Chocolate. Do we need much more in life? I know I definitely have a serious weakness for chocolate. I have a really hard time understanding people who don’t. Like my sister for instance, I love ya sis but I will never understand why you pick the chocolate chips out of your chocolate chip cookies. They are basically the best part of the cookie. It is hard for me sometimes, to sit and watch you do such a thing =). It breaks my little baker heart. I guess next time just hand them over to me and I will pile them on top of my chocolate chip cookie. Less wrinkles for me. Yes indeed, even chocolate has it’s nutritional value with the antioxidants it contains, right? How much, well that’s not important. All I know once upon a time I heard chocolate contains antioxidants which helps slow aging so I need not ask further questions. I simply just say that means I need to eat more chocolate. With that said, frosting for breakfast? Mmkay. I love when my mom comes to stay and she get’s excited when I have some left over frosting in my fridge that she can pile on her morning oatmeal. What a great way to start the day.
I’ve had a few people ask if my recipe for My Favorite Fluffy Buttercream Frosting could be adapted to make a chocolate version. So rather than guessing to answer your questions I’ve decided to create and post what I thought are the best proportions. I’m telling you, this frosting is what dreams are made of. It’s fluffy, creamy, smooth, rich, indulgent, chocolaty, delicious, my best friend. Basically it’s melt in your mouth, pure divinity. Don’t be fooled by it’s pale shade, this is a very chocolaty frosting. The pale color is just due to all the whipping of the butter, so the rich chocolate flavor may take some by surprise.
I listed below two options for cocoa and powdered sugar measurements, one creates a richer chocolate frosting than the other so just go with the one that suites your taste. This recipe should yield plenty enough for 24 cupcakes or a 2 layer 9-inch cake. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups salted butter, at room temperature
- 3 3/4 cups powdered sugar*
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder*
- 3 - 4 Tbsp heavy cream or half-&-half
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Directions
- In a the bowl of an electric stand mixer, fitted with whisk attachment (paddle attachment works too. Whichever you use just pay attention the the shade of the butter), whip butter on moderately high speed until very pale and fluffy (nearly white in color), about 6 - 8 minutes, occasionally scraping down sides of the bowl. Sift in cocoa powder then add in powdered sugar, 3 Tbsp heavy cream and vanilla and mix on low speed until combine, scrapping down the sides of the bowl as needed and adding up to 1 tbsp additional cream to thin if desired. Increase mixer to medium-high speed and whip mixture until pale and very fluffy about 4 - 5 minutes, occasionally scraping down sides of the bowl.
- Note that similar to whipped cream the frosting will lose some of its "fluff" after a few hours, it will still taste the same it just loses some of the air that was whipped into it (similar to whipped cream how it loses it's stabilization after a few hours). It is best to prepare and use within a few hours for best (fluffiest) results.
- Recipe Source: Cooking Classy
Notes
*For a milder more milk chocolate like flavor, increase the amount of powdered sugar to 4 cups and decrease the cocoa powder to 1/2 cup (leave other ingredient measurements the same).
