Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
This chocolate cream cheese frosting is a chocolate lovers dream. This chocolate frosting is silky smooth, surprisingly easy to make, and pipes onto cupcakes or cakes beautifully.
It works really well over either of the chocolate cupcakes that I’ve posted: (1) Moist Chocolate Cupcakes – easy peasy or (2) super fluffy Dark Chocolate Cupcakes.
I’ve gotten loads of requests for a perfect chocolate cupcake frosting recipe and I know you’ll be impressed with this one. The cream cheese base gives it a lighter whipped texture. It’s not overly rich or overly sweet, but is super chocolatey and will win you over.
Yields: about 3 cups of frosting to generously frost 18 cupcakes or reasonably frost 24 cupcakes. It would also be enough to frost an 8 or 9-inch two layer round cake.
Ingredients for Chocolate Frosting Recipe:
8 oz package cream cheese, room temp
8 Tbsp (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temp
3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
How to Make Whipped Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting:
1. In the bowl of an electric mixer using paddle attachment (or using an electric hand mixer with a large bowl), beat together 8 oz cream cheese with 8 Tbsp butter on medium/high speed until creamy (3 min), scraping down the bowl as needed.
2. Sift in 3 cups powdered sugar with 1/2 cup cocoa powder to ensure there are no lumps then add 1/4 tsp salt. Mix on low speed until well combined, scrape down the bowl well then increase to medium/high speed and beat until smooth and whipped (1 min).
3. Add 1 tsp vanilla and beat on medium/high until smooth (1 min). Now it’s ready to be piped onto cooled cupcakes.
Note: it’s best to pipe the frosting on after it is made. If you refrigerate the frosting, it will need a little time at room temp to soften and become pipe-able.
Best Chocolate Frosting! Whipped Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 8 oz package cream cheese room temp
- 8 Tbsp 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
-
In the bowl of an electric mixer using paddle attachment (or using an electric hand mixer with a large bowl), beat together 8 oz cream cheese with 8 Tbsp butter on medium/high speed until creamy (3 min), scraping down the bowl as needed.
-
Sift in 3 cups powdered sugar with 1/2 cup cocoa powder to ensure there are no lumps then add 1/4 tsp salt. Mix on low speed until well combined, scrape down the bowl well then increase to medium/high speed and beat until smooth and whipped (1 min).
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Add 1 tsp vanilla and beat on medium/high until smooth (1 min). Now it's ready to be piped onto cooled cupcakes.
Recipe Notes
It's best to pipe the frosting on after it is made. If you refrigerate the frosting, it will need a little time at room temp to soften and become pipe-able.
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*The OXO strainer/sifter is totally multi-purpose!
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natashaskitchen
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This frosting recipe is delicious!! Not too sweet! I used it as frosting on a cheesecake I made for my blog. It paired perfectly as the cheesecake is decadent already I didn’t want an overly sweet frosting. Thank you!! I sourced you for the original frosting recipe!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that! Thank you for that great review!
Hi Natasha,
My dad is a chef and he ran a small café when I was in high school in the late ‘90’s. The café had the most amazing brownies with the best chocolate frosting I’ve ever had. Lately I’ve been wanting to replicate it but my dad wasn’t the one who made the brownies (one of the women who worked for him and one of them was the resident brownie expert) and since it’s been 20 years my dad doesn’t remember the recipe. I suspected the frosting had sour cream or cream cheese in it, so when I saw your recipe I was very excited. And guess what? The frosting is exactly how I remember it from 1995! Thank you so much for this recipe, and suffice to say this frosting is excellent on brownies!
Thanks again,
Rebecca
That is seriously fantastic!! I’d love to try your brownie recipe if you re-create it! Thank you for the amazing review! 🙂
I’ve recently discovered you, and am so happy seeing all the recipies. I was saved today by this chocolate cream cheese frosting. I had made an extreme abundance of regular cream cheese frosting and found myself needing chocolate. Look who came to my rescue! Thank you, it turned out great!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that, Jana! Thank you for the great review!
have you ever tried using mascarpone cheese?
Hi Pye, I haven’t tried that substitution so I’m not 100% sure how it would affect the consistency of the frosting, but if I were to try it, I would probably switch them out equally; 1 for 1. Let me know how you like it – I’m curious how it is with mascarpone!
No one in our family likes frosting–but I make a mascarpone version of this MINUS the butter. I add sugar and cacao to taste as we don’t like it overly sweet. I taste as I go. Not very scientific but 🙂 It doesn’t keep well if left out too long; butter might give it a little more structure.
Thank you for sharing that with me, Kasia!
Would this icing work to stack a 6 tiered rainbow cake? Ie between all 6 layers, on top and round the sides- obviously in larger quantity! Many thanks for your help
Hi Hannah! I have used it as a frosting between cake layers and it worked well. I haven’t tried it with 6 but it worked great with 4! I hope you love it!
I made this frosting for the first time yesterday, and I will make it every time that I need chocolate frosting. It tastes amazing and is so easy to make! Thank you so much for sharing it! 💖💖💖
You’re so welcome Allison! I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for the great review!
Looks so good! It is hard to find unsweetened cocoa powder where I live, could I use sweetened coco powder instead? Thank you 😊
Hi Katrin, I honestly haven’t tried that – is it like a cocoa powder mix that you would mix with hot water to create a drink? I just haven’t tested that to say for sure but I don’t think it would have the same color if you use a 1:1 substitution if it is part sugar. I wish I could be more help with your question.
Thank you. Yes, the one you would use to make drink with. It is impossible to find unsweetened cocoa powder in Scotland ☺️
I made this a couple weeks ago, while visiting my sister, for my birthday! It was amazing! I decided to try again for my moms birthday and it is just as delicious–but very difficult to make without a mixer! HAHA!
