This is my all-time favorite chocolate frosting recipe, and I think that once you try it it’ll be yours, too! This is a simple chocolate frosting that needs just 6 ingredients — it will easily frost a 2 layer 8″ or 9″ cake or generously ice a dozen cupcakes!
I’ve been using this chocolate frosting recipe for a while, but I’ve never shared it on its own yet. You may have spied it on my favorite chocolate cake, vanilla cupcakes, or my marble cake, and in the picture above it’s covering a cake that I’ll be sharing with you on Wednesday (can you guess the flavor!?).
This is my favorite chocolate frosting because it’s so incredibly smooth and silky thanks to the use of real melted chocolate (rather than cocoa powder) and two tablespoons of heavy cream.
Whipping the heavy cream into the frosting gives it an incredibly light texture that keeps this luxuriously rich chocolate frosting from feeling too heavy. Instead, it’s silky smooth and melts in your mouth, and the hardest part about making it is mustering up the willpower to keep from eating it all with a spoon before it makes it onto your cake or cupcakes!
Because we’re using melted chocolate in this recipe you will have to pay careful attention to the temperature of the chocolate (don’t worry, no actual thermometer is required), and I offer some tips below on how to make chocolate frosting using melted chocolate.
While I’ve written this recipe using semisweet chocolate bars, I also include tips on how to make the frosting using chocolate chips, instead. I’ve made this frosting both ways plenty of times and the frosting always tastes great regardless of which I use.
Tips on How to Make Chocolate Frosting:
- Be sure to coarsely cut the chocolate into pieces that are roughly the same size. When microwaving (regardless of whether you are using chocolate bars or chocolate chips), pause to stir your chocolate frequently (every 15 seconds), otherwise the chocolate can become too hot and seize.
- Allow your chocolate to cool at least 10 or 15 minutes before adding it to your butter. If it’s too hot, it will melt the butter and the sugar and you’ll just have a runny mess on your hands!
- Your butter should be at room temperature. If it’s too cold, some of your chocolate will harden as your ingredients are being combined and you will have chocolate pieces in your frosting rather than a smooth chocolate frosting.
- This recipe calls for unsalted butter (and you can read my post on salted vs unsalted butter to better understand why), but if you only have salted butter on hand you can still make this chocolate frosting, just leave out the salt that the recipe calls for.
This chocolate frosting recipe will frost one 8″ or 9″ 2-layer cake or will generously frost 12 cupcakes (see above photo of my vanilla cupcakes). If you’re more sparing with your frosting you could frost 2 dozen cupcakes.
Enjoy!
Chocolate Frosting Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 oz semisweet chocolate** chopped into small pieces of roughly the same size (170g)
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature (226g)
- 2 cups powdered sugar (320g)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt***
- 2 Tablespoons heavy cream (30ml)
Instructions
- Place your chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir well. Return chocolate to microwave and heat for another 15 seconds and stir again. Continue heating chocolate for 15 seconds, stirring after each, until chocolate is completely melted and smooth.
- Allow chocolate to cool for at least 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want chocolate to cool so that it is not hot to the touch, otherwise it will melt your butter and sugar and the frosting will not turn out.
- While the chocolate is cooling, place butter in a separate bowl and use a stand mixer or electric mixer to beat until creamy.
- Add melted, cooled chocolate and stir well.
- Gradually add sugar, scraping down the sides and bottom of bowl occasionally so that ingredients are well combined.
- Sprinkle in salt and vanilla extract, stir well.
- With mixer on low, gradually add heavy cream to frosting. Gradually increase speed to high and beat for 30 seconds.
- Pipe or spread frosting onto prepared, cooled baked good.
Notes
Nutrition
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Lynn Boutwell says
Yummy and Wow!
Sugar Spun Run says
I am so glad that you enjoyed the chocolate frosting, Lynn! Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Lynn Boutwell says
The cake AND frosting are to die for!!! I almost did not make the frosting, but so glad I did. I like it so much I’m keeping this recipe!!
Sugar Spun Run says
Thanks again, Lynn! I am so glad you enjoyed the cake and frosting. 🙂
Rebecca says
Hi Sam,
Loving your cakes and icings- did your vanilla cake for my daughters’ bday last week. Amazing. Tomorrow I’m doing your BEST chocolate cake recipe…. when you mention powdered sugar in the frosting (I’m writing from Australia), I’m guessing you mean icing sugar. I prefer using icing sugar mixture (so that the sugar doesn’t harden in the pantry between uses). Can you confirm? And if I used icing sugar mixture (which contains tapioca) how would I adapt do you think?
