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
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.
Saman
Hi there, can I make this in advance and put it in the fridge overnight before I ice the cake?
Sam
Hi Saman! That will work fine. You will want to place a piece of plastic wrap down on the surface so it doesn’t crust over. 🙂
Sherlene
Will it frost a large 9 inch two layers
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Sherlene! This recipe will cover a two-layer 9″ cake. Hope that helps 😌
Cindy
Is the chocolate cream cheese frosting too sweet
Sam
I certainly don’t think so! 😉
Brandy
My new favorite chocolate cream cheese frosting!! I won’t try a different recipe after this one. Delicious! Thank you for sharing!!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy ours was a winner for you, Brandy ❤️
Amber
Can I use salted sweet cream butter if that’s all I have?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Yes, just omit the salt if you do. Enjoy, Amber!
Susan
Hi,
Will this cover a 13 x 9cake?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Yes it will. Enjoy, Susan! 🙂
Jenn
Delicious frosting! The perfect combination of cream cheese and chocolate flavor
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you like it, Jenn! 😀
Ashleigh Parker
Hey Sam!
Me again! I’m making your strawberry cake recipe next week. Instead of your whipped cream cheese frosting, I was looking at this cream cheese recipe (minus the cocoa). Do you think it will be okay to either add the pulp from the strawberries or freeze dried strawberries? I’m hoping so. I love your cream cheese frosting recipe, and I know it will hold longer than the whipped frosting. Let me know what you think! Thanks!!
Sam
Hi Ashleigh! I would recommend using my cream cheese frosting instead. You can add in the strawberries, but you’ll want to tread lightly while doing it. Too much moisture will cause the frosting to curdle. 🙂
Linda Krueger
Easy and delicious. I made a couple cakes for a bake sale and used this recipe to. Very easy to spread. Wonderful texture!
Marci
I was searching the web for a frosting recipe and as usual, many “popped up.” But when I saw SugarSpunRun had a recipe I immediately went to it.
I have been following you on YouTube and I love your recipes! I knew you wouldn’t disappoint, and you didn’t!
This is the best chocolate cream cheese frosting I have ever put into my mouth! Its rich and chocolatety, smooth as silk, with that wonderful tang from the cream cheese. Yummy!
I will now sit down with a huge slice of cake, smothered in chocolate cream cheese frosting, with a tall glass of milk over ice, and eat my dinner. Oh yes! That’s what’s for dinner tonight!
Thank you!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Cake for dinner!? That’s normal around here! 😉 Thanks so much for giving our recipe a try, Marci!