Easy recipe for the best milk chocolate buttercream frosting, perfect for decorating or piping onto cake and cupcakes. Fluffy, creamy, and silky smooth!
There's nothing quite like a swirl of chocolate buttercream frosting to top off a piece of cake or a cupcake. Better yet, pair it up with marble cake, and you've got the best of both worlds.
This homemade chocolate icing is very creamy, and it's the perfect fluffy frosting for cupcakes. It's very silky, and works really well as a chocolate frosting 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.
This is one recipe where I might contend with my kids as to who gets to lick the beaters.
More of my favorite buttercream recipes include this vanilla buttercream frosting recipe and butterbeer buttercream frosting.
WHERE CAN I FIND THE ACTUAL RECIPE CARD?
If you’d rather skip all of my buttercream tips, important info for this recipe, and similar recipe ideas – and get straight to the recipe – just scroll down to the bottom, where you’ll find a printable recipe card with a longer how to video.
INGREDIENTS YOU'LL NEED:
- Salted butter
- Vanilla extract
- Almond extract – While you can make chocolate frosting without almond extract, I wouldn't recommend it. This extract gives an added pop of flavor and helps the chocolate flavor to really stand out.
- Heavy whipping cream
- Powdered sugar
- Unsweetened cocoa powder – I use regular milk chocolate cocoa, but you can make a dark chocolate buttercream with dark cocoa.
Keep in mind, all of the ingredient amounts you’ll need are in the printable recipe card below.
KITCHEN TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT YOU'LL NEED:
Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer with Mixing Bowl – 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 – if you want to decorate a cake or cupcakes.
Cake Turntable with Icing Spatula and Icing Smoother – A turntable really makes it easier to frost a round cake, because you can turn as you go.
HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
Before making any type of buttercream frosting, you want to first soften the butter.
You can do this by letting it set out for a little bit before cooking, or you can pop it in the microwave for a few seconds (but try not to let it melt).
Now to mix up chocolate buttercream with cocoa powder…
- Mix together the softened butter, vanilla extract, and almond extract.
- Then add in the heavy whipping cream and mix well.
- Add in the powdered sugar and cocoa powder, 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.
WHAT TASTES BEST WITH CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM?
Homemade yellow cake or yellow cake cupcakes definitely taste delicious with chocolate icing.
As do chocolate cake and fluffy chocolate cupcakes. Chocolate on chocolate is absolutely delicious.
WHY NOT USE SHORTENING INSTEAD OF BUTTER?
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 than unsalted would.
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.
DOES BUTTERCREAM FROSTING NEED TO BE REFRIGERATED?
We usually let our cupcakes or cakes with buttercream icing sit out of the fridge for 2-3 days max.
However, if you were to add cream cheese to your frosting, then it would need to be refrigerated right away.
CAN I FREEZE MILK CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING?
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. Just be sure to store it in an airtight container, so it won't get freezer burn.
HOW CAN I ADD TO 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; and heavy cream adds stability.
IF YOU LOVE THIS HOMEMADE CHOCOLATE ICING, TRY SOME OF OUR OTHER FROSTING FAVORITES:
- Buttercream Frosting Recipe
- Butterbeer Buttercream Frosting
- Sugar Cookie Icing
- Easy Cream Cheese Frosting
- Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
GET THE PRINTABLE FROSTING RECIPE
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One Bowl Milk Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Equipment
- IMUSA USA Hand Mixer with Case 5-Speed
- Rorence Stainless Steel Non-Slip Mixing Bowls With Pour Spout, Handle and Lid, Nesting Set of 3
- GLOUE Heat-Resistant Baking Spoon & Spatulas – Ergonomic Easy-to-Clean Seamless One-Piece Design – Nonstick – Dishwasher Safe
- Kootek 42 Pieces Cake Decorating Kits Supplies with 36 Numbered Icing Tips, 2 Silicone Pastry Bags, 2 Flower Nails, 2 Reusable Plastic Couplers Baking Frosting Tools Set for Cupcakes Cookies
- Kootek 11 Inch Rotating Cake Turntable, Turns Smoothly Revolving Cake Stand White Cake Decorating Kit Display Stand Baking Tools Accessories Supplies for Decoration
- Icing Spatula, U-Taste Offset Spatula Set with 6″, 8″, 10″ Blade, 18/0 Stainless Steel with Premium PP Plastic Handle Angled Cake Decorating Frosting Spatula Set of 3
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 unsweetened cocoa powder
Instructions
- Mix together the softened butter, vanilla extract, and almond extract.
- Then add in the heavy whipping cream and mix well.
- Add in the powdered sugar and cocoa powder, and mix everything together for 2 to 3 minutes, mixing well.
- You'll end up with a very smooth, creamy, chocolate buttercream frosting that's perfect for cake decorating, piping onto cupcakes, and more. Not to mention, it tastes really delicious.
Best chocolate icing I’ve found to date! The almond extract is the key ingredient you never knew you were missing!
Jess, thank you! Isn’t the almond extract great? It just gives a kick to the chocolate flavor. So good!
I am not a fan of almond in chocolate icing. I made this but it was a bit too sweet. Thanks!
The almond can be completely optional. You don’t have to use it. I prefer it because I like the little kick it gives to the chocolate flavor.
I made this frosting following the recipe, It is DELICIOUS and easy. I had some left over in the fridge for over a week and it was fine, my daughter put it on cookies daily for her snack.(yes she also loved it cold)
Why do people who DO NOT follow a recipe, think they need to review something they haven’t tried ? sorry for my personal gripe
This is a great recipe, thank you for posting it. Also my first review ever!
Thank you so much for leaving a review; I really do appreciate it. And I’m so glad you both enjoyed the frosting. It’s one of my favorites.
How much frosting in cups does this recipe yield?
Brigitte, probably 3-4 cups.