While my easy chocolate cupcake recipe is pretty fantastic as is, it's even better when topped with this incredible chocolate frosting! This easy homemade chocolate frosting recipe calls for 5 simple ingredients and takes just 10 minutes to make. It's the best!
If you know me, you know I have a relationship with chocolate. Yes, I'm a dietitian and I love chocolate. It's a fact that I totally own, lol!
And, just like my Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars, this chocolate frosting recipe is made with less butter than most other recipes like it. I add a little more milk than you might expect, and then I whip it at a high speed a little longer to get a lighter consistency that you and your kids will absolutely love.
In the end, this incredible frosting looks like a milk chocolate, whipped buttercream frosting. It's always so hard deciding what to call a recipe, especially when all that really matters is that it's easy and oh, so good.
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What is the Difference Between Icing and Frosting?
This is really great question! While frosting and icing are often used interchangeably, they are not the same thing.
Frosting is thicker than icing. Both are made with sugar and some liquid, but frosting is also made with a heavier base like butter, cream, or peanut butter. Frosting is fluffier and made to be spread on a cake (or cupcakes) or used as a filling inside of a cupcake.
Icing is much thinner than frosting and is often drizzled or gently poured over a baked good.
So, if you are literal like me, when you make this recipe and your friends ask you for your incredible chocolate icing recipe, you'll likely be torn on whether or not to correct them and reply with "oh, do you mean my chocolate frosting recipe?" 😉
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Easy recipe. As long as you are prepared with soft (not melted) butter and know that you'll have to sift the powdered sugar ONLY if it's lumpy (in my experience, only powdered sugar that has been opened and stored for a while gets lumpy), you will agree that this is a super easy frosting recipe.
- So much better than store bought. Your kids will love it!
- Perfect for birthday cakes, Christmas, (try using crushed candy cane instead of sprinkles!), you name it!
Ingredient Notes
- Butter Use unsalted butter at room temperature. The butter should be soft.
- Cocoa powder Sifted. What's a chocolate buttercream frosting without cocoa powder? 😉
- Powdered sugar Used to give this frosting a light texture and the sweetness everyone loves. You only need to sift the powdered sugar if it is lumpy.
- Vanilla Used to enhance the flavor. Do not leave it out of this recipe.
- Milk Use any kind of milk. I've used skim milk and 2% milk to make this recipe.
How Much Frosting Does This Make?
This recipe makes about two to two-and-a-half cups of frosting. It makes enough to frost two dozen cupcakes or one 9x11 cake.
How to Make the Perfect Chocolate Cupcake Frosting
Here is a very brief overview of the steps to make this incredible chocolate cupcake frosting. For specific and detailed instructions, scroll down to the recipe.
- Use a stand mixer with a whisk attachment. Place the butter, vanilla, and cocoa powder in the mixing bowl. Start mixing at low speed and gradually increase to medium-high speed. Mix for about two minutes, until most of the cocoa powder is mixed in with the butter.
- Gradually add in the powdered sugar while whisking at a low to medium speed
- Add milk. Then gradually increase the speed to high. Whisk at a high speed for about a minute, until the frosting has a milk chocolate color and has a semi-whipped consistency.
- Scrape the frosting from the sides of the bowl and whisk with a spoonula or small spatula.
Dietitian Tips
Tip 1 Making a frosting that is lighter, like this one that has more of a whipped consistency, is one strategy you can use to cut back on the amount of butter and sugar per serving in a recipe. You cannot over-whip this frosting (at least I don't think you can, lol), so continue to whip at high speed until your desired consistency is reached.
Tip 2 A little goes a long way with a creamy, rich chocolate frosting. Topping cupcakes with just a thin layer of a rich, chocolatey frosting will satisfy even the strongest chocolate craving:) See, I've got you!
Expert Tips
- Do not use cold butter right out of the refrigerator to make this recipe.
- Let the butter sit out at room temperature for several hours, or overnight before making frosting. The butter should be soft.
- The butter should soften enough to make frosting after one hour, but it will take more work to make because the butter won't be soft enough to mix easily and you won't get the same whipped consistency.
- If your powdered sugar is lumpy, sift it using a fine mesh strainer. This will take a few extra minutes, but it will be well worth it. You do not want a lumpy frosting.
- This is a sweet frosting. Frosting is supposed to be sweet. A little goes a long way.
- Use good quality vanilla. You will be able to taste the difference.
- Pause mixing as needed to scrape the sides of the bowl so that all ingredients are mixed together.
- Do not add too much milk. If your frosting has too much liquid, it will not whip or spread nicely.
