Easy Chocolate Buttercream Frosting is the perfect topping for your decadent desserts like cupcakes, cakes, or cookies. It is made with cocoa, whole, milk, and butter. Skip the canned frosting and go homemade with this delicious recipe.

Are you looking to make your own buttercream frosting? If so, this recipe is easy for you to replicate on your own. The use of a stand mixer like a KitchenAid can help produce the best results.
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting Ingredients
- 3 cups of sifted confectioners sugar
- 1/8 tsp of salt
- 3 tablespoons whole milk or heavy cream
- 2 Sticks on unsalted room temperature butter (allow it to reach this temperature on its own)
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
How to Make Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Add your room temperature butter to your mixer.
Mix for 2 minutes at medium speed until butter is soft, and whipped.
Add your salt, cocoa, and slowly add your sugar in. If you add it too fast your powder will blow everywhere.
Slowly add your milk or cream in. Blend well until all ingredients are mixed for 2 minutes at medium speed.
Optional: Add your frosting to a piping bag with a large tip to pipe onto your cookies, cupcakes, or cake.
Tips for Making Buttercream
Working with premium ingredients will yield a premium frosting. I like to use a quality cocoa, or butter for this recipe.
Allowing your butter to reach room temperature is the most important tip for a smooth, velvety frosting. If you use cold butter it will be lumpy and quite frankly gross. The butter will bead up and your guests will be eating mini lumps of butter.
Sifting the powdered sugar is also important–especially if it is humid. This will allow it to be fine, and not gritty or lumpy.
This frosting is best at room temperature for icing or decorating. It will get harder to work with when colder, so I suggest decorating with it right away.
You can refrigerate leftovers. The frosting will get a more intense flavor and develop a flaky otter layer. Just mix well before using again.
If it is too cold to work with, allow it to reach room temperature for at least 1-2 hours.
More Chocolate Desserts
- Blondie Brownies
- No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
- Dark Chocolate Coconut Truffles
- Almond Chocolate Chip Biscotti
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting Recipe
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
- Rubber Spatula
Ingredients
- 3 cups sifted confectionery sugar
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- 3/4 cup premium cocoa powder *not hot cocoa mix- should be unsweetened
- 2 sticks unsalted butter room temperature *very important step
- 3 tbsps whole milk *can use heavy cream too
12/07/13. I made the chocolate buttercream frosting. Oh my it’s delicious. I added a couple Tablespoons more cocoa,Imlike it really chocolatte.Thanks for sharing