I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe and it all worked out for you. Thank you for sharing that with us!
This frosting turned out great! It covered my chocolate layer cake beautifully!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review, Julie!
Thank you so much Natasha. I have been searching for the perfect chocolate frosting that agrees with all my family and friends. Yay! I have found it. This is by far the best I have ever tasted. No more searching for me.
Awww that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Judy. It sounds like you found a new family favorite :). I’m all smiles!
Would this recipe and the other for regular cream cheese frosting (the one for your pumpkin cupcakes) still turn out tasting good if it was cut in half? I want to frost a small batch of cupcakes using both. (Picture the image of vanilla and chocolate ice cream swirled together)
HI Kristi, I think that would work but you would need to use an electric hand mixer or it may be too small of a batch to beat adequately unless you have a smaller stand mixer 🙂
Yummy!!! More than enough for a 9 X 13 inch white cake. I think I will frost some brownies, too. Thanks!!!
You’re welcome Paula! I’m glad you love this recipe. Thanks for sharing your fantastic review!
OMG this is the best chocolate frosting I’ve ever made. It is so creamy and smooth and pipes like a dream. Thank you for posting it :):)
My pleasure Alicia! I’m happy to hear the recipe is your absolute favorite. Thanks for sharing your amazing review!
This frosting looked and sounded so yummy, I used it for a chocolate cross cake for our church linger longer. I added Expresso powder, Wow! I love it, and so easy. I’M sure everyone else will too. Thanks so much. I look forward to trying more of your recipes.
You’re welcome Lois! I’m glad you enjoy the recipe as much as I do. I’ll have to try espresso powder, that sounds amazing! Thanks for following and sharing your great review!
Hi Natasha,
I will try your recipe this weekend for my son’s 2nd Bday party, am planning to make a 9×13 inch sheet cake (2 layers) and was wondering if this recipe would be enough to frost this size of a cake?
Also, I am thinking to add heavy whipped cream to this recipe and maybe use cooled melted chocolate instead of cocoa powder. What would be your suggestions of this combination? 🙂 Million thanks for your advise!
Hi Monika, for a cake that size, depending on how much frosting you wanted to use, I would do 1 1/2 to 2 times the recipe. I haven’t tried substituting with melted chocolate in this recipe so I can’t say for sure. The only one I have like that is our white chocolate frosting.
Hi Natasha, just wondering how do you measure 8 tablespoon of butter? Is it equal to 1 stick of butter?
Thank u
Hi Sema, yes it is 1 stick of butter or 113 grams or 1/2 cup of butter. 🙂
Okay I am going to try this frosting on a cake Sunday!! And am making your ‘easy sponge cake’ tonight! I can’t wait!
Please let me know what you think of the recipes Brenda!
Very easy and quite tasty. Thank you.
You’re welcome Carol! I’m glad you enjoy the recipe. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Natasha,
Do you think this frosting will work in the cake recipe -‘chocolate cake with swiss meringue bu’ttercream’?
YES!! I do think it will work well. You might make 1 1/2 times the recipe if you want a really chocolatey, decadent cake with generous amounts of frosting 🙂
Thank you for your prompt reply. I am so happy that I found your blog…your recipes are fool proof….keep on doing the amazing job that you are doing!
My pleasure Lucrecia! I’m happy to hear how much you’re enjoying the recipes! Thanks for following!
Hi,
I ave tried this recipe with great reviews , so smooth and workable and sooo delicious . My qs is whether I can make plain cream cheese frosting , what if I don’t add cocoa will it affect the consistency
Hi Amy, if not using cocoa, I would follow instructions from our Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese.
Thank you, your response is appreciated much
You’re welcome Amy!
I’m made this to put on a Chocolate Mayonnaise cake. It did not turn out thick and creamy like the photo. Has a good taste though.
Hi Melody, was there anything different in proportions? Also, if the cream cheese is speed softened and too warm, the frosting can be a little on the looser side. I hope that helps! I’m glad you liked the taste! I’m so curious about your chocolate mayonnaise cake. I’ve never heard of that before!
Made this for chocolate cake and turned out delicious. Thank you!
You’re welcome Haylie! I’m glad to hear you enjoy the recipe. Thanks for sharing!
After icing the cupcakes with the frosting, do you have to keep the cupcakes in the fridge till you use? Because it’s made out of creamcheese.
Hi Venusha, yes that is correct. Cover and refrigerate overnight and it will still be great the next day 🙂
Great!! I added a ¼ cup additional cocoa as I like a dark, rich chocolate-y frosting. I love that it’s not too sweet and has the perfect texture.
That sounds delicious! I’m glad you enjoy the recipe! Thanks for sharing your great review Amy!
Great recipe. Very easy and delicious. Thanks!
You’re welcome Raya! I’m glad you to hear that! Thanks for sharing 🙂
This reciepe for frosting was awesome! Simple easy n tasty! Thanks for sharing
You’re welcome Donna! I’m glad you enjoy the recipe! Thanks for sharing your great review!
WOW! This frosting was a massive hit! Made it for a friends birthday cake and EVERYONE wanted more! The original gathering was only 4 of us, but they were already planning to meet up again during the week to eat the remaining cake 🙂
Thank you so much for this delicious recipe. BTW…I did use dark chocolate (cacao) powder instead of standard cocoa powder.
My pleasure Lisa! I’m happy to hear how much everyone loves the recipe! Thanks for sharing your fantastic review! 🙂
do this Chocloate frosting have a cream chesse taste.
Since it is cream cheese, it does have some cream cheese taste but not overwhelmingly so. It balances the frosting nicely.
