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 (113 g) unsalted butter softened
- 8 oz (226 g) cream cheese softened brick-style, not spreadable
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 ½ cups (440 g) powdered sugar*
- ½ cup (50 g) natural cocoa powder
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.½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter softened, 8 oz (226 g) cream cheese softened
- Add vanilla extract and salt and stir well to combine.1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon salt
- With mixer on low, gradually add powdered sugar until completely combined.3 ½ cups (440 g) powdered sugar*
- 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.½ cup (50 g) natural cocoa powder
- 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.
Sofia
Is this frosting ok to use for piping? Wondering if it’s thick enough for Russian tips
Sam
It’s great for piping but I haven’t used it with Russian tips. I prefer my Swiss meringue buttercream for that. Sometimes with those tips you have to play around and adjust the frosting consistency quite a bit, the good thing is this recipe is adaptable. It’s pretty stiff as is, can be made thinner by using less sugar or thinning with a tiny bit of milk, or made thicker by adding more powdered sugar. I hope that helps!
Flannery
I love this recipe. I have made it many times now and it always comes out great. This is a keeper. Thank you.
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you enjoyed the chocolate cream cheese frosting! Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Julianne Seieroe
do you use unsweetened cocoa powder? like Hershey’s?
Sam
Yup! Hope you love the frosting, Julianne!
diane brock
Made my very first Classic Chocolate Cake and topped it with this homemade Chocolate Cream Cheese icing. I could not stop dipping a spoon into the icing to sample it over and over. And my family says “new favorite”. Absolutely Delicious !!!
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you! I am so happy that you enjoyed the Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting, Diane! 🙂
Eileen
Hi Sugar,
I am trying out your chocolate cream cheese frosting and may I check if the balance frosting can even kept in fridge for next use like 2 days later?
Rgds,
Eileen
Sugar Spun Run
Hello, Eileen! Yes, you can keep the chocolate cream cheese frosting in the refrigerator for a few days. Enjoy! 🙂
Angel
Would this be good on a pumpkin spice cake.
Mark Buehrer
I would wonder if the chocolate would overpower the pumpkin spice.
Bill
Skip the cocoa and add cinnamon
Bob
This is the EXACT recipe my mom used, RIP and her cakes were always the best, especially her chocolate cakes and she always used this recipe. I’m always complimented on my cooking at work! Made this for a friend and everyone loved it!
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much, Bob! I am so happy that you enjoyed the chocolate cream cheese frosting and that it brought back sweet memories of your mom. Enjoy! 🙂
Emily
The best chocolate frosting ever. Thank you for the recipe. Cupcakes were a hit!
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you, Emily! I am glad that you enjoyed the chocolate cream cheese frosting and your cupcakes were a hit! Enjoy! 🙂
Heather
Hi, I was wondering if anyone had tried to color this frosting. I am making a red soccer jersey and many of the suggestions for deep red are to add cocoa to the vanilla frosting. I wonder if this would be too dark already with the higher amount of cocoa? I would be using gel colors. Thanks!
Sugar Spun Run
Hello, Heather! I have not tried coloring the Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting before, maybe someone else can chime in with some insight. I would be afraid that you wouldn’t get the color you were after, but worth a shot. I do have a vanilla frosting or a white cream cheese frosting that will work well for what you are trying to accomplish. Let me know how it turns out. 🙂
Kylee
Love this recipe, among MANY others on Sugar Spun Run! Thank you for sharing all of your deliciousness with us.
Sam
Thank you so much, Kylee! I am so glad you are enjoying all of the recipes. 🙂
Rachel
Tried it, came out beautifully and tasted great!
Sam
Hi Rachel! I am so glad you enjoyed the cream cheese frosting. 🙂
Priya K
Hi Sam, do you reckon this will hold up under the summer heat (30-35c)? We are having a community fund raising carnival and planing to sell cupcakes in our stall. Excited to be baking with the kids!
Many thanks for your generous advise!
Sugar Spun Run
Hello, Priya! Unfortunately, the frosting won’t hold up in the summer heat. I hope that your fundraising event goes well and you enjoy baking with the kids!
Katrijn
Thank you for this recipe. Can I use this frosting to cover with fondant om cakes? Will ot remain hard enough for that? Thanks in advance for your reply!
Sam
HI Katrijn! I think this will hold up just fine under fondant. 🙂
Stephanie Mckinnie
Hello, thank you so much for this recipe, i have been looking for an easy cream cheese recipe i can make with “chocolate” and this one is perfect!!!
Now all i need is an easy lemon cream cheese recipe, and i will be in there!!!
Sincerely,
Stephanie 🙂
Sam
Hi Stephanie! I’m so glad you enjoyed the chocolate cream cheese frosting. I do have a lemon cream cheese frosting. I put it on my lemon cupcakes. 🙂
Jeff
Can I hand mix this and have it still turn out?
Sam
Hi Jeff! It will be one good arm workout if you do. It’s not going to be easy to do because you have to cream the butter and cream cheese together really well. 🙂
diane brock
I mixed it by hand and the only problem was tiny bumps of powdered sugar , due to it being older. I put it into a copper sauce pan on low setting for about 10 minutes, stirring periodically to get out bumps.
Texture was creamy and delicious.