This Chocolate Buttercream Frosting recipe is fantastic on cakes, cookies, and cupcakes! It’s smooth, creamy, and totally irresistible.
Once you start making homemade chocolate buttercream frosting, you’ll never go back to buying the store-bought kind. This recipe is easy to make and brings baked treats to the next level!
What You’ll Find In This Post
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting Ingredients
You probably already have the ingredients needed to make this mouthwatering chocolate buttercream frosting recipe in your kitchen! Scroll down for the complete recipe with ingredient measurements.
- Powdered Sugar: The powdered sugar is the sweetener as well as the thickener.
- Cocoa Powder: The better quality cocoa powder you use, the better your buttercream frosting will taste.
- Butter: I like using a combination of butter and shortening to get the best combination of taste and stability. The butter adds flavor but melts faster than shortening.
- Shortening: Adding shortening makes the frosting more stable.
- Half-n-Half: You’ll need to add a little liquid to make the chocolate buttercream frosting smooth and spreadable. I usually use half-n-half but you can also use milk or heavy cream.
- Vanilla Extract: The vanilla extract adds flavor to the frosting. You can also add a little peppermint extract when making a chocolate mint dessert.
- Salt: A little salt brings out the flavor.
How To Make This Chocolate Buttercream Frosting Recipe
Making this chocolate buttercream frosting recipe is easy! Just be patient and allow enough time for the frosting to get creamy. Scroll down for the printable recipe card and complete instructions.
- Sift: Start by sifting together the powdered sugar and cocoa powder. This is a very important step to eliminate lumps in your frosting! It also helps disperse the cocoa powder throughout the powdered sugar, which helps prevent clumps of cocoa powder from forming.
- Mix: After combining the butter and shortening, slowly add the powdered sugar/cocoa powder mixture. Mix the frosting well after each addition. Add the half-n-half, vanilla extract, and salt halfway through. Then, beat until the buttercream is smooth.
- Stir: Remove the beaters and stir the buttercream by hand with a wooden spoon or a sturdy spatula to remove any air bubbles.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, chocolate buttercream (as well as desserts topped with chocolate buttercream) needs to be refrigerated since the buttercream is made with butter and milk.
Yes and no. You can add cocoa powder to vanilla buttercream, but since it is dry and powdered, you will also need to add liquid. Depending on how much cocoa powder you add, you may also need to add more sweetener since the cocoa powder is unsweetened. Additionally, it may be hard to get the cocoa powder to disperse evenly in the vanilla buttercream without clumping together, so you’ll want to add it slowly while stirring constantly.
Ways To Use Chocolate Buttercream
- Fill the centers of chocolate cookie cups and top with crushed Oreos.
- Pipe swirls on top of chocolate truffle cupcakes.
- This frosting would be delicious on top of these chocolate cookies.
- Spread it over a homemade chocolate layer cake for double chocolate goodness!
Want some similar recipes? Try these next:
Here’s a recipe for Buttercream Frosting that is perfect for cakes, cookies, and cupcakes. Once you make homemade buttercream, you won’t go back to store-bought frosting!
Luscious Cream Cheese Buttercream is smooth and spreadable. It holds its shape and can be piped. Perfect for cookies, cupcakes, and cakes.
This easy Powdered Sugar Glaze recipe has only three ingredients! It’s the perfect icing for cookies, cakes, cinnamon rolls, and donuts.
Our Cream Cheese Frosting recipe is so smooth, creamy, and spreadable. It is easy to make and perfect on baked desserts from pumpkin cake to banana bars.
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 ½ cups powdered sugar
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- ½ cup butter softened
- ½ cup shortening
- 3 tablespoon half-n-half
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Sift the powdered sugar and cocoa powder together. Set aside.
- Beat the softened butter and shortening until light and fluffy.
- Gradually add about two cups of the sifted powdered sugar/cocoa powder mixture, one 1/2 cup at a time. Stir to combine before adding more.
- Add the half-n-half, vanilla, and salt. Stir to combine. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Gradually add the remaining two cups of the sifted powdered sugar/cocoa powder mixture, one 1/2 cup at a time. Stir to combine before adding more. Beat the buttercream until smooth.*
- Stir the chocolate buttercream frosting by hand using a wooden spoon or a sturdy spatula to remove any air bubbles.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.
Video
Faith says
Very good frosting, and easy to make.