Dark Chocolate Buttercream Icing with Cocoa Powder
Calling all chocolate lovers! Nothing tops delicious cakes and cookies like chocolate buttercream frosting. With just one bite of this decadent, velvety, rich chocolate flavor you will be hooked. This easy recipe makes the best chocolate buttercream frosting and only takes five minutes and six ingredients. Homemade frosting is easier than you think. Let me show you how to make it. Full recipe card below.
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What is Chocolate Buttercream Icing?
First we need to start with what is buttercream icing? I am sure you have had various desserts with wildly different icing flavors. Some sweet and some not. There are many different types of frosting recipes and buttercream can be further divided into specifics like like Italian, German, flour, American, and Swiss meringue buttercream. Some use unique ingredients like egg whites and flour while others are more basic. Each of these can all make a delicious frosting but not all of them have the right consistency for icing a cupcake and are better used in between a layer cake.
This particular chocolate buttercream recipe is considered an American buttercream. Buttercream icing is typically a sweeter frosting and is commonly used on cupcakes, sheet cakes, and birthday cakes. It is most often made from a mixture of butter, cream, powdered sugar, vanilla, and sometimes other flavorings or shortening for structure. This is the perfect all purpose homemade chocolate frosting and is one of the easiest recipes!
Ingredient List
This easy chocolate frosting recipe is perfect for any dessert that requires icing! This is my go-to recipe for homemade chocolate buttercream and the best part is it uses simple ingredients and is ready in just five minutes! This is a traditional American buttercream recipe and while most use similar ingredients, these will give you the best buttercream results.
Butter –Â Butter is one of the primary ingredients in an American buttercream recipe. You cannot skip this or substitute it. You need softened butter but not melted. This is important! If you melt the butter, the fat will not combine in the same manner and the frosting will separate. Use only real unsalted butter for this recipe, no margarine. Trust me, the first time I made icing I learned this the hard way.
Powdered Sugar – Also known as confectioner’s sugar or icing sugar. This ingredient is what gives the butter some structure and sweetness and is another key component in buttercream frosting. Powdered sugar and granulated sugar are not the same but you can make powdered sugar from regular sugar in a blender or food processor. Powdered sugar is simply regular sugar ground down to a denser form.
Heavy Whipping Cream – Heavy cream is the key ingredient to making a creamy chocolate frosting. It has a rich taste and in my opinion is the only option for icing. Although I have seen people substitute half and half and butter for whipping cream, I am skeptical if it will achieve the same velvety whipped texture. I do not recommend substituting this ingredient.
Cocoa Powder – The secret ingredient that makes this frosting so decadent and what gives the frosting its chocolate flavor is unsweetened cocoa powder in the special dark chocolate flavor. This is found in the baking aisle in the grocery store. You can use regular cocoa powder if that is all you have but it will have more of a milk chocolate taste rather than dark chocolate.
Vanilla –Â When baking, you should always use pure vanilla extract. It adds an extra sweetness that combines with the other ingredients to create a complex flavor. I have used both pure vanilla and imitation vanilla and you can definitely tell the difference. If you can, I highly recommend using pure vanilla extract for the best results.
Salt – A pinch of salt helps balance out all the sweetness from the sugar in the icing. A little salt goes a long way, and whatever you do, DO NOT measure it over your mixing bowl! No one wants to throw away ruined frosting.
How to Mix Chocolate Buttercream Icing
For best results, you will want to use a large mixing bowl and an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer. To whip your frosting you will need a mixer with a beater, paddle, or whisk attachment.
How to Pipe Chocolate Frosting
Frosting a cake or cupcake can be intimidating, but I promise it’s not as hard as you think. Most professional bakers use a piping bag or a pastry bag and star tip to make desserts look pretty. While I do own both of those, I prefer to use a resealable plastic bag.
Simply place the bag inside a large cup like a beer stein and fold over the zipper edge. Place a large star tip into one corner of the bag and poke it through a little bit to mark where you need to cut. Then scoop the chocolate buttercream frosting into the bag, get all the air out, and zip it closed. Then use a pair of scissors to cut off the corner at the marks you made.
Now you have a DIY piping bag you can throw away when you are done. Just don’t forget to pull out the tip before you toss it.
Make Ahead Instructions
You can make this chocolate frosting ahead of time if need be. Simply store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. A half hour before using the icing, remove from the fridge and bring it up to room temperature. You may need to give it a quick mix to fluff it up.
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Dark Chocolate Buttercream Icing with Cocoa Powder
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Calling all chocolate lovers! Nothing tops delicious cakes and cookies like chocolate buttercream frosting. With just one bite of this decadent, velvety, rich chocolate flavor you will be hooked. This easy recipe makes the best chocolate buttercream frosting and only takes five minutes and six ingredients. Homemade frosting is easier than you think.
Ingredients
- 10 tbsp Unsalted Butter (1 stick + 2 tbsp)
- 1 3/4 cup Powdered Sugar
- 1/2 cup Dark Cocoa Powder
- 4 tbsp Heavy Cream
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 tsp Salt
Instructions
- Cream butter in a medium sized mixing bowl using a stand mixer or electric mixer with a beater or paddle attachment. Cream until smooth. Note, the butter must be at room temperature and soft but not melted for this to work. Do not use margarine.
- Add in powdered sugar, heavy cream, vanilla, and salt a little at a time mixing on low speed until smooth and fluffy.
- Add in half the cocoa powder at a time and mix on low speed until fully combined and smooth.
- Use a spatula, piping bag, or Ziplock to apply frosting to cookies or cupcakes. See my notes above on my plastic bag method.
Equipment
Notes
This is a thicker frosting but it will keep its shape better when icing cakes.
Yield depends on how generously you frost your treats. One batch should ice about 6 full size cupcakes or 12 mini cupcakes.
- Prep Time: 5
- Category: Dessert
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: American
How to Store Chocolate Icing
If you make too much frosting you can store leftover icing in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Because this is a buttercream icing and contains dairy, I do not recommend storing leftover frosting at room temperature. Just remove the frosting from the fridge about thirty minutes prior to using to bring it up to room temperature.
When to Make Dark Chocolate Icing
This easy chocolate buttercream frosting is perfect for all your tasty treats! Since it has a thicker consistency it’s the perfect frosting to ice a vanilla cake, chocolate cupcakes, bundt cake, sheet cake, or chocolate cake. You can even use it to fancy up store bought desserts since it only takes five minutes to make. It is a family favorite among all my chocolate lovers!
Looking for more sweet treat recipes? Check out my Crumbl sugar cookies, chocolate chip cookies without butter, patriotic brownie fruit pizza, and peanut butter cookie cups.
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