I love the recipe, thank you! I use the half of the sugar, and I think that it was enough. Regards
I’m glad to hear you love the recipe Ana! Thank YOU for sharing your great review with other readers!
Would it be ok to omit the salt? My son is on a low sodium diet so I try to avoid adding sodium whenever possible, but I wasn’t sure if it would affect the consistency or ruin the taste. Any thoughts?
Hi Christine, it adds just a very small amount of flavor which is nice but it can be omitted and you will still get great results without the salt 🙂
OMG this frosting was DELICIOUS! I thought that it was perfect on top of peanut butter blondies.
I’m happy to hear how much you enjoy the recipe! Thanks for sharing Karen!
Hi Natasha! Thank you so much for this recipe it works so well and tastes AMAZING. I recently made this for a layer cake for my brother’s birthday and it turned out great! I’m only 16 and failed at an attempt at a layer but wanted to give it another try. I also wanted to try main homemade frosting instead of the canned one I used the last time. It turned out so well, I just finished frosting some cupcakes for a dinner tomorrow night. I got so many compliments last time, thank so much!!
My pleasure Jo! I’m so glad to hear you’re enjoying the recipes! Thanks for sharing your excellent review!
i want to know if melts in hot place ,i want to sell cup cakes in brazil but is very hot there.I need a good frosting for hot place.
HI Michele, I probably wouldn’t want to keep this frosting out too long in a hot place, especially not in direct sun light since this is a cream cheese based frosting – you don’t want to leave dairy out too long in the heat.
Hi , Can you give margarine instead of butter? and can the cream be on muffins with a sleeve and can it be colored?
Hi Paula, I haven’t tried this with margarine, but I’m guess it won’t come together properly with that substitution. You can use this on muffins and I’m not sure you will be able to see much color on it since it is a pretty deep chocolate color. It would take alot of color to actually show up.
SO FREAKING DELICIOUS.
I’m glad to hear you love the recipe Alysha! Thanks for sharing 🙂
HI
I was wondering if you could decrease the sugar without ruining the frosting?
I tested it a few different ways and I thought this was a good balance with the cream cheese and cocoa. I think there is room to cut it down a little without hurting the consistency, but keep in mind, the sugar does help to thicken the frosting.
Hi, just wandering can I use melted chocolate chip to replace cocoa powder? And if so, how much chocolate chip should I use?
Hi Jasmine, I haven’t tried that with this recipe so I can’t say for sure. I think it’s worth an experiment. I do however have a white chocolate frosting recipe that may work better for you.
Thanks for the recipe! Question: Have you ever tried to use this as a filling for a layer cake? Hoping to use it for a two tier, 6 and 9 inch wedding cake?
Hi Shari, I have used it as a frosting between cake layers and it worked well. I hope you love it!
Can this icing be stored in the fridge for awhile (how long) if I don’t use it all?
Hi Tracey, I think it would be fine to refrigerate but you will have to let it soften at room temperature and rewhip before using to make it smooth and creamy. I think it pipes prettiest and best when it is used after it is made.
I want to make this for my husbands birthday cake because I know he will love it! Can I frost his cake the night before and leave it in a covered cake container or does it need to be refrigerated? Thanks so much!
Malina, because it has dairy ingredients, I would recommend refrigerating to be on the safe side 😀
Hi Natasha, thanks for sharing this recipe! It is delicious and pipes SO well, I always have great success with it and get lots of compliments.
I am really struggling to find a vanilla cream cheese frosting that pipes as well as this one. If I make one according to your instructions and just omit the cocoa it ends up very runny. Do you perhaps have a go-to, tried and tested vanilla cream cheese frosting recipe that pipes as well as this one?
Thanks!
Oh yes I do have a great one actually!! Have you tried my cupcake frosting? And, I am so glad you love this recipe! 🙂
Just made it. Piped it onto a white cake. Thought it was perfect. Not sure if people are measuring their ingredients correctly. Love it, will keep it and make again.
I’m happy to hear that LaNae! Thanks for sharing your review 🙂
Has anyone tried the chocolate cream cheese frosting with the vanilla cupcakes?
I made it and let me say omg love it love it thank you .
I made it and omg love it love it . Thank you .
You’re welcome Diana! I’m glad you love the recipe!
That was way too sweet, it’s enough to put only 2 cups of sugar! 🙂
Hi Charlotte, I’m usually not big into overly sweet things and the cream cheese and cocoa offset the sugar pretty well in this recipe. Also, the powdered sugar is important to achieve the correct texture, but everyone has a different tolerance for sweetness I guess 🙂
Hello! Thinking of using this frosting for a carrot cake esp with the cream cheese element of it combined w chocolate. Has anyone tried this frosting w carrot cake before?
Also, will the frosting recipe work if I use both melted chocolate along with cocoa powder? As it calls for 1/2 cup cocoa powder, how do you advise I divide it between melted chocolate and cocoa powder?
Would appreciate your tips! 🙂
I haven’t tried putting chocolate frosting on a carrot cake – come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a carrot cake with chocolate frosting but it could work :). I haven’t tested with cocoa powder and melted chocolate so I’m not sure how that would work. I imagine you would do the steps per the recipe and then beat in melted and somewhat cooled chocolate just like my white chocolate frosting here. Again, I haven’t tested that but it’s my best guess 🙂
Hi Natasha! How long do you think these could stay without being refrigerated? Planning on making them for a grad party but I’m just wondering if it would be ok to have them outside?
Hi Yelena, it depends on the temperatures. This keeps well at room temperature for several hours. You wouldn’t want to keep it in a hot environment for very long – it isn’t as stable as a buttercream. Keep it refrigerated as long as possible before your event.
