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.
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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
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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
The frosting taste amazing but I feel the sugar the grain of the sugar did I do something wrong
Hi Elena! Did you use powered sugar? Also- has it been sitting for a while? If so, you may try sifting or fluffing it to release any clumps.
Be sure to use softened butter and whip it long enough.
I reached for my heavy cream and realized it had expired. So I used half and half instead. To my surprise it still came out great. Perfect buttercream frosting. Fast and easy. Thank you for the recipe.
I’m so glad that still worked out well for you, Kevin! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
thanks kevin, i was just wondering about the half and half cause that is what I have.
I tried this recipe but was disapointed with the results. I had high expectations due to the almost five stars rated. I followed instructions and measurements perfectly and used all the right ingredients, but I did not think the flavor was all that great. I liked that it had simple ingredients and that it was quick and easy. The texture and smoothness was great, but the flavor was off for some reason. There was like an after taste I did not like. I will not be making it again.
Hi Almay! I’m sorry it didn’t work out well for you. A few things that come to mind- the brand and quality of the cocoa powder as well as the vanilla extract. We use real vanilla extract, not imitation. Also- be sure to use powdered sugar that is not old or stale. This can make a HUGE impact in the flavor.
Hi, I just made and frosted a 9 by 13 yellow cake with this frosting. It was so easy to make and it spreaded beautifully. Not to mention how delicious it tasted. Love, love, love it.
I love this frosting. So quick , easy and so delicious. I will never by a can frosting ever again. Thank you Natasha
Ohhh my made this for my husbands 60th birthday cake. It tasted ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS! Easy to make. DEFINITELY recommend this recipe!
So glad you enjoyed it!
Can I use Dutch process cocoa powder instead of the natural? Thanks!
Hi there. Yes, that would be fine.
I can’t wait to try this recipe on my son’s birthday cake tonight. Do you think I could use almond milk in place of the cream?
Hi Donna, I haven’t tried that myself to advise, but here’s what one of my readers wrote “Easy, delicious, and nice and chocolatey. Tested and made with both almond milk and 1% and both worked vs the cream.” I hope that helps.
Super easy, amazing flavor and the silkiest frosting I’ve ever made. I love it so much!
Will this be enough frosting for a three layer 9-in cake or should I double it?
Hi Michaela! It would be stretched thin for 3 layers. If you want a cake covered in frosting, you may consider doubling or even tripling the recipe for decorating or piping.
Will it taste hood with half and half. Too lazy to go to the store and get heavy whipped cream! Lol
Hi Mary! Yes, that would work fine too.
Most delicious and simple recipe ever!! I use it on all my kids birthday cakes and I need to learn how to not put spoonfuls into my mouth it’s too good! Thank you for sharing 🙂
This is the best chocolate frosting I have ever made. Rave reviews from everyone who had a cupcake and many requests for the recipe. Will become a staple.
I’m so glad to hear that, Laurie!
Hello, I was wondering can you use whipping cream instead of heavy cream?
Hi Rose, yes, whipping cream would work fine here, just add it to your desired frosting consistency.
An I able to use margarine instead of butter
Hi Tammy! I think it is possible, but I haven’t tested that. Using real butter makes this shine both for taste and texture.
How long does extra icing keep in the fridge in a sealed container? I should have maybe frozen it but too late for that
Hi Athena! See my notes in the make ahead section above.
I Made it!!
It’s very Delicious and creamy
Received several complements on icing. You can only tell it’s homemade.
I’m so glad you loved it, Diane!
this was great. especially the next day. thanks
I’m so glad you liked the recipe!
Can l just make regular cup cakes instead of the mini ones?
Hi there! You can follow my easy chocolate cupcakes recipehere for standard size.
How long would this frosting last on a cake room temperature?
Thank you!
Hi Lindsey, this buttercream is ok to keep at room temperature for up to one day.