My Favorite Chocolate Frosting Recipe
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This is my all-time favorite chocolate frosting recipe, and I think that once you try it it’ll be yours, too! Just 6 ingredients needed and it will easily frost a 2 layer 8″ or 9″ cake or generously ice a dozen cupcakes!
The Best Chocolate Frosting
Maybe you’ve seen this chocolate frosting recipe around here before. It’s made quite a few appearances, on my chocolate cake, vanilla cupcakes (pictured above), and my vanilla cake (just to name a few), and finally it’s getting its own place on the blog.
Use it to top off your favorite cake or cupcake recipe, or just enjoy by the spoonful (you’ll get no judgement from me!).
What makes this the best chocolate frosting:
Well, you’re going to love it because it:
- Is richly chocolatey, without being too rich. The chocolate flavor complements whatever you put it on without being overwhelming!
- Is soft, smooth, and creamy.
- Uses less sugar than classic buttercream frosting or chocolate buttercream, perfect if you think most frosting recipes are too sugary or sweet!
- Absolutely melts in your mouth.
- Pipes beautifully, or frosts a cake smoothly.
What You Need
Here’s what you need:
- Chocolate. Real melted chocolate gives my chocolate frosting its incredible flavor and firm but fudgy consistency once it’s cooled. Chocolate bars (my preference) or chocolate chips will work fine.
- Powdered Sugar. This thickens and sweetens the frosting. One thing I love about this frosting is that it uses less sugar than your average frosting recipe.
- Butter. I use unsalted then add a pinch of salt for best flavor. Your butter should be at room temperature. If it’s too cold, small bits of the chocolate may harden as your ingredients are being combined and you will have chocolate bits in the mix rather than a smooth chocolate frosting.
- Vanilla Extract. Added for flavor! Any good chocolate is enhanced with a splash of vanilla to add depth of flavor.
- Heavy Cream. The small amount of heavy cream is the other part of what gives this chocolate frosting its smooth texture and rich flavor.
SAM’S TIP: You can use dark chocolate, semisweet, or milk chocolate for this frosting. If you want to use white chocolate, see my white chocolate buttercream recipe instead
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe and all details, please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Chocolate Frosting
- Chop chocolate into small pieces (only if you’re using a bar, no need to chop if you’re using chips) and melt in 15-30 second increments, stirring in-between, until completely melted. semi-sweet chocolate into same-sized pieces and place in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat the chocolate in the microwave for 30 seconds and stir. Let the chocolate cool until it’s no longer warm to the touch (but not re-solidifying) before continuing.
- Beat butter until creamy, then drizzle in melted (cooled) chocolate. Make sure the chocolate’s cooled, or the butter will melt and you’ll have a greasy chocolate frosting!
- Add the sugar in small amounts, stirring after each addition. Thoroughly stir in salt and vanilla.
- Drizzle in heavy cream and gradually turn up your mixer speed to high. Beat for 30 seconds for a light, silky smooth frosting!
Frequently Asked Questions
Make sure that your chocolate hasn’t begun to re-solidify before you add it to the butter. If this happens, small pieces may harden and you’ll have flecks of chocolate throughout the frosting. This will make piping the icing especially difficult.
If you heat the chocolate too quickly in the microwave, it could seize, giving it a grainy, rather than smooth, appearance. If this happens, toss out the chocolate and start over or your frosting will be pebbly.
While heat can make a frosting soft, melt-y, and even runny, with this recipe the culprit is usually that your chocolate was too hot. Stir it occasionally as it cools and make sure if you touch the melted chocolate or the bottom of the bowl it doesn’t feel warm to the touch.
Unfortunately I don’t recommend using cocoa powder for this recipe. If you’d like to use cocoa powder, see my chocolate buttercream instead.
More Recipes You Might Like
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! Make sure to check out the how-to VIDEO in the recipe card!
Chocolate Frosting Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 oz (170 g) semisweet chocolate², chopped into small pieces of roughly the same size
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 cups (250 g) powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt³
- 2 Tablespoons (30 ml) heavy cream
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.6 oz (170 g) semisweet chocolate²
- 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.1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter
- 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.2 cups (250 g) powdered sugar
- Sprinkle in salt and vanilla extract, stir well.½ teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon salt³
- With mixer on low, gradually add heavy cream to frosting. Gradually increase speed to high and beat for 30 seconds.2 Tablespoons (30 ml) heavy cream
- Pipe or spread frosting onto prepared, cooled baked good.
Notes
¹How many cupcakes/how much cake will this frost?