To anyone reading comments before making this frosting; this is certainly not a bad frosting, but it is very very very sweet, a bit stiff, and the cream cheese flavor is quite overpowered. I use cream cheese frostings to cut the sweetness of a cake and like it to taste like cream cheese, rather than as a filler to provide structure. My cakes are sweet, and incredibly delicate and moist, and this frosting would be better for something sturdy with a dense, dry crumb that would stand up to the stiffness and stickiness .
Hi Sunny, did you use the same proportions? I normally don’t like my frostings and cakes overly sweet – did you maybe add more sugar than is called for? Also, the texture should be whipped and easily spreadable, not stiff – I’m wondering if maybe you used too much powdered sugar? I have used this on soft and fluffy cakes and it has worked really well.
Hi – the frosting looks divine . What icing nozzle do you use.
It is the large open star tip by Wilton. I have a link to it in the shop section of my blog: https://natashaskitchen.com/shop/
Can salted butter be used and just omit the salt?
Hi Wendy, I like using unsalted butter and adding the salt because every brand of salt has varying degrees of saltiness and I like to have control over that, but yes you could make it work with a stick of salted butter, omitting the salt in the recipe.
This was exactly what I was looking for! Very much like my cream cheese frosting, but with that chocolate hit I want. The cupcakes were the talk of the party and the talk of the next day, both the flavor and how perfect they looked — the frosting pipes very nicely, and I decorated with red, pink, and white micro-heart sprinkles. This one’s a keeper.
I’m happy that Shirley! Thanks for sharing 😀
Do you have to keep the cake refrigerated after frosting with this?
Hi Amy, I do just because it is a dairy based frosting.
Hi Natasha I just made your chocolate cream cheese frosting for dark chocolate marscapone brownies. THEY ARE TOO DIE FOR!!! I used a Bailey’s ganache frosting before for these brownies and they were nommers. I didn’t have any Bailey’s in the house so I thought I would experiment and I am SOOO GLAD I found your recipe. The frosting is not overly sweet and just the right accent for the marscapone and dark chocolate!!! I want to experiment with the recipe and add a liquor any thoughts? Again THANKX for the scrumptious recipe!!!!
I think it could work with a liqueur and if you experiment, let me know what you think! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
This is THE best Chocolate frosting I have ever tasted!!! I don’t usually care for chocolate frosting, but really this changed how I feel about it!
Awesome! It’s so nice to hear how much you love this recipe!!
Hi.love the sound of choc frosting.as you use cups not grammes. How do I convert to either ounces or grammes.
Hi Chris, without re-weighing all of the ingredients, I don’t have all of the measurements in grams. I usually use the standard US measuring cups for my recipes. I would suggest googling some conversion calculators and charts. I think it would be great to have someone go through in the future and re-weigh all of my ingredients but I am not able to do that due to time constraints.
The chocolate cream cheese frosting is fabulous! and so easy :0) I actually used special dark cocoa powder to make it fudgy – hubby likes fudgy icing but I i will try it with the normal cocoa powder next time as I am sure it will be just as fabulous! I found your site from a you tube video of a person using your whipped cream cheese frosting, which is to die for BTW! :0) I put your website in my favorites to try more of your recipes. Thank you!
You’re welcome Susan! What a compliment your review is! Thank you for sharing 🙂
I made the frosting recipe and while it was good it was not 100% ideal for the cake I was making (dark chocolate layer cake with a white chocolate mousse filling) I was getting a bit too much of the slightly sour note that the cream cheese can impart. I was thinking about remaking it with marscarpone cheese instead – do you think it would be a 1 for 1 ratio swap or would I need more marscarpone?
Hi Ilise, I haven’t tried that substitution so I’m not 100% sure how it would affect the consistency of the frosting, but if I were to try it, I would probably switch them out equally; 1 for 1. Let me know how you like it – I’m curious how it is with mascarpone! 🙂
Hiii Natalie..
I’ve a doubt. Is fresh cream cheese same as that of package cream cheese?
Hi Suzy, I haven’t tried this with fresh cream cheese, but I imagine it should work the same way as long as it’s the same consistency of regular cream cheese (not too moist and not too grainy).
I have russian chocolate butter, (mom actually brought it here all the way from russia) I’ve been thinking to make cupcake frosting with it, do you think it will work?
Hi Yelena, to be honest, I’ve never even tried that product so I can’t even guess how it would work in a recipe. If you test it out, let me know how you like it! Chocolate butter on toast sure sounds good! 🙂
Hi ,is it ok to not to put cocoa powder ?
Hi Jamie, do you mean unsweetened cocoa powder or the sweetened hot cocoa drink mix? This recipe calls for unsweetened cocoa powder. The sweetened drink mix has additional sugars mixed into it and it won’t blend properly and also will not be as chocolatey as adding unsweetened cocoa powder.
Just tried the retried the recipe, I’ve come out with 2 cups powdered sugar and a bit less than 1 teaspoon of vanilla as the perfect amounts. Turned out great!
Hal, thank you for the nice review! 😀.
Hi Natasha, can i replace a little bit of the butter with vegetable shortening? I live in Malaysia and it is quite hot here in the morning till noon, i really love this recipe but worried it may not able to hold a layer cake which im planning to make for my son’s bday.
Hi Lynn, to be honest, I’ve never tried that substitution so I really can’t say. Sorry, I know that’s not helpful. Happy birthday to your son!
Natasha, do you think this frosting can be used for puff pastry trubochki ?
I think that would work fine 🙂
can you plse adv how much is one cup in oz
Shirley, which ingredient are you referring to?
8oz equals 1 cup
This recipe was fabulous. Everyone raved about the taste and texture. The only downside was the amount of frosting the recipe made. It was not enough frosting for 18 cupcakes using a large star tip as shown in the picture. If you are going to frost a 2 layer cake I would suggest doubling the recipe.
