This light and fluffy chocolate buttercream frosting is a simple and classic frosting for cakes and cupcakes and filling for cookies. Plus, with only four ingredients this easy recipe can be made in less than 10 minutes!
Chocolate buttercream is such a classic and delicious frosting for topping cakes, cupcakes, and filling macarons and sandwich cookies. This is a classic American buttercream, so you can make a batch in 10 minutes and it only uses one bowl. Perfect for chocolate or yellow cupcakes! Pictured is this Easy Devil’s Food Cake made into cupcakes and it is also the frosting I used for this Fault Line Cake.
Making Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Add the butter in a standing mixer and mix until pale and creamy, about 3 minutes. Then, add the powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Keep mixing until it comes together. You can see from the picture below it takes a minute or two of mixing until it starts to combine into a frosting like texture.
Then, if you want it lighter and fluffier, you can add a few tablespoons of milk or cream and continue mixing.
Tips for Making Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- Make sure your butter is at room temperature
- Mixing the butter for a few minutes before you add the powdered sugar makes for a very light and fluffy frosting
- Out of cocoa powder? Use 6 oz of your favorite melted chocolate chocolate instead! Just make sure the melted chocolate has cooled to about 75- 80℉ (so it is barely warm to the touch). That way it doesn’t melt the butter when you mix it in.
- If either your cocoa powder or powdered sugar is old and lumpy, you’ll want to sift it before adding it to the butter to ensure you have a smooth and lump free frosting.
- After you add your powdered sugar and cocoa, be sure to mix on low for a minute until it incorporates. Otherwise, it can spill outside your bowl and make a big mess.
- Chocolate buttercream is great for making black frosting! You’ll still need to add black food coloring, but you’ll have to add way less than if you try to color vanilla frosting black.
Storing Buttercream
This buttercream frosting can be made ahead of time and is freezer friendly. It can be kept in the fridge for up to a week and up to three months in the freezer. Make sure it is very tightly covered with plastic wrap and/or in freezer bags so the butter does not take on any additional flavors. When ready to use let soften in the fridge and then stir or remix with a mixer.
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
INGREDIENTS
- 2 sticks butter 16 tbsp, softened
- 1 pound powdered sugar 16 oz , 3.5-4 cups
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 - 2 tablespoons milk or cream optional
Instructions
- Using a standing or handheld mixer, mix butter on medium until light and creamy. About 2-3 minutes.
- Turn off mixer and add powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Mix on low until it starts to combine, about 1 minute. Turn to medium and continue mixing until fully combined.
- For a lighter frosting, add 1-2 tablespoons milk or cream and continue mixer another minute.
Notes
- Make sure your butter is at room temperature
- Mixing the butter for a few minutes before you add the powdered sugar makes for a very light and fluffy frosting
- Out of cocoa powder? Use 6 oz of your favorite melted chocolate chocolate instead! Just make sure the melted chocolate has cooled to about 75- 80℉ (so it is barely warm to the touch). That way it doesn’t melt the butter when you mix it in.
- If either your cocoa powder or powdered sugar is old and lumpy, you’ll want to sift it before adding it to the butter to ensure you have a smooth and lump free frosting.
- After you add your powdered sugar and cocoa, be sure to mix on low for a minute until it incorporates. Otherwise, it can spill outside your bowl and make a big mess.
- Chocolate buttercream is great for making black frosting! You’ll still need to add black food coloring, but you’ll have to add way less than if you try to color vanilla frosting black.
- This can be stored in the fridge for up to a week and up to three months in the freezer. Make sure it is very tightly covered with plastic wrap and/or in freezer bags so the butter does not take on any additional flavors.
Nutrition
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Hello, I’m concerned about using the milk or cream in the frosting. I made a butter cream frosting on a cake before and one day later I could taste that the milk had spoiled within the icing. I had to throw it away. Anyway to prevent this. When I make cupcakes I put them in an airtight container and they can sit on my counter for 3 days before they get eaten up.
I am making a basic 9″ double layer cake tomorrow. Will this be enough frosting? I’ve already made this last month for cupcakes. Delish!!!
If you’re not too heavy handed with the frosting it should be okay, but you can always 1.5 the frosting to be safe.
Looks delicious, ca it be use on fondant cake.
Yes, it can be used under fondant 🙂
Do you use unsalted butter or salted? Did you have a preference for using milk or heavy cream?
For both, you can use whatever you have on hand. I normally keep unsalted butter, so that is what I use. But, sometimes i’ll even add a tiny pinch of salt to cut the sweetness so you can easily use salted butter. With milk or cream, your thinning out the frosting, so both work. I think cream can make it a little fluffier, but that could just be my imagination 🙂
Really want to try this recipe tomorrow! How many cups would 1 pound 16 oz of powdered sugar be?
Hi, it’s about 3.5 to 4 cups!
I made this and it definitely needs 4 sticks of butter. I tried with 2 sticks of butter and it was just powder. But 4 sticks made wonderful buttercream
Hi Chris, thanks for the feedback! It will turn powdery for the first minute or two, but after it starts to crumble, if you turn up the speed and keep mixing it will come together like a normal buttercream you can adjust the thickness by adding milk or cream. Glad you liked it with the extra butter!
Can this be froze? I make cakes and they are frozen for a bit.
Yes, this freezes very well!
For the butter .. you say two sticks: 16 oz… but did you mean 16 tablespoons? Isn’t 4 sticks 16 oz ?
Does this recipe use 2 sticks or 4?
2 sticks, I’ve just updated. Thanks!
I’m not a ‘frosting loving’ kind of person, but this looks delicious, shall have to try making it! Thx
Thanks, hope you like it!
After frosting cupcakes or cake how long can they sit out?
Because this is American buttercream with no eggs, you can actually leave the frosted cake or cupcakes out for a day or two, as long as it is not too warm where you are storing them and there is no other type of more perishable fillings like cream cheese frosting or pasty cream which would need to be refrigerated.
I look forward to making your chocolate buttercream icing. It looks so good and creamy. The last recipe I tried of someone else’s was horrible. Thank you for sharing this with us!!
I have never made chocolate buttercream and these cupcakes looks so delicious. I love the chocolate drizzle on top of the frosting. Can’t wait to try it!
Oh my goodness this looks beyond delicious! I’d eat it by the spoon!!
These photos are so cute and it looks like such a tasty buttercream recipe! I’ll have to make it ASAP 🙂
I’m not usually a big fan of frosting but this chocolate buttercream is a game changer! I could eat it on a spoon!
This frosting looks to die for! Light and fluffy, just the way I like it!