Here we go! This is my favorite chocolate buttercream recipe. I’m tempted to call it a “basic” chocolate buttercream, but it’s anything but basic; it’s incredibly CREAMY, silky, smooth, and rich. Like a decadent brownie in frosting form. Melts in your mouth and tastes unbelievable on chocolate cupcakes.
Even though it’s a wonderfully creamy chocolate buttercream, it holds its shape beautifully—just as Swiss meringue buttercream does. This is simply perfect for piping even the most intricate and fancy designs.
What Tastes Best with Chocolate Buttercream?
I’ve made this chocolate buttercream more times than I can count, but I love it with:
- Yellow Cupcakes
- Coconut Cupcakes
- Pumpkin Cupcakes
- Chocolate Frosted Cookies
- Banana Cupcakes
- Chocolate Cupcakes
- Chocolate Raspberry Cake
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
- If you scale it up, you can use it to frost a layered cake, like I do with my chocolate cake, and yellow cake
Dive into this chocolate decadence!
Help! My Chocolate Buttercream is Really Light in Color
After beating so much air into the mixture, chocolate buttercream can lighten up in color. Of course this doesn’t change the flavor at all, but if you want it a little darker, I have a tried-and-true trick.
Take 1 cup of the prepared buttercream (you can just eyeball it, a little less than half). Place it in a heatproof bowl. Microwave it for 10 seconds. This loosens the mixture up and helps the confectioners’ sugar and cocoa powder combo absorb more of the liquid. Place that back into the big bowl of frosting and stir it in by hand. The frosting should be smoother, and darker in color.
More Favorite Frostings
- Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
- Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
- White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- Cream Cheese Frosting & Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
- Black Chocolate Buttercream Frosting which tops these Black Velvet Cupcakes
Favorite Chocolate Buttercream
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 2.5 cups
- Category: Frosting
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This is my favorite chocolate buttercream recipe. It’s incredibly rich, creamy, silky, smooth, and easy to work with for decorating cakes and cupcakes!
Ingredients
- 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3 and 1/2 cups (420g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 cup (41g) unsweetened natural or dutch-process cocoa powder
- 3 Tablespoons (45ml) heavy cream or milk, at room temperature
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add confectioners’ sugar, cocoa powder, heavy cream, salt, and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to high speed and beat for 1 full minute. Add 1/4 cup more confectioners’ sugar or cocoa powder if frosting is too thin or another Tablespoon of cream if frosting is too thick. Taste. Beat in another pinch of salt if desired.
- Use immediately or cover tightly and store for up to 1 week in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer. After freezing, thaw in the refrigerator then beat the frosting on medium speed for a few seconds so it’s creamy again. After thawing or refrigerating, beating in a splash of heavy cream or milk will help thin the frosting out again, if needed.
Notes
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand)
- Quantity: This recipe makes enough to frost 12–16 cupcakes or a thin layer on a 9×13-inch quarter sheet cake. For a 2-layer cake, follow the ratios from this chocolate cake. For a 3- or 4-layer cake, follow the ratios from this piñata cake.
And here is my favorite vanilla buttercream recipe!
Reader Comments and Reviews
I love the flavor and ease of the frosting! I would like to know how to get rid of the sandy texture when you eat it.
Hi Sarah, Sometimes frosting texture can depend on the brand of confectioners sugar you are using. If you find yours is gritty, try sifting all of the sugar and cocoa powder after measuring it next time. That should help! Make sure the butter is completely creamed, too.
The taste is good, but you can’t pipe with this recipe because there isn’t much. I made a 6″, two layer cake and there was barely enough icing to cover it.
I read thru your comments to see about doing them as cupcakes and you said you hadn’t tried but should work and it did and they were amazing! I did 350 for 17 min. People loved them so much so congrats on this recipe.
Fabulous recipe! Tried a few buttercream recipes and I’ve found that this is the most simple and tastiest one yet! Thanks so much for sharing. I also had some leftover ganache that I added and it worked a treat!
Excellent recipe and I substituted 1/2 the vanilla for almond extract (both pure of course) and it is delicious. I also need to be diary free and use vegan butter and dairy free milk and still excellent!!!
I made this delicious chocolate frosting for my son’s birthday cupcakes and I LOVE IT. Not sickeningly sweet, but sweet and decadent. Oh my. I can’t stop eating them! I also hate how artificial tasting some frosting and icing tastes on the ones you buy from the store. My entire family has gobbled them up as well. Definitely a keeper.
What kind of butter do you prefer ?
Hi Brittanie! We usually get whatever butter is on sale.
