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!
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.
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.
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
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)
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
Nutrition
Dina
Hi – this looks great as I’ve been on the lookout for a pipable cream cheese frosting. Does it crust like other powdered sugar-based frostings? Thanks!
Sam
Hi Dina! This will behave like any standard buttercream or cream cheese frosting. After time it will crust a little bit. 🙂
Linda
AMAZING
I made this frosting to put on a traditional family recipe cake turned cupcakes. Decadent and doesn’t overpower the light and fluffy cupcake. This recipe is a huge success! DELICIOUS. Thank you
Sam
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, Linda! 🙂
CHIK
I love it! I will say that my first try at this, I used oleo instead of butter because that was all I had on hand. I also left out the extra salt since I used the oleo, and cut down the powdered sugar by 1/4 cup because I liked the consistency and taste I was getting. The butter makes it creamier but I still like the reduction of the powered sugar. I have to admit, a lot of it didn’t make it to the cake 🙂
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much! 🙂
Sylvia
Do I need to double this if I’m making a 2 layer cake with piping the top and bottom edge? Thank you
Sam
Hi Sylvia! This will frost a 2 layer 8 or 9 inch cake as is, but if you want to pipe a border on the top and bottom I would increase the recipe by at least 50% to make sure you have enough frosting. I hope that helps! 🙂
Cindy
Can you leave this out once the cake is iced? Taking it to a party.
Sam
Personally I will leave mine out for up to 48 hours. Enjoy! 🙂
Gabby
Made the icing. I placed the frosting, in a pastry bag to decorate the cupcakes. The icing was to thick and I had a difficult time trying to decorate. Any suggestions to make it a little less heavy?
Sam
Hi Gabby! You can thin it by stirring in a little bit of milk. 🙂
Gabby
Thank you.
Autumn
Just made this on a whim. Easiely the best frosting I’ve made at home so far. Will definitely use this recipe over and over!
SeattleGracie
Just made this real recently super simple and added it to chocolate homemade cupcakes. The most absolute best chocolate frosting I’ve ever had, reminds me of something from a high end bakery. I can’t tell a difference of cream cheese or a buttercream because it’s just that great, all I know is it’s most definitely a keeper and so easy. Not too sweet but well balanced on each ingredient and turned out just lovely. I honestly hate having this recipe because it’s not as if I needed more reasons to make “just because cupcakes” so often. Most excellent frosting ever.
Thanks for sharing.
Sam
Thank you so much! I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much. I definitely know the feeling of having to make “just because cupcakes”. 🤣
Carol
I made made this frosting and put on a chocolate cake out of the box (of course)
But i have to say it was wonderful on the cake and i liked the fact that it wasn’t to sweet.
It was perfect
Thank you.
Carol
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Carol! Next time you should try making my chocolate cake instead of the box. I think you’ll love it! 🙂
Krystal Lepe
Hello good afternoon?
Do you know if you can prepare the icing beforehand? Maybe 2-3 days in advance?
Sam
Hi Krystal! You can, store in an airtight container, preferably with a piece of plastic wrap over the surface of the icing. You will need to bring it to room temperature and mix it again before spreading or piping over the cake/cupcakes. Enjoy!
Angela in Indiana
The best cream cheese frosting. Not too sweet with a well-balanced flavor. Very silky and nice to decorate with after adding a little half-and-half. It set up nicely too. Honestly, the cake is an excuse to eat this frosting.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Angela! 🙂
Lynetta
Frosting: perfection! This is a keeper
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Lynetta! 🙂
David B
I’m going to try it as a frosting for brownies
Lynda Coulter
Great! Now I have to make this for my 44 yr old son all the time! He wants buckets of it, he says! haha It is delicious!
Sam
I’m so glad he enjoyed it so much! 🙂