This easy chocolate buttercream frosting is silky chocolate perfection! Made with cocoa powder, this not-too-sweet frosting is perfect for any cake or cupcake!
This chocolate buttercream frosting is simple but tasty. The most common chocolate buttercream frostings are a mixture of butter, powdered sugar, and either cocoa powder or melted chocolate.
This easy version uses cocoa powder rather than melted chocolate. It takes just 5 basic ingredients and about 5 minutes to make the frosting.
And, most importantly, it tastes great! The frosting is rich and creamy without being too sweet. It pipes well, and the frosting pairs beautifully with yellow, chocolate, or white cake.
If you haven’t tried making homemade frosting, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at just how easy it is.
Ingredient tips and substitutions
Butter: I prefer the flavor of salted butter to unsalted butter + salt in this recipe. However, you can use unsalted butter along with a couple pinches of salt.
Be sure to have your butter at the right temperature. Room temperature means the butter should be about 72 F. The butter should give a little when pressed but should hold its shape overall. The butter shouldn’t be soft and melty.
Dry ingredients: if your powdered sugar and/or cocoa powder are lumpy, sift them before adding them into the butter. It will help them incorporate more easily into the butter.
Cocoa powder: I’ve used unsweetened cocoa powder and Dutch-processed cocoa powder. Both have worked well.
Heavy cream: Using heavy cream will give you a slightly lighter, fluffier frosting. However, milk or half-and-half will also work. However, the more fat your dairy has, the richer your frosting will be.
How to make chocolate buttercream frosting
Step 1: Begin by beating the butter in a large mixing bowl on medium until the butter is pale, about 3-4 minutes. This helps the butter to be nice and soft without getting melty.
Step 2: Add the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla, and milk or cream. Beat on low until the cocoa powder and sugar are incorporated. If you start mixing on medium or high, the dry ingredients can fly out of your mixing bowl.
Step 3: Adjust the consistency of your frosting by adding additional powdered sugar to make the frosting thicker or more milk/cream to make the frosting thinner (picture on right).
Top tips
Temperature matters! Be sure to have your butter at the right temperature. Room temperature means the butter should be about 72 F. The butter should give a little when pressed but should hold its shape overall. The butter shouldn’t be soft and melty.
Beat the butter! Beating the butter before adding in the powdered sugar helps the dry ingredients to better incorporate into the butter.
Sift! If your powdered sugar and/or cocoa powder are lumpy, sift them before adding them into the butter. It will help them incorporate more easily into the butter.
Cream = fluffier frosting! Using heavy cream will give you a fluffier frosting that is slightly lighter both in color and texture (like the photo directly below). However, milk or half-and-half will also work.
How much frosting does this recipe make?
Cupcakes: This recipe yields enough frosting to lightly frost 24 cupcakes or to generously frost 12 cupcakes.
Cake: This recipe will yield enough frosting to lightly frost a 9” 2-layer cake. To have enough frosting to pipe, increase the recipe and make 1.5 times the recipe. To generously frost the cake and pipe, double the recipe.
Do I need to refrigerate this frosting?
I recommend storing any unused frosting in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I also recommend storing items frosted with this buttercream in the refrigerator.
How long does buttercream keep?
This frosting will keep for up to 4 days. I recommend storing the frosting, covered, in the fridge.
More frosting recipes!
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Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Equipment
- Mixer
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter at room temperature
- 3 ½-4 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-3 tablespoons whole milk, half-and-half, or cream
Instructions
- With an electric mixer (either hand or stand), beat butter until pale, about 3-4 minutes on medium.
- Scrape down the bowl.
- Add 3½ cups powdered sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla, and 2 tablespoons of milk.
- Mix on low until powdered sugar and cocoa powder are incorporated.
- If the frosting is too dry, add another tablespoon of milk. If the frosting is too wet, add powdered sugar 2 tablespoons at a time until it reaches a spreadable consistency.
Video
Notes
- Butter: You can use unsalted butter along with a couple pinches of salt.
Also, be sure to have your butter at the right temperature. Room temperature means the butter should be about 72 F. The butter should give a little when pressed but should hold its shape overall. The butter shouldn’t be soft and melty. - Dry ingredients: if your powdered sugar and/or cocoa powder are lumpy, sift them before adding them into the butter. It will help them incorporate more easily into the butter.
- Cocoa powder: I’ve used unsweetened cocoa powder and Dutch-processed cocoa powder. Both have worked well.
- Heavy cream: Using heavy cream will give you a slightly lighter, fluffier frosting. However, milk or half-and-half will also work.
- Nutrition facts have been estimated.
Nutrition
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Recipe originally published 9/23/13. Updated with additional photos and tips 5/8/21.
Reader Interactions
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Comments & Reviews
Pam Bergheimer says
I’ve made a similar recipe, always used
Melted chocolate. Which was fine.
Never used cocoa. I will try to hold myself back & wait until morning to get started!
?
