Easy Chocolate Buttercream
Smooth, creamy, fluffy buttercream with the right amount of chocolate to make this your favorite frosting ever! The addition of cocoa powder helps give the buttercream some staying-power, so this is ideal if your cake will be outside for a bit or if your filling is wobbly. Plus, the taste is sooooo divine.
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Are you team chocolate or team vanilla? Or are you one of those rebels who loves caramel or fruity desserts? This is a hotly contested debate in my world. We take our desserts seriously and are passionate about our preferences.
I am team chocolate. It’s why chocolate cake is my signature dessert. I mean, my friends call it Charity cake, it’s that good.
But I always used to make it with my ganache buttercream. I paved my own way with that frosting and invented it myself. It’s my baby—my first entirely original and unique recipe.
But there is something so simple and so delicious about classic chocolate American buttercream. It’s just American buttercream, which is already quite simple, with some cocoa powder. That’s it!
Do I really need all those steps?
Technically, you can make any kind of American buttercream by adding all the ingredients and mixing until smooth. However, you will get a fluffier, creamier, smoother result if you add in the sugar a little at a time.
Confession: I eyeball it. I’ve made so many cakes that I know roughly what a cup looks like, and I only measure when testing new recipes so I don’t steer you wrong.
So, while mixing until smooth after every single cup seems laborious, it really does help your end result. The key to a good American buttercream is getting that smooth-yet-fluffy texture. Taking it slowly and tasting as you go really helps you stay in control of both the taste and texture.
What kind of cocoa?
Since there is no baking (and thus no chemical reaction) involved, your favorite kind of unsweetened cocoa or cacao powder will do for this buttercream. We actually buy an organic, fair trade cacao powder from Costco that I love. I also love the Trader Joe’s Cocoa Powder, because it’s rich and dark without being bitter, and I believe they have a cacao powder as well. Another of my favorites is Ghirardelli, because they have plain cocoa, dark cocoa, and even premium. And, while I don’t care for Hershey’s chocolates or their syrup, I do love their Special Dark Cocoa Powder if I want to make a richer buttercream. And, for the real twist: you can use my favorite black cocoa to get a bitter chocolate buttercream that tastes just like the wafers in an Oreo cookie!
How to make easy chocolate buttercream
First, you need to start with soft-but-not-too-soft butter. You should be able to make an indentation in it with your finger, but this should take some pressure. I always use the matte method: if the butter is shiny, it’s too soft. But don’t worry! Pop it back in the fridge for 5-10 minutes and you’ll be good to go!
Beat your butter until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar, one cup(ish) at a time, beating until smooth and scraping the bowl as necessary.
Add the cocoa or cacao powder (I suggest sifting it into the butter). Beat until smooth.
Add the vanilla and salt and beat until smooth. Taste at this point, adding more sugar or cocoa as needed. Add some splashes of heavy whipping cream, as needed (I often skip that if my cake will be outside to help it stay sturdy).
Beat on high for 3-5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Stir by hand for a minute to release the larger air bubbles.
Enjoy!
Pairs well with
This frosting pairs with just about any cake! Some of my favorites are:
Vanilla birthday cake—love that classic yellow cake with chocolate frosting combo!
Tips and notes for this recipe
Use the fridge to your advantage
As I said, you can get your butter back to the matte stage of softened (where it’s soft but not shiny) by refrigerating it for 5-10 minutes. The same goes for the finished product. Rather than add too much heavy whipping cream and cause your buttercream to break (separate irreparably) or become too loose, you can refrigerate it to get a smooth finish. The photos below show you how just 10 minutes in the fridge can make a huge difference. I knew my cupcakes were going to the park for a socially distant lunch, I added no heavy cream and instead refrigerated the buttercream for a bit to firm it up as well as smooth it out. In fact, this is a great way to get your cakes perfectly smooth after you’ve frosted them!
Add cocoa and sugar to taste
I like a richer cocoa taste and choose to add minimal amounts of powdered sugar. Some people prefer a milk chocolate flavor or a sweeter buttercream, and that’s okay! I always try to list ranges when the amount is variable, so feel free to add a little more or less cocoa or sugar until you love the taste. Because that’s what cake is all about: you!
My buttercream tools
Here are my must-have tools I use for making this buttercream. Affiliate links provided.
Easy Chocolate Buttercream
- total time: 10-15 minutes
yields: about 2 ½ cups (enough to frost a 2-3 layer cake or 24 cupcakes)
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups (12oz) unsalted European style butter, softened*
- 4-5 cups (520-650g) powdered sugar
- 4-6 tablespoons (28-42g) unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
- 1 tablespoon (13g) pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon (3g) sea salt (or ½ teaspoon table salt)
- 2-4 tablespoons (28-56g) heavy whipping cream (optional--omit if your cake will be outside)
Instructions:
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, beat butter on high until smooth, about 30 seconds.
- Add in powdered sugar, one cup at a time, beating on low then increasing speed to high for 1 minute, until smooth. Scrape the bowl as needed. Taste as you go and only add as much powdered sugar as needed. You can add more after the cocoa powder if it’s necessary.
- Add sifted cocoa powder, starting with just 4 tablespoons (or ¼ cup). Beat until smooth then taste, adding more cocoa if it’s not chocolatey enough for you.
- Add in the vanilla extract and salt and beat until smooth.
- Scrape down the bowl and taste again. Add more powdered sugar or cocoa powder, to taste. But do this slowly and trust your gut if it tastes good as-is.
- If it’s too thick or grainy, add in heavy whipping cream, one tablespoon at a time, until spreadable. Don’t worry if it’s a little grainy--the next step will help with that. Don’t add too much cream, as it’s impossible to recover from making it too loose.
- Once the flavor is well-balanced and to your liking, scrape the bowl then beat on high for 3-5 minutes, stopping once to scrape down the bowl. This will smooth it out quite a bit. Stir vigorously by hand for a minute to release the large air bubbles.
- Note: if, after beating for 5 minutes and adding some heavy whipping cream, it’s still too grainy, you can refrigerate it for a few hours or overnight. This helps smooth out almost all frostings. Just remember to let it come to room temperature on the counter then stir well before using.
Enjoy! Frosting can be made ahead and stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Let come to room temperature on the counter then stir well before using.