Fluffy and smooth with a lovely chocolatey flavour, this is how to make Chocolate Buttercream Frosting! Follow along with the quick recipe video (below recipe). Use this buttercream to frost cakes and cupcakes – it can be piped, spread and used to sandwich cake layers!
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Fluffy and chocolatey, buttercream frosting is a classic favourite for smothering over cakes and cupcakes. This Chocolate Buttercream Frosting is:
✅ Perfect for piping – it holds its shape with swirls, roses etc
✅ Can be used for sandwiching between cake layers – it won’t ooze out everywhere like cream when you cut into the cake
✅ Fluffy, creamy, luscious and buttery. Totally indulgent and will rival any high end bakery!
How to make Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Buttercream frosting is not hard to make but it does take time – and an electric mixer or stand mixer. The key is beating, beating, beating – for at least 6 minutes, usually 7 to 8 minutes.
The longer you beat, the fluffier it is and the smoother it is.
Beat, beat, beat!
Other than beating, the only other tip I have for a beautiful classic buttercream frosting is to use the right butter to icing sugar (powdered sugar) ratio. Too much sugar to butter = gritty frosting. Too little, and it just tastes like butter.
Go forth and enjoy! – Nagi x
Use this Chocolate Buttercream Frosting for:
Chocolate Cupcakes – no stand mixer required for these incredible cupcakes!
Chocolate Cake – the BEST everyday chocolate cake, ever!
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Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
- 200g / 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 1/2 cups soft icing sugar / powdered sugar , sifted (Note 1)
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder , unsweetened, preferably Dutch Processed, sifted(Note 3)
- 1/4 cup milk (any)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
Instructions
- Place butter in the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attached. Beat for 3 minutes on speed 7 until it becomes pale.
- Add half the icing sugar and cocoa powder. Beat for 3 minutes – start slow, increase to speed 7.
- Add remaining icing sugar and cocoa powder. Beat again for 3 minutes.
- Add milk and vanilla if using. Beat again for 1 minute on speed 7.
- Spread onto cakes / cupcakes, or spoon into frosting bag and pipe.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting recipe video!
LIFE OF DOZER
BY POPULAR DEMAND…. Dozer photo added!! I didn’t have one in this recipe because it was an extra recipe for the Chocolate Cupcakes. Gasp shock horror! Better fix it! 🙂
I increased the recipe as directed for 2 layer cake. Granted, I made 8″ cakes, not 9″, but I had about half of it left over – a huge waste. I reduce the butter to two sticks which worked fine. Taste and consistency were excellent.
Hi Nagi, this tastes amazing. However I’m not sure what I’ve done wrong as it doesn’t hold shape? Trying to cover the chocolate cake from your website (also delicious) but looks like a melted mess rather than like your picture?
i have made this 3 times now love it its the best
Wonderful icing! Very fluffy and tasty
Hi, can this frosting be kept in the fridge?
also once you make the cake and frost it do you keep on the bench or in the fridge?
Could someone please advise. Thank you
Hi Lucy,
I keep my leftover icing in the fridge, if I’m not going to use it for a while I’ll put it in the freezer. If you put the cake in the fridge it will dry out faster, even in an airtight container, so leaving on the bench top is just fine.
This chocolate frosting recipe is great. It’s not too sweet but delicious
I don’t like things terribly sweet so I don’t really get the appeal of frosted cakes but I think my mind has been changed (well at least from eating the frosting!)
This is only the second time I have made chocolate buttercream. I had never used your recipe before.
My friend’s daughter requested a vanilla cake with chocolate buttercream for her 21st birthday. Great….2 things I don’t bake – tiered and frosted cakes but your recipe looked delicious and easy.
The cakes came out perfectly and the little crumbs I have tried of it are tasty and moist. I even did the the spring back test.
The chocolate buttercream is out of this world! I did add a teaspoon of instant espresso powder to it. The buttercream is so light and easy to spread. I do live in a warm climate so I have the cake chilling in the refrigerator post a thick coat of a crumb coat (I am trying to act all professional like I have done this before). I am sure I can make look nice and not too homemade.
Thank you for the recipes!
The icing covered exactly 24 cupcakes with normal level of frosting. The icing is delicious. I used the chocolate cake recipe and it makes exactly 24 cup cakes and is delicious. I have booked marked these for future use.
Perfection! Not too sweet, perfectly creamy and chocolatey. My go to chocolate buttercream frosting.
The GOAT!
Just made this buttercream for the top of your choc cupcakes. I followed it exactly. Not loving the flavour of this buttercream. I will try your vanilla reduced sugar buttercream next. It doesnt use icing sugar so my guess is it may be more enjoyable for my tastebuds. The chocolate cupcakes are pretty good though
Best chocolate frosting I’ve had! Thank you for the recipe. It’s not so sweet it’s just perfect.
Is very creamy, chocolate-y and sweet at the same time. Delicious and easy to make!
its delicious, but i made the mistake of doing this fully by hand while also tripling the recipe. took me roughly 2 hours LOL
This made me laugh. I will make sure not to do it by hand even with a regular batch.
Hi nagi
Absolutely love all your recipes and I am sure this one would be no different. However I am a bit confused regarding the soft icing sugar. Would the superfine icing sugar from the brand SIS be considered a soft icing sugar?
Hi nagi, Absolutely love all your recipes and I am sure this one would be no different. Just a bit of a question regarding soft icing sugar since I am a bit confused.
Would superfine icing sugar from the brand SIS be considered a soft icing sugar ?
I’m making this tonight, quick question, has anyone made it dairy free? I’m thinking to just swap butter with dairy free Marg and substitute almond milk for the milk.
Any hints?
I made this yesterday, and even my “I don’t eat cake” husband liked it. It’s really yummy.
There are so many brands of “Dutch processed” cocoa out there, what brand would you recommend?
Simple, Chocolate, Delicious! Another winner! Thank you Nagi
Wow! My kids love this, topped some cupcakes with it and they described it as lovely with a lot of emphatic nods of enjoyment 🥰