This post may contain affiliate sales links. Please read my disclosure policy.
With over 2 million views and counting since 2013, this Chocolate Frosting Recipe is my most popular frosting recipe on my website. Using simple ingredients, it’s simple to whip up and the best frosting for any kind of cake, especially birthdays!
There are thousands of homemade chocolate frosting recipes out there. This is the one that continues to be requested for every birthday, special occasion or just because! Just take a look at the 600+ reviews in the comment section at the bottom of this post and you’ll see that it’s a favorite for many others as well. Be warned, this frosting is so gosh darn delicious it may disappear before you even get to frost your cake! Move over store-bought frosting because this recipe is about to knock your socks off.
Homemade Chocolate Frosting ingredients
This Chocolate Frosting recipe is essentially a chocolate buttercream because it’s made with:
- softened butter – salted or unsalted will be just fine
- powdered sugar – sifted
- cocoa powder – sifted
- vanilla extract
- milk – amount to be adjusted to your liking. f you’re going to pipe this recipe, you’ll want it more stiff so it holds its shape, if you’re wanting to frost a cake, you’ll want it slightly thinner and more easily spreadable.
Pro Tip: Before you get started, make sure you are using very soft butter, sifted powdered sugar, sifted cocoa powder and be prepared to adjust the thickness of the frosting with a little more milk or a little more powdered sugar.
How to make Chocolate Frosting
I assure you this is one of the easiest recipes in the entire world you can make. I promise you can do it!
- Whip butter and cocoa powder together until smooth in large bowl.
- Stir in vanilla extract and powdered sugar.
- Slowly stream in milk until frosting reaches desired consistency.
- Scrape sides and whip again until light, fluffy and smooth, 1-2 minutes.
Need more chocolate in your life? Try these tasty treats: Actually Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies, Chocolate Cake Extreme, Chocolate Cobbler, Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars.
Can I make this Chocolate Buttercream Frosting ahead of time?
Absolutely! This chocolate frosting will last for one week in the fridge as long as it’s in an airtight container. If you plan on using it to frost a cake, you’ll want to bring it to room temperature for 3-4 hours first and then whip it for a quick 20 seconds to get it light and fluffy again before using.
Chocolate Icing Tips and Tricks
Time and time again, I get comments on this recipe saying it was either way too thick or way too thin to use. Here’s the secret though: not everyone measures cocoa powder or powdered sugar exactly the same. So all the frostings you make using the exact same recipe will vary and you will have to make minor adjustments.
- If your frosting is too thick, slowly add in milk little by little to get the consistency you want.
- If your frosting is too thin, add a little extra powdered sugar little by little to get the consistency you want.
- If you want to use this frosting to cover a whole cake, run a butter knife through the finished frosting. If it holds its shape but is still really easy to spread, it’s perfect. I’d highly recommend using an offset spatula for frosting a cake.
- For pipeable frosting that holds its shape, you want to make sure the frosting will hold its shape and not fall, so slightly stiffer than for frosting a whole cake. These disposable piping bags are great! Also, this 1M Wilton frosting tip is the one I use to get those gorgeous mountains of frosting on top of cupcakes.
This frosting is too sweet!
Friends, frosting is supposed to be sweet! I know when you see 5 cups of powdered sugar, your eyeballs jump out of their sockets, but trust me, it will be just fine. Especially since this chocolate frosting recipe makes a ton: enough to frost an entire 9-inch cake with leftovers or 24 cupcakes.
If you find that the frosting is too sweet, try to sprinkle in a little salt. If you want to reduce the powdered sugar by 1-2 cups, you are welcome to do so, but know you will have to reduce the milk as well.
How to use Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Besides licking this right from the spoon, I have lots of cakes and cupcakes recipes to make with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting.
- Classic Chocolate Cake
- Chocolate Cupcakes
- Flourless Chocolate Cake
- Chocolate Candy Cane Cake
- Vanilla Cake – this combo is to die for!
