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Creamy, Not-Too-Sweet, Absolutely Perfect Fluffy Chocolate Frosting is truly the best chocolate frosting I’ve ever tasted.
Given the chance, I could have done some serious damage to the bowl without even slathering it on the cake. This is everything I wanted in chocolate buttercream frosting.
We are smack in the middle of “birthday season” in our house these days. (We have birthdays in September, October, November, and December.) As you might guess, this adds up to plenty of cake, which means buttercream frosting.
My middle boy turned 9 this weekend and requested his favorite Gluten Free White Cake with lots of “fluffy” chocolate icing.
The Whipped Chocolate Frosting Secret
I played with a couple of different ideas for the frosting before I realized that the flavor I wanted was only going to happen with melted chocolate.
So I ditched the cocoa powder and reached for the good stuff. (I should have remembered that from the chocolate ice cream recipes this summer. Real chocolate makes everything better!)
This is most assuredly the BEST chocolate frosting EVER!! Don’t let the simplicity of the recipe fool you…it doesn’t have to be complex to be outstanding!
Not that frostings made with cocoa powder aren’t delicious, but they simply weren’t resulting in the ultimate creamy and fluffy frosting that I imagined.
The melted chocolate chips in this homemade frosting recipe add both flavor and texture. The richness of the chocolate coupled with the creaminess of the butter all pulled together by just a hint of vanilla? Pure heaven.
How To Make Chocolate Frosting
I love when I discover something that’s as easy as it is tasty. This simple homemade buttercream fits the bill on all counts. It’s an excellent staple for all kinds of cupcakes, cakes, cookies or anywhere you’d use buttercream.
If you really want simple, spread a thick layer on top of the super easy Crazy Cake. You’ll have a rich, chocolatey, satisfying, and crowd-pleasing dessert with zero fuss or hard-to-find ingredients.
No one who’s ever tasted this in all its dreamy perfection would judge you for grabbing a spoon and eating it straight from the bowl. Believe me.
This is such an easy frosting, you might wind up grinning every bit as big as I did when you taste it for the first time.
This is going to be my go-to chocolate frosting for years to come.
Homemade Frosting
A sturdy mixing bowl is your best friend for baking and preparing frosting is no different. You’ll want a bowl with sides tall enough to keep your frosting ingredients contained as your mixer whips them to creamy chocolatey perfection.
Use a sturdy, well-powered hand mixer to beat the butter and incorporate the powdered sugar. This helps ensure no powdered sugar lumps ruin the smooth, fluffy texture of your chocolate buttercream. If you’re using a stand mixer, either the flat beater or the wire whip attachment will work just fine.
I recommend a strong, flexible spatula for your scraping needs. You’ll want to get every last drop of that delicious icing out of the bowl and onto your cake. A good flat spatula is also excellent for evenly spreading the finished frosting across your cake.
If you’re feeling fancy, you can also scoop this chocolate buttercream into your pastry bag and go to town decorating your cake or batch of cupcakes. This is especially fun for decorating birthday cakes and other special occasion desserts.
Storing Buttercream Frosting
I’ll be honest. I rarely have any leftovers of this magnificent fluffy chocolate frosting because it’s just that tasty. But if you end up making a little too much than your cake needs–or you want to make an extra-large batch to have on hand for the next time your sweet tooth strikes–it’s incredibly easy to store.
Place your frosting in an airtight sealed container and keep in the fridge for up to a week. Place the container on the counter for an hour or so to bring it back to room temperature before using it to top a cake. You may also want to re-whip the frosting to maintain that lovely airy quality I love.
If you’re looking for a light and fruity version of fluffy buttercream, check out my Fresh Blueberry Frosting recipe and my Fresh Strawberry Frosting recipe.
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting Recipe
- Place the chocolate chips in a glass bowl and microwave them for 90 seconds, at 50% power, stir and microwave again for 30 seconds at 50% power. Stir until smooth. (The chocolate can also be melted in a glass bowl over a simmering pan of water on the stove. Use whichever method works for you, just melt it slowly, until the chocolate is smooth.)
- Let cool to almost room temperature, do not skip the cooling step.
- Beat the butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add 1 cup of powdered sugar and beat again. Scrape the sides with a spatula and add the remaining powdered sugar. Continue beating for about a minute, scraping the sides as needed, until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
- Add the vanilla and the cooled chocolate and beat on high for about 2 minutes, scraping the sides as necessary, until the frosting is creamy, smooth, and very fluffy. Spread across the cake of your choice, or just grab a spoon.
Fluffy, Creamy, Perfect Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup butter room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Place the chocolate chips in a glass bowl and microwave them for 90 seconds, at 50% power, stir and microwave again for 30 seconds at 50% power. Stir until smooth. Let cool to almost room temperature, do not skip the cooling step. (The chocolate can also be melted in a glass bowl over a simmering pan of water on the stove. Use whichever method works for you, just melt it slowly, until the chocolate is smooth.)
- In a mixing bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth. Add 1 cup of powdered sugar and beat again. Scrape the sides and add the remaining powdered sugar. Continue beating for about a minute, scraping the sides as needed, until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Add the vanilla and the cooled chocolate and beat on high for about 2 minutes, scraping the sides as necessary, until the frosting is creamy, smooth, and very fluffy. Spread across the cake of your choice, or just grab a spoon. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
{originally published 10/20/14 – recipe notes and photos updated 3/2/22}
I’m gonna give this a try looking for something light and yummmy already made the cake, so now I’m gonna try your frosting, I will let you know how it turns out.
Sally
I hope you enjoy it, Sally.
Will it work for a 9×13?
Yes, this will be enough frosting.