Many many thanks
Rebecca
Sugar Spun Run says
Hello, Rebecca! I hope that your daughter had a nice birthday celebration and enjoyed her cake. Thank you for trying my recipe, I am so glad that you enjoyed it. For the Chocolate Frosting… icing sugar, confectioners sugar, and powdered sugar are all the same. You should be able to use icing sugar just fine. Let me know how it turns out. 🙂
Lili says
Sooo tasty! This recipe is definitely a keeper for me!
But if I wanted to make it with white chocolate, would I have to change anything?
Sam says
You should be able to do an equal substitute with white chocolate and it would work just fine 🙂
Robin says
I didn’t have 6 oz of semisweet on hand. I used 4 oz unsweetened, and 2 oz white chocolate. Very yummy! I will do it per recipe next time, but I already know it will be my fave. Thank you!
Sam says
I’m so glad you enjoyed the chocolate frosting, Robin! Thank you for sharing your substitutions, too 🙂
Cheryl says
Wow, just what I imagined chocolate butter would taste like! Very rich and creamy. Mine was a little soft so skipped the milk and added a couple tablespoons of powdered sugar to stiffen it a bit. Lots of chocolate flavor without being too sweet.
Sugar Spun Run says
Thank you so much, Cheryl! I am so glad that you enjoyed the Chocolate Frosting. 🙂
Cheryl says
I can’t wait to try this frosting using semi-sweet chocolate chips. I’ve always used cocoa in my frosting. Probably because I always have it on hand. Other recipes call for Bakers chocolate or Guittard chocolate. I always have Nestles chocolate chips on hand😊
Sugar Spun Run says
I hope that you enjoy the Chocolate Frosting, Cheryl! 🙂
Sam says
Can I substitute milk chocolate for semi-sweet chocolate?
Sugar Spun Run says
Hello, Sam! Yes, that is fine. I hope that you enjoy the chocolate frosting. 🙂
Ladonna says
Hello!
Love this frosting! I didn’t have any milk, so I added 2 Tbl of sour cream. It turned out very yummy!
Thanks!
Sugar Spun Run says
Thank you, Ladonna! I am so happy that you enjoyed the chocolate frosting. Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Ross says
Best recipe for buttermilk frosting ever and the chocolate taste was perfect! Great job! So good everyone kept asking me where I bought it haha!
I’m going to look for any cream cheese frosting recipes you have! Thank you for sharing!
David Martz says
Yer recipe says 2tbl heavy cream . I don’t keep heavy cream on hand . What else could I use in place of heavy cream. Recipe says 6oz chocolate. Is that chocolate chips or bar
Sugar Spun Run says
Hello, David! You can use milk instead. I recommend starting with 1 tbs and adding more as needed until you get the right consistency. As far as the chocolate, you can use either a bar or morsels. Let me know how it turns out. 🙂
Melissa says
This is my new go-to chocolate frosting. I reduce the sugar by 1/2 cup because I don’t like things overly sweet. It’s chocolatey and delicious with a hint of salt. So good!
Sugar Spun Run says
Thank you so much, Melissa! I am so happy that you enjoyed the chocolate frosting. 🙂
Jessica says
Can you make this ahead of time? And if so, do you have to let it get to room temperature to whip it up again?
Sugar Spun Run says
Hello, Jessica! Yes, you can make it in advance but you will have to let it get back to room temperature and then stir it again in order to be able to pipe or spread it. I hope that you enjoy the chocolate frosting! 🙂
Jessica says
Thank you so much ma’am for replying back. I used it on your vanilla cake recipe and everyone in my family loved it!
Sugar Spun Run says
I am so happy that everyone enjoyed it! Thank you, Jessica!
Rebecca says
This was an amazing recipe but mine came out tasting salty😬 don’t know if I did something wrong or it was the type of salt I used but all I could taste was salt. And I used unsalted butter. Next time only going to use a pinch
Tina says
Rebecca & Jessica,
My frosting was slightly salty tasting as well and I also used unsalted butter. Will it alter outcome to use 1/4 tsp? Otherwise it was a beautiful consistency on your AMAZING chocolate cake yesterday for hubby’s birthday! Thank you!
Tina says
Oops I meant Rebecca and Sam🤪
Sam says
You’ll be fine to reduce the salt! I’m glad to hear you otherwise enjoyed the frosting, Tina! 🙂