Patricia Reitz: Wow – what a photo!! November 10, 2012 at 9:50am
*katie: Yummm! This is pretty close to the way I’ve grown up making chocolate frosting, except for the half and half or heavy cream…I’m definitely going to try it that way next time I make frosting! Those cupcakes look so tasty!! November 10, 2012 at 10:03am
The Cooking Actress: YUMM! This looks like the perfect chocolate buttercream! November 10, 2012 at 10:12am
Joan: I wanted to lick my monitor the frosting looks so good! November 10, 2012 at 6:45pm
hOtMaMa: awesome! thanks for the recipe.. will try it soon :) November 10, 2012 at 10:47am
jenica: can’t wait to try it! what tip did you use? November 10, 2012 at 5:33pm
Loretta E.: This is truly a gorgeous frosting! November 10, 2012 at 9:47pm
sally @ sallys baking addiction: OMG Jaclyn!!!! I am stuffed from dinner AND a cookie for dessert but now all I want to do is lick the bowl of chocolate buttercream! Your photos – droooool ;) November 11, 2012 at 6:50pm
Jaclyn: Thanks =). I’m still learning all the tricks about food photography but it’s fun to learn as you go. I will trade you some of this for one of those delicious chocolate peppermint cookies you just made! Those look amaze! I love the chocolate peppermint combo. November 12, 2012 at 11:39pm
Paula Jones: Beautiful!! I REALLY want one! November 12, 2012 at 4:44am
Christine: You read my mind. :) November 12, 2012 at 9:24am
Monique @Ambitious Kitchen: My goodness. I want to spread that all over a brownie and get chocolate wasted. November 12, 2012 at 9:24pm
Jaclyn: Monique – hahaha yes yes yes! Sounds good to me =). November 12, 2012 at 11:37pm
Jaclyn: Sorry I forgot to reply after publishing your comment! I used a 2D tip for these. November 17, 2012 at 2:51pm
Anonymous: Is there a substitute you can use for the heavy cream/half and half? December 2, 2012 at 6:46pm
Jaclyn: Milk but use a tiny bit less. It wont be quite as creamy but it will work just fine. Hope that helps! December 4, 2012 at 10:54pm
Nisa Homey: Hey this is my fav too…love ur gorgeous pic…happy to follow u… December 4, 2012 at 10:08pm
Jaclyn: Thanks =) and I’m so happy to have you following Nisa! December 4, 2012 at 10:45pm
Jack: Just wanted to say that I’ve used this recipe several times and it delivers just as advertised! Very light and fluffy and he flavor is perfection – chocolatey rich, with just enough salt to add interest. And it’s super fast and easy too! Thanks for the pos – just love it! December 7, 2012 at 7:38pm
Jaclyn: Jack – Thanks so much for taking the time to return to leave a comment =)! I’m so glad to hear you’ve enjoyed this! December 10, 2012 at 11:12am
homecake westport: WOW!!! I just used your recipe to fill and frost an 8″ and a 6″ cakes, I usually dont like btc, but I have to say this surprised me BIG time!!! delish ;) quick to make and very easy to work with.
Thank you very much for sharing the recipe :) December 8, 2012 at 5:11pm
Jaclyn: homecake westport – I like that review =). Thank you so much for leaving a comment! You may also want to try the vanilla buttercream recipe I’ve posted (if you like vanilla) it is basically the exact same recipe minus the cocoa. Thanks again! December 10, 2012 at 11:15am
Peyton: I didn’t have any cream, so I used about two tablespoons International Delight caramel coffee creamer and a tablespoon of Rumchata. And then for the hell of it I put in the rest of the whipped cream cheese I had in the fridge. It was so delicious, and my substitutions gave it a slight coffee-like flavor. January 9, 2013 at 10:34pm
Jaclyn: Sounds delicious! Thanks for your comment Peyton. I’m so glad you enjoyed it! January 11, 2013 at 10:50am
Colleen: I just made this Chocolate Buttercream and it is super yummy. It will become my go-to frosting for now on! Thank you! ! January 18, 2013 at 8:07pm
Jaclyn: So glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for the comment! January 18, 2013 at 8:54pm
Shannon Stout: Going to make this icing tomorrow. Saw it loses its fluff in a short while. I am going to put it on cupcakes. If I keep them in the fridge will that help keep the icing fluffy? February 11, 2013 at 6:51am
Jaclyn: Refrigerating wont really keep it from losing it’s fluff. One of the only things that would maybe help would be using a tiny bit of gelatin dissolved in a bit of cold water – although I’ve never tried that yet so I can’t guarantee. Sorry I wish I had a better answer to give you =). February 12, 2013 at 11:08pm
