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!)
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!
Notes
Nutrition
{originally published 10/20/14 – recipe notes and photos updated 3/2/22}
Monic says
I used this recipe on my signature chocolate cake, and it made it even better! So delicious! Melts in your mouth!!
Mary Younkin says
I’m so glad that you like it, Monic.
Tracy says
Best Chocolate buttercream I’ve ever had!
Mary Younkin says
Glad you liked it, Tracy.
Julia Noll says
Chocolate frosting recipe is easy and very tasty. A little tricky to spread, but that could be me. Loved it.
Mary Younkin says
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Julia.
carol boughner says
I just made this frosting and so far so good, I do not need it until tomorrow, July 1 for our son’s 50th Birthday, We are Canadian and its our CANADA DAY. Can this frosting go on the cake and stay until tomorrow, should I put it in the fridge or the whole cake frosted in the fridge? Thinking for those of us who do not know, that added as a foot note to the recipe would be a great help. The frosting is so good, First frosting I have made in a long time, was buying Winn Dixie whip cream frosting but we are back in Canada and don’t have Winn Dixie grocery stores.. Sure hope you are reading your comments today so I can get an answer.. ThANK YOU SO MUCH
Mary Younkin says
I’m so glad you like the frosting, Carol! Happy Canada Day!! I like to frost the cake ahead of time, when the frosting is freshly made, and then store the cake in the fridge. Let the cake warm at room temp for about an hour before serving.
carol boughner says
thank you so much, will know for next time .I did not see your reply until this morning. Put the stainless bowl full of fluffy frosting in the fridge over night and this morning it was hard. have it sitting out , hoping it will soften up and then whip it again. Either way it is great and will work out somehow.
carol boughner says
went by the other comments and you had answered next morning. Thank you just the same
Mary Younkin says
It should soften with a bit of time at room temperature, Carol.
carol boughner says
it did and I whipped it again and it was fantastic. Son loved his Birthday cake and there was a store bought one there too and mine was gone. Cake came outside for social distancing and it was 30C out and frosting stood up for about 1 hour in that heat. I have a frosting knife and this frosting spread perfect with it. Some one else had mentioned spreading was not easy but I had no problem and this is now my go to frosting and we could all smell it in the air, a pleasant sweet smell. Thank you again for this over the top frosting. Just a side note, I love the name,” Barefeetinthekitchen” I seldom have shoes on.
Sarah says
Taste was great but I used a food processor and homemade powdered sugar. Hey it’s what I had. Came out really think. I will definitely make again with better powdered sugar and a mixer but it was still really good.
Mary Younkin says
That’s awesome to hear, Sarah. I’m glad it worked for you!
Edith lofthouse says
HI Mary
Your chocolate buttercream looks delicious and I would love to make but I haven’t any cup measures, would it be possible for you to tell me ingredients in grams & ounces please. X
Mary Younkin says
That isn’t something I’m able to provide, Edith. However, there are a number of recipe conversion calculators online that can calculate it for you. Just copy and paste the ingredients there.
Susan says
Great tasting…easy to make!
Mary Younkin says
I’m glad you’re enjoying the frosting, Susan!
Anita says
So delicious!!!
Mary Younkin says
I’m glad you like the frosting, Anita!
Adi says
I really enjoyed this frosting. It was thick and smooth and very delicious. It makes any dessert look amzing as well. At first I was a little concerned because it didn’t exactly look like frosting, but once I kept stirring (for a while) it finally looked like frosting. The only thing I was dissapointed about was that my frosting looked nothing like the picture. I may have taken a wrong step, but I’m sure that I did everything right. All in all, I was pretty satisfied with my frosting.
Mary Younkin says
I’m glad you liked the frosting, Adi. It sounds like something might have been a little off with the frosting, but without being in your kitchen with you, it’s hard to guess.
Adi says
Adding on to my other comment, the frosting was just too buttery for me 🙁
Mary says
Can you make this without a mixer?
Mary Younkin says
I’ve never tried that, Mary. It would take some serious strength with a hand beater / whisk.
Traci says
Can this be made with other types of chips? (ie butterscotch or white) I’m tempted to try
Mary Younkin says
I haven’t tried that myself, but I’m guessing it would work, Traci. If you try it, let me know how it turns out!
Simran says
Hi Mary! This frosting looks delicious!! I would love to try it out soon! I had a question tho, they say if u whip the butter longer it loses its yellowish colour and becomes whiter, so I was wondering if I whipped it a little longer till the butter lost its colour and added the melted chocolate chip would it be lighter in colour or darker? I want a light coloured frosting and I’m happy with the shade of yours with the yellowish butter colour but I was just wondering if it’ll get lighter or darker if butter is whipped up a little extra! Thanks Mary!
Mary Younkin says
Hi Simran, I’ve never tried that myself. I can’t speak to how it might work. If you decide to try it, let me know how it turns out for you!
Andrea says
Hi! Do you have a similar frosting recipe, but in vanilla flavor? Loved the chocolate frosting so much, but would love to add orange and purple to a cake I’m making for Halloween!
Mary Younkin says
I’m glad you’re enjoying the frosting, Andrea. I don’t have a vanilla recipe here on the site. I have blueberry and strawberry frostings though that could probably be tweaked with coloring to create those colors.
Suzanne says
This is a very light fluffy frosting. I used milk chocolate chips and spread on side of German chocolate cake. Perfect!!
Mary Younkin says
I’m thrilled that you like it so much!
Kate says
Will this frost a whole cake or 24 cupcakes?
Mary Younkin says
There should be enough frosting to do that, Kate.
Deirdre says
Excellent recipe.. I added a tbsp of milk-it was perfect!
Mary Younkin says
I’m glad that you liked the frosting, Deirdre.
Lana says
Can this a frost a 9 by 13 inch cake
Mary Younkin says
Yes, this will be plenty for that, Lana.
Laeliana says
Can this frost a half sheet cake generously, and have leftovers for the decorations..?
Mary Younkin says
You should have plenty of frosting for that, Laeliana.
Hope says
This is amazing! I added a splash of heavy cream but that’s it. It’s creamy and not too sweet. I will use this over and over! Thank you for sharing.
Mary Younkin says
I’m thrilled that you love the frosting, Hope.