Classic Chocolate Buttercream Icing for Cupcakes

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By Melissa

on Oct 14, 2019, Updated Feb 14, 2024

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This decadent Chocolate Buttercream Frosting is the best homemade icing for cupcakes! It’s super simple to make and tastes incredible on all of your favorite sweets (or straight off the spoon — I won’t judge!). If you’re a chocolate lover, you’ll adore this incredible buttercream frosting recipe.

Looking for cupcake recipes to try with this frosting? Try my vanilla cupcakes recipe!

The Best Chocolate Buttercream Icing for Cupcakes

I have spent many a birthday whipping up festive cakes and cupcakes for my little ones who insist on getting older year after year, much to my equal delight and dismay! Mamas out there, I’m sure you understand this bittersweet dilemma. They enter new stages and grow taller and more mature, which is a joy to witness, but at the same time, I just want them to be little forever. The struggle!

But celebrating them every year when their birthdays roll around will forever be a treat. And I’ll keep making them sweets for the celebrations — many of which will obviously include this delicious chocolate buttercream frosting that I could easily eat a whole bowl of — as long as they’ll let me.

Simply put, this frosting is impeccable! It’s creamy and chocolatey, but not too much. And it’s a fantastic texture for piling high on a big batch of cupcakes (if your spoon doesn’t steal too much of it away first). You know me — simple recipes that come together quickly and with a handful of ingredients are sort of my thing, and this one hits all the marks. I hope you enjoy celebrating your people with it as much as I do!

Does Buttercream Frosting Need To Be Refrigerated?

Buttercream frosting with a small amount of milk or cream, like this recipe, is not perishable for short periods of time and can be left at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. Other recipes, like French and Italian buttercream frostings that use eggs, should be refrigerated to maintain freshness.

How Long Does Chocolate Icing Last?

Chocolate buttercream lasts in the fridge for about 1 week and in the freezer for 3 months kept in an airtight container. You can make it ahead and store it either way before frosting cake or cupcakes.

How Much Frosting Do I Need for a 9×13 Cake? For 12 Cupcakes?

This recipe is the perfect amount of frosting for 12 generously frosted cupcakes. You need about 3 to 4 cups of frosting for a 9×13-inch cake.

Should I Refrigerate Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting?

You can store iced cupcakes in an airtight container (careful not to smash the frosting) at room temperature for 2 to 3 days, in the fridge for up to a week, or frozen for 3 months.

How to Make Chocolate Buttercream Icing For Cupcakes:

Add the butter and cream to the bowl of your stand mixer. Mix on medium speed.
Increase the speed to high until very fluffy.
Add the vanilla, cocoa, and 2.5 cups of the powdered sugar.
Mix on low until combined, then increase speed to medium, and whip for 1 to 2 minutes.
Pipe on cupcakes.

The Texture of the Frosting is Important for Frosting Cupcakes:

The consistency of the icing is important if you are going to pile it high on a cupcake. It should be a medium consistency. If you mix the batch of icing with a metal teaspoon (the kind you use for dinner) the spoon should stand up straight in the middle of the bowl when it is stuck in the icing. So, you should be able to stir it with a spoon by hand, but it should also be sturdy enough to hold the spoon up.

The Best Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

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Author: Melissa Griffiths - Bless this Mess
Total Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 3 cups 1x

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Description

Ingredients

Scale

1/2 cup butter, at roomtemperature
3 to 4 tablespoons heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/3 cup cocoa powder (I like dutch-processed)
2.5 to 3 cups powdered sugar

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Instructions

Add the butter and cream to the bowl of your stand mixer. Mix on medium speed with the whisk attachment, until the butter and cream combine.
Increase the speed to high and mix for 3 to 5 minutes, until the mixture is light and fluffy, stopping to scrape down the sides a time or two.
Add the vanilla, cocoa, and 2.5 cups of the powdered sugar.
Mix on low until combined, then increase speed to medium, and whip for 1 to 2 minutes.
The consistency of the icing is important if you are going to pile it high on a cupcake. It should be a medium consistency. If you mix the batch of icing with a metal teaspoon (the kind you use for dinner) the spoon should stand up straight in the middle of the bowl when it is stuck in the icing. So, you should be able to stir it with a spoon by hand, but it should also be sturdy enough to hold the spoon up.
If the icing is too thick, add a little cream. If it needs to be a little thicker, add a 1/4 cup of powdered sugar, and whip to combine until it’s sturdy enough.
Place in an icing bag, and pipe onto cake or cupcakes with tip 2A.

