Easy Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

When you taste this easy chocolate buttercream frosting recipe, you’ll wonder why you used anything different. This easy frosting recipe is a big crowd-pleaser and only takes a couple of minutes to make.

I have met and heard from so many people that the reason they don’t make their own frosting is because they think it has to be time-consuming. But this 10-minute recipe only takes 4 ingredients from your fridge and pantry!

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Incredible Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Here at Ruffles and Rain Boots, cupcakes are my love language. I’ve perfected the art of whipping up a batch between commercial breaks of my favorite tv shows or mad-dash cleaning the house because there is nothing like a tasty cupcake with homemade frosting.

We recently made a batch of my Lazy Girl’s Vanilla Cupcakes and topped them with this easy chocolate buttercream frosting. I took them to an event and everyone swore they were bought instead of being homemade (it felt great to get such a huge compliment).

If you need time to get your ingredients together, bookmark this page and come back to it when you are ready to make your frosting recipe.

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Why This Frosting Is Perfect for Your Recipe Box

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Tips for This Easy Chocolate Frosting Recipe

• If you want to give your frosting a more chocolatey flavor, whip up a chocolate ganache and include it in your recipe. To do so, just add 1/4 cup of mini chocolate chips and a teaspoon of heavy whipping cream in a small bowl. Heat at 50% power for 30 seconds. Stir until smooth and add to the frosting bowl.
• This recipe is perfect for a cake or cupcakes. For a smooth look, add a crumb coat to a cake before making the final frosted cake.
• If you find the buttercream frosting too thick to pipe through a smaller tip, add a teaspoon or so of heavy whipping cream, half and half, or milk.
• Frosting a warm cupcake will lead to a melted, runny mess. Place the cupcakes on a cooling rack for 30 minutes or in the fridge for 15 or so minutes to cool them down.

Ingredients For This Easy Buttercream

Below are the ingredients we used to make this homemade chocolate frosting recipe. Before you head to the store to stock up, check your fridge and pantry to see what you have on hand. If you want information on making this frosting even more chocolatey, read the tips section above.

• Unsalted sweet cream butter softened
• Powdered sugar
• Dark chocolate Hershey cocoa powder
• Heavy whipping cream
• Pure vanilla extract
• Already baked vanilla cupcakes

How To Make Cupcake Frosting Recipe

Each step for this buttercream frosting recipe is detailed below to make it easy for you. Keep this page open while you make your frosting. If you prefer a printable recipe, scroll down and select the print button.

Using a stand mixer, place the butter into the mixing bowl.

Using a paddle attachment, beat the butter for 2 minutes or until light in color and fluffy.

Gradually add in the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, heavy cream, and vanilla. Continue to beat on medium to low speed for about 2 minutes.

Once the frosting is the consistency you want, spoon the frosting into a piping bag and frost the cupcakes. If you want to elevate your mini cakes, read these tips and tricks on how to decorate cupcakes.

Notes on This Recipe

• We used dark cocoa powder for this recipe to give the frosting its rich flavor and color. If your grocery store doesn’t have the darker version, standard cocoa powder works well.
• To give the frosting a richer flavor, you can add a teaspoon of instant coffee or of recently brewed coffee. You won’t taste the coffee, but you will get a deep chocolate flavor.
• For a smooth and silky frosting, we recommend sifting not only the powdered sugar but the cocoa powder as well. This will get rid of virtually all the lumps.
• You can easily over-mix buttercream frosting, causing air bubbles. Incorporate until just mixed together.

More Cupcake And Frosting Recipes You May Like

• Dulce de Leche Cupcakes Recipe: This popular South American flavor is one that has become increasingly popular here in the US and you will love the sweet milky caramel flavor of the dulce de leche.
• Milk and Cookies Cupcake Recipe: Chocolate cupcakes and vanilla frosting with mini chocolate chip cookies and a small pipette of milk to the frosting – amazing (and they look like a bakery made them).
• Banana Cream Pie Cupcakes Recipe: These cupcakes have the flavor of the classic dessert and is so deliciously decadent.
• Yummy Bananas Foster Cupcakes Recipe: These cupcakes are a unique version of the classic dessert. We even flambe the bananas to add as a topping to the frosting.

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