Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Everyone knows that to make the best chocolate cake, you need a chocolate buttercream frosting that’s nothing short of perfection. The best chocolate frosting should be fudgy, creamy, rich and so decadently chocolatey that you can’t resist licking the bowl. And when you pipe it on a cake or spread it onto brownies, it should have hardly any resistance—like it’s a chocolate fudge cloud.

Knowing all these expectations are at stake, our chocolate buttercream frosting recipe ticks every single box. We can’t imagine anything else on our best chocolate cake recipe or our favorite pan of fudgy brownies. There’s nothing better than feeling confident serving guests your homemade desserts, and this frosting is the secret. And if they have to ask for a glass of milk, know that you made it just right.

Ingredients for Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

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• Butter: You’re going to need four (yes, four!) sticks of butter for this chocolate buttercream frosting recipe. Since there’s so much, using tasty, high-quality butter is key. Buy one of the best butter brands for the richest batch of chocolate frosting.
• Vanilla extract: A touch of vanilla extract rounds out the flavors with its delicate, floral sweetness.
• Baking cocoa: If you take any advice from this recipe, let it be to buy the best cocoa powder. When you take care to use high-quality ingredients, your recipe gives back to you 10 times over. Quality cocoa powder will have an intense, deeply chocolatey nature that’s nothing short of rewarding.
• Confectioners’ sugar: To measure the confectioners’ sugar, scoop the powder into the measuring cup and use a butter knife to level it off. Avoid sticking your measuring cup in the bag and packing the sugar into the cup.
• Milk: Whole milk’s job is to thin the frosting to your desired consistency while adding creamy richness.

Directions

Step 1: Beat the butter and extract

In a large bowl, use a hand mixer or stand mixer to beat the butter and extract until they’re creamy and lump-free.

Step 2: Add the cocoa

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Gradually beat in the baking cocoa until smooth.

Editor’s Tip: Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is incorporated.

Step 3: Alternate the sugar and milk

Beat in confectioners’ sugar alternately with enough milk to reach your desired spreading consistency, beating until light and fluffy.

Editor’s Tip: Personally, I love to beat my frosting on high for two to three minutes after everything is incorporated. This gives me the fluffiest buttercream possible that’s super easy to work with.

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Recipe Variations

• Sub the whole milk: Feel free to use another type of milk in place of the whole milk, such as heavy cream or buttermilk. You could use a milk with a lower fat percentage such as skim or oat milk, but know the taste and texture won’t be quite as rich.
• Intensify the chocolate flavor: Coffee makes the flavor in your chocolate buttercream frosting really pop. Use a bit of strongly brewed coffee in place of the milk, or add one teaspoon of espresso powder.
• Add extracts: Lots of other flavors go well with chocolate—think peppermint, hazelnut, orange, almond or coconut. You can use a liquid extract, oil, liqueur or syrup, mixing it in at the stage where you’d add the vanilla. If you’re adding an oil, use it sparingly (just two to three drops) because the flavor is intense!

How to Store Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Not sure what to do with leftover frosting? Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for about a week. When you’re ready to use it again, scrape the frosting into a bowl, let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes, then whip it on high with a hand mixer to bring it back to life.

Store a frosted cake in an airtight cake keeper for up to four days. It doesn’t need to be refrigerated. The same goes for cupcakes unless you’re not serving them all at once. In that case, it’s best to store the frosting and the cupcakes separately and frost them as you’re ready to serve.

Can you freeze chocolate buttercream frosting?

You absolutely can freeze chocolate buttercream frosting. Store the frosting in an airtight container in the freezer for up to a month. To use, thaw it in the fridge overnight, let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes, then whip it up with a hand mixer to make it spreadable again. If it’s still too cold to spread with ease, let the frosting soften at room temperature for another 15 minutes, then whip it up again.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting Tips

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How can you adjust the thickness of chocolate buttercream frosting?

It’s easy to adjust the consistency of your buttercream chocolate frosting. If it’s too stiff, just add more milk. If it’s too thin,  simply add more confectioners’ sugar—or put the frosting in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes and then beat it again.

How should I use chocolate buttercream frosting?

This chocolate buttercream frosting is so delicious, you’ll want to use it on everything. Luckily, it pairs with almost any flavor! It’s yummy on yellow cake, strawberry cake, Funfetti cake, banana cake or banana pudding cake, a boozy Guinness cake, this unexpected Dr. Pepper cake or our coconut-loaded Almond Joy cake. And, yes, it can be just as easily translated towards cupcake recipes and flavors, too.