Perfect Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Your search for the best chocolate buttercream frosting is over! This frosting is creamy, decadent, and perfect for cakes, cookies, or cupcakes!

I promised you the best chocolate frosting to go with your gorgeous chocolate cake, and here it is!

While the frosting recipe may not seem all that complicated, this chocolate buttercream frosting took some time, attention, and testing to get right. It’s smooth, creamy, rich, and perfect!

The first secret to a perfect icing

Make sure you sift your cocoa powder.

I know this step can be a bit annoying, but it’s so important. I’ve tried this icing several times without sifting it and I’ve never been able to avoid the little clumps of bitter cocoa powder.

So, sift, please.

I don’t sift the powdered sugar because I haven’t seen a noticeable difference when doing so, but you can certainly sift the sugar if you like (and it’s probably a good idea if your powdered sugar is really lumpy and clumpy).

The frosting may look a little crumbly at first, especially if you’re using a handheld electric mixer, but with a little mixing power and milk, it will turn into a perfect creamy frosting mixture.

The second secret to perfect icing

Use milk instead of heavy cream.

This may seem contradictory. Don’t we want to add cream to make a super frosting? It’s a natural assumption. But I found that heavy cream gave the frosting a curdled/grainy texture.

Using milk means the frosting can be mixed for longer (resulting in a very creamy and fluffy frosting) without it becoming weird or greasy.

Secret Third for a Perfect Sauce Layer

Press out any air bubbles with a silicone spatula.

It’s completely normal for air bubbles to form as you mix and whisk the sauce layer. Since we’re mixing this sauce layer for several minutes, you may notice small air bubbles in the sauce layer when it’s ready.

To remove air bubbles, take a large silicone spatula and fold the sauce layer into large pieces, pressing down on it. Do this several times until most of the air bubbles are gone.

A Glaze for Everything

Chocolate buttercream is perfect for everything from cupcakes to cookies and cakes. It’s super light and creamy with an intense chocolate flavor.

Speaking of chocolate flavor, you can use either natural unsweetened cocoa powder or Dutch-processed cocoa powder. Dutch-processed cocoa will give your frosting a darker, richer flavor and color. The frosting shown in this post is made with natural unsweetened cocoa powder (like Hershey’s).

And remember, no judgment from Camp Mel if you whip up a batch of this next-level delicious frosting just to spread on your graham crackers and call it a day.

Perfect Chocolate Buttercream

Makes: 5 to 6 cups frosting

Prep time: 20 minutes

Total time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup (227 g) butter, softened to room temperature (I use salted butter)
• 3¾ cups (428 g) powdered sugar
• ½ cup (43 g) natural, unsweetened or Dutch-processed cocoa powder (see note)
• Pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 tablespoons milk (preferably skim)

Instructions

1. Using a handheld electric mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or whisk, beat the softened butter until light and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
2. Add the powdered sugar. Sift the cocoa powder into the bowl.
3. Add the salt, vanilla, and 2 tablespoons milk.
4. Mix on low speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary, until almost combined. The frosting may look lumpy, but it will come together with more milk or cream and more mixing.
5. Add the remaining 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk, then increase the speed to medium, and continue mixing for 1 to 2 minutes until the frosting is creamy and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
6. Add more milk for a smoother glaze or add more powdered sugar for a thicker glaze.
   Press the frosting with a silicone spatula to remove any air bubbles, if necessary. Use the frosting immediately (this is best) or store covered in the refrigerator for several days. If using it out of the fridge, add a tablespoon or two of milk and blend until creamy.

Note:

Cocoa Powder: This recipe works well with either unsweetened natural cocoa powder (like Hershey’s) or Dutch-processed cocoa. Dutch-processed cocoa will give the frosting a deeper, richer chocolate flavor and color. The frosting in the photos in the post was made with unsweetened natural cocoa powder.
Icing: This frosting can be easily spread with a spatula or you can use a piping bag with a large nozzle (for cupcakes and cake decorating). If you are using a piping bag to frost, add less milk so that the frosting doesn’t become too runny.
Heavy Cream: In my testing, I substituted heavy cream for milk to give the frosting a slightly curdled texture. I prefer using milk for this glaze. With milk, the frosting can withstand longer mixing times to make it light and fluffy without curdling or being grainy.