I could never make a decent chocolate frosting until now. Great and simple frosting recipe, just the proper amount of sweetness. I love this frosting and everyone I know is asking me for the recipe!
That is fantastic, Sheila. I am so happy you have mastered it.
Love this recipe – the perfect chocolate frosting – thank you! I cut it in half because I was only frosting a 9: square cake. It was perfect!
Thank you, Elizabeth.
So glad I found this recipe. A.Mazing! I could eat it by the bowlful, and it was wonderful on my cake. I made it exactly as called for above. BTW, it was more than enough for a 9×13, even applied thickly.
It is definitely that good, Janie! I am so glad you enjoyed it.
Awesome flavor and creaminess. Have made this several times. Great on brownies.
I’m glad it’s a hit, Shirley!
The best chocolate frosting! I use this with any cakes, cupcakes, or dessert I make. Always a hit! Curious, could you alter this to be a peanut butter chocolate frosting? Wondering if just adding peanut butter would affect the texture.
I am not sure how that might work, but here is my peanut butter frosting recipe. Maybe make both and swirl them together? https://barefeetinthekitchen.com/peanut-butter-frosting/
When melting the choc, is it OK to add a teaspoon or so of oil,just to help keep the choc from seizing?
Hi, Angelo. If you’re trying to prevent the chocolate from setting too quickly/hardening too much, adding vegetable oil can help with that. However, as long as you’re not letting the chocolate cool for too long, and if you’re heating it in 90 second intervals at 50% power, it should be runny enough to mix into the frosting. Happy baking!
I made a double batch of this chocolate frosting for a half-sheet cake yesterday. I have never had so many compliments on anything before. The frosting was a huge hit. I’ve never seen a frosting recipe with real chocolate in it before, and I really don’t like frosting because it is usually too sweet. I used a blend of milk chocolate chips and 60% dark chocolate chips (Ghiardelli) and I added whipping cream a tablespoon at a time to get the consistency I wanted. I also whipped it in the stand mixer for 5 minutes. Truly the best!!
Sounds fantastic, Jan. Thank you for sharing your tips.
This is my go to chocolate frosting! Thank you so much!!
I am so happy to hear that, Colleen.
I viewed the recipe and the helpful hints above the recipe. Using melted chocolate chips and butter should make the icing easy to spread and taste great. We have several birthdays this summer. I plan to try the recipe soon. Our family has a few that only want cake or only pie for their birthdays.
I hope you love it as much as we do, Lucinda!
I just made this and it turned out perfect. This will be my go to chocolate frosting recipe. Love it
I’m so glad you love the frosting, Christina! I hope you continue to enjoy more dessert recipes like this one.
Can I substitute the chocolate chips for cocoa powder? If so how much?
Hi, Tara! Unfortunately, substituting cocoa powder won’t quite work. In addition to the cocoa, chocolate chips also contain cocoa butter and sugar, which affects the end result of the recipe.
I’ve found my go to frosting! Light, creamy and doesn’t dry out (a pet peeve). Absolutely follow the directions on cooling the chocolate. Very important or you will have lumps.
Highly recommend.
I’m so glad you’re loving the frosting! Yes, when it comes to cooling the chocolate, there’s not a lot of flexibility, but the result will be delicious. Happy baking!
This chocolate frosting is so easy and it tastes incredible!!! I will never buy store bought again.
Glad to hear this one’s a keeper, Salina. It’s a very easy recipe to use for all kinds of desserts. Enjoy!
Love this recipe, never made frosting before. I have plenty of left over and I was wondering if it can be freezed thank you so much Karen
Hi, Karen! While you could freeze the frosting, it’ll be difficult to reconstitute properly. It will freeze on a cake nicely, though.
This was the quickest easiest and best chocolate frosting I’ve ever made! My son & husband loved it too! Definitely my go to chocolate buttercream for life. Thank you!
You are welcome, Miranda! Glad to hear that you’re loving the chocolate buttercream.
Thank you so much for this recipe! Instead of using chocolate chips, I measured one cup of nutella instead. The flavour was light, sweet, and fantastic! 😃
I haven’t tried doing that before. I’m glad the frosting turned out well for you!
After using this frosting, does the cake need to be stored in the refrigerator?
Hello, Karen! If you’re not planning to eat the cake within the next few hours, I’d recommend refrigerating it.
This is so easy and so good! Go-to chocolate Frosting- Love it!
Glad to hear that you’re loving the frosting, Janet! Happy baking.
I admit that there were doubts when I started. Made it as directed, except that I used Bakers semi-sweet bar with 56% cacao which is a little more cacao than the choc chips, and less sugar. converted 1 C of chips = to 6 ounces. I used the warm water method for melting because I believe (no scientific data, empirical observation only) the M/W waves do something to the chemical structure of the chocolate. The end result was indeed like air and melt in the mouth consistency. The wife said it should have deeper chocolate notes when it first hits the tongue so for the next event I will up the choc to 7 ounces, this should not change ingredient proportions enough to make it fail, I hope. As is it should work well on a Devil’s food cake, make with the Dutch process cocoa. As you noted, scrap down the bowl when mixing. If you do not, there will be some sugar that becomes crystals suspended in the frosting. Not good.
It’s definitely a good idea to scrape the bowl throughout, Larry. I’m glad to hear that the frosting was a hit with you and your wife. Happy baking!
Just made this and it is superb! Chocolate buttercream that is quick and not overly sweet. I made jolly a half recipe to try it out and am eating it with a spoon. So decadent and delicious! Thanks for sharing your recipe!
You are welcome. I’m glad you’re loving the frosting. Happy baking!