Hi Linda, I”m so glad you enjoyed the frosting! This recipe is easy to scale up if you like more frosting. You really can’t go wrong doubling it! 🙂
1st time trying this frosting and it really works well…nice..not tooo sweet..and i paired it up with ur vanilla cupcakes recipe. Will use this recipe nxt time. Thanks!!
Yati, thank you for the nice review and you are welcome 😄.
Works like a champ on brownies. I cut back on the sugar in the brownie mix to allow the chocolate to take hold. This frosting adds the perfect complement to the rather bittersweet brownies.
Jim, I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review! After reading your comment I’m craving brownies 😋.
Wow this looks great! How long will the frosting keep in the fridge? And is it possible to freeze it? Will be trying this recipe this week!
Hi Helen, I think it pipes best before refrigeration but once I put it on cupcakes or a cake, it refrigerates well for several days.
Just made this frosting for a birthday party, and wow! This is such a great tasting frosting, Pipes beautifully and I was even able to frost a 6″ & 8″ cakes smoothly with it! I’m very impressed! Its not often you get workable and tasty combo. This is my new favorite chocolate frosting 🙂 thank you for sharing!
That is fantastic!! Thank you for the wonderful review 🙂
This is the best chocolate frosting I have ever had! On top of being delicious, it was easy to pipe out of a bag! Love love love!!
Jen, thank you for such a nice review on the frosting, I’m glad you love it 😁.
I’m so glad I came across this recipe! 5 stars all the way. Everyone loved it and super fast to make! Thanks so much!
I’m so happy you all loved it!! 🙂
Hi Natasha, one question, does this frosting have a chocolatey flavor or is it fairly mild? I suppose if one needed to add a bit more cocoa powder, it would be easy enough. Also adding more vanilla, as I adore the stuff, might work too. Looks so yummy! Thanks for the recipe.
Hi Felisa, this one has pretty good chocolatey flavor. It has 1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa but you could add a couple more spoonfuls if you wanted to make it even more intense. Even better, you could use a dutch processed cocoa only to make it really deep in flavor 🙂
Wonderful, thank you Natasha for your reply and the tip about the dutch processed cocoa.
The cocoa you show is a blend of natural and dutch process. I love that particular one. And might I add that my son has requested this recipe for his 16th birthday cake. I do doctor it a tiny bit, but this is the base. Thanks for sharing it.
Looks delicious! Does the frosted cake need to be refrigerated? How long will the frosting stay fresh sitting on the counter? Thanks
Hi Joni, I would refrigerate overnight since it is a dairy based frosting. I wouldn’t keep it at room temperature longer than 4 hours.
I stumbled across this recipe and am so glad! I will be using it on a lot of baked goods! I made this for brownies and everyone has been raving about them. I will definitely be trying this on cake or cupcakes! Thank you!
Mmmm wow! That sounds like an amazing combination!
This is the new go to frosting for my favorite chocolate cupcakes! This is exactly the recipe I’ve been searching for. It pipes beautifully and has the perfect amount of sweetness and chocolate. Thanks, Natasha!
Thank you for that super amazing review! 🙂
its a mouth watering recipe looks very tempting like to eat it just now
Can i make this into a white frosting by replacing the cocoa powder with more powdered sugar? Also, would this frosting hold shape to pipe roses all over a cake for a outdoor party?
Hi Zory, for white cupcake frosting, I would recommend this recipe. It pipes well and has cream cheese to stabilize the cream. It depends on what the temperature is of your outdoor party for how long they would last. Definitely keep them out of the sun and refrigerate as long as possible before putting them out.
Felicitaciones!! sigo tus recetas son deliciosas y sus decoraciones muy profesionales.
Tengo una sugerencia,cuando muestras los ingredientes sera que puedes mostrar a punta de la boquilla con que decoras, seria de gran ayuda .
I’m short on time and am all out of powdered sugar. Is it possible to use granulated sugar instead? Do you think the frosting will be gritty?
Hi Karen, I’ve only tried this with powdered sugar. I’m not sure the texture would be as good or as stiff with granulated sugar. If you have a good food processor or strong blender, you can make your own powdered sugar by processing granulated sugar – there are some easy tutorials online.
Granulated sugar is not an option because the consistency is grainy.
Little tip…. if you have a food processor you can make your own powdered sugar. Just pulse to granulated sugar until it becomes powder.
Omgggggg. This recipe is amazing. It’s so yummy! I’m making a cake for my friend’s graduation and when I decided to make chocolate cream cheese frosting, this was my go-to recipe. Thank you so much for posting this!
I’m so happy you enjoyed it!! Thank you for sharing your awesome review 🙂
Your swirl is beautiful! Do you have a tutorial on how to pipe it? I’m guessing you use a Wilton 1M pastry tip or equivalent. Thanks.
Thank you Sadie! Yes, I use a Wilton 1M pastry tip (actually I pretty much only use these 3 large pastry tips). I swirl starting from the outside and work towards the center and up 🙂
Yes, that’s how I do my swirl too and I always end up with a hole in the center. I’ve studied your photo trying to determine where I’m going wrong and just can’t figure it out. I’ve swirled hundreds of cupcakes and always end up with the same gap in the center of the swirl. It’s so frustrating! I’m good with roses. They start in the center so no gap!
The trick I learned is to start in the middle, pipe a line to the edge of the cupcake, and then swirl from the outside in. The starting line fills in the space where there would have been a gap.
Hi,
I made this frosting today and It was amazing. But now I am trying to figure out how long this will stay good in refrigerator or if it can be put in freezer??
