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Chocolate Buttercream Frosting – Easy recipe for the best chocolate buttercream frosting, perfect for decorating or piping onto cake and cupcakes. It’s fluffy, creamy, and silky smooth!
There’s nothing quite like a swirl of chocolate buttercream frosting to top off a piece of yellow cake or a yellow cupcake. Better yet, pair it up with marble cake, and you’ve got the best of both worlds.
This frosting is very creamy, and it’s the perfect chocolate icing for cupcakes. It’s very fluffy, very silky, and works really well for piping onto cupcakes or for cake decorating.
In fact, I use this chocolate frosting recipe in my Minecraft grass block cake recipe.
Being a rich buttercream frosting, a little bit goes a long way. Combine its buttery flavor with chocolate and you’ve got the makings of a heavenly chocolate buttercream icing for chocolate lovers.
More buttercream frosting recipes for your favorite desserts: Best Buttercream Frosting Recipe and Butterbeer Buttercream Frosting.
I JUST WANT THE RECIPE! TAKE ME TO THE RECIPE FOR CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING!
If you’d rather skip all of my cooking tips, important cooking info for this recipe, and similar recipe ideas – and get straight to this easy chocolate frosting recipe – just scroll down to the bottom, where you’ll find a printable recipe card.
WHY NOT USE SHORTENING FOR CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM?
Mainly because I’m not a huge fan of shortening, and I’d rather use butter. I’ve never been a fan of shortening based buttercream because I always feel like there’s something missing in the taste of it.
Using salted butter will create a very flavorful frosting; but if you’d rather not have all of that buttery flavor, you can cut the butter in half and substitute shortening instead.
While shortening does add stability to the recipe, heavy whipping cream can do the same thing.
WHY SHOULD I USE SALTED BUTTER?
I do recommend using salted butter for this recipe, because the salt in the butter adds a richness and a better flavor to your buttercream.
And it’s so much easier to use salted butter over trying to add salt to frosting, especially when you’re trying to get a good consistency and texture without any grit.
CAN I FREEZE CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM ICING?
Yes, you can! In fact, I always have leftover icing, so I usually throw it in the freezer to keep it for next time.
Freezing won’t hurt the texture, consistency, or flavor of your frosting.
TIPS FOR HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE FROSTING
Making chocolate buttercream frosting is really easy, and it doesn’t require a lot of ingredients either.
- Make sure you soften the butter first. Try to get it out ahead of time and let it soften naturally; don’t be like me and use the microwave to soften it, and instead melt it.
- Mix together the softened butter, vanilla extract, almond extract, and heavy whipping cream.
- Then add in the powdered sugar and cocoa, and let the mixer work its magic for 2 to 3 minutes.
You’ll end up with a very smooth, creamy, chocolate buttercream frosting that’s perfect for decorating cakes, piping onto cupcakes, and more.
Plus, it tastes really delicious.
CAN I CHANGE UP THIS BUTTERCREAM ICING RECIPE?
Here are a few more ways you can change up this buttercream frosting recipe…
- Add a flavored extract for additional flavor… Think maple, caramel, peppermint, etc.
- If you don’t like the buttery flavor of the icing, you can substitute the same amount of shortening for half the butter.
- You can use milk instead of heavy whipping cream, but keep in mind, you may end up with a softer icing, especially at room temperature. A softer icing may not work as well for piping and decorating.
IF YOU LOVE THIS HOMEMADE CHOCOLATE ICING, TRY SOME OF OUR OTHER FROSTING FAVORITES:
The Best Buttercream Frosting Recipe
Dreamy Butterbeer Buttercream Frosting
Deliciously Easy Cream Cheese Frosting
Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
KITCHEN TOOLS YOU’LL NEED TO MAKE CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING:
Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer – You can definitely mix homemade frosting by hand, but a mixer enables you to get that silky smooth texture.
Measuring Spoons and Measuring Cups
Cake Decorating Kit with Tips and Pastry Bags
Cake Turntable with Icing Spatula and Icing Smoother
CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING RECIPE
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Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Easy recipe for the best chocolate buttercream frosting, perfect for decorating or piping onto cake and cupcakes. It’s fluffy, creamy, and silky smooth!
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup cocoa unsweetened
Instructions
First, allow the butter time to soften.*
Then mix together the softened butter, vanilla extract, almond extract, and heavy whipping cream.**
Add in the powdered sugar and cocoa powder, and mix everything together for 2 to 3 minutes, mixing well.
You’ll have a very smooth, creamy, chocolate buttercream frosting that’s perfect for cake decorating, piping onto cupcakes, and more. Plus, it tastes really delicious.
Recipe Notes
*If you don’t like the buttery flavor of the icing, you can substitute shortening for half the butter.
**You can also use milk instead of heavy whipping cream, but remember, you may end up with a softer icing, especially at room temperature.
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