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting FAQ
No, not at all. Cocoa powder is notoriously lumpy and it definitely helps to sift, but not totally necessary. You might not even have a sifter available to you, which is fine! Also, powdered sugar has cornstarch mixed into it to help prevent lumping. As you whip the ingredients for the frosting together, most of the lumps should come out. *Should* come out. They might not, which is all the more reason to sift. But again, don’t lose sleep over this if you can’t sift.
Yes! I actually prefer using salted butter for all my desserts and baked goods. I know, I know, sacrelig! Either unsalted or salted butter is absolutely fine to use interchangeably in this recipe.
Love Cake Decorating? Try these other frosting recipes:
- Vanilla Buttercream
- Cream Cheese Frosting
- Royal Icing
- Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting
- Whipped Chocolate Ganache Frosting
- Cream Cheese Frosting
- Lemon Mousse Frosting
More Favorites from Lauren’s Latest
So, there you have the easiest, tastiest chocolate frosting recipe! Hope you absolutely love it! Be sure to pin, save, bookmark and share this recipe because it’s a good one! Have a great day, friends!
If you make this recipe, I would really appreciate it if you would give it a star rating and leave your review in the comments! If you have a picture of your finished dish, post it on Instagram using the hashtag #laurenslatest and tagging me @laurens_latest.
Chocolate Frosting Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter softened, both salted or unsalted work fine
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder sifted
- 5 cups powdered sugar sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3-4 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Whip butter and cocoa together until smooth in large bowl. Stir in vanilla extract and powdered sugar.
- Slowly stream in milk until frosting reaches desired consistency. Scrape sides and whip again until light, fluffy and smooth, 1-2 minutes.
- Frost your cake or cupcakes*!
Video
Notes
- If your frosting is too thick, slowly add in milk little by little to get the consistency you want.
- If your frosting is too thin, add a little extra powdered sugar little by little to get the consistency you want.
Recommend Trader Joes cocoa!!
My mother taught me this receipe when I was a little girl. I’ve been making it for 40 years. Just like fashion…good things always come back around.
I absolutely loved this recipe. I am twelve years old and it turned out perfect! i made for my mothers birthday cake and although its sweet the cake i prepared with it compliments the sweetness because i put coffee in my cake
Hey, thanks for sharing this! Is it the same frosting on both? The cake frosting looks so much darker than the cupcake one! Why is that?
Thanks a lot!
It’s just the lighting and the filters I used.
My sons favorite cake is yellow cake with chocolate frosting. Making your frosting for his Birthday cake today. Too good and easy to pass up trying!
This frosting was amazing!! It was a great topping on cupcakes, cakes, chocolate chip cookies and brownies!! Thank you for this fabulous recipe!!
Your recipe for Chocolate Icing was beyond delicious and very fast and simple to make.
I was happy to stumble onto your site.
can you tell me the recipe for the frosting in oz’s please, not ” cups”. Thanks
Hi!
I’m making about 200 cupcakes for a party that will be held outside in August, so I was wondering if the frosting will held up to the heat?
Also, can I transform the recipe for a White chocolate frosting?
Thank you so much! 🙂
How hot is it going to be? Anything over 80 might make the frosting melt, unfortunately. And white chocolate is a great idea!! Yum!
[…] that is SO easy, try this recipe. I got the basic recipe from a variety of places including Lauren’s Latest, but decided it needed a little depth, so I added buttermilk instead of milk (since I had delicious […]
Lauren did you prep your pans before baking? My cakes did not come out of pan just fell apart.
Like many others, I came across this recipe on Google. I cut the recipe in half because I didn’t need very much. It turned out very well. I did add one extra tablespoon of cocoa. Can’t wait to make a full batch when I get the chance!
i wanted to make a chocolate frosting that would be really simple……I’ve done the others. Typed in ‘very easy chocolate frosting recipe’ and your’s sight was the 1st …so I clicked on it…liked what I saw…and printed the recipe. Oh my gosh…SO easy….and Sooooo very good. So, thank for being out there! I will be checking back!
