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!
Keeping this post short and sweet because it’s an extra recipe for today! It’s an alternative frosting recipe to the every day Chocolate Fudge Frosting I used in the Best Easy Chocolate Cupcakes that I posted 1 minute ago (named as such because they are truly the best cupcakes I believe can be made without using a stand mixer. Super easy!!).
Buttercream is a classic favourite frosting for smothering over cakes and cupcakes. It’s not hard to make, but it does take time – and an electric mixer or stand mixer. The key is beating, beating, beating. 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. My rule of thumb is 1 1/2 cups of icing sugar for every 125g / 1 stick of butter.
Go forth and enjoy! – Nagi x
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Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
- 200 g / 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 1/2 cups / 300g soft icing sugar / powdered sugar , sifted (Note 1)
- 1/2 cup / 35g cocoa powder , preferably Dutch Processed, sifted(Note 3)
- 1/4 cup / 65 ml 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:
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! 🙂
Hi Nagi, made your “best easy chocolate cupcakes” on the weekend for a Cancer Council biggest morning tea event and topped them off with this chocolate buttercream, Yummo! The cupcakes were so quick, easy and hit that chocolate craving without being too sweet, will be my “go to” recipe for cupcakes from now on. Your site provides heaps of ideas and inspiration with simple instructions (have told many about it). I always check your site first when looking for something new. Have made heaps of your recipes, too many to mention, always know they’ll “work” too. How would I adjust this recipe to make a peanut butter frosting that is pipeable? Don’t really want to look elsewhere and be disappointed…. Thanks
Hi Kim, thanks so much for the great feedback! I haven’t done a peanut butter frosting yet – I’ll have to add it to my to do list!
Hi Nagi, is this icing strong enough to be used on a cake that will be covered in m&ms or will the m&ms slide off?
Hi Lyndall – the top will be fine. For the sides, just make sure your butter is “just” softened enough to beat. The best way to do this is to cut into dice and let it soften just enough so the beater can cream it. Then proceed to make. If you just soften a big block of butter, what happens is that the outside has to be super soft in order for the centre to be soft, which makes the buttercream VERY soft. Which is fine for piping or spreading like pictured, but probably too soft for M&M’s to stick to the side of a cake 🙂 WORST CASE: if frosting is too soft, refrigerate for 5 min then stick on M&M’s 🙂 N x
I love this recipe! Just wonderful. I used it on a cake and it’s delicious!
Fantastic Isabel!
WOW. I just made this for my daughter’s birthday cake (along with the chocolate cake from your blog!) and it is THE BEST chocolate buttercream i’ve ever tasted!!
Awesome! I’m so glad you loved it!
Hi Nagi, which icing sugar did you use? The icing sugar mixture or pure? Thanks 🙂
Soft icing sugar – the mixture. Not pure – that’s for royal icing, the stuff that goes hard that’s used for writing. Good question Binarti, will update recipe! N x
Awesome, thanks! Can’t wait to give this a try for my daughter’s birthday cake this weekend.
Great tasting frosting! Always only used a cream cheese based frosting, but this one is just as good. Thanks for sharing.
Glad to hear you enjoyed this Simone! Thanks for letting me know – N x
Hello! Will it be ok to make the frosting the night before I plan to use it?
Hi Mims, I saw your question and noticed it hadn’t been answered. So I thought I’d answer it for you. You certainly CAN make this frosting the night before you need it. After making it just transfer the frosting to a container with an air tight lid. For example, a microwave – safe food container is perfect for this. Just make sure you close the steam button on the lid.. Then put it in the fridge overnight and, the next day take it out and let it return to room temperature, give it a good stir and it’s ready to use!
This is the best buttercream frosting recipe I’ve ever made. The recipe instructions were well written. I’ve never used a recipe that told me precisely how long to beat the frosting in each step and I think that really makes this so beautifully fluffy. The butter to sugar ratio was perfect! Thank you! Looking forward to trying more of your recioes!
Glad to hear you enjoyed this Carole!! Thanks for letting me know 🙂 N x ❤️
Could I omit the cocoa and make a vanilla one instead? Need to use food dye for a kids cake
Hi Nagi,
I want to make this delicious icing, along with your chocolate cake, for my daughter’s birthday. However, I’d love to make the icing yellow….she’s Emma wiggle obsessed. 😂 Would I just leave out the cocoa and add yellow food colouring?
Thanks,
D x
Hi Danielle! Yep that’s exactly what I’d do. And if you use good value butter (read: no frills) it is quite often VERY yellow! Then you can adjust colour with colouring 🙂
For frosting if I use cocoa powder other than Dutch processed like Bakers cocoa powder, Will it affect the taste?
Hi Nagi you did it again another great recipe. Of course I’m going to make it . my son loves chocolate. I’m on a diet these days so ….well may me I’ll have just one I mean who can resist chocolate? LOVE LOVE the picture of Dozer he’s so cute. Have a wonderful day.
Can you resist??/ Do you REALLY think you can?? 😉 N xx
I will try this CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING ..looking delicious..
HOPE YOU DO!!!!
I’d seriously eat this alone with a spoon and be very happy.
ME TOO!
Recipes for your ( I Don’t Care) Cupcakes and Buttercream Icing are same one’s my family have used for years. We love them and so do those who eat them! Thank you for offering them to us. Shows we do not have to have fancy stuff to cook! thanks again!
Nagi, Your recipe for the cupcakes and the Buttercream Icing is same as one my Father used in his bakery. Mother and i made it all of the time. I should say it is timeless, Huh? I made it for my Daughters Wedding Cake and even though we thought there would be cake leftover, there wasn’t a drop! The cupcake recipe is like recipe I use one in while only we call it a “Dump Cake”. Wonderful all! Thank you
NO WAY!!!! I thought my cupcakes recipe was quite unique, I fumbled it together over many years of experimenting. I’m SO thrilled to know it’s the same!! N xx
WHERE’S DOZER? No photo of DOZER!
Lovely recipe Nagi which I will be using in the near future, but, no Dozer!
Because he’s in the MAIN recipe – the cupcakes!!!! OK OK you win, I will add one!!
Now things are back to normal. Lovely Dozer!
❤️
~sneaks in and swipes the milk; drops in an equal amount of whipping cream and two extra teaspoons of cocoa powder; steals away the vanilla — which is greatly overused nowadays — and substitutes half a teaspoon of Himalayan salt~
There. My tactic for making a truly rich buttercream. (Face it, it’s buttercream. If your arteries aren’t screaming for mercy, you’re not doing it right.)
Ooh! LOVE those tips – especially the SALT!
I love your recipes and can’t wait to try this one..I have to admit though I come to see Dozer first…:) I have had 5 golden and he looks exactlly like my first two males.. my last male was white with chocolate eyes…they are all gone now (plus two beautiful girls) so I get my dog fix with your beautiful Dozer..!
keep up the good work… I have a fishing lodge and about to start my season and will be trying all your recipes!
thank you from Vancouver Canada
I LOVE that you see Dozer first!!! Sometimes I do his section first… 😉 N xx