classic 10-minute chocolate frosting

Chocolate Frosting is incredibly easy to make with simple ingredients! Mine includes a little shortcut (no sifting!) and a secret ingredient to cut the sweetness. No teeth-achingly sweet frosting, here!

this recipe

Why you’ll love this Chocolate Frosting:

• Easy Recipe – My homemade chocolate frosting is equal parts delicious and easy! We’re skipping the powdered sugar sifting (truly, I cannot figure out any benefit of doing this.)
• Not Too Sweet – Adding a little cream cheese to cut that tooth-aching sweetness traditional American buttercream frosting can have.
• Easy to Adapt – This frosting can be made with just cocoa powder for ease, or add melted chocolate to amp up the richness, like in my Chocolate Truffle Cake!

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 buter because in my experience, it lends the best flavor, but feel free to use unsalted butter if that’s what you prefer.
• Powdered sugar – You must use powdered sugar for frosting – granulated sugar and brown sugar have granules that will make the frosting gritty.
• Salt – Yes, I use a pinch of salt in all my frosting recipes. It helps balance the sweetness – don’t skip this!
• Vanilla Extract – Vanilla enhances chocolate flavor beautifully.
• Milk or Heavy Cream – I often use a splash to help the powdered sugar incorporate into the butter.
• Cocoa Powder – Use any type of cocoa powder you like! Dutch process, natural, or black cocoa all work well.
• Melted Chocolate – Use good quality baking chocolate bars here – they’ll melt much more easily than chocolate chips which have stabilizers added. This step adds extra rich chocolate flavor to the frosting, but you can certainly skip it if preferred.
• Cream Cheese – Mixing in the cream cheese last helps keep the frosting more stable. Cream cheese has a lot of water in it, and sugar is hydrophilic – meaning it will draw out water. So, the more you mix your frosting once the cream cheese and sugar are in contact, the more potential there is for it to become runny or weepy. Therefore, we add the cream cheese last to keep the time it’s mixed with the sugar as short as possible.

Recipe Substitutions & Variations:

• Dairy-free – Use your favorite trusted dairy-free butter and dairy-free or lactose free cream cheese if needed.

How to Make this Chocolate Frosting:

Step 1: Melt the Chocolate (if using). Melt the chocolate in a large microwave-safe bowl, in 30 second intervals until almost melted. Stir the chocolate and the residual heat will melt any remaining lumps. Make sure the chocolate is room temperature to the touch before beating in the butter or you will melt it!

Step 2: Beat in the Butter & Powdered Sugar. In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer (or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment) beat the butter into the melted and cooled chocolate on medium high speed. Then beat in the powdered sugar.

Step 3: Finish Adding Ingredients. Beat in the salt, vanilla, and finally the cream cheese. You’ll notice the frosting is a lighter color in the photo below than in the photo at the top of this post.

The image below is what the frosting will look like with the melted chocolate and the photo at the beginning is of frosting made with cocoa powder only.

Serving + Storing:

The finished frosting can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days before using. Let it come back to room temperature for 15-30 minutes or so, and run the mixer through it to help get it back to a spreadable consistency.

Frosting can also be frozen in a freezer safe container for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before using. Otherwise, use the frosting immediately on any cake, cupcakes, brownies, or cookies!

Expert Baking Tips:

• Kitchen Scale – A food scale is the best way to make sure your ingredients are at the proper weight. Amounts can vary widely based on how you measure ingredients, as well as on the measuring cup you use, as they are not standardized.
• Weepy Frosting – If your frosting seems too runny at any point, pop the entire bowl in the fridge or freezer for 10-20 minutes or so, to help firm things back up.

FAQs:

Recipes Perfect to Pair with Chocolate Frosting:

• Guinness Chocolate Cake Recipe (swap this chocolate frosting for the one in the recipe!)
• Moist Chocolate Cupcakes
• 5-Ingredient Brownies – these are a perfect base to add frosting to!

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