[…] practically one-bowl and the recipe doubled well to make 24 cupcakes.) For the icing, I used the Best and Easiest Chocolate Frosting from Lauren’s Latest. It’s a simple, yummy buttercream! After icing the cupcakes, […]
I needed a quick chocolate frosting recipe and used unsalted butter and unsweetened vanilla almond milk instead of milk. The consistency just wasted right for my cupcakes.. Kinda gloppy. Tastes ok but not my favorite.
Thanks so much for this recipe. I live in Tanzania Africa and every recipe calls for chocolate chips. Not a single chocolate chip available in this or neighboring countries. Everytime I make it, it brings back memories of the good ole U.S of A
I tried this for my dads birthday cake, with this cake from all recipes and this frosting. IT. WAS. AWESOME.
😉
Please, does the recipe call for sweetened or unsweetened cocoa?
unsweetened.
[…] (Adapted from Lauren’s Latest The Best & Easiest Chocolate Frosting) […]
[…] (Adapted from Lauren’s Latest The Best & Easiest Chocolate Frosting) […]
this is so GOOD!!!!
Oh my goodness!!! Just made your frosting, it is AMAZING!!!!
When you make the cupcakes with Ree’s recipe do you add the 1/2 tsp of baking powder? I love the taste of her recipe ( I add a pinch of cinnamon for fun), but it does need a little extra fluff to it =) And your frosting recipe is SOOOOOO good! Thank you!
Yes, I sure do 🙂 It makes a world of difference.
I can wait to try it! Do you add it to the egg mixture or the flour mixture?
Can’t …..lol
You have just won my chocolate loving heart! Made your frosting today and could not be happier! Smooth, fluffy, creamy, chocolately, sweet, easy to make-it’s perfect! If anyone on this page wanted to try this and have not yet…do it now! So yummy!
Thank you for this recipe. I just made it for my gluten free cake and it is delicious! Can’t even miss gluten in my cake when I have good frosting. 🙂 Of course there is like 3 sticks of butter in this cake. Lol yikes
This may be the easiest but I don’t think it’s the best. Any frosting recipe that calls for a ratio of 5 cups of powdered sugar to 1 cup of butter (even though there’s a 1/2 cup of cocoa powder for this recipe) does not sound good to me. Just my personal opinion. If you want something that tastes much better than a typical American buttercream (read butter & powdered sugar), you gotta put in a little more effort. I have to say the French buttercream is the best. Egg yolks, granulated sugar, vanilla & butter.
This is ABSOLUTELY the BEST chocolate frosting I’ve ever tasted!! Thank you so much for sharing this little slice of heaven with everyone!! YUMMY
I thought this frosting was not good, I made it and it ruined the cake, I tasted it three times and had an uneasy feeling, when I got halfway through frosting it I thought I was gonna get sick. something wrong here.
Hi Lisa, I agree with you. Maybe you want to try this recipe? I have never looked back since…(for chocolate frosting you might want to increase the amount of sugar to 1 or 1 1/4 cup and then add 1/4 cocoa powder)
2 medium eggs
3/4 cups sugar
1/16 teaspoon salt
300g unsalted butter, cut into small cubes (cold)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Food Coloring (optional)
Directions:
1. In a metal/glass bowl, combine eggs, sugar, and salt; place the bowl over a pan of simmering water. Using a wire whisk, whisk constantly by hand until the mixture is hot, about 5 minutes. Tip: the mixture should reach about 64 degrees on an instant read thermometer, or feel completely smooth when rubbed between your fingertips. Remove from heat. Don’t let the eggs scramble otherwise you have to redo! Let it cool slightly.
2. Pour the mixture into the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on medium high speed for 5 to 7 minutes or until the mixture turns thick and fluffy and is cool. Tip: Touch the mixture and make sure it has cooled to room temperature. Also the outside of the bowl should feel cool to the touch.
