Last year I posted my recipe for Classic Vanilla Buttercream. It’s the recipe I use for decorating cupcakes and birthday cakes, especially if I know kids will be the ones eating it. For wedding cakes I like to use a more silkier type frosting that I’ll share with you in the near future. But for everyday cake frosting, the vanilla buttercream is what I use. From that post, I received many comments and emails requesting a chocolate buttercream frosting which could also be used to frost cakes and for piping decorations.
I often referred readers to my most favorite chocolate frosting I use for glazing, frosting, filling, and piping. As you can see from the picture above, chocolate ganache is very versatile and best of all it is made with heavy cream and chocolate. But this frosting is also heavy and very decadent, unless you whip it. Some people would write me and tell me they didn’t want ganache but wanted a more true buttercream. So by popular request I made a batch of American chocolate buttercream over the weekend to share with you. It is great for frosting cupcakes and cakes. It can also be used for frosting brownies or cookies. Like its name suggests, it is more buttery, creamy, and slightly sweeter than ganache. And like ganache, it pipes decorative borders very nicely.
You will need to make sure your butter is soft enough to cream. Do not be tempted to softened it in the microwave unless you know how NOT to melt the butter. Melted butter will not work for this frosting. But if you do use your microwave, I like to place cold sticks in the microwave for 8 seconds. If it’s still too firm, I will microwave it for 2 more seconds.
Next, you’ll want to cream the butter and then then add sifted sugar and cocoa.
This is my daughter Mimi. She likes to help me in the kitchen whenever chocolate is involved. I’ve taught both of my daughters about the baker’s reward philosophy. If you help me in the kitchen, you also get to lick the spoons. Oddly enough, they never seem to want to help me when I’m cooking vegetables. Those stinkers.
Be sure to start your mixer on slow speed after adding the dry ingredients. Otherwise you will have cocoa and sugar fly everywhere landing on everything within a couple feet of you. Your frosting will look strange like clumps of clay. Don’t worry. Once we add some cream it will transform into beautiful chocolate buttercream.
When deciding on whether or not to use milk or cream, I prefer cream. It just makes the frosting… well.. more creamier. Half and half works too. But if you do use milk, it is better to use whole milk for the added fat content. I also prefer to use almond extract when making frosting. It enhances the flavor so nicely and a little bit goes a long way. But if you only have vanilla, use it!
As you can see by these photos, this frosting pipes really nicely. The frosting can be refrigerated to use later. Just make sure it’s in a lidded container. Allow the frosting to warm up to room temperature on the counter before using. Happy cake decorating!
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks or ½ pound), softened (but not melted!)
- 3½ cups confectioners (powdered) sugar
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 4 tablespoons milk or heavy cream
- Cream butter for a few minutes in a mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed. Turn off the mixer. Sift 3 cups powdered sugar and cocoa into the mixing bowl. Turn your mixer on the lowest speed (so the dry ingredients do not blow everywhere) until the sugar and cocoa are absorbed by the butter. Increase mixer speed to medium and add vanilla extract, salt, and milk/cream and beat for 3 minutes. If your frosting needs a more stiff consistency, add a little more sugar. If your frosting needs to be thinned out, add additional milk 1 tablespoon at a time.
Here’s a great short video tutorial I did for PBS on how to pipe these beautiful frosting flowers using vanilla buttercream on cupcakes, but you could easily do this with the chocolate one from this page. If you enjoy the video, please like it so I’ll be able to do more!
And here’s another short PBS video tutorial I did on how to make Cookie Monster Cupcakes.
You could always add cooled melted chocolate. It may be pale but the taste is pretty chocolaty.
I love the buttercream! Thank you. The only think I would like to change is the amount of cocoa as the icing is quite pale. What are your suggestions of how to make it darker/chocolatey . I’m thinking add more cocoa and more cream. Should I cut back on the powdered sugar then?
I knew when I read this recipe that you nailed Chocolate Buttercream Frosting. My mouth is already watering…THANK YOU!!
I would say yes but I’d honestly add a teaspoon of extra powdered sugar to the icing at a time to thicken it up a little more just to be safe. Also, keep it in a cooler location in your home.
I meant to ask the same! Please let me know too. Thanks
If I only had salted butter, could I just omit adding the salt?
Hello Alice. Just wanted to thank you for sharing your recipe. My cupcakes taste amazing and look so pretty! I try not to change anything when I make a new recipe. But I did tweak it a bit. I used 1 1/2 t. Vanilla and 1/2 t. Almond extract. Fantastic flavor and just enough. ?
Hi Ming,
Sorry for the late response. This recipe is very flexible. It all depends on YOUR preference. You could reduce the sugar by a cup but it might compromise the texture. It might not be as stiff as you like, so play around with it to your liking. Secondly, for the extract I would start with as little as possible with both types until you find a happy place. Almond is pretty strong so keep that in mind, whereas the vanilla doesn’t alter too much. Hope this helps.
Hi,
Yes you can but it will not taste the same.
Can you use butter spread instead of block of unsalted butter to make this frosting?
The perfect way to soften butter. Microwave 30 seconds on level 3.
Hi Alice,
Reading and watching your blogs is absolutely fun. I have a few questions. Can i reduce the sugar? What’s the minimum amount i should go for?
As for the extract, can i mix vanilla and almond at 1tsp:1tsp?
It turns out just fine using cups. Grams and ounces aren’t necessary in this recipe. It’s not that complex. If you prefer it though, just use google to convert it for you.
Do you have this recipe converted to either grams or ounces. I hate working in cups as its never as accurate.
It is plenty firm following this recipe but if you want it more firm just add a teaspoon of powdered sugar until desired consistency. More sugar makes it more firm and adding milk by tsp makes it thinner.
Hi!
I was wondering if the texture of the butter creme is form enough to be used between layers in a cake or if it is too light to hold up the layers?
Yes it will stay fairly firm at room temperature. If you want to make it a little thicker add a teaspoon or so of powdered sugar.
Does this icing stay firm at room temperature?
I am making 320 mini cupcakes for ladies meeting. Will need to set out a day.
This is the ONLY chocolate buttercream frosting! Everything else is just not up to this standard! I am a lifelong chocolate cake/chocolate icing hater. Once I made this, no more. It is my cake combo of choice. 🙂 Thank you for sharing.
I’m making a “pirate ship” cake for my grandson’s birthday. If I decorated it with this chocolate buttercream icing the day before, would it hold it’s shape and be safe to leave out of the fridge overnight? I would make it Friday afternoon and the party is on Saturday at 11am.
Hi there. How can I add a coffee flavor to this frosting?? Should I use a powder espresso or can I use an extract? What do you think? I need to make this cake by Friday 5th of February. Thanks!
Alice, I absolutely love this frosting (along with your vanilla buttercream)! One question I’ve been meaning to ask you is whether the heavy cream should be room temperature before adding or cold. Does it matter? What do you do?
Thanks!!!!
This was my first time making buttercream and it came out AMAZING! Thank you!
Hi Alice,
Thank you so much for posting this great recipe!!!
I need to make more frosting than the recipe calls for. Do you think that simply doubling the ingredients will work OK for me in making a double batch or should I make two separate batches?
Thank you for your post and sharing this treat with us all. I look forward to hearing from you.
Diane
I was AMAZED at the response I got when I used your Chocolate Buttercream Recipe! Wow! I think the almond flavor may have been the key. Whatever it was – the response was crazy good. Thank you for making me look like a genius.
If anyone is wondering whether they should try this recipe … just do it. Do it now!! Awesome! Great taste and great texture.