This classic Chocolate Buttercream Frosting Recipe is the only chocolate buttercream recipe that you will ever need. It tastes amazing, pipes beautifully, and has been our go-to chocolate buttercream for years!
You are going to LOVE how easy this chocolate frosting is to make. Throw that canned chocolate frosting in the trash, it won’t taste good to you anymore!
How to Make Chocolate Buttercream
This chocolate buttercream recipe comes together in no time! You can find the full, printable frosting recipe below. This is an American Buttercream, meaning that it consists primarily of butter, powdered sugar, flavorings, milk, and in this case, cocoa powder as well.
It makes a great chocolate filling, frosting, and pipes great too!
- Add softened butter to the mixing bowl and mix on low to medium speed until smooth. Add vanilla and blend into the butter. Add powdered sugar, salt, and cocoa powder.
- Add most of the milk. Begin mixing at low speed so you won’t have a cloud of powdered sugar in your kitchen.
- Continue to mix adding remaining milk as needed. It may take 5 to 6 minutes to reach the smoothness and consistency you like. It will take longer if using a hand mixer. As you mix the frosting will become very smooth. You can add additional milk (1 Tablespoon at a time) if the frosting is too thick or additional powdered sugar if too soft.
What Cakes Taste Great with Chocolate Frosting?
This Classic Chocolate Buttercream is silky smooth, has a fantastic chocolate flavor, and it is the perfect complement to SO many flavors of cakes and cupcakes!
We love it as a filling or frosting for so many of our cake recipes, including:
- Classic Chocolate Cupcakes, and many more.
What I’m realizing in making this list of cakes that pair well with chocolate frosting is that I want to put every cake on the list! Haha.. that’s when you know you have a good frosting (or maybe I just like chocolate a little too much).
This Chocolate Frosting is Perfectly Pipeable
This Chocolate Frosting recipe should give you a nice medium consistency, making it perfect for piping. Whether you’re making buttercream ruffles, buttercream roses, or piping pretty scrolls or borders, this frosting couldn’t be simpler to work with.
You’ll have a bit of wiggle room when it comes to the amount of sugar and liquid. For a thicker frosting, mix in more confectioners sugar. For a softer frosting, add a bit more milk. I also prefer to use whole milk rather than skim or 1% as it gives a richer flavor and a lighter crust when it sets.
Other Chocolate Frostings to Try…
We have a couple of other delicious chocolate frostings in our recipes section!
Our Fluffy Chocolate Buttercream recipe is similar to this classic chocolate buttercream, as it is a crusting recipe which is great for piping. The difference is that it contains shortening, which makes it more heat resistant.
It’s always nice to have a heat friendly option for those hot summer days. Just remember that no frosting is 100 percent heat-proof. Shortening based frostings will hang in there for a bit longer though! You can find the recipe here: Fluffy Chocolate Buttercream Frosting.
Next, if you are looking for something even more rich, you will also love our Chocolate Ganache Frosting in the Recipes section! If you’ve never tried ganache, it is a decadent mixture of chocolate and cream. Hop on over for the details!
Click Here to Save this Chocolate Buttercream Frosting Recipe to Pinterest!
More Recipes for the Chocolate Lovers!
If you love chocolate cakes and frostings, don’t miss our full roundup of favorite chocolate cake and frosting recipes!! These are SO delicious and we have a great variety in this roundup of chocolate fillings and frostings, scratch chocolate cakes, doctored chocolate cake mix recipes, and favorite chocolate cake and frosting pairings!
Best Chocolate Cakes and Frostings
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
The most delicious and simple Chocolate Buttercream Frosting recipe! This chocolate frosting pipes great also.