3. Stop the mixer, remove the whisk and attach the paddle. With the mixer on medium speed add the butter, about 2 cubes at a time and mixing 20 to 30 seconds after each addition. While adding the butter, stop the mixer occasionally to scrape the mixture off the paddle and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula so the mixture blends evenly. Add the vanilla and continue beating until the Buttercream is thick and smooth, about another 2 to 3 minutes. Tip: The mixture may look like a mess in the beginning but just continue to beat and it will come together. Remember to make sure that the bowl is cool. You can put an ice pack around the bowl to keep it cool.
4. Optional: add food coloring, a drop at a time and blend with the mixer. Add additional food coloring if necessary to reach the desired shade.
5. Buttercream should be used immediately, or refrigerate or freeze until needed.
thank you! I will try it. I am in need of a good frosting recipe that is not filled with hydrogenated oils:)
I have used this frosting recipe twice now and it is a big hit! It does frost 24 but just barely, love the flavor and it complimented my cupcakes perfectly!
You may very well have answered this already, but there are so many comments. I am wondering if the butter you use is salted or not & what kind of milk, whole, 2%. Thank you for your time.
Any kind of milk is fine and I use salted butter.
I’m 71 yrs old and have been making this frosting since I was 11! How is this new….just a simple butter frosting with cocoa added
Hi, could you please put ounces as well as cups in your recipes thanx
really tho….5 cups of sugar?????
This is the same recipe for frosting that my mother used when I was growing up for all of her home made cakes. It is one of the simplest recipes and tastes so good. It can easily be modified for a vanilla recipe by omitting the cocoa and adding the 1/2 cup as icing sugar instead and lots of vanilla extract for flavor.
I would love to try this but 5 cups of powdered sugar??? It’s to sweet for me. Instead of butter I am going to use double cream….I love my icing not too sweet at all just the right consistency…to sweet for everything is not good at all… Sorry :))
Add 2tsp of instant coffee dissolved in the milk and you will have mocha chocolate frosting!
Ooh, great tip!! Thanks!
My mom taught me this recipe when I was a little girl, but it was more dump & pour, but it sounds like the basic proportions! She would also make a candy with it, but adding peanut butter & rice krispies to it, then dropping them onto wax paper until they were not as messy to handle. Very sweet, but good, when you’re a kid! 😀
Can feosting be frozen for use another time? Please email me yes or no on the frosting freeze. Cheers
Whenever I have made frosting like this using powdered sugar, it always tastes funny – almost metallic. Have you ever experienced this, or do you know any tricks to overcome it? I’ve read this is not uncommon using powdered sugar.
This tasted too much like coco powder 🙁 was not a fan I must say. I added some chocolate chips to make it taste a little better.
Hey there!
This looks delicious. I have one question though.
Is the cocoa powder for this recipe unsweetened?
Thank you 🙂
yes!
[…] I had to toss the left overs in order to avoid over indulging. I used the recipe from LaurensLatest here and I halved it. I also would recommend using about a cup less powdered sugar as the first batch I […]
[…] the icing, we always heed to this wonderful recipe. ingredients […]
Thanks for the recipe! I just made it this morning, for my daughter’s birthday cake. It tastes amazing!! I’m pinning this to my boards, and will link back to you when I write about her party in 2 weeks (skipping next week for Mother’s Day stuff).
Mmm! Did you stir by hand or did you use a mixer? And if mixer was used, did you use the whisk or paddle?
I used a handheld mixer with the beaters.
Yay!
I’ve tried this recipe n it turned out fabulous!tnx! but r u sure about 5 CUPS of sugar?i used only 2 cups sugar for 1 cup butter n it already became oversweet! i think 5 tblespons will do…
[…] late nights. So, in honor of this day, I baked my favorite yellow cake topped with this decadent chocolate frosting. I am hopeful that as I embark on another year, I will continue to grow, learn and make new […]
I just made this cake for my hubby, today is his birthday. I am thinking he is going to love this cake. Since he really doesn’t like frosting that is very sweet. What I did was cut down the powered sugar from 5 to 3 cups. Let me tell you …. for us, it came out perfect!! Thank you!
[…] (Adapted from Lauren’s Latest The Best & Easiest Chocolate Frosting) […]
[…] the icing, we always heed to this wonderful recipe. ingredients […]