Chocolate buttercream frosting is a delicious and perfect way to elevate your favorite cake! Making your own frosting is really quite simple, and the end result beats anything you could ever buy at the grocery store.
A great chocolate cake recipe needs a delicious chocolate frosting, and this chocolate buttercream is perfect.
Chocolate buttercream gives a rich chocolate flavor and just the right amount of sweetness. It is the epitome of easy, homemade flavor.
All you need is 15 minutes and a handful of ingredients to create a rich, creamy, chocolatey frosting that elevates any cake.
Whether you are icing sheet cakes, layer cakes, or sourdough chocolate cupcakes, this easy recipe will quickly become your go-to.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Flavor profiles – Butter, sugar, vanilla, and the perfect amount of cocoa powder combine for a delicious flavor profile that makes the best frosting. Whether it’s a birthday cake, a layer cake for a party, or a just-because vanilla cake, homemade chocolate buttercream adds so much flavor.
Ease – This delicious frosting is so simple to whip up, and it’s always a hit. Chocolate butter cream is a simple variation of the traditional American buttercream (vanilla buttercream). Everyone loves it.
Personal feeling – Homemade frosting adds personality and flavor to any cake! One of my favorite ways to use it is in our sourdough chocolate cake recipe. It’s my family’s most requested cake!
Ingredients
Butter – Make sure your butter is at room temperature or softened before whisking. If you only have unsalted butter available, you may want to add a dash of salt to the frosting to bring out all the flavors.
Powdered sugar – This is also called confectioners’ sugar. It is the best icing sugar to use as it is light and fluffy.
Heavy cream – Some labels may say heavy whipping cream. You can also use half and half or a bit of milk in a pinch.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Tools You May Need
Stand mixer or handheld mixer – You can definitely whip this by hand, but you will be getting quite the arm workout! Use an electric mixer so the frosting doesn’t take a long time to make.
How to Make Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Step 1: Add the softened butter to the bowl of a stand mixer bowl with whisk attachment, or add the butter to a large bowl if using a handheld mixer.
Beat the butter on high or medium-high speed for a few minutes until it becomes light and fluffy. Stop to scrape down the side of the bowl as needed.
Step 2: Turn the mixer down to low speed and slowly add in the cocoa powder and powder sugar until it is incorporated.
Step 3: Add vanilla and 3 tablespoons of heavy cream.
Step 4: Once the ingredients are incorporated well, turn the mixer back up to medium speed and whip until light and fluffy. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add remaining cream if the frosting seems too stiff to achieve the right consistency.
Tips
- Use the whisk attachment for your electric mixer, not the paddle attachment. This makes sure you get lots of air into the butter to make it light and fluffy.
- Use just enough heavy cream to get the desired consistency.
- Frosting isn’t just for cake. Try it between two fresh milled chocolate chip cookies or use it as a dip with sourdough graham crackers. It’s also great on top of sourdough sugar cookies for a little something different.
- Store chocolate buttercream frosting in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. You can also freeze it. Place plastic wrap directly onto the frosting before freezing. Bring to room temperature and re-whip the frosting before using.
Recipe FAQs
This can be from overmixing or adding too much liquid. Place the frosting in the fridge for 10 minutes, then add more powdered sugar 1 tablespoon at a time and whip it again.
You can sift the cocoa powder for a finer texture, if desired.
I like to cover mine with a cake dome, but saran wrap is better than foil. You can cover the exposed cake layers after cutting with plastic.
Store an iced cake under a cake dome or in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days, then refrigerate. If you are worried about the frosting melting, store it in the fridge sooner.
More Recipes from the Farmhouse
- Delicious Cream Cheese Frosting
- Lemon Buttercream Frosting
- Sourdough Coffee Cake
- Lemon Pound Cake
- Homemade Whipped Cream
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love it if you could come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone.
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Equipment
- 1 Stand Mixer a hand mixer would also work well
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 to 4 tablespoons heavy cream
Instructions
- In a stand mixer bowl with whisk attachment (or a large bowl with a hand mixer), add the softened butter.
- Beat the butter on high speed for a few minutes until it becomes light and fluffy.
- Turn the mixer down to low speed and slowly add in the cocoa powder and powder sugar until it is incorporated.
- Add vanilla and 3 tablespoons of heavy cream.
- Once the ingredients are incorporated well, turn the speed back up to medium and whip until light and fluffy. Add remaining cream if the frosting seems too stiff to achieve spreadable consistency.
- Frost your cake or cupcakes.
Notes
- Make sure your butter is at room temperature or softened before whisking.
- If you only have unsalted butter available, you may want to add a dash of salt to the frosting to bring out all the flavors.
- You can add the frosting to a zipper bag and cut the tip to make a DIY piping bag.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