Ingredients
- 3 sticks (339g) unsalted butter, softened (do not soften butter in the microwave)
- 8 cups powdered sugar (icing sugar in UK) (920g) more if needed. ** For cupcakes, I like to use 7c. (805g) for a softer frosting
- 1 cup (82g) unsweeteded cocoa (not Dutch processed, measure then sift
- ¾ (180g) milk plus 2 Tablespoons or more if needed to reach the spreading consistency you like
- 2 teaspoons vanilla (12 grams)
- 1 teaspoon salt (6g) we like the finer grain of plain popcorn salt, to cut the sweetness
Instructions
- Add butter and mix on low to medium speed until smooth. Add vanilla and blend into the butter. Add powdered sugar, salt, and cocoa powder.
- Add most of the milk. Begin mixing at low speed so you won't have a cloud of powdered sugar in your kitchen.
- Continue to mix adding remaining milk as needed. It may take 5 to 6 minutes to reach the smoothness and consistency you like. It will take longer if using a hand mixer. As you mix the frosting will become very smooth. You can add additional milk (1 Tablespoon at a time) if the frosting is too thick or additional powdered sugar if too soft.
This is my favorite chocolate frosting! Recipe can easily be doubled or halved.
This recipe makes approximately 7 cups of frosting.
My Cake School Online Cake Tutorials, Cake Recipes, and More!
That’s all for now! Don’t you just want to dive into a bowl of chocolate buttercream? Ahhhhh….so good. We think that you’ll love this Classic Chocolate Frosting!
Make sure to check out our full collection of favorite tried and true cake and frosting recipes in our Recipes Section!
If you are interested in learning more about cake decorating, don’t miss our Free Cake Tutorials section, which also includes a Free Cake Video Tutorial Section.
If you are interested in learning even more about cake decorating, we would LOVE to have you as a member of My Cake School! As a member, you will have access to every cake decorating video tutorial that we’ve made over the years (hundreds)! You can find out all of the details here: Learn Cake Decorating Online with My Cake School!
Hi Melissa
With the butter when you say stick is it the 200g or 125g. Thanks
Hi Nisreen, 1 stick of butter is 113 g,
Is this a crusting buttercream?
Yes, it is a crusting buttercream
Thank you BeBe!
do you know how many cups I would need for a full sheet cake ..thank you for your help ….Irene
Does this freeze well?
Hi Irene–I’m sorry, you can click on the “Helpful Links” section in the right side bar and pull up Wilton’s charts. They include approx. amounts for various cake sizes. We always have a stockpile of icing and so it’s hard for me to say–I would just use their estimate as a jumping off point.
Marenda—yes, it freezes very well in an airtight container :0)!
Is it one cup cocoa as it is not equal to 2 1/2 oz. It should be 8 oz. Am i confused or what?
Hi Sadia–1 cup= 8oz. for liquid measurements. However, when going by weight of dry ingredients, 1 cup of powdered cocoa is 2 .5 oz (86 grams).
Thx for clarifying. Living in Canada, I’m still getting used to the metric system, and my conversion rates are a bit off at times.
can you tell me what am doing wrong with this buttercream. i have mAde it twice and it still come out so thick and dry not even spreadable. also can i ask what is the easiest way to spell out happy birthday on 12 cup cakes. thank you.
Hi tootsieroll :0) — Just add some more milk if it seems too thick (just a little at a time) until you get a more workable consistency. Also, just in case this applies to you…when you measure out your powdered sugar, just spoon it into the measuring cup (rather than scooping it) — this will give you a more accurate measurement.
As for spelling out happy birthday onto 12 cupcakes, any chance that you can bump it to 13 or 14? That way you could write a letter on each cupcake. — If working with 12, you could still probably make this work- you would just need to adjust the spacing of the letters. Another idea is to group them tightly together and frost them all as one surface as a “cupcake cake” and write happy birthday on top. :0)
I used this buttercream recipe today. It was absolutely delicious!!!!
Thank you so much!
So glad that you like it!! ;0)
Used this on my gluten-free vanilla cake for a customer! They loved it and I thought it tasted amazing! had to use a lot more milk that it asked for though
hi could you please help me by telling me what can i do to unstiff my chocolate buttercream?It doesn’t come out fluffy as it should or as i see it on video .Do i have to add more milk ?and how many gr. exactely are 6 cups sugar please?
