Best Chocolate Buttercream Frosting Recipe

This is the chocolate buttercream frosting I’ve always wanted!

Just look at those beautiful swirls of chocolate buttercream frosting…so pretty, so delicious, and so much easier than it looks. Let me tell ya, homemade chocolate buttercream frosting tastes so much better than the canned, store-bought frosting. Now that I know how easy it is to make and that I can make it in advance, I don’t think I’ll ever buy chocolate frosting again!

The ingredients are simple! I usually have them on hand at any time – unsalted butter, confectioners’/powdered sugar, cocoa powder, heavy cream or milk, salt, and vanilla. I’ve made it with heavy cream and also with milk. The texture and thickness of the frosting will vary slightly, but both versions are still very delicious. If the frosting seems too thick, just add a little more milk or cream. Too thin, add a little more powdered sugar.

If you usually use salted butter, go with what you have. But you may want to omit the 1/4 teaspoon of salt in the recipe or at least reduce it.

This chocolate buttercream frosting is perfect with easy chocolate cake from scratch or double chocolate muffins! Hey, it tastes awesome on cake from a cake mix too. 😉 Next time you’re looking for a delicious, easy chocolate frosting recipe, you know what to do – make this chocolate buttercream frosting recipe!

How to frost a cupcake:

Generally the large or jumbo size decorating tips are the way to go for frosting cupcakes. I use the Wilton 1M tip (large open star) for this classic bakery-style swirl of frosting.

Start with a little dollop of buttercream frosting in the center of the top of the cupcake. (I find that this helps give the final product a nicer shape.) Then apply the frosting with even pressure going around the outside edge of the top of the cupcake. Continue around in circles with even pressure, slightly overlapping the previous ring of frosting, creating an upward spiral, until you reach the center/top. Once at the top, release pressure on the frosting bag and gently lift up. Done!

There are lots of other tips and designs that you can use to decorate cupcakes too, but I think this is a great place to start! It’s pretty easy and fun too!

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Best Chocolate Buttercream Frosting Recipe

So easy and so delicious. If you're looking for a fantastic chocolate buttercream frosting recipe - look no further!

4.74 / 5 ( 19 Reviews )

Print Rate

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes minutes

Serves: 20

Adjust Servings: 20

US CustomaryMetric

Equipment

• Electric mixer

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
• 3 ½ cups powdered sugar
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa
• 3 tablespoons milk or heavy cream
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

• With an electric mixer, beat the butter until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the confectioners' sugar, cocoa powder, milk or cream, salt, and vanilla. Mix together on low speed. Then increase to high speed and beat for 3 minutes. If frosting is too thin - add up to 1/2 cup more sugar. If too thick - add another tablespoon of cream or milk.
• Store in airtight container for up to 1 week in refrigerator or up to 3 months in freezer. After freezing, thaw in refrigerator, then beat the frosting to make it creamy again.

Recipe Notes

Frosts 12-16 cupcakes or one 9x13 cake.

Nutrition

Calories: 177kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 10g | Sodium: 32mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 21g