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Home Baking Recipes

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

By:Nagi
Published:5 May '18Updated:5 Jul '21
154 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

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 www.recipetineats.om

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!

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting www.recipetineats.om Chocolate Buttercream Frosting www.recipetineats.om

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!

  • Classic Vanilla Sponge Cake

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting www.recipetineats.om

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Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Author: Nagi
Prep: 15 mins
Baking
Western
4.97 from 31 votes
Servings12
Tap or hover to scale
Print
  • 103
Recipe video above. The key to ensuring your buttercream comes out fluffy and smooth (rather than dense and gritty) is to beat, beat, beat and to use the right ratio of butter to icing sugar.
Quantity - This makes enough to swirl frosting on 12 cupcakes (see photos in post), to smear on 18 cupcakes, or a single layer 20-22cm / 8-9" cake (like this Chocolate Fudge Cake).
For a 2 layer cake, like as depicted in this Chocolate Cake recipe (2 layer 22cm/9" cake), increase the recipe by 50%. Use the recipe scaler (hover /click on servings and slide) and increase until icing sugar becomes 3.75 cups (ie 3 3/4 cups) / 450g.

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:

1. Icing Sugar - if you are in Australia, get the packets labelled as Soft icing sugar. Not Pure Icing sugar- that's for royal icing, the stuff that goes hard that's used for writing. 
2. Quantity - This makes enough to swirl frosting on 12 cupcakes (see photo in post) or frost one 22cm / 9" cake (top, sides and filling) a reasonable amount.
To frost cake more generously, like as depicted in this Chocolate Cake recipe (2 layer 22cm/9" cake), increase the recipe by 50%. Use the recipe scaler (hover /click on servings and slide) and increase until icing sugar becomes 450g / 3.75 cups.
3. Dutch Processed cocoa powder is a more intense flavour than normal cocoa powder. So you will get a better chocolate flavour.
4. To make this using chocolate instead of cocoa powder, use 75g / 3 oz 70%+ cocoa dark chocolate. Melt and cool, then whisk in at the end.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 229cal (11%)Carbohydrates: 27g (9%)Protein: 1g (2%)Fat: 14g (22%)Saturated Fat: 9g (56%)Trans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 36mg (12%)Sodium: 123mg (5%)Potassium: 66mg (2%)Fiber: 1g (4%)Sugar: 25g (28%)Vitamin A: 426IU (9%)Calcium: 15mg (2%)Iron: 1mg (6%)
Keywords: Buttercream frosting, chocolate buttercream, cookie frosting
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @RecipeTinEats.

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! 🙂

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Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative!

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154 Comments

  1. Emma says

    May 19, 2022 at 4:55 pm

    Hello I love this recipe it was absolutely a winner when I made it for my family. I was wondering what the recipe was for normal vanilla buttercream do I just substitute the cocoa powder with icing sugar?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      May 20, 2022 at 2:37 pm

      My vanilla buttercream can be found here: https://www.recipetineats.com/my-very-best-vanilla-cake/ N x

      Reply
  2. Georgia stergakis says

    April 27, 2022 at 1:24 pm

    Hi Nagi. Thanks for your great recipes; especially the detail instructions. Your site is always my go to.

    I made the chocolate buttercream today along with the ‘best chocolate cake ever’. I didn’t have enough soft icing sugar so made up difference (about 1/3) of pure icing sugar. Could this be the reason the buttercream seems a bit grainy?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      April 27, 2022 at 1:44 pm

      Yes Georgia – the pure icing sugar hardens up a bit and doesn’t stay soft like the icing sugar mixture. N x

      Reply
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Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative! Read More

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