Hi Sally! I am making 4 dozen cupcakes and was wondering how many batches you think I would need to make of this recipe. Thank you!
Hi Chloe, this recipe makes enough to frost 12–16 cupcakes, so you’ll want to make 3 or 4 batches, depending on how much frosting you like on each cupcake. Enjoy!
Absolutely loved this recipe! Thank you for sharing!
Hi! I’m wondering if I could use black cocoa powder for this? I want to make black buttercream and heard that worked better than only using food colouring. Thanks!
We haven’t tested it but can’t see why not! Let us know how it goes 🙂
I’m planning to use this buttercream recipe to make black butter cream for a birthday cake next week… I will report back! Lol
It worked great with vegan butter and oat milk!
I love this chocolate buttercream! I piped it on the Super Moist Chocolate Cupcakes that I made.
Thank you Sally! 🙂
I love the flavor and texture of the finished buttercream frosting, as well as how easily the recipe scales up and down. I used almond extract in place of the vanilla. Thank you for publishing this!
Hi!
Can we replace salted butter for the unsalted? I usually have unsalted on hand but i ran out and it’s too late to go grab some.
Hi Andrea, salted butter will work in a pinch. Skip the added salt, the buttercream may still taste slightly salty (which can be delicious!).
Sally, thank you so much! I have finally found the recipe my Mom used to make to ice our chocolate cakes! Your recipe was delicious! Not too sweet, perfect to frost and so tasty.
This was sooo good!!! A little too thick for the tip that I was using, so I put it back in the mixer and add the extra Tbsp of whipping cream. Ummm Will be my go to chocolate frosting!! Thank you for another amazing recipe.
Delicious Buttercream. I did need more cream, but my FIRSt time piping after watching your video and reading your instructions and I did okay!
Mine turned out smooth and creamy. I had to add a wee bit more cream . Made the cake in the morning then had to frost it before bed, but I was too tired to try the trick you mentioned, Anyways no need to, it was perfect on taste alone!
Do you recommend this buttercream or a chocolate Swiss meringue b.c for decorating a cake? I’m planning on using a stencil what one will be more stable?
Hi Kristin, We have never tried using a stencil, but Swiss meringue buttercream does not crust so you may wish to stick with this buttercream. Let us know if you try it!
This is my second time trying this recipe, and unfortunately it is just waaaaay to sweet. The chocolate flavor is barely there, and it mostly tastes of sugar. Even my kids found it to be too sweet.
Hi Hannah, I find using dutch-process cocoa powder helps give a deeper chocolate flavor. For a less sweet option, you may enjoy this chocolate ganache (see post about whipping it into a frosting).
This was so delicious and one of the best things that I have ever tasted.
I love your recipes and your site is my go to for baking! Thank you!
Why is my buttercream a grayish color rather than a dark brown. What should I do?
Hi Nicole, it could be the cocoa powder you are using and/or over-whipping it. It becomes lighter in color the more you whip it. To deepen the color, you can take half of it (really, you don’t need to measure here) and put it into a separate heatproof bowl. Microwave it for just a few seconds to help deflate that air, then fold it back into the rest of the buttercream. As a bonus, this also helps to smooth out the buttercream.
delicious buttercream- perfect amount to cover my two tier cake.
I can never make this again because it was so good. A few notes; I had to add a bit more heavy cream than recommended, and you REALLY need to trust the process when adding the sugar and cocoa powder. I added mine in increments and it was suuuuper thick but after mixing for a bit it turned into regular frosting. Delicious, rich, chocolatey, buttery. 10/10
My favorite chocolate buttercream icing !!
I stuck to the gramm of the recipe and this is literally bad. Completly oversugared and not creamy at all. Basically unusable.
I liked the consistency & taste but I did try to seive the confectioners sugar & cocoa but not all of it… I had a grainy texture any ideas on how to avoid this next time
Hi Elinor, Sometimes frosting texture can depend on the brand of confectioners sugar you are using. If you find yours is gritty, try sifting all of the sugar and cocoa powder after measuring it next time. That should help!
Just made this recipe as cupcakes & hollowed them out for that insanely delicious caramel coconut pecan mix. My friend loves the mix so much I doubled the recipe so she had some to eat straight from the container! Thank you, Sally, for sharing all of your hard work with us; you’re my go-to person when I get my baking mojo on!
I loved this reciepe so much! Thank you
The moist chocolate cupcakes receipe, was very easy to follow. It was quick and I enjoyed the process. I just couldn’t find the recipe, when it said jump to the recipe. I had to stroll, a few times. I thank u for the receipe