Shannon Stout: Hands down the best icing.I will definitely being making it again. February 13, 2013 at 5:17am
Jaclyn: Shannon – that is so great to hear! Thanks so much for your comment! February 14, 2013 at 9:18am
Allison: Perfection! I’ve tried so many recipes, and this is the best frosting recipe hands down. All the other recipes called for the same ingredients, but these proportions and method makes the most delicious frosting ever. Thank you for sharing! February 16, 2013 at 2:11pm
Jaclyn: Allison – that’s so wonderful to hear I’m so glad you think so =). You’re very welcome and thank you so much for your comment! February 19, 2013 at 9:51am
Yellow Cupcakes with Dark Chocolate Buttercream and Salted Caramel | Where the Heart Leads: [...] adapted from Cooking Classy [...] February 28, 2013 at 7:36pm
kristina: This was fabulous! I have been trying to create the perfect chocolate frosting my whole life. Thank you so much. March 19, 2013 at 1:55pm
Jaclyn: Kristina – I’m so glad you enjoyed this, thanks for your comment! March 19, 2013 at 3:41pm
Aidan: Would this be enough to frost the tops and sides of three 9”x2” round layers. If not, how can I tweak the current recipe so it fits the standards I have? April 2, 2013 at 5:27pm
Jaclyn: I would recommend that you add 1/3 more of the recipe then you should have enough. I usually have enough to frost 2 layers. April 2, 2013 at 7:42pm
NGOZI: so going to try this tomorrow but I hve two questions! Would the vanilla recipe lose its fluff two, and can I use this on a chocolate cake or would it become so chocolatey April 12, 2013 at 4:48am
Jaclyn: I love it on chocolate cake! They both just tend to settle a bit but it doesn’t change the flavor at all it just very lightly changes the texture as it’s not as airy after a few hours. I still love it the next day though. April 14, 2013 at 5:05pm
NGOZI: Sorry meant too nt two April 12, 2013 at 4:54am
Jaclyn: No worries – I do that all the time :) April 14, 2013 at 5:05pm
Amy: I just made this frosting for the first time today for my sons’ birthday party, and it was amazing! By far the best chocolate buttercream I’ve ever had. This will be going in my permanent files! April 13, 2013 at 6:38pm
Jaclyn: That is what I love to hear Amy! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment! April 14, 2013 at 5:00pm
Amy G {my3monsters}: Thank you so much for this delicious recipe. I found you by searching chocolate buttercream on Pinterest. I chose yours because your photo was stunning, but the recipe is to die for! Your whole blog is so beautiful, it will be at the top of my reading list from now on. Thanks again!! April 14, 2013 at 9:55pm
Jaclyn: Amy that is so nice of you to say! Thank you so much!! I hope you continue to like what you find here. Thanks for your comment! April 14, 2013 at 11:01pm
kavita: I am making this as i type this and im about done but it tastes really buttery even though i whipped the butter for 8 mins. Anything to make it better?? April 17, 2013 at 9:24pm
Jaclyn: And youve added the powdered sugar? If you think the ratio is too much butter you can add more powdered sugar and milk to thin. Hope that helps! April 17, 2013 at 9:30pm
kavita: Thanks!! It helped! I think it will be better once its cold! Thanks for the quick reply! April 17, 2013 at 9:44pm
Jaclyn: You’re welcome! April 18, 2013 at 9:39am
Michelle: Just made this frosting the other day for a shower and it got rave reviews. I only used a little over 3 cups of powdered sugar. My husband and I both loved it because it was chocolatey and not too sweet. My husband also raved about how fluffy it was. I will be making it again tomorrow to use on my daughters birthday cake!!! Thanks for the great recipe!!! April 19, 2013 at 1:44pm
Jaclyn: You’re very welcome Michelle! So glad it was enjoyed! Happy Birthday to your daughter I hope she has a wonderful day :)! April 20, 2013 at 10:38pm
Caitlin: First off this icing looks incredible!!!! I’m so excited to use it (I’m baking a cake for my inlaws 30th wedding anniversary) I have a possibly silly question: is the cocoa powder unsweetened or sweetened? I was assuming unsweetened but my baby brain is taking over (I have a newborn…) April 23, 2013 at 5:39am
Jaclyn: Haha I totally know that feeling and congrats on the new baby Caitlin!! It is unsweetened cocoa powder. I hope you love this! April 25, 2013 at 7:04pm