- To make your frosting even thicker, add more powdered sugar.
- To thin out the frosting even more, add a small amount of milk at a time.
- Have a small spatula handy to scrape the sides of the bowl while as needed.
- If you have a 4.5- or 5-quart KitchenAid stand mixer with a tilt head and stainless-steel bowl, using a pouring shield will lessen the mess from the cocoa powder and powdered sugar.
Questions You May Have
If your frosting is lumpy, it is most likely because the butter was cold or one of the dry ingredients was lumpy, like powdered sugar or cocoa.
Runny frosting is usually caused by too much liquid being used. Melted butter could cause runny frosting, as could tub margarine (also known as vegan butter).
Yes, you absolutely use vegan butter to make frosting, but the texture will not be the same. Vegan butter (also known as margarine) is made out of oils, which are not as solid as butter, even when refrigerated.
If you choose to use vegan butter to make this recipe, wait to add milk until you see what the consistency is like without it. If it needs to be thinned out a little bit, add a very small amount at a time.
Frosting is sweet because it is made with sugar. Powdered sugar and butter give substance to chocolate buttercream frosting. You can cut back on the amount of powdered sugar, but the texture will change, and it won't taste quite a good.
Yes. You can refrigerate this frosting in a food-safe container with a tight-fitting lid. Let it sit out at room temperature for two to three hours to soften. To get the whipped consistency back, whisk it at high speed for about thirty seconds.
More Easy Dessert Recipes
Did you make this incredibly delicious chocolate buttercream frosting for cupcakes and love it? Please give it a 5-star rating and leave a comment to let me know.
And don't forget to take a picture of your cupcake before you devour it and tag me on Instagram so I can see it!
📖 Recipe
Best Homemade Chocolate Frosting
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter At room temperature. See notes.
- ⅔ cup cocoa powder Unsweetened. Sifted.
- 3 ¾ cup powdered sugar Sifted, if lumpy. One 16oz bag of powdered sugar equals about 3 ¾ of a cup.
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 5 ½ tablespoon milk I use skim or 2% milk
Instructions
- Place the butter and cocoa powder in the bowl attached to your stand mixer.
- Use the whisk attachment of your stand mixer to mix the cocoa powder and butter together at medium speed for about one minute. Add the vanilla and mix at medium to medium-high speed until most of the cocoa powder is mixed in with the butter. The mixture will be dark and crumbly.
- Turn the mixer off and scrape the whisk and sides of the mixing bowl to keep the butter in the bowl with the rest of the ingredients.
- Set the mixer to medium speed again and gradually add the powdered sugar (add about ⅓ of a cup at a time). If the mixture is sticking to the sides of the bowl or to the whisk too much, try increasing the speed once most of the powdered sugar is incorporated. Pause mixing as needed to scrape the whisk and sides of the bowl.
- Once all of the powdered sugar has been incorporated, add the milk. Whisk at medium-high speed for about one minute and then set your mixer to high speed for an additional minute or two (until it has the whipped consistency you want).
- Stop mixing, scrape the sides, and check the consistency. If you would like a thinner frosting, add one more tablespoon of milk and whisk on high for another minute. Otherwise, you're set and ready to frost your cupcakes!
Notes
- Do not use cold butter right out of the refrigerator to make this recipe.
- Let the butter sit out at room temperature for several hours, or overnight before making frosting. The butter should be soft.
- The butter should soften enough to make frosting after one hour, but it will take more work to make because the butter won't be soft enough to mix easily and you won't get the same whipped consistency.
- If your powdered sugar is lumpy, sift it using a fine mesh strainer. This will take a few extra minutes, but it will be well worth it. You do not want a lumpy frosting.
- This is a sweet frosting. Frosting is supposed to be sweet. A little goes a long way.
- Use good quality vanilla. You will be able to taste the difference.
- I have made this with the most generic cocoa powder and my kids loved it. However, if you are particular about your chocolate, use a higher quality cocoa powder.
- Pause mixing as needed to scrape the sides of the bowl so that all ingredients are mixed together.
- Do not add too much milk. If your frosting has too much liquid, it will not whip or spread nicely.
- To make your frosting even thicker, add more powdered sugar.
- To thin out the frosting even more, add a small amount of milk at a time.
- Have a small spatula handy to scrape the sides of the whisk and bowl as needed.
- If you have a 4.5- or 5-quart KitchenAid stand mixer with a tilt head and stainless-steel bowl, using a pouring shield will lessen the mess from the cocoa powder and powdered sugar.
- Once you get the hang of it, you'll be able to make this frosting in about 10 minutes.
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