It will stay good in the refrigerator for several days but you will have to let it get closer to room temp for it to pipe easily. I haven’t tried freezing it but I think it would work.
This looks delicious! Do you think it would go good on a banana cupcake?
Since bananas and chocolate work well together, I would venture to say yes :). Let me know what you think!
The recipe says 1/2 cup butter (1 stick) but the photos show 1/4 cup (1/2 stick). Which is right??
Hi Tina, the photos do show a standard 8 Tbsp (1 full stick) of butter. You may be using a product that looks different – a longer and slimmer package maybe?
Your stick of butter says 4 oz. This can be seen if you zoom in.
Yes it is 4 oz. That is correct. 4 oz of butter = 1/2 cup = 8 Tbsp.
Would this cake have to be refrigerated since it has cream cheese? Sorry if this is a dumb question;)
Yes, anytime a frosting has dairy it it, I refrigerate the cake once it’s frosted. Let it sit at room temp for about 30 minutes before serving if you want the frosting to soften up for serving.
Tastes amazing! Thank you!
HI Carrie, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for your great review! 🙂
Hi! I was wondering if you think this chocolate cream cheese frosting would taste well on red velvet cupcakes? Or if it would be a better idea to stick with classic cream cheese? I’m making birthday treats for a friend 🙂
I think it would work with red velvet if you’re a chocolate lover :).
This frosting is totally amazing and was super easy to make! My oldest nephew declared that he wants this icing on his graduation cake. It iced all 24 cupcakes decently and I hope everyone at work enjoys it as much as we did. Thanks for the recipe!
That’s so great! Thank you so much for sharing that with us 🙂
Hi there,
Just trying to make this a little healthier. Would you think that substituting the cocoa powder for cacao powder would work?
Thanks a mill!
From what I’ve read, they are almost identical for baking and cooking purposes and can be substituted. I haven’t tested it with this recipe myself but I think it would work. Let me know how you like it! Also, where do you purchase your raw cacao?
Ok, 1/4cup of sugar is more than enough for this recipe. Had to throw away the first batch because your recommended about of sugar, Nobody in my household could bare to swallow the icing
Wow 1/4 cup of sugar would barely sweeten it. Were you using powdered sugar and not regular sugar, correct? Between the cocoa and salt and cream cheese which all cut the sweetness, it didn’t seem to sweet to us, but everyone has a different affinity to sugar, not everyone likes sweets and I completely understand that!
This frosting tasted awesome!!!
I was wondering if I could freeze it for later use?
Also, it didn’t really hold stiff when I piped it, any reasons for that?
Hi Taraneh, I haven’t tested this in the freezer so I’m not sure if it is freezer friendly. Regarding the piping – did you use the same amount of powdered sugar and cocoa? Was there anything you changed in the ingredients or method?
I only forgot to put in the vanilla, other than that everything was the same. Could over-beating be a problem?
I don’t think over-beating would do it. Possibly if your ingredients were too warm, that could be the cause. Did you let the the cream cheese and butter soften at room temp?
I tried this frosting this afternoon, wanting something more special than regular powdered sugar buttercream. It really surprised me how good it was, very creamy and rich tasting. They looked just like the picture too, bakery quality or better. I’d like to find a vanilla equivalent. I wonder if you could make it in vanilla leaving the cocoa out? Has anyone done that? Thanks
I’m so happy you loved it! I haven’t tried making this as a vanilla version. My go to white frosting is this one: https://natashaskitchen.com/2012/06/29/cupcake-frosting-recipe/
This was the best chocolate frosting I’ve ever made. I always use Hershey’s recipe for chocolate cake and with this frosting it tasted like it came from a bakery. Thank you for the recipe!
Thank you for the awesome review!
I made this frosting for a gluten free devil’s food cake made with pop. I added some instant coffee and it helped the chocolate flavor POP!
Lauren, that’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing it with us 😀.
This is a fantastic recipe! I’d give it a gazillion stars! I love it, and it has a great genuine flavor, also it’s cheap and easy! What a great frosting for my chocolate layer cake. Thank you, Natasha! I’ll make sure to add your blog to my blog links ;).
awww that’s awesome! I’ll take a gazillion stars! 🙂
Adding another positive review of this delicious frosting! I used to frost a beet chocolate layer cake. I was going to use ganache too (I wanted a really decadent cake!) so I didn’t want to use a really sweet chocolate buttercream. This was perfect! Just sweet enough with that tiny bit of tang. I’ll definitely make this again, thank you!
Thank you so much for sharing your fantastic review. Tell me more about this beet chocolate cake! I’m intrigued!
Great recipe! I needed a chocolate frosting that wouldn’t completely overpower a white cake (and I only had one stick of butter left!) and this did the trick. The cream cheese provides a nice, subtle tang. For anyone who may be wondering, this made enough to frost an 8″ two layer cake, but I wasn’t as generous as I would normally be. So if you want to be able to really slather it on, increase the quantities 25-50%.
Tracy, thank you for the nice review and for sharing the tip 😃.
Could you leave out the cocoa and put in red food colouring to change the colour?
Tamara, I haven’t tried using food coloring with this recipe so can’t really make a recommendation. Usually if I want to use food coloring in the frosting, this is the recipe I go to. Let me know what you end up doing ?.
Hi,
Has anyone tried adding espresso powder?
I haven’t tried that, anyone else?
When you say sift in three cups of powdered sugar, do you measure first, or measure what’s sifted? Also, if I’m pressed for time, will not sifting make a big impact on the consistency of the frosting?
Hi Sarah, great questions! Sifting is important to ensure you do not get lumps of either cocoa or powdered sugar. I measure everything before sifting.