This recipe will modestly cover 24 cupcakes or generously (as seen in the photos above) cover 12 cupcakes. You can also cover an 8″ or 9″ cake or a 9×13″ sheet cake. If you want to use the frosting for decorative borders around the cake, increase the recipe by 50%.²Chocolate
If you don’t have semisweet chocolate bars you can use 1 cup (170g) of semisweet chocolate chips instead.³Butter
I recommend using unsalted butter, but if you only have salted on hand you can use that, just leave out the salt in this recipe.Making in Advance
This frosting may be made in advance. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator with a piece of plastic wrap pressed firmly against the surface. When ready to use, let it come to room temperature then remove the plastic wrap and stir again to regain that smooth consistency before using.Piping Tip
I used an Ateco 848 piping tip to pipe the cupcakes seen in the photos above.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
This recipe was originally published January 8th, 2018. While the recipe remains unchanged, I’ve updated the text of the post photos and added a how-to video.
Hi Sam,
Would this frosting work with white chocolate chips and food coloring? And would it stand up to summer heat? I need to frost a two tiered cake in green 😉 and it is excruciatingly hot in South Africa at the moment!
Thank you!
Hi! I have made it with white chocolate in the past but I’ve only used white chocolate bars not the chips. However, I think it would work. As for the heat… it’s not great in heat, unfortunately! Unfortunately this recipe, like many frostings, tends to melt if it’s exposed to too much heat, I’m sorry, Roelien!
can you recommend a good quality cupcake paper to use that holds up during baking
Hi Rita! Honestly I just buy whatever my grocery store has. It’s usually Wilton brand. 🙂
I made this frosting today to go with your vanilla cake recipe and I have to be honest, it wasn’t a hit with anyone. It could be a matter of personal preference, but some of the comments that I received from my guests were: the frosting tasted greasy, milk chocolate might have been better as the semi-sweet tasted too much like mocha, the cake wasn’t very flavorful, the cake was heavy and too bread-like almost a coffee cake consistency. I do appreciate you sharing your recipes and as I said, it could simply be a matter of my guests’ personal preferences. I look forward to trying another one of your recipes soon.
Disappointed to hear that they weren’t a hit for you, Michele!
Hi Sam,
Can I use cool whip in place of heavy cream?
Thanks, Lynda
Hi Lynda, I’m not sure how that would work. You could use milk, just use less and add more if needed as milk is thinner.
HI!
I am going to try this with your vanilla cake recipe– could I make the icing first (like in the morning) and leave it in the fridge until I make the cake?
This will literally be my first recipe using my Kitchenaid mixer (never used. ever)- all.the.prayers. are welcome.
🙂
Thanks!
Hi, Ashley! Congratulations of stepping into the world of Kitchenaid baking! It’s a real game changer sometimes. You can refrigerate the frosting, however, when you are getting close to using it, you will need to let it warm back up at room temperature and mix it up just a little bit before using it. 🙂
Thank you! I watched the vanilla cake video-super helpful! You mentioned there was a video for the chocolate frosting but I did not see one on the chocolate frosting recipe page. Am I missing it? 🙂
Thanks!!
There is a hands in pans style video on the chocolate frosting post just above the ingredients. I don’t have a video that includes me. 🙂
Can I use buttermilk instead of the heavy cream?
Hi, Renee. You can use regular milk, but the buttermilk would alter the flavor a bit. 🙂
Okay, thank you
I am making a Yule log. Using chocolate chips, how can I make the chocolate darker.
I’d recommend stirring in a tablespoon or two of dark cocoa powder to get the color darker.
Hi!
Can I use a bit less of sugar or will it change the frosting’s consistency too much?
Thank you,
Oona
Hi Oona! Reducing the sugar would make the frosting a little more soft, and it already is a pretty soft frosting. You could cut the sugar and add a little bit of corn starch (likely under a table spoon, but it depends how much sugar you are cutting.) ☺️
I don’t have any heavy cream. Can I use whole milk instead?
Yes you can! Since whole milk is thinner than cream you may need to use less than the 2 Tbsp called for, so start with just 1 Tbsp and then add more as needed.
Hi Sam,
how long can I keep this frosting in the fridge for?
Thanks!
Heike
Hi, Heike! It will be good for up to a week in the refrigerator. 😊
I could not find the list & quantity of ingredients in this article & would love to try the recipe.
I’m not sure I know what you mean. If you scroll down to the actual recipe it gives you weights and measurements
I made this today and this frosting is amazing! I don’t even particularly like chocolate and I couldn’t stop eating it! It’s like chocolate pudding and chocolate mousse had a delicious baby! So light and fluffy!
I used half confectioner’s sugar and half Swerve (erithritol) confectioner’s sugar as we are trying to lower sugar intake. I also used 6 oz. large semi-sweet chocolate chips instead of the baker’s chocolate bar.
I made the sugar spun run vanilla cake with apricot preserves in between the layers and topped it with this frosting. It was a huge hit at the bithday party for my mom. Thank you, Sam!
😂I love your description! I am so glad you enjoyed it!
Does this need to be refrigerated or can I leave the frosted cake at room temp until tomorrow?
It should be fine at room temperature until the next day. ☺️
can I leave the icing out since the chocolate is already sweet?
Do you mean the icing sugar? I don’t recommend leaving the sugar out if thats what you are referring to.
can i use magarine instead of butter?
I am not sure, I have not tried it with margarine, but I think it should work.