Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

How to Make Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Begin by beating the butter and cream cheese together until well-combined. You want them to really be combined well. It should take about 2-3 minutes on medium-high.

The ingredients should be at about 70 degrees F or room temperature. I don’t recommend using fat-free cream cheese in this recipe.

Add in 3 cups of powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and vanilla. Mix on low until combined.

At this point, you can continue to add additional powdered sugar to reach desired consistency and sweetness. This chocolate cream cheese frosting is a variation on my chocolate buttercream frosting.

It’s incredibly easy to make, but there are a couple tips below that ensure that it comes out well.

Tips 

• First, the butter and cream cheese should be soft, but you don’t want the butter to be so soft that it’s melting.
• Second, if your cocoa powder and powdered sugar are lumpy, sifting them will give you a smoother frosting.
• Third, the frosting may seem a little soft as you are piping it. It will set up quite a bit once it has been refrigerated, so don’t worry if it it’s not very stiff as you are piping it on.
• Fourth, be sure to chill any frosted cake or cupcake or leftover frosting.

Recipes that Go Well with This Frosting

I like to use this cream cheese chocolate frosting when I make pumpkin cupcakes. The combination of cream cheese, chocolate, and pumpkin just goes so well together!

This rich chocolate cream cheese icing also pairs really well with basic chocolate, white, or yellow cakes.

It also pairs well with brownies.