Sinfully delicious! I was looking for something to go with a white cake and just happen to have cream cheese on hand. My only change was to use dark chocolate cocoa powder because we are a dark chocolate household. I had to give my 4yo a spoonful so I could lick the beaters in secret. 😉
Mmmm what brand of dark cocoa powder do you use. I am a major fan of dark also! I’m so happy you loved it 🙂
Hershey’s Special Dark!
Thank you! 🙂
Made this frosting for a sponge cake with nuts. Kids loved it and husband approved. Thanks so much for sharing it. by the way… I didn’t have 3 cups of powdered sugar so I just used one cup regular and one cup powdered it turned out wonderful. God bless you Natasha for sharing in such detail all the amazing recipes.
Emma, thank you for such a nice review and great job improvising the recipe 😁.
I used this on a pink velvet cake (a buttermilk cake like red velvet, minus the cocoa), both with and without the chocolate, and it was delicious! It made me very popular 🙂
That sounds awesome! Thank you for sharing that withe me 🙂
Hi would this be suitable under fondant? Thinking it would be but not sure 🙂 ..
I haven’t tried this under fondant but I think it could work. If you try it, let me know how it goes! 🙂
Yes, it works great! I have made already a couple of cakes using this recipe as filling and frosting and I covered the cake with fondant and it is really wonderful!
Thanks Teresa! 🙂
Would this frosting work for cake?
Yes! It would be really yummy on a cake 🙂
This turned out so delicious! I almost want to toss my cake and just grab a bowl and a spoon. A keeper for sure! Thank you.
Ha ha, that’s awesome!! I definitely wouldn’t judge you 🙂
This is the greatestt most delicious frosting I have ever made! Thank you so much for the recipe! Will continue to make!
Thank you for such an awesome review Kristina and you are very welcome 😁.
Love this icing! It goes perfectly with your most chocolate cupcake recipe. Will definitely be making both again
Thank you for the nice review Tom 😀.
Delicious and so easy to make!! I can’t understand how someone thought it tasted too buttery? maybe using a margarine instead of butter? Anyhoo…very good!
Thank you Karen for the great review! 🙂 I’m so happy you liked it!
Frosting – or icing as we call it in New Zealand – was fantastic.
Light but rich it was the perfect topping for my sons kindergarten farewell.
Kids loved it, adults envied it! I topped with a quartered fresh strawberry. Yummo!!
Thank you for such a great review, I’m so glad everyone loved it 😁.
Too much butter. Didn’t care for it at all just tasted like chocolate butter.
Hi Denae, I wonder if maybe you didn’t beat the cream cheese and butter long enough? Also, did you add the same amount of cocoa and powdered sugar? I didn’t really sense butter in it when I made it. Cream cheese a little but not really the butter.
Aaaaand of course someone else already asked this. Never mind! Sorry. 😛
I’m glad you found the answer to your question. 🙂 Thanks Vicki!
Hey, I want to make rhis icing but I don’t want to use it all how can I save it?
You can refrigerate it and then bring it to room temperature again before using. Once it is at room temp, you can rewhip it slightly if needed to make it fluffier.
Thanks, just finished making it. It is so good!!!😊
I made this recipe to use as filling and for coating a cake that I covered with fondant. It worked out great and the taste was very good. I reduced the sugar to 2 cups instead of 3 and added 3/4 tbsp whipping cream.
I’m so glad you liked it! Thanks Teresa 🙂
The frosting goes so well with your dark chocolate cupcakes and it is always a hit! I have got so many requests to make these for kids birthday party. Thank you so much for sharing it. May I know the size of the cupcake liner you used as I can only make 12 cupcakes every time? Thanks
They are just standard cupcake liners that fit into a regular muffin tin. I’m not sure the size but they are standard as far as I know. Sorry that’s not very specific :). I’m so happy you like the recipe 🙂
Hi Natasha,
I made these cupcakes today with the frosting and they are delicious! I added 1/4 c of Nutella to the frosting and the taste was A-M-A-zing!!!! Thank you so much for the recipe! Blessings 😊
Alla thank you for the great review and the tip about Nutella. You are making me hungry :).
Dear natasha
thanks a million for your sharing. I’ve made this lovely frosting and we all loved it. Easy ,simple and tasty as well. Oo i forgot to mention it tasted sooo good.
Sam, thank you for such a great feedback, I’m glad you loved it :).
It’s amazing!!
Thanks Isabelle 🙂
This recepie did not work out for me. I followed the recepie measurements exactly as listed and the frosting was way too runny. I added a bag and a half of powdered super and tried to refrigerate and it was still too runny. I beat the heck out of it. I won’t use this recepie again and I don’t recommend it.
Hi Hannah, without being there with you, it’s difficult to say what could have gone wrong, but I’m happy to help trouble shoot. I’ve never had cream cheese and butter turn out runny unless they were melted. Did you make sure they were just softened at room temperature and not melted?
Hi, was going to make this frosting but I have no icing or powdered sugar! Any suggestions? X
Do you have a good blender or food processor to make your own? There are quite a few of tutorials online.
How does this recipe hold up for actually decorating? I am making a retirement cake and I want to put some fondant decorations on top of this…
I haven’t tried putting fondant on top of it but I think it would work with fondant. It pipes well and isn’t runny. It will become firmer in the fridge so refrigerate when you’re all done with adding your fondant so it sets stronger.
I’m going to make this chocolate frosting and use it on your vanilla cupcakes. I’ll let you know what the party thinks.
This was nice and firm, but I did cut the sugar to 2/3 cup. Why so much sugar? 🙂
Hi Marina, I like a little more when making a cream cheese frosting so it doesn’t taste too much like cream cheese. It also helps with the consistency of the frosting. You only used 2/3 cup powdered sugar?
