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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
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!
It has a pretty intense taste. Kind of like eating a plain bar of Hershey’s chocolate. I taste very little to no cream cheese in this frosting. If it was just chocolate frosting I’d give 5 stars. But for it to be a chocolate cream cheese frosting I have to say its severely lacking on the cream cheese flavor that I typically love. Also it makes very thick frosting. Not very fluffy at all. So my impression of this frosting is overly sweet and too thick. Kind of like the plain chocolate buttercream frosting that you find on Target or Walmart bakery cupcakes. I was disappointed, but maybe it’s just not for me.
Hi Faye, this has been a very popular frosting for us but everyone has their own tastes and preferences. I recall another reader wanted less cream cheese flavor – each his own. Did you change anything in the recipe? Make any modifications?
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.
Hi Natasha,
Do you think this would work well on a yellow cake?
Hi Sonia, yes that would be great!
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 🙂