Oh goodness do we love cupcakes in this house! Our favorite (ok my favorite- the girls love any kind of cupcake) is yellow cupcakes with chocolate frosting.
I prefer to make my own frosting because the flavor is just so much better than what you normally get at the store. Buttercream frosting can be a little tricky though because it can sometimes taste a little too buttery which is not ideal.
I really hope you give this one a shot because it is so delicious- rich and chocolaty and just fantastic. Here is a quick video to show you how easy this is to make.
This is really fast to whip up- here is the recipe:
- 2¾ cups Confectioner's Sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 5 tablespoons milk or cream
- 6 tablespoons butter- softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Sift the powdered sugar and cocoa together in a bowl and set aside.
- Add butter to a mixing bowl and cream until nice and smooth.
- Slowly add the powdered sugar, alternating with the milk.
- Add in vanilla.
You might need to adjust this slightly by adding a bit more milk or a bit more sugar to get a perfect consistency.
This recipe is enough for 12 generous cupcakes or one large cake. If you intend to make a cake with multiple layers I would double the recipe.
If you decide to make this recipe please come back and let me know what you think! I absolutely love this frosting and use it as often as I can.
Here are a few things that will come in handy for this recipe:
KitchenAid Mixer // Mesh Strainer // Cupcake Liners
And if you enjoy this recipe, you might also like:
Delicious Buttercream frosting
Salted Caramel Starbucks Cupcakes- so fun and so easy!
Chai Spice cookies- these have just a hint of chai spices and are hands down my favorite sugar cookie recipe.
Yeah so happy to hear that Maria 🙂 Thank you for taking the time to comment!
It says there’s 151 comments, but I can only see one from 7/14/16…
Hi Heather,
You need to click on “older comments” to see the older ones. Not sure if this works but here are a bunch more:
http://myfrugaladventures.com/2013/12/perfect-chocolate-buttercream-frosting-recipe/comment-page-3/#comments
this is the best chocolate frosting I have ever made, it was perfect with no changes!
So glad to hear that Cheryl 🙂
Wow wow wow…so good! California has been experiencing 100°F summer days this week, so for the sake of stability, I substituted 2 tsp of vegetable shortening for part of the butter.
Your delicious buttercream will be covering a dark chocolate cake, I’ll be making later this afternoon… I can’t wait to take a bite of the finished dessert!
Thank you for sharing your amazing recipe. 🙂
So glad you liked it Sandy.
Can you use Parkay butter (it’s actually margarine) for this recipe?
Hi Sheena,
Margarine should work but the flavor won’t be the same. I actually prefer the flavor of real butter but some people like margarine and some like shortening. Good luck!
Hi! I just wanted to tell you that this is now my go-to cupcake recipe! It’s absolutely delicious and my entire family loves it!! Thanks for sharing this recipe
Whoo hoo! Thanks so much, I am thrilled to hear that 🙂
Which do you prefer to use? Cream or milk?
Elizabeth I have made this countless times and I use what is in the fridge 😉 Probably cream if you have it on hand would be my first choice.
First time making frosting and it is delicious!!!! Super easy, super tasty and super easy to work with it piped perfectly out of the bag.
Yeah! Glad to hear that Kim 🙂
I made the chocolate buttercream frosting and it was so creamy it was like velvet BUT it was to Sweet for me. I added an additional 2 tbsp of cocoa powder to the second batch because I had to double it. I also reduced the powdered sugar by 1/4 cup and added an additional tbsp of heavy cream it was perfect and a big hit!
Glad you liked it Reen!
I too love this frosting. It’s not overly sweet, just right!
Yeah! So happy to hear that Therese!
Thank you so much it was so easy and taste so good and so easy to spread to will use it a lot more
Have used this recipe for over a year now. I absolutely love it! Canned frosting doesn’t taste good anymore that’s for sure! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I’m a margarine fan, and that’s the only thing I’ve changed in this recipe.
Oh nice!! I completely agree about canned frosting. Ain’t got time for that 😉
Soooo good…..I will never buy store bought frosting. again…thank you !!!
Yeah! Happy to hear it 🙂
I love this frosting! Easy and so delicious. Thank you!
Thanks Mollie!
Hi, what kind of cream did you use? Thanks! Btw. it looks amazing *.*
Hi Paula,
I literally use what I have in the fridge and it still turns out perfect every time. I have used 2% milk, half and half, heavy whipping cream… whatever you have on hand should be fine!
Did you use salted or unsalted butter?
Mrs Gonzalez, I prefer salted butter but you can always use unsalted and add a tiny pinch of salt if you like or leave the salt out entirely.
Just made this frosting for chocolate chip Birthday cake I made . It is delicious !
Oh my gosh I love this frosting! So happy you liked it too.