Chocolate Buttercream Frosting (6-Minute Recipe) (2024)

This American Chocolate Buttercream Frosting is silky, whipped, decadent, and chocolatey with just the right amount of sweetness. It spreads and pipes beautifully over cakes and Chocolate Cupcakes.

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We love homemade frosting recipes from Vanilla Buttercream to Cream Cheese Frosting and of course this easy Chocolate Buttercream Frosting. Homemade frostings have better 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 Buttercream

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 oversoften butter for the frosting.

Ingredients for Chocolate Buttercream

• Unsalted butter – should be softened at room temperature
• Confectioners sugar – also known as powdered sugar. Measured before sifting (sifting is not necessary).
• Cocoa powdered – 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 [Title] is easier and takes less time than you think! (Amazon links for tools used)

1. Beat butter in a mixing bowl with the whisk attachment on high speed for 3 minutes until creamy and lightened in color.
2. Add remaining ingredients – confectioners sugar, cocoa powder, heavy cream, vanilla extract, and salt.
3. 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 if needed to thin the frosting.

Pro Tip: Scrape down the bowl several times to ensure the frosting is evenly blended and even in color.

Common Questions

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.

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 up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight then bring to room temperature before re-whipping to a fluffy consistency.

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.