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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 extract
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).
- Add 1 tsp vanilla and beat on medium/high until smooth (1 min). Now it's ready to be piped onto cooled cupcakes.
Notes
♥ FAVORITE THINGS ♥
Shown in this post: (nope, no one paid us to write this; just stuff we love):
*The OXO strainer/sifter is totally multi-purpose!
*I love my stacking measuring spoons – I just wash the ones I use.
*Red Stand Mixer from KitchenAid: 6 Qt. Pro 600 Series in Empire Red
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 :).