Hi Anna-Maria—Yes, just add a little bit more milk at a time until you get the desired consistency.
I used the link below to tell me that 6 cups powdered sugar= 750 grams
— You can also find this conversion website in our “Member Resources” section under “Helpful Links”
http://www.traditionaloven.com/culinary-arts/sugars/confectioners-sugar/convert-us-measuring-cup-to-gram-g-confectioner-sugar.html
thank’s Melissa for you answer could you also please clarify me why buttercream some times come out fine and other it’s a complet failure? I spended 3 hours yesterday making a bunch of chocolate buttercream and it when stiff I had to threw it away ,I can not use it .I added milk but no great difference .
Could it be because the weather is a bit cold ? could it be because i beat it in the mixer for a long time? does it get stiffer if you beat it more than 5 minutes . What are the causes that can make a buttercream turn wrong ?
Thanks anyway for your help .
Sorry to insist Melissa for an answer but i have to prepare 200 cupcakes for a christening and it seems i can not get control of my buttercream
thank’s
Hi Anna- Maria, sorry for the delay but we were asleep when your question came in. We are on the east coast of the US.
The weather being a bit cold should not have made your buttercream too stiff to use, also I always beat mine 6 to 8 minutes so that is not the problem.
Possibly some brands of cocoa powder might need more milk added. I can’t think of a reason why adding more milk would not not solve the problelm……just keep adding milk 1 tablespoon at a time until you get the consistency you need. If your buttercream has the look of popped bubbles, it needs more milk and that will disappear. If your butter is softened and the milk is added as needed, I can’t think of what would make it too stiff to use. Let us know…….because you should not be having this problem.
No problem I can understand the reason of your delay I new the problem with the difference of hours . I just started all over again this morning by making my buttercream with 180gr of butter and 50 gr of Crisco instead of doing the hole bunch with fresh butter . I also used a bit less sugar and it came out much smoother. I hope I will have no problem piping it on my cupcakes.
Any way thank’s so much for your concern both of you . I will send you the photos when they will be ready
Made this tonight and it is absolutely delicious! It was the perfect ratio of chocolate and sweetness.
Hi melissa
I’m jz a newby in cake decorating even in baking ..can I used salted butter instead of unsalted? Would the result be the same? Here in our area , unsalted butter is expensive than salted one..tnx in advance!more power!
Hi Loida, yes, you can use unsalted butter and get a good result. The buttercream will be a little less sweet but many people look at that as a plus.
I just made this and I literally licked the bowl clean. What diet?! This is a
great recipe!
Hello! Will this recipe work well with the viva or roller method to smooth out the frosting?
Hi Yessenia, yes, it works well with both viva and roller method
I have made the chocolate version before and it’s fab! but just now I added like 4-5 (didn’t really count! ) TBS of instant coffee to my milk and added to the mixture and it’s just divine mocha buttercream. oh and I changed coco amount to like half ( didn’t really measure!) I will be using it in WASC mocha cake with chopped heath bars in between…mmmmm heaven!
Hi Ursela, thanks for the tip. Your cake sounds delicious!
Hi! Love your website!!
I just tried this recipe last night, and while it was DELISH, it came out very gritty..hmm.. not sure what happened. I halved the recipe just because i didn’t want to make too much the first time. I used Ghiradelli cocoa, and can’t think of any other reason it was so gritty. Do you know what I could be doing wrong?
Hi Heather, did you soften your butter in the microwave? That can cause your buttercream to be gritty. If that is not the case, some members have said that changing brands of confectioners sugar solved their problem. Hope this helps.
hi when you put powdered sugar is this icing sugar or ordinary sugar?
cheers x
Hi Sally, it would be icing sugar
Is this 1 cup of cocoa before or after sifting or does it matter?
Hi Gracie, I measure the 1 cup of cocoa and then sift. I added that to the recipe in case someone else had this question.
