Is there anything better than light, fluffy, rich and flavorful Chocolate Buttercream Frosting? No. The answer is no. This Whipped Chocolate Buttercream is a baker’s dream! I love this recipe on my Birthday Cake recipe and even Homemade Brownies!
Whipped Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
I have this recipe on my blog way over here, but it gets lost next to that beautiful marble cake deliciousness, so I decided to make sure this fantastic recipe got its turn in the spotlight. This Chocolate Buttercream is a rich, dark, chocolate version of American Buttercream. The ingredients are simple:
- butter
- confectioners sugar
- cocoa powder
- vanilla
- heavy whipping cream
- salt
I prefer to use unsalted butter in this recipe as I find unsalted butter to be fresher tasting and consistent in the water ratio. When you are aiming for perfect consistency, using a consistent product is important.
How to Make Chocolate Buttercream
Because this recipe is designed for cakes specifically (although I find it works on many different desserts!) I like to make sure it is as smooth and creamy as possible. I like to whip the ingredients on high in my stand mixer for 3-5 minutes. Not only does this eliminate lumps and lighten the color of the buttercream slightly, but it also produces the fluffiest American Buttercream ever.
This whipped chocolate frosting pipes so beautifully, I just had to make my Rose Cake with it!
If you want to make a rose cake, here are step-by-step instructions and here is a less than 4 minute video of me frosting a rosette cake in real time!
This silky smooth and fluffy frosting is the perfect compliment to any cake or cupcake flavor!
UPDATE:
This frosting is so smooth and easy to work with I even put a crumb coat on a soft cake! I was in a pinch and did not have time to chill my layers before frosting, but was able to successfully crumb coat in spite of the time crunch! Baker’s know… that could have been a recipe for disaster!
This Whipped Chocolate Buttercream is a baker’s dream!
Whipped Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
- 1½ cup (340g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 4 cups (500g) confectioners sugar
- ¾ cup (88.5g) cocoa powder
- 4 tablespoons (60ml) heavy whipping cream
- 2 teaspoons (10ml) vanilla extract
- 1 pinch table salt
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whisk butter and sugar on medium-high speed until very pale and fluffy or about five minutes. Be sure to stop at least once and scrape the bowl.
- With the mixer off, add in cocoa powder, vanilla and salt.
- Turn mixer on low and blend for about 30 seconds.
- One tablespoon at a time add in heavy cream.
- Once all cream has been added and mixture is mostly combined, turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Now turn the mixer onto medium-high to high and whisk for 3-5 minutes or until mixture is lighter and fluffier. The frosting will be shiny and seem to have many large air bubbles throughout and this is exactly what we are going for. (You can smooth those out on the cake if so desired.)
Did you make this recipe?
Thank you for making my recipe! You took pictures, right? Well go ahead and post them on Instagram! Be sure to mention me @iambaker and use the hashtag #YouAreBaker.
If you are just getting started with buttercream, here are 4 easy buttercream cakes to get you started on the right foot!
What size tip was used for this design?
According to the KAF Ingredient weight chart:
4 cups of confectioners sugar is 454g, not 500g
and 3/4 cup of cocoa powder = 63g, not 94g
Are the cup measurements incorrect, or is the conversion to grams wrong?
Hi, LoreLei! I work with iambaker and am happy to help with questions. I did double-check our source (traditional oven), and the 500 grams for 4 cups of confectioners’ sugar seems to be correct. However, I will tweak the cocoa powder to 88.5 grams. Thanks, and have a wonderful day!
My go to frosting! Creamy and delicious.
I haven’t tried this but hope to sometime today. Can I use stick margarine or do I have to use butter?
I do recommend butter.
Perfect and delicous.
Thank you very much
Can I use milk instead of whip cream?
I was curious if this frosting holds it shape really well? Does it get soft as you pipe it? I’m looking for a good chocolate buttercream for a wedding. Would you recommend this one, or know of a different recipe? Thanks so much!