This Easy Chocolate Frosting Recipe, made with cocoa powder, is silky smooth and full of chocolate flavor. It’s thick enough to hold up whether it is spread over a cake or piped on top of cupcakes.

If you’re looking for even more frosting recipes, you can also try this Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting, White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting, or our Classic Buttercream Frosting.

Our easy chocolate frosting recipe inside the bowl of a stand mixer.

Easy Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

This simple chocolate buttercream is everything that you want your chocolate frosting to be.  It’s rich and creamy, silky smooth, super chocolatey, easy to work with, and couldn’t be simpler to make. 

Basically fudge perfection in frosting form, this melt-in-your mouth buttercream is perfect for piping fancy design and intricate patterns. I regularly use it for cupcakes, birthday cakes, layered cakes, and even cookies.

A white plate with a piping bag full of chocolate fudge frosting and a few piped rosettes.

Ways to Use Chocolate Buttercream

There are a million ways to use this easy Chocolate Buttercream Frosting, but here are a few of our favorite recipes to eat it with:

Ingredients You Will Need

  • Butter – you need the butter to be room temperature and soft so that it will whip up well.  Either pull out a couple hours ahead of time, or put into a microwave-safe container and heat for about 10 seconds at a time until soft.
  • Vanilla Extract – pure vanilla extract tastes best.
  • Milk – use whole milk, 2% milk or even heavy cream.
  • Powdered Sugar – it’s always a good idea to sift your powdered or confectioners sugar through a fine mesh strainer.
  • Cocoa Powder – the better the quality cocoa powder, the better your chocolate frosting will taste. I recommend using a high-quality cocoa powder, such as Ghirardelli or Guittard.

Variations to Try

  • Espresso Powder– Add a teaspoon or two of this to give your chocolate frosting even more intensity.
  • Mini Chocolate Chips– You can make it a Double Chocolate Chip Recipe by simply adding some mini chocolate chips.
  • Mint Extract– You can add a half teaspoon of mint extract for a fun mint chocolate version. Try adding this to your favorite brownie recipe.

How to Make Chocolate Buttercream

  1. Whip the butter.  Place soft room temperature butter into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and whip until light and fluffy, or about 2 minutes.
  2. Add ingredients.  With the mixer off, add the cocoa powder, vanilla extract, half of the powdered sugar and half of the milk.  Turn the mixer on low to combine, then increase to medium high speed and whip until light and fluffy – about 2 more minutes.
  3. Add the rest of the sugar and milk.  Add the rest of the powdered sugar, then add the milk a half tablespoon at a time, whisking until you reach the desired consistency.
  4. Use immediately or store for later.  Enjoy!
Fluffy chocolate buttercream frosting for cake inside a large bowl.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to refrigerate buttercream?

Yes—after about 4 hours you should refrigerate both your buttercream and anything that you have used buttercream on, such as cupcakes.

Can I make frosting ahead of time?

Absolutely!  If will hold for up to 1 week in the fridge or up to 2 months in the freezer.  In order to use it again, just remove from the fridge and let the frosting warm up to room temperature.  Using a hand-held mixer, mix again until soft and fluffy, adding a splash of milk or cream as needed.

What if my frosting is too thin?

If you have added all of the ingredients, including the full amount of powdered sugar and milk, and your frosting is too thin, try adding in more powdered sugar 1 tablespoon at a time until it has thickened back up.

Does Royal Icing or Buttercream Frosting taste better?

Royal icing is less about the taste and texture. It’s super sweet an hardens quickly. It’s a kind of edible glue to hold decorations together. If you’re wanting a rich and decadent, the best tasting frosting, you’re looking for a buttercream frosting recipe. It’s easy to use, you can pipe it on to cakes and cupcakes and has the best flavor.

Storing Instructions

  • Refrigerator: store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
  • Freezer: store in an airtight container, or freezer bags, in the freezer for up to 2 months.  To thaw, transfer to the fridge overnight.
  • To use: once you are ready to use the frosting again, remove it from the fridge and let it warm up to room temperature.  Then, using a hand-held mixer or a stand mixer, whip it up until it is nice and fluffy chocolate frosting.
easy chocolate buttercream frosting on a wire wisk
5 from 3 votes

Easy Chocolate Buttercream Frosting Recipe

Author The Carefree Kitchen
This is the best chocolate fudge frosting recipe—silky smooth, full of chocolate flavor, and calls for just five simple ingredients.  It’s a versatile recipe, perfect for using on birthday cakes, chocolate cupcakes, 2-layer cakes, and more.
Prep: 10 minutes
Total: 10 minutes
Yields12 people

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2-3 tablespoons milk
  • 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder

Instructions
 

  • Place soft room temperature butter into the bowl of a stand mixer and whip with the whisk attachment until light and fluffy, or about 2 minutes.
  • With the mixer off, add the cocoa powder, vanilla extract, half of the powdered sugar and half of the milk. Turn the mixer on low to combine, then increase to medium high speed and whip until light and fluffy – about 2 more minutes.
  • Add the rest of the powdered sugar, then add the milk a half tablespoon at a time, whisking until you reach the desired consistency.
  • Use immediately, or store for later. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 226kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 21mg | Sodium: 69mg | Potassium: 3mg | Sugar: 39g | Vitamin A: 236IU | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 1mg
Disclaimer: Nutritional values were calculated using a third-party tool and are provided as an estimation only.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Sharing this recipe with a link is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying/pasting and/or screenshots of full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Content and photographs are copyright protected.

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More of the Best Frosting Recipes

This Chocolate Buttercream Frosting is rich and creamy, silky smooth, super chocolatey and couldn’t be simpler to make. Use it on birthday cakes, chocolate cupcakes, layered cakes and more.

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Welcome! I'm so glad you're here!! My name is Jill Baird at The Carefree Kitchen. I love food, nearly all food, and love to celebrate every day with food and the people I love! I love being creative in the kitchen and discovering new ways to switch up old favorites and coming up with new favorites. My hope is that you will find recipes you love on my site and maybe even find some inspiration to create something new! Have fun in the kitchen!

5 from 3 votes (1 rating without comment)

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4 Comments

  1. So easy and tasty! This has become my go-to recipe for frosting cakes and cupcakes!

    Reply
  2. Nellie Tracy says:

    Great recipe for chocolate buttercream. Perfect balance of bitter and sweet for my taste!

    Reply

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