I have made this once before and it was awesome. I need to make it again and the end result needs to be black icing. Would this work okay with Hershey’s dark chocolate cocoa do you think.? I really want to keep the amount of black food coloring to a minimum?
Hi Jan, yes, I think that would be fine.
Does this need to be refrigerated after making or can it be kept in an airtight container in a cool place?
Hi Kimberly, you can keep your frosted buttercream cake out for 2 days (depending on heat and humidity). Your buttercream will be good in the refrigerator 2 weeks if the expiration dates of your milk and butter are good….or you can freeze for 2 to 3 months
Thank you BeBe.
Hi Bebe
Will this frosting fare well in the summer? I have a chocolate wedding cake to do and do not want in melting on me! ~Thanks so much!
Hi Madri, the Fluffy Chocolate Buttercream will fare better in summer heat.
Hello.. I need to make black icing tomorrow for a mickey mouse cake, quite nervous may I add..lol
Anyway, how many drops on black fodd coloring would I need to add to this recipe, to get a nice dark mickey mouse black color… also, some with your vanilla icing recipe, what can I do to get it a nice mickey red… please help.. thanks!!! elena
also one more question about my mickey cake i’m making.. i’m making a mickey shape face.. 2 8in round cake and one 14 in cake, any tips on how to attach the ears to the face?? thanks!
Hi Elena, I can’t say definitely. It always takes a lot of food coloring to achieve black and the other deep colors such as red. The color will intensify as time goes by. At first your red will not look dark enough, but after several hours your color will deepen.
Does it matter if I use unsweetened or sweetened cocoa?
Hi Amber, I use unsweetened cocoa powder.
Hi Melissa
I saw in one of your blogs that you make batches of vanilla and chocolate buttercream and leave them in the freezer. Another comment says you can leave in freezer for 2 to 3 months. Are you wrapping the container in a special way? Should you thaw the buttercream in the fridge or room temperature? How long does it take to thaw out?
Your site is fabulous!!!!!
Thank you for your help.
Hi Anne, Melissa and I freeze the buttercream in plastic containers. We usually let it thaw in the refrigerator but on the countertop is fine also. We never thaw it in the microwave, that could cause it to become grainy.
After it thaws you may need to remix a bit and sometimes a small amount of milk will need to be added to get to the right consistency.
Wow I did this frosting for the first time n wow omg it taste so good..my daughter is loving it too..yum..thanks so much..
Ali– so glad that you & your daughter like it! I love it too ;0)
This is the BEST chocolate frosting I’ve ever made…I only used 5 cups of powder sugar that I sifted…it’s perfect! I can’t wait until the guests eat this cake!! THANK YOU
Hi Cynthia, I’m glad that you like it. Thanks for posting.
I made this frosting yesterday and it was very good. I did need to add a bit more milk but it tastes delish!! I weighed my dry ingredients because it’s easier and more accurate for me. It crusted enough where I could use VIVA on it and it piped borders nicely. Thanks for the recipe.
Hi Joan, I’m happy you like the recipe. Thank you for making your post.
Can I use this recipe under fondant?
Hi Joelma, Yes, this can be used under fondant. After you have frosted your cake, you will want to firm up the chocolate frosting by putting it in the refrigerator approximately 10 minutes. In case you need to reposition the fondant when you are laying it on, this will make it easier to do so.
Thanks!
Feedback: It worked okay, not great. I should probably have added more powedered sugar to the recipe to make the icing stiffer under the fondant. It firms up in the fridge but it softens when brought to room temp (actually 66 degrees with the AC running). I had a few bulging spots under the fondant, which was textured and painted like wood, and that helped the final look :)
Thanks for our school. Keep up the good work. I believe I’ve been a member for almost 3 years now. Always learning from everyone on this website. I would love to see more fondant work and hand modeling tutorials for figures (people, animals) on video.
Hi! A question from Spain! Would you recommend this frosting for your train spiral cake? In the video you mention you use your stiff buttercream, but I do not find the recipie. Thanks!/Gracias!