Can we omitt the chicolat, if so will it make a difference in texture? Will I still be able to use it for piping? I need to make pink frosting for a cupcake cake I’m making and this recipe sounds so good, u want to try it
I think it would still work fine without the chocolate, but my favorite vanilla frosting for cupcakes is this one: https://natashaskitchen.com/2012/06/29/cupcake-frosting-recipe/
I made this frosting and it’s amazing! Perfect on chocolate cupcakes.
I have some leftover, how long can it be stored in the fridge?
I’m so happy to hear that. Thank you!
Wow. This recipe is amazing. Out of eggs and can’t go to the store now…my teething baby is asleep and I would have felt terribly awful if I had woken her up to go buy eggs, and definitely cannot leave a baby alone at home. Anyway, the cupcakes came out moist and very delicious. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
Jo, thank you for sharing such a great review and you’re very welcome :).
Thanks for this recipe! It looks amazing and I plan on making it tomorrow! Question: Do you think it turn out yummy if I substituted Dark Chocolate Cocoa Powder? Or has anyone tried this?!
Thanks again!
It should still work fine. You’ll have a deeper chocolate flavor.
I substituted the dark chocolate and it is divine 🙂
Tried this today and it’s delicious! I will be using this recipe again and again.
Thank you for such a great review Laurie, I’m glad you liked it :).
Nice recipe. Thanks. My first chocolate cream cheese. What is the purpose of the salt? Thanks again.
Salt intensifies the chocolate flavor and you are welcome :).
Hi, can this frosting withstand heat? I live in the tropics.
It’s fairly sturdy but because it’s dairy based, I wouldn’t leave it out for long. Can you keep it refrigerated until ready to serve?
I have officially broken up with buttercream after making this!!! SO delicious!! Thank you!
Ha ha, yes!! 🙂 I’m so happy you loved it 🙂
This recipe is perfect! I cut the sugar down to 2 1/2 cups and put 1/4 cup of sweetened condensed milk. So, I guess all in all, I cut the sugar by 1/4 cup. I made a chocolate sheet cake for my mom’s birthday, and after frosting it with this wonderful frosting, I drizzled a raspberry glaze over the top. Since I knew I was going to do that, I didn’t want the frosting to be too sweet. Otherwise, it’s great. This will be one of my go-to frostings from now on! I may even play around with it, and add some coffee for a little extra punch. Thanks Natasha!
Kendra, thank you for the great review and great job on improvising :).
This cream was soooooo good! Love this website!!!!!!
I reeeeeeeeeeeeeeally enjoyed reading your comment, thank you :).
Thanks for the recipe. I tried it and it’s one of my favourite.
I’m so happy you loved it! Thanks Novi 🙂
Could I use chocolate squares instead of powder?
I haven’t tried that with this recipe so I can’t say for sure how it will affect the consistency of the frosting. It would have to be an experiment.
Plz send me your new recipes this one looks awesome can’t wait to try it.
This…was…DELICIOUS! Thank you so much for the recipe. It was ‘fairly’ easy to make and modify, if you want a different flavor. My family and friends really enjoyed it and it was the EXACT flavor of cream cheese icing that I was looking for. If you’re on the fence, then hop on over because this recipe is completely worth it and not hard at all to make. Five stars all the way (It won’t let me rate it).
I’m so happy you loved the recipe!! Thanks so much for sharing your awesome review! 🙂
I have 60 cupcakes (20 are chocolate peanut butter) to make for this weekend, and been looking for a chocolate cream cheese frosting!!! Excited to try this!!!
I hope you love the recipe! If you post a picture somewhere online, do let me know. I’d love to see them!
My son’s birthday is on the 30th and asked for a strawberry cake with chocolate frosting. Well i will definitely be using this chocolate cream cheese frosting to spruce it up a bit! I’m so excited to try!
I hope you and your son absolutely love it! I’d love to see your cake when it’s done. I’m sure it will be amazing! 🙂
Will do! 🙂 and i will be sure to let you know how everyone enjoyed it!
This recipe sounds so good! Can’t wait to try it. Do you think this frosting will work good with your chocolate cupcakes, or it’ll feel too much chocolaty?;)
Hmm…. I think there’s no such thing as too chocolatey, but I do like the contrast of chocolate and vanilla. I feel like you can really enjoy the flavors of each more when they aren’t competing with each other 🙂
Oh my! These are tempting me right now!
That’s me every time I look at the pictures! I get major chocolate cravings 🙂 It’s especially hard when you already know just how good they taste! 😉
This is frosting perfection and now I have the serious urge to bake some cupcakes and try it out!
Thank you so much Laura. It’s so crazy good on cupcakes. I hope you love it as much as we all did! 🙂
This frosting looks amazing. Would it be bad if I made a whole batch just for myself? 😉
I would never judge you for that. lol
I have the same exact recipe that I use, and I love it!!! I do cakes for ppl and this cream is always requested with chocolate cakes rather than buttercream:) that cupcake looks mouthwatering though :):)
p.s baby here yet?? we r all ready to meet her :):) he he
It does have a much lighter feel than buttercream – not as guilty and I think the cream cheese just makes it taste amazing! 🙂 No baby yet. She’s still kicking around in there 🙂
MUCHAS FELICIDADES !!!
QUE DIOS TE BENDIGA A TI Y A TU FAMILIA. QUE LA BEBE ESTE MUY BIEN Y SEA LINDA COMO TU.
MUCHAS BENDICIONES
FATTY
I had to google translate your comment and I’m so glad I did. Thank you so much for your sweet words. 🙂 God bless you also!
Adding to my got to try list! Looks delicious! Thanks for the recipe! 🙂
You are welcome Julie, let me know how it works out :).