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    You are here: Home / Frosting / Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

    Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

    July 23, 2018 By Sam 370 Comments

    This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure policy.
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    Chocolate cream cheese frosting

    How to make chocolate cream cheese frosting! This recipe is made with cocoa powder and is simple, fool-proof, and richly chocolaty.

    It’s creamy and smooth but is still sturdy enough for piping and would be the perfect complement to your favorite cake or cupcake recipe!

    Chocolate cream cheese frosting on a cupcake

    Due to popular demand (and a persistent sweet tooth), I’ve been trying to amp up my frosting section on the blog recently.

    So far I’ve covered some of my favorite frostings, including a decadent, silky smooth (but not too-sweet) chocolate frosting and a classic (and perfect, it’s literally my favorite) cream cheese frosting, and today I’m marrying these two favorites together into this chocolate cream cheese frosting recipe.

    Despite my afore-mentioned sweet tooth, buttercream frostings were always too sweet for me growing up, so as soon as I discovered cream cheese frosting my mom switched over to icing and decorating my birthday cakes exclusively with classic and chocolate cream cheese frosting. While many cream cheese frostings don’t stand up well to piping or decorating (too many are too soft and runny), this recipe is stiff enough for decorating and, as you can see in the above picture, works perfectly for piping on top a cupcake.

    Ingredients for chocolate cream cheese frosting

    Chocolate cream cheese frosting only requires 6 ingredients and for my recipe I always use cocoa powder (rather than melted chocolate) to give my frosting a rich chocolaty flavor.

    Take a good look at your cocoa powder before adding it in to your mixer, and if it looks particularly clumpy I recommend running it through a sifter with your powdered sugar so that you don’t have any lumps when you go to pipe the frosting — there’s nothing more annoying than ruining that perfect chocolate swirl because your piping tip has a lump of cocoa powder or powdered sugar jamming up the flow.

    Another tip for silky smooth frosting: Make sure that your cream cheese and butter are softened before beating them together. Cream cheese that’s still cold can also cause lumps in your frosting. I always recommend beating the cream cheese and butter together with an electric mixer first until both are well-combined and lump-free, and then adding your other ingredients.

    creamy chocolate cream cheese frosting in a bowl

    Alright, I think that’s all I have to say about today’s super simple frosting recipe. I’m also just back from vacation and recovering from a crazy/wonderful week of sunny days and late 2AM nights with 29 of my favorite family members, so hopefully everything I just typed came out as coherently as possible 😉

    Enjoy!

    And if you’re wondering about the cupcakes in this picture, I just made my favorite vanilla cake recipe, added a handful of sprinkles, and baked into cupcakes. My funfetti cake or chocolate cupcakes would also work nicely!

    How to Make Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

    Chocolate cream cheese frosting on cupcake

    Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

    This chocolate cream cheese frosting recipe will cover either one 2-layer 8" or 9" cake, 24 cupcakes, or generously frost (as much frosting as in the photos) 12 cupcakes.
    4.98 from 167 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Frosting
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Servings: 24 cupcakes or 1 8" or 9" 2-layer cake
    Calories: 139kcal
    Author: Sam Merritt

    Ingredients

    • ½ cup unsalted butter softened (113g)
    • 8 oz cream cheese softened brick-style, not spreadable (226g)
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • 3 ½ cups powdered sugar* (440g)
    • ½ cup natural cocoa powder (65g)
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Combine the butter and cream cheese in a large bowl and, using an electric mixer or a stand mixer to beat until creamy, well-combined, and lump-free.
    • Add vanilla extract and salt and stir well to combine.
    • With mixer on low, gradually add powdered sugar until completely combined.
    • Add cocoa powder and beat until well-incorporated into the frosting -- be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl so that all ingredients are well-combined.
    • Frost completely cooled cake or cupcakes.

    Notes

    *If you plan to pipe the frosting with a small tip, I recommend sifting the powdered sugar and cocoa powder (after measuring) to remove any lumps. The cupcakes in these photos were frosted using an Ateco 848 tip.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1/24 batch | Calories: 139kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 21mg | Sodium: 56mg | Potassium: 42mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 245IU | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 1mg

    Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.

    Tried this recipe? Show me on Instagram!Mention @SugarSpun_Sam or tag #sugarspunrun!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Shelley

      May 16, 2023 at 9:44 pm

      Can you melt choc chips and add to frosting instead of cocao?

      Reply
      • Sam

        May 17, 2023 at 9:11 pm

        Hi Shelley! I think that would work. 🙂

        Reply
    2. Lisa

      May 07, 2023 at 5:36 pm

      5 stars
      It came out a bit too thick to spread on the cake. I warmed it in the microwave for 30 seconds and that made it much easier to spread. Very chocolatey and smooth. Love it!

      Reply
      • Emily @ Sugar Spun Run

        May 08, 2023 at 1:12 pm

        Hi Lisa! You can always add a splash of milk to thin the frosting too. We’re happy you enjoyed it 😊

        Reply
    3. Mary Gordon

      April 28, 2023 at 8:50 pm

      5 stars
      I USED DARK COCOA AND IT WAS AMAZING

      Reply
    4. Laura

      February 26, 2023 at 10:03 pm

      5 stars
      This is amazing. I think the cream cheese gives it a depth of flavor. All the buttercream versions I’ve made have been too sweet. This recipe is exactly what I have been looking for. Sooooo good.

      Reply
      • Emily @ Sugar Spun Run

        February 27, 2023 at 9:37 am

        Thanks for giving our frosting a try, Laura! We’re glad it was such a hit for you 🥰

        Reply
    5. Karen

      February 09, 2023 at 4:45 pm

      5 stars
      Loved it thank you

      Reply
      • Mamacancook

        April 20, 2023 at 9:04 am

        5 stars
        Needed something luxe for a party cake. This was wonderful…rich and creamy. Made the cake even more delicious. Thanks!!!

        Reply
        • Emily @ Sugar Spun Run

          April 20, 2023 at 9:09 am

          We’re so happy it was a hit! Thanks for the review ❤️

    6. Jay Ferguson

      January 31, 2023 at 1:06 pm

      Hi! I love this recipe but after adding all the ingredients it was too dry and impossible to spread. Hopefully it was a typo but it need at least a 1/2 cup of milk!

      Reply
      • Sam

        January 31, 2023 at 2:03 pm

        Hi Jay! I’m so glad you enjoyed overall! It is not a typo, if that much milk needed to be added it may be that the powdered sugar or cocoa powder were accidentally over-measured, especially if a scale was not used. It’s easy to accidentally over-measure these ingredients and I recommend using a scale or following my method on my post on how to measure flour. I hope that helps!

        Reply
    7. Tammy Myers

      January 24, 2023 at 9:27 pm

      5 stars
      This chocolate cream cheese frosting is smooth, rich tasting, and very satisfying to the tummy! With these simple ingredients, I will give this recipe to my loved ones for generations to come. Thank you sooo much. Yummy, yummy!!

      Reply
      • Patricia Freeman

        May 09, 2023 at 12:15 pm

        Can I store this in fridge overnight to frost in the morning?

        Reply
        • Emily @ Sugar Spun Run

          May 09, 2023 at 2:43 pm

          Yes! We hope you love it 😊

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    The author (Sam) in blue shirt holding donut Hi, I'm Sam! I'm dedicated to bringing you sweet, simple, and from-scratch dessert recipes. My life may or may not be controlled by my sweet tooth. Send help (or chocolate). Read more about me.

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