Hi Carmen– Yes, it would be fine! In the train spiral cake, I may have used a stiff dam of buttercream. I used to use stiff buttercream dams often but I don’t do this anymore. (Making stiff buttercream is just a matter of stirring in enough powdered sugar until the buttercream is very thick and firm.)
Now, rather than relying on stiff buttercream dams to prevent bulging & settling, I skip that step and just make sure to thoroughly settle my tiers before adding the final coat of frosting (or fondant). Let me know if you have any more questions!
Thank you so much!
Hi, would this buttercream is suitable for high temp weather?
Hi Lenylia–I’m sorry that I missed this. This frosting as well as any other butter based frostings are going to become soft in hot conditions. Shortening based frostings don’t have as much flavor (you need to add more flavoring to compensate), but it does hold up a bit better in high temperatures.
Hi,
Could you add heavy cream to this instead of milk, to make it fluffy?
Thank you!
Yes, you could add heavy cream instead of milk. It takes a bit longer to crust when using cream but that is no problem.
Has anyone come back to you on how long can the frosting hold in room temperature about 30degree celcius? Tropical country ….
If I add ganache in it will it make it stand longer in room temperature?
Hi Mae, Adding ganache will not add to the time it can be at room temperature. Depending on which ganache recipe you use, ganache will be more perishable than buttercream. We think a buttercream cake should be eaten within 3 days if it is going to be left at room temperature. If you are in high temperatures, such as 30 degrees celsius, I would be on the safe side and keep refrigerated until party time and take out an hour before serving.
Hello, I was wondering if you sift the powder sugar? Also on your mixer do you use the paddle, dough hook or whisk, thanks for the recipe so excited to make it!
Hi Vanessa, If it is a new bag I sometimes don’t sift, but to be on the safe side you should sift your powdered sugar. Measure the powdered sugar then sift. I use the paddle attachment to made this frosting.
What brand of cocoa powder do you use?
Hi Karla, We use Ghirardelli unsweetened most often.
Would this buttercream recipe be ok under fondant?
Hi Sharon, yes you can use this recipe under fondant. We don’t put on a thick layer, just a moderate amount and also chill the cake 5 to 10 minutes to firm up the buttercream before laying on the fondant. It will firm up quickly because it is an all butter recipe.
Thank you for your quick reply ? I live in Australia and wasn’t expecting such a quick response! I love your tutorials, I have learnt so much ??
Is it possible to cut down the amount of sugar?
What is c. In your recipd?
Hi Husn, c is for cup, it is best to weigh you ingredients, if possible.
Hi BeBe, I have quite a bit of Dutch processed chocolate powder. I wonder if it could be used interchangeably with regular cocoa powder for frosting and fillings?
Hi Terri, There is not a short answer to this, so here is a link to an interesting explanation to the science behind the answer, http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/08/difference-dutch-process-natural-cocoa-powder-substitute.html
Ok. I’m a little confused. I’ve been using your classic buttercream recipe and I love it by the way, and I want to try the chocolate but I’m confused by the amount of sugar you use. The regular buttercream says 6-7c of sugar with 6 cups equaling 690 grams but this recipe says 6 cups of sugar also but it says 796 grams. I’m just confused on what amount of sugar I should use, I would’ve guessed less in the chocolate buttercream because of the cocoa that will be added but instead it’s more.
Hi Natasha, Yes, I can see that it might be a bit confusing. Earlier this year we reduced the amount of sugar in the Classic Vanilla Buttercream, originally it had 2 lbs. (920g.) We also decreased the amount powdered sugar in the chocolate recipe. I think there was a mistake in the amount listed and I have corrected it. The cocoa powder in the recipe can have a slight bitter taste so that is why it does not have less sugar than the vanilla recipe. It is a good idea to taste after 6 cups of sugar have been added to determine if you think it will need more. Hope this helps.
Hi there,
I have a heap of vanilla essence in my cupboard and would like to use that up. Is the 2 teaspoons of vanilla essence or do I need to buy actual vanilla pods or vanilla bean paste?