Notes

This recipe is for 12 heavily frosted cupcakes.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Category: Frosting
Method: Mix
Cuisine: American

More Cupcake Recipes:

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes
Sweet Tooth Fairy’s Vanilla Cupcake Recipe
Cherry Chip Cupcakes
Light and Fluffy Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
Pumpkin Cupcakes with Whipped Cinnamon Icing

More Chocolate Recipes:

Homemade Dark Chocolate Ice Cream
Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Crispy Treats
Easy Chocolate Waffle Recipe
Homemade Chocolate Fondue
Chocolate Mousse
Homemade Triple Chocolate Brownies
Cinnamon Caramel Corn with White Chocolate and Pecans

This post was originally published in 2012, and has been updated and rephotographed in October 2019.

This lovely chocolate buttercream frosting recipe is the perfect topping to and baked goody or cake, and it couldn’t be easier to whip up!

About Melissa

FAQs

What is the formula for buttercream frosting? ›

Beat together butter, shortening, and vanilla with an electric mixer in a large bowl until creamy. Blend in confectioners' sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in milk; continue mixing until icing is light and fluffy. Store icing covered until ready to use.

Get More Info ›

What buttercream do professional bakers use? ›

Swiss meringue buttercream is probably the most standard buttercream for pastry professionals. It is incredibly smooth, making it an extremely popular choice for icing cakes. Compared to American buttercream, it has a much stronger butter flavor, but is considerably less sweet.

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Does chocolate buttercream frosting need to be refrigerated? ›

A cake frosted with buttercream frosting can typically be left out at room temperature for 2-3 days. Be sure to cover it with plastic wrap or a cake dome, or store the cake slices in an airtight container so it doesn't dry out. You can also store any unused buttercream frosting in the refrigerator or freezer.

How long does chocolate buttercream last? ›

Switch to the paddle attachment and mix on low speed for about 10 minutes to remove the air bubbles and create very smooth buttercream. This is optional but will make it extra creamy. This buttercream can be left at room temperature for 24 hours, refrigerated for up to two weeks, or frozen up to 6 months.

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How much buttercream for 60 cupcakes? ›

German Buttercream Frosting

One recipe makes about 6 cups of icing, enough to ice a 9 or 10-inch round cake; two 13 x 9-inch sheet cakes; or 48 to 60 cupcakes.

Get More Info Here ›

How much buttercream is needed for 24 cupcakes? ›

Learn how to make homemade buttercream frosting with this classic, quick and easy recipe! This recipe makes 2 cups of frosting, enough to frost 24 cupcakes. You will need a double recipe to ice an 8 in. 2-layer cake.

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How much buttercream for 200 cupcakes? ›

So if you are doing 200 cupcakes x 9grams you'll need 1800g of buttercream. ✨You can weigh a batch of your buttercream to know how many batches you'll need to make.

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What is buttercream frosting made of? ›

Icing recipes typically combine powdered sugar and liquid (like water, milk or juice) whereas buttercream frosting is made by creaming together butter, sugar and a little bit of milk to make the frosting fluffy, smooth and perfectly spreadable.

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What are the two main ingredients of simple buttercream? ›

Buttercream is a sweet and fluffy frosting made by creaming butter and sugar. Other common ingredients include milk (to create the perfect texture) and vanilla (for simple, crowd-pleasing flavor).

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What is the ratio of powdered sugar to fat in a good buttercream? ›

The majority of American buttercream recipes take a "more is more" approach with a 1:2 ratio of butter to powdered sugar by weight, while others use a 2:3 ratio to dial back the sweetness.

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What does buttercream frosting contain? ›

American-style buttercream frosting is made of butter and powdered sugar, whipped together with a little cream and some flavoring (such as vanilla extract). Some American buttercream recipes will contain shortening or a combination of butter and shortening, but I use an all-butter mixture.