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
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!
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!
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Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
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:
Nutrition Information:
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! 🙂
Miriam Tier says
This frosting seems to have caused a heart attack on my first use of Kitchenaid mixer! Finished it in the Thermomix. Worked far better!
Emma says
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?
Nagi says
My vanilla buttercream can be found here: https://www.recipetineats.com/my-very-best-vanilla-cake/ N x
Georgia stergakis says
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?
Nagi says
Yes Georgia – the pure icing sugar hardens up a bit and doesn’t stay soft like the icing sugar mixture. N x
VIENNA says
omg nagi I am such a big fan of your recipes your the best my friend Will took a photo with u
Fab says
I made this chocolate buttercream alongside the chocolate cake recipe and it was so delicious everyone could not believe I had made it! I doubled the ingredients as I was making quite a big cake, so I made two thick sponges both measuring 9 inches wide and baked them for roughly an hour on the temperature recommended- as they were bigger sponges than the standard recipe therefore a longer cook time but it still came out perfectly soft, fluffy and not too chocolate yet or sweet at all. The recipes provided by Nagi are truly the best I have come across!! I don’t bake often but when I do reciptineats is my go to, I have made her vanilla sponge recipe which really does stay moist for 4 days! My husband was actually surprised the cake tasted so good as it was for his birthday, and he is a very picky eater so that is saying a lot! I felt compelled to write a review on here because it was my first time making this and this is a foolproof method for the perfect chocolate cake. Thank you Nagi for sharing!!
Lexi Narke says
Hello Nagi, can you use Icing mixture (Icing sugar with starch) in stead of Icing sugar?
Nagi says
I always use Soft Icing Mixture (icing sugar with starch added, called confectioner’s sugar in North America) when making frostings. Pure icing sugar can be clumpy and it hardens up forming a crust. It is better for decorative icings like Royal Icing that need to harden. If you only can get pure icing sugar then you need to be sure it is very fresh and well sifted and just know that you will still get the crust when it sets. N x
Nagi says
That is fabulous, Fab!!! N x
Maggie says
This comment is for all you poor souls that are dairy free. I decided to try the frosting using Earth Balance vegan butter sticks. I let them come to room temp and the followed Nagi’s recipe as written…. Beating them for the same amount of time as the butter. No one could tell it wasn’t real butter cream frosting. I could tell, only because I’ve made this butter cream the “right” way so many times. I think if you are going to use the vegan sticks, you may want to slightly increase the powdered sugar. It didn’t seem as sweet as the actual butter one… but maybe that’s because the vegan butter was salted? I’d say add 50 grams more of powdered sugar to get a sweeter frosting. I used oat milk barista blend for the milk part of the recipe. The icing turned out beautiful and frosted just like the real buttercream.
I also made the chocolate cake that Nagi has subbing Oat Milk Barista blend (not just regular oat milk… the barista blend is thicker and more like a whole milk). I could not tell a difference with the cake and it was perfect.
OF COURSE buttercream frosting should be made with real butter. But for some of us who cannot tolerate due to severe allergies, it’s nice to know if a backup that makes us feel like we get the real thing
Nagi says
Thank you so much for that feedback Maggie – lots of people will find that helpful! I just don’t have the time to test every single variation of a recipe so am always happy to hear how they turn out for others!! N x
Cint says
I have quite a bit of frosting leftover and I have to make another cake in 2 days, can I store the frosting in the fridge until then? Thanks
Nagi says
You can store it Cint and rebeat it just before using. Sometimes buttercream splits when you do this though so be sure it’s not straight out of the fridge when you beat it. N x
Emilee says
What’s the longest it can be kept in the fridge for?
Bron says
Perfect frosting! It’s my go-to now.
Lorie says
I’d like to use almond extract – will that work in your vanilla cake recipe?
Thanks!
Lorie
Nagi says
Hi Lorie – I haven’t tried it myself but another reader commented that she had used almond extract with success. N x
Kathy says
Hi
Can you make this frosting and store it in the fridge and use it the next day to decorate your muffins ? Thank you
Emma Kate Jenkins says
I have made this last night and I too found that adding the milknhas made it curdle / separate slightly. I started with the butter at room temp (not melted) but it was a warm evening and all that beating made it quite runny (rather than fluffy). I doubled the quantity of icing for a mutli-layer cake, but used less than half the amount of milk in the recipe as I was worried about it being too runny. I have chilled it and still hoping I can make it work on the cake once it comes back up to room temp again. Any idea what I did wrong?
Nagi says
Hi Emma – your butter was too soft to start. Ideally it needs to be butter that is at 17°C/63°F, which is cooler than you might expect! It should be soft enough that it is pliable so when you poke it, it leaves an indent. But still cool enough so that you don’t end up with shiny grease your your finger. N x
Wendy says
Beautiful. Very chocolatey and fluffy. Made it to go on my husband’s birthday cake, and I’m sure he’ll love it. Thanks for sharing.
Nagi says
I am so glad you enjoyed it Wendy! N x
Jo says
Hi, trying the vanilla cake. Do I need to put down baking paper. Can’t I just do it the old fashioned way with oil and flour in the bottom of the cake tin?
Nagi says
Hi Jo…the vanilla cake got tested with all of those different variations and the way it is written gives you the best results for colour, texture and rising height. You can try it that way but I know for sure that the way it’s written gives the best results…I baked it over 89 times!! N x
Ann klopf says
Hi Nagi
Can this recipe be used without the cocoa and coloured different colours to decorate a child’s birthday cake?
Carla says
Hey Nagi! I dont have a stand mixer but I have an electric hand beater. Will that work just the same?
A says
Yep same used the hand mixer and turned out delicious
Carla says
Thank you for confirming! Happy baking 🙂
marcela diaz says
O love the recipe, but I make to much, can I freeze them. Sorry mi English, I’m from chile!
S says
Hi Nagi, love your recipes! Can you use salted butter?
Nagi says
Hi S, I prefer unsalted for sweet recipes. N x
Chloe says
Hi Nagi, I was just wondering how would you store this? For example, if I was making this in advance by a couple of days would I keep it at room temp or in the fridge? Thank you!
Nagi says
Hi Chloe, are you making it and frosting a cake? I wouldn’t recommend making in advance to store unless it has frosted a cake. Depending how warm it is, you can store in the fridge or at room temp (if it’s hot where you are, I’d recommend the fridge, then bring the cake to room temp before serving) N x
Judy Thomas says
My first time making buttercream frosting and it was delicious! Thanks Nagi!
Nagi says
Wahoo, that’s great Judy!! N x
Peter May says
Trying to make a 2 layer cake and to use the recipe scaler for Chocolate Buttercream Frosting. Instruction: “hover/click over servings”. Can’t make it work. Is there a problem?
Rebecca says
I had trouble too but I was clicking where it say to tap or click hear. I clicked on the cupcake number and it let me use the sliding scale
Nagi says
Hi Peter, it’s working from this end – try refreshing your browser. N x
Jenny says
Added milk to the icing and it separated 🙁 not happy.
roy says
omg same bestie !
Nagi says
Hi Jenny, it definitely shouldn’t separate, what happened when you beat it into the buttercream? N x
Lisa says
Hi Nagi, love your recipes!!! I just made the chocolate cake and frosting for a work colleague for his birthday it was fantastic. You are always my go to for recipes, love them all. Thank you for sharing 😉