Thanks for getting back to me Bebe. I went with my gut and used the same amount I had been using in the classic buttercream recipe (690grams). I still had to add a few more tablespoons of milk for it to be the consistency I wanted and after that it was perfect and tasted great! I think it had just the right amount of sweetness! And everyone else loved it to. Thank you so much!!
Here’s the cake I made with it?
It’s beautiful, Natasha!!!
Hi Natasha, Your cake looks absolutely perfect!
Hi Liz, We used vanilla extract in the recipe. I believe that vanilla extract has a stronger flavor than vanilla essence. Hope this helps.
I’m actually answering a question that was posted five years ago. In regard to the person who had gritty buttercream, it’s the powdered sugar that can cause grit and there’s really nothing you can do about it once it’s mixed in. It happens most often with powdered sugar that is not pure cane sugar…though I’ve had it occur with pure cane too. Now, before I make frosting, I’ll take a taste to make sure it melts and doesn’t leave a gritty residue on my tongue. It irks me I have to do it at all! ?
Can this be used for piping. Will hold its shape. For how long
Hi Jan- Thanks for your comments on gritty buttercream! We have also found that the brand of the confectioner’s sugar (even with pure cane sugar) can make a difference. For instance, we used to use Dixie Crystals all the time but something changed- even though it still says pure cane sugar, we suspect perhaps the ratio of cane sugar to cornstarch changed because now it results in gritty buttercream. We get the best results now from Domino’s and also US Confectioner’s sugar from Costco.
@Maria- Yes this recipe is perfect for piping but you can easily adjust the frosting to your liking by adding a small amount more liquid for a thinner consistency, or a bit more powdered sugar for a thicker consistency.
Hi dear i was asking regarding normal butter cream frosting. Will it hold its shape while frosting or piping.
Hi Maria, yes it will!
Just made this buttercream and it’s perfect. Not too sweet but delicious. The only thing I did differently was double the milk. Will be using this buttercream a lot!
Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Jen, So glad you like the recipe! Thank you for posting!
This recipe is totally yummy! Bf who hates buttercream icing loved this one. Going to use this recipe for a friend’s 30th birthday cake which will be a 2 tiered chocolate and banana cakes. Amazing!
This is the BEST chocolate icing I have ever used and tasted! Thank you!
Hi. Would it be necessary to double the amount for the filling and crumb coat for a checkerboard cake please?
Hi Bernice, This recipe makes 4 cups frosting, it is enough to frost a 2 layer 8 inch round cake. You could make 1 1/2 times the recipe or if you will be doing a lot of decorative pipping you can double the recipe.
Hi! I will be needing a chocolate buttercream to fill your Classic Chocolate cake recipe. It will be 99 degrees out on Sunday. The party is indoors but will probably be 74-76 inside with the air on. Will this all butter recipe be ok out for a few hours? Once together, I wont’ have anyway to refrigerate it. I will be adding ganache to the outside no icing and covering in fondant. Does that make the filling more stable or melt faster? Can I substitute half the butter with shortening and will that make it more stable?
Hi Gloria, You should not have any problem using this recipe with the indoor temperature at 74 -76. It would be fine using all butter, though you could substitute with half shortening, if you like. If you are traveling with the cake to the party site, it is a good idea to chill the cake. It just firms everything up for the trip.
do i have to make extra buttercream if i want to frost 2layer 9inch cake?.. tq. your buttercream look stunning. plan to use this recipe for my customer order next week
Hi Iiyana, For a 2 layer 9 inch cake that will be filled with buttercream and have decorative piping, I suggest doubling the recipe. If you are not doing a lot of decorative piping, you could increase the recipe by 1/2.
This looks delicious! Would this frosting work for the Viva Paper Towel Smoothing method?
Hi Heidi, Yes, this is a crusting buttercream recipe and would work for the Viva Paper Towel Smoothing method.
I have a cottage food business. I was wondering what difference adding water to your frostings rather than milk. I can not use milk in any of my frostings. Thank you.
