcakes with chocolate filling and chocolate frosting! Talk about a chocolate overload!!!) and then piped the frosting on top.
It was much easier to pipe than a lot of the frostings I’ve made before and I can’t wait to make it again!!
Thanks so much Sally and Team!!!
Y’all are the best and I can’t wait for you next recipe!!!!
Thank you for sharing that with me, Michelle! I’m glad you enjoyed our frosting recipe.
Hi Natasha
Can I skip the chocolate and add food color to make different designs ? How does colored frosting works?
Thanks
Hi Kiran, I would recommend using our Vanilla Buttercream recipe and add the coloring at the end a little at a time until you reach your desired color.
That’s so nice of you, thank you so much for your recommendation and awesome review! I’m so glad you are enjoying my recipes and videos.
just made this frosting. It is just so yummy!!!!
Thank you so much for all your fabulous recipes. Rating a 5
You’re welcome, Linda! I’m so happy you enjoyed this frosting.
You and your husband are so talented with the videos, great job 👍
Hi Alena, we appreciate that. Thank you!
So light, fluffy, and absolutely delicious! Perfect topping for all my decorating needs! Even if it’s just a smear between graham crackers! 😀
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Betsy!
Yummy sounding, fluffy frosting recipe. I will add this to my must-make frosting recipes!
I❤️Cakes and Cookies!
Aren’t they the best?! I hope you love this recipe!
Natasha’s I love this buttercream mine turn out delcious. Thank you for all your videos you help me. People please subscribe to her youtube channel it has tons of delicious food and dessert. Thank you 🤗☺️💖
I’m so happy you’re enjoying my recipes and videos! Thank you for that wonderful compliment!
Natasha, I love this buttercream it was so easy to do it I love your videos. People, please subscribe to her channel on youtube because she makes awesome food and dessert.🤗☺️
Thank you so much for your great feedback and recommendation. I appreciate it!
For someone who is sensitive to whipping cream, what would you suggest using?
Hi Verily, I haven’t tested anything that is non-dairy. I know canned coconut milk can be whipped, but you will need to do a google search to see if it can be turned into a chocolate frosting.
I used this recipe to teach my daughter how to make cake frosting. It turned out perfectly! Thanks!
Aww, that’s the best! I’m so glad you got to this together. Thank you so much for sharing that with me. I’m all smiles
The softest and fluffiest frosting! It was delicious on the boxed cake mix cupcakes I made. And especially yummy straight off the spoon lol
I’m so happy you enjoyed it!