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Chocolate Fudge Frosting is the most decadent, luscious chocolate frosting you’ll ever taste! It’s made with melted chocolate AND cocoa powder for extra rich flavor, doesn’t require any stovetop cooking, and is the perfect addition to cakes, cookies, brownies, and beyond! It can easily be made dairy-free, too.
Why you’ll love this Fudge Frosting:
- Easy Frosting – This frosting recipe comes together quickly, with no fuss and no cooking on the stovetop.
- Bakery Worthy Taste – This frosting has the most incredible, rich chocolate flavor! It tastes like the frosting you’d find on a fancy bakery cake.
- Versatile – Use this frosting on cakes, cupcakes, cookies, brownies, or any other dessert you can get your hands on!
Ingredient Overview:
As always, the full recipe with measurements & directions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. Use the table of contents (back at the top, below the first image, to navigate).
- Butter – I always use salted butter because in my experience, it lends the best flavor, but feel free to use unsalted butter if that’s what you prefer.
- Powdered Sugar – No need to sift the powdered sugar for my frosting recipes! They come out perfectly silky every time – it’s all in the mixing, not the sifting.
- Chocolate – Use good-quality semi-sweet baking chocolate bars. Baker’s and Ghirardelli are my go-tos.
- Corn Syrup – Corn syrup makes the frosting extra shiny, silky, and easy to spread. If you prefer not to use it, make my Classic Chocolate Frosting instead.
Recipe Substitutions & Variations:
- Gluten-free – This recipe is naturally gluten-free!
- Dairy-free – Use your favorite, trusted, dairy-free butter and chocolate.
How to Make Chocolate Fudge Frosting:
Step 1: Make Chocolate Mixture. Melt together chopped semi-sweet chocolate, water, and corn syrup. Set aside.
Step 2: Start the Frosting. In a large bowl, beat the butter until creamy. Mix in the powdered sugar and vanilla, using a little water or milk as needed to help it combine.
Step 3: Add Cocoa Powder. Beat in the cocoa powder – the mixture will look really odd at this point but stick with me!
Step 4: Beat in the Chocolate Mixture. Finally, add the chocolate mixture from the first step. The mixture may look odd and curdled as you mix it in, but it will smooth out to the most luscious texture as you continue mixing – I promise!
Serving + Storing:
Use to frost a cake, cupcakes, brownies, or even cookies! If you didn’t use milk in the frosting, it’s definitely okay for whatever you frosted it with to be stored at room temperature, in an airtight container. If you used milk, I recommend refrigerating to be on the safe side.
Frosting can be made and kept, covered, in the fridge for 1-2 days before using.
Expert Baking Tips:
- Kitchen Scale – A food scale is the best way to make sure your flour is at the proper weight, since amounts will vary SO widely based on how you measure it, as well as the measuring cup you use, as they are not standardized.
FAQs:
Yes, you can do either! If you double it, I recommend making in a stand mixer for ease of mixing.
Yes, you can freeze it in an airtight container for 1-2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before using.
Let it soften at room temperature for a 10-20 minutes or so, then remove 1/4 cup or so and microwave for 10-15 seconds until very soft/a little melty. Mix this into the big bowl of frosting and it should all return to a spreadable consistency easily.
Special Tools:
- Hand Mixer or Stand Mixer
Recipes to Frost:
- Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Fudgy Brown Butter Brownies
- Strawberry Chocolate Cake
- Vanilla Cupcakes
- Moist Chocolate Cupcakes
- Eggless Chocolate Cake
Did you make this recipe? Leave a comment & star rating!
Click the little stars in the header of the recipe card below to leave a comment & star rating, letting me know how you liked the recipe. I take all feedback seriously, & leaving a rating helps my small business immensely!
Chocolate Fudge Frosting
Ingredients
- 12.75 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped or broken up, 360 g
- 6 tbsp corn syrup, 248 grams
- 1/2 cup hot water, 120 grams
- 1 and 1/4 cups salted butter, softened at room temperature , 283 grams
- 4 cups to 5 cups powdered sugar, 460 to 575 grams
- 1-2 tbsp milk or water, as needed , 15-30 grams
- 1 and 1/2 cups cocoa powder, 140 grams
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp salt
Instructions
- Make the Frosting: In a medium microwave-safe bowl, melt together the semi-sweet chocolate, corn syrup, and water in 30 second intervals, stirring between each interval until completely melted. Set aside to cool to room temperature (you can speed this up in the fridge). In a large bowl, beat the butter on high speed with an electric mixer until creamed, about 1 minute. Beat in the powdered sugar in two additions, using milk as needed to help it come together. Beat in the cocoa powder on low, making sure it's well mixed in. Beat in the room temperature chocolate mixture – it will look a little curdled and weird at first, but it will smooth out to silky perfection after 1-2 minutes of mixing! Beat in the vanilla and salt last.12.75 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped or broken up, 6 tbsp corn syrup, 1/2 cup hot water, 1 and 1/4 cups salted butter, softened at room temperature , 4 cups to 5 cups powdered sugar, 1-2 tbsp milk or water, as needed , 1 and 1/2 cups cocoa powder, 1 tbsp vanilla extract , 1/8 tsp salt
- Serve & Store: Use the frosting right away – on a cake, cookies, brownies, or anything else your heart desires! This makes enough to frost a 3-layer cake, or anywhere from 24 to 48 cupcakes, depending on how much frosting you use per cupcake. Frosting can be made-ahead and stored, covered, in the fridge for 1-2 days before using, or frozen for 1-2 months. See FAQs in the blog post above for more details.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This chocolate fudge frosting was perfection. The texture was smooth and spread beautifully, and the flavor was deep, rich, and decadent without overpowering the cupcake. I used it for Valentine’s cupcakes and got so many compliments. Highly recommend this recipe!”
So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, Holly! Thanks as always for your review – I greatly appreciate it!