Hi Terri, It will be fine to use water, I don’t think you will notice much of a taste difference. When using water the buttercream will crust more quickly. So for some cake designs you may need to work more quickly. The fat in milk slows down the crusting, whole milk crust more slowly and heavy cream even more slowly.
Hello. This chocolate buttercream looks delicious! Can I use this recipe to frost a 9 inch 3 layer cake?
Hi Sal, This recipe make approximately 4 cups frosting, I think you would need a bit more for a 3 layer, 9 inch cake. Depending on how much decorative piping you will be doing, you should make 1 1/2 times the recipe or double the recipe.
Thank you for your reply. This helps a lot! ?
Hi, my daughter and I are trying this tonight. For the cream, is it unsweetened cocoa like the cake? Or sweetened? Never made chocolate frosting before. Thanks in advance. Can’t wait to try all these yummies!
Hi Sherry, The cocoa in the frosting recipe is unsweetened. I use Ghirardelli but you can use whatever brand is your favorite. Since this is your first time making chocolate buttercream, if you find it too stiff, add additional milk, 1 teaspoon at a time or if too soft a add a bit more powdered sugar. The recipe makes 4 cups, and is enough to frost an 8 inch cake, but if you like a thick filling and frosting you will want to make 1 1/2 times or double the recipe to have enough for decorative piping.
Thank you for replying, extra advice, and your site. My daughter has been wanting to learn making a cake from scratch?
I have never successfully made frosting— until coming across your instructions!
If I am making this tonight to frost a cake tomorrow, should I store in the fridge or at room temp?
Thank you so much for this amazing recipe.
Hi Christina, Yes, you can store the frosting at room temperature overnight and frost the cake tomorrow. We are so happy you like the recipe.
The icing looks great, but I was wondering if there was any way to change the coloring. As silly as it sounds I’m looking to make an icing that tastes good but can also be turned into camo colors. It’s for a friend’s son’s birthday and the theme is camo colors and such. If you could help I would thankful, if not I understand and still thank you for the amazing icing recipe.
Hi Ranger, I’m sorry but you won’t be able to adjust the chocolate buttercream to create camo colors. You will need to begin with a vanilla buttercream. Here is a link to a 1 minute video Melissa made showing how to smooth camo colored cupcakes, you might find it helpful.
https://www.mycakeschool.com/blog/cupcakes-minute-tutorial/
Hope all goes well.
I just made this chocolate buttercream, and it’s delicious!
I’m so glad, Cindy! Your cake looks perfect!
Hello, so I have made this icing twice now, once for the german chocolate cake & once for the yellow cake, although the icing tasted good and got many compliments, the icing is coming out extremely stiff, am I using too much powdered sugar? Also, I always measure, then sift before adding, this is one of the only buttercream icing I’ve had this issue with. Just to note, although I’ve had this issue, both cakes were a huge hit, so thank you!
Hi Yvonne, I am happy you like the recipe. You can add additional milk until the frosting is the consistency you like. Add the extra milk just a small amount at a time. If it should happen to become too soft, add more powdered sugar.
I’m trying to make this frosting a little more stiff around the edges- does that make sense? What do I do for that? Or What may I be doing wrong?
Hi Christy- If you want a thicker consistency of frosting, you can add a little more powdered sugar until you have the consistency that you like. If you’ve frosted the cake but are wanting sharper edges, you can chill the cake in the freezer for about 15 minutes or just until the frosting firms up, and then go over the cake with a hot spatula to smooth out your frosting or create sharper edges around the top, etc. Not sure if this is what you’re asking but I hope it helps!
I’m looking for a dark chocolate buttercream recipe to use under fondant. Between the classic chocolate and the fluffy chocolate buttercream recipes, which one would hold up best? And is there a way that I can make the buttercream a little more chocolate/fudge tasting?
