Add the perfect finishing touch to your best chocolate cake and chocolate cupcakes with this rich and fluffy chocolate buttercream frosting recipe. Made with cocoa powder and milk, it’s so smooth, creamy, quick and easy to whip up!
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Why I Love this Homemade Chocolate Frosting
When it comes to classic buttercream frosting, it’s hard to choose between vanilla and chocolate. They are both such a perfect addition to everything from cupcakes to cakes! But I think if I HAD to choose, chocolate buttercream would be my pick. There’s just something about the rich, chocolatey cocoa flavor that hits all the right notes. See why this is my favorite easy recipe for chocolate buttercream:
- Easy: This frosting is made with 6 simple ingredients, in just 5 minutes, with 3 easy to follow steps!
- Fluffy, rich and creamy: With a perfectly whipped and creamy texture, and packed with tons of creamy chocolate flavor, you won’t be able to stop licking the bowl!
- Versatile: When it comes to using buttercream, you can put it on everything from cupcakes to cakes to cookie cakes. For a really special treat, we like to sandwich it between some chewy peanut butter cookies!
Satisfy your sweet tooth with my other true love, classic cream cheese frosting.
Key Ingredients
Below you will find helpful notes for key ingredients used to make this chocolate buttercream frosting recipe. Scroll down to the recipe card below for the full ingredient list and exact amounts!
- Unsalted Butter: I don’t recommend using salted butter because then you won’t be able to control the flavor by adding the salt to taste separately.
- Cocoa Powder: It needs to be unsweetened and sifted to remove any lumps, so your frosting turns out perfectly smooth.
- Powdered Sugar: Do not swap this with any other sugar! You need it for the very best consistency.
- Evaporated Milk: This makes the frosting extra creamy. You can use whole milk in place of the evaporated milk, however you will then need to refrigerate the frosting if you are not eating it immediately.
How to Make Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
This easy frosting recipe comes together in just a few simple steps if you use a hand mixer or stand mixer. Of course, you can do this by hand, but don’t forget to warm up your muscles first! 😉 Below is a quick recipe overview, but please scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full instructions and to watch the step-by-step video.
- Beat the first few ingredients together. Beat to combine the butter, cocoa powder, vanilla and salt together until smooth.
- Add sugar. Beat in the powdered sugar.
- Add the milk. Mix in the milk, just a splash at a time, until you reach your desired consistency.
- Inhale it with a spoon. Or spread or pipe it onto your favorite cake, cupcakes, or cookies.
Chef’s Tips and Variations
- Don’t skip sifting your cocoa. Sifting the cocoa powder is an important step because it makes sure you get all the clumps out. The last thing you want when you are enjoying for favorite dessert is to bite into a lump of unsweetened cocoa powder!
- When your frosting is ready, make sure it is at room temperature for decorating. The frosting will be too stiff if it’s too cold. And if you try to warm it in a microwave it will melt unevenly. Allow chilled frosting to sit at room temperature for at least an hour before using to decorate.
- You don’t have to refrigerate this recipe if you use evaporated milk. According to the FDA, butter is shelf-stable at room temperature for a couple of days. Evaporated milk is also shelf-stable at room temperature. So if you’ve frosted a cake or a bunch of cupcakes that just can’t fit into the fridge, it’s OK for them to sit on the counter for up to 3 days.
- Make the frosting ahead. This chocolate frosting recipe can be made up to four days in advance. Simply prepare it as directed and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Before you want to use it, let it sit out on the counter for a bit to help bring it up to room temperature. When it is ready, fluff it up by stirring it with a fork or whisk and start frosting!
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- 5 cups powdered sugar
- 4 to 7 tablespoons evaporated milk, or whole milk
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Instructions
- Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat butter, cocoa powder, vanilla and salt together until smooth in a large bowl. Add powdered sugar in two additions, beating until smooth each time, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Slowly beat in milk, a tablespoon or two at at a time, until frosting reaches desired consistency. Frosting should be light and fluffy and easily spreadable.
- Use frosting as desired!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
More of My Favorite Chocolate Recipes
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This frosting is amazing! Thanks
I always thought
that Evaporated milk is only shelf stable whilst it is in the tin. but once the tin has been opened, it should be kept it the fridge is this right ir wrong
That is correct for storing any leftover evaporated milk. They want you to store it in the fridge for safety sake. When using a little in the frosting, it is completely fine to leave it out at room temperature. I have done so for up to a week in hot Florida with zero issues.
This was my very first time making a buttercream icing and it worked out great. I’m not sure why it didn’t work out for others but it was shook and delicious. It was sweet but anytime I’ve had buttercream icing on cupcakes or cake anywhere it was always sweet. So thank you so much
I made receipt with my kitchen aid it turned out great. Great receipt.
We like a strong chocolate flavor, is it possible to add more chocolate or a different type of chocolate?
Thank you!
Hi Mimi! You can cut back on the powdered sugar and up the cocoa powder for a richer chocolate flavor!
I have made this recipe twice now and we love it!!!
I made the frosting exactly as directed. I understand it’s buttercream which is sweet, but this was waaay too sweet. 5 cups of powdered sugar was too much. Hated it. Threw it away. Waste of time and money.
…It’s buttercream frosting, it is sweet, it uses a lot of powdered sugar. You can search any buttercream recipe and see they all use the about the same ratio of butter to sugar.
Not a great recipe in my opinion. A hand mixer does not work for this. I wasted tons of time using the hand mixer and never got the smooth consistency after the second half of powdered sugar (and I added less). I had to switch it over to my stand mixer. The evaporated milk didn’t work great either, I still ended up adding heavy cream to get it smooth and fluffy. I fixed it and it tastes good, hard to ruin sugar, cocoa and butter, but I wasted a lot of time.
I cannot get it to smooth after adding second part of powdered sugar, any tips?
Hi Amber! Are you using a hand or stand mixer? If you are, then my other suggestion would be to sift your powdered sugar in case there are lumps in it!
can I use salted butter?
Yes! Just cut any added salt out!