Kate says
Awesome! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do! =)
Pam Buckner says
I used Sweet Cream coffee creamer in lace of the milk. MmmmHmmmmm
Kate says
I bet that was good! Thanks for sharing! =)
Daresa Hogeland says
Best chocolate frosting I have found!! Husband requested a double chocolate cake for his birthday and I couldn’t have asked for a better recipe!!
Kate says
Thank you so much! I’m so glad that you and your husband liked it (and happy birthday to him!). I love comments like this! Thank you so much for coming back to comment! =)
Kelly says
Best frosting ever! My whole family loved it!
Kate says
Thank you so much! I’m so glad that you and your family like it! Thank you for coming back to comment! =)
Kelly says
This frosting is sooo good. I’m so glad I found this recipe!! Thank you so much. I’m not a big baker and it was so easy!!!
Kate says
Yay!! I’m so glad you liked it! Thank you for taking the time to comment! =)
Robyn Smith says
Since the recipe has milk do you have to keep the cake or cupcakes in the fridge once they are frosted? I really don’t like cold cake or cold frosting. I can’t wait to try it…
Kate says
Great question! I’m a worrier when it comes to food safety, and I’ve looked this up because I had just that concern. Turns out that the small amount of milk in most buttercream frostings is stabilized by the sugar, which makes it safe to keep the frosting at room temperature for 2-3 days.
Monica says
Wow- this was so delicious and a rest consistency for spreading and piping. I needed a double batch for my three layer 9” round cake, and that includes enough to take plenty of samples! Thanks for this!!❤️❤️❤️
Kate says
Thank you! I’m so glad you liked the frosting! And thank you for taking the time to come back and comment!
Katie says
Tried this recipe last night to pair with a dark chocolate cake and it was amazing!! This will be my go to chocolate buttercream frosting recipe from now on!!! I used this for the crumb coat and the piped design. Very easy to work with!! Checked on it this morning and it held up well overnight.
Kate says
So glad that you liked it! I don’t do much piping, so glad that it worked out well. Thank you for taking the time to come back and leave a comment. =)
Kelsie says
Silly question but if I want to do this in white frosting can I do it and just leave out cocoa?
Kate says
You’ll probably want to make some other adjustments, too. I would add less sugar than the recipe calls for because you won’t have the bitterness of the cocoa powder to offset it, and you can also play with the amount of vanilla. Good luck!
Kristan says
Wow! I will never use another recipe again. This is amazing. Not to sweet and perfect consistancy. Thanks so much
Kate says
Thank you! I’m so glad that you like it!
Bridget says
Love this recipe! I’ve never made a chocolate frosting, and I will never make another one. Thank you!
Kate says
I’m so glad that you like it! I love to hear that people are enjoying my recipes. =) Thank you for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
Keyla says
Hello,
is it 2- 3 tablespoons of milk?
Kate says
Yes, 2-3 tablespoons.=)
Donna says
What if you don’t have salted butter, but only unsalted? Could I just throw in a 1/2 tsp or 1 tsp of salt?
Kate says
Absolutely! I’d start with less and then add in additional salt to taste.
Kassie Woods says
Two years and counting with this recipe. Never a single complaint! This is such an easy and delicious frosting. Thank you!
Kate says
You are so welcome! I love to hear that people are enjoying my recipes. Thank you for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!!
Shawna says
Is it 1 cup of butter or 1 cube of butter?
Kate says
It’s 1 cup. =)
Cris says
Made according to the recipe, it tastes like powdered sugar, not chocolate. I ended up adding extra cocoa and 1/2 and 1/2 to cut the overpowering sugar flavor, but never really achieved a rich chocolate taste. However, it was fluffy and had a great texture – perfect for spreading. More than enough to frost a two-layer 8″ cake.
Kate says
Yours is only the second negative comment that I’ve received on this recipe, and funny enough, the other person said that it was too chocolaty and wasn’t sweet enough. ;) Wishing you luck in finding a recipe that’s more to your taste!
Fe says
Thank you for your yummy recipe. Im so happy with the outcome of my chocolate buttercream frosting.
Kate says
I’m so glad you liked it! Thank you for taking the time to come back and leave a comment. =)
Donna says
I made this chocolate icing for cupcakes for Thanksgiving and it was so delicious. I had bought a pre-made icing at the store but I tasted it and it was terrible so I looked on Pinterest and found yours. I received so many compliments I will never buy icing again it’s so easy to make and taste much better. Thanks for sharing
Kate says
I’m so glad that you liked it! Thank you for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
Keana says
Does it have to be whole milk?
Kate says
No, it doesn’t need to be whole milk. Whole milk makes it creamier, but you can use skim, 1%, or 2% if that’s what you have.
Sweets4U says
I can’t wait to try it
Kate says
Great! Hope you enjoy it! =)
Michelle P. says
This recipe was quick, easy and delicious. Thank you for the great recipe, I will definitely make again.
Kate says
I’m so glad you liked it!! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment. =)