Thanks! Kathy
Hi Kathy, The Classic Chocolate is made with all butter so it will form a firmer shell when it is refrigerated before you lay on the fondant. You could add a bit more unsweetened cocoa powder (you will need additional milk also) but I don’t think that will give you the fudge taste you are looking for. It sounds like you would prefer a recipe using melted chocolate and we have not posted one yet. We hope to do so soon.
Hi I made this recipe twice, both times, the frosting looked dry not glossy. What can I do to make it moist
Hi Regina, If your buttercream is too stiff, add additional milk 1 teaspoon at a time until it reaches the smoothness you like. Also, when making you could reduce the powdered sugar from 6 cups to 5 for a softer buttercream. If it becomes too soft, add more powdered sugar.
Hello! I’ve been trying to make buttercream that looks and tastes as smooth as yours and I keep failing… although it tastes ok, you can feel the powdered sugar between your teeth… if that makes sense…
What am I doing wrong? Could it be the mixer tool I’m using? I always use the whisk… should I be using the k tool or something…
Hey Mihaelia! I always sift my powdered sugar before mixing, this helps my icing with the lumps and grit. Hope this works for you!
Hi Mihaelia, I’m sorry I missed your question when you posted in April. If your powdered sugar is feeling gritty, the problem is with the brand you are using. It should be 100% pure cane sugar. If your package just says powdered sugar, then it is powdered sugar made from beets. If you are near a Costco, their brand is pure cane sugar. We also have success with Dominoes brand. We were once able to use Dixie Crystals and their label did state pure cane sugar but something has now changed in their formulation. We think they increased the anti-caking agent in the product and this resulted in giving it a gritty taste. I do not know what brands are available to you, but experiment with another brand and I hope it will give you a good result. Let us know.
Hi
What brand of cocoa did you use in this recipe.
Hi Jackie, We used Ghirardelli 100% unsweetened cocoa, but your favorite unsweetened cocoa will be fine also.
Can you use heavy cream instead of milk ?
Hi Kristen, Yes, you can
Thank you ! Is this enough for a ? 3 layer cake or do I need to double it
Thank you ! Is this enough for a ? 3 layer cake or do I need to double it
Hi Kristen, To be sure you have enough for filling and frosting and piping borders I would increase the recipe by 1/2. That would be :
3 sticks butter
9 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups cocoa, measure then sift
1/3 cup plus 3 Tablespoons milk or cream, more if needed to have the spreading consistency you like
3 teaspoons vanilla
You say in comments to decrease powdered sugar from 6 to 5 cups if too stiff. The recipe says 9 cups??? Is that correct
Hi Sheila, Thanks for pointing that out. This recipe originally used 6 cups powdered sugar. After comments that it was not quite enough for the piping that some bakers wanted on their cake, we increased the recipe by half. We overlooked changing the working in the info that preceded the recipe. I have removed that. The recipe is correct as written.
Can I use confectioners sugar instead of icing sugar
Hi – what type of milk do you recommend? Can I use 2% milk, or do I need to use whole milk?
Hi Emily, We usually use whole milk but you also can use 2% .
Hi I can decrease the sugar when I want to double the recipe
Hi Aissata, I think you could decrease the sugar a cup or two. If you find the buttercream to be too soft, you can add additional sugar. You could also decrease the milk a bit so the buttercream would not be as soft.
When you reference unsweetened cocoa in a recipe should I use Dutch processed unsweetened cocoa or just unsweetened cocoa?
Hi Juliet, You will need to use just unsweetened cocoa powder, not Dutch processed.
Would it be possible to make a faux cream cheese chocolate frosting by using 1 tsp of Loran Oils Cream Cheese Super Strength Icing Flavor instead of the vanilla flavoring? I love the cream cheese flavor, but I want a buttercream that will pipe well.
I have hazel nut extract can I sub 1 teaspoon of it for 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. I know hazelnut extract can be very strong.
Thank you.
Claudia
Hi Claudia, I have never used hazel nut extract so I’m not sure of the outcome with this recipe. You could experiment with a tiny amount added to 1/2 cup of the frosting.