Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

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

1. Make sure your butter is at room temperature
2. Mixing the butter for a few minutes before you add the powdered sugar makes for a very light and fluffy frosting
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.

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Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

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! 

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword dessert, frosting

Prep Time 10 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Servings 24

Calories 145 kcal

Ingredients

• 2 sticks butter 16 tbsp, softened
• 1 pound 16 oz powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 - 2 tablespoons milk or cream optional

Instructions

1. Using a standing or handheld mixer, mix butter on medium until light and creamy. About 2-3 minutes.

2. 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.

3. For a lighter frosting, add 1-2 tablespoons milk or cream and continue mixer another minute.

Nutrition Facts

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Amount Per Serving (2 Tbps)

Calories 145 Calories from Fat 63

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 7g 11%

Saturated Fat 4g 20%

Cholesterol 20mg 7%

Sodium 67mg 3%

Potassium 29mg 1%

Total Carbohydrates 19g 6%

Sugars 18g

Vitamin A 4.7%

Calcium 0.5%

Iron 1.4%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Check Out Other Chocolate Recipes from Partylicious:

Easy Chocolate Cake

Fall Themed Fault Line Cake

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Looking for More Frosting Flavors? Try These:

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Lemon Buttercream

Cookie Dough Frosting 

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