Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
A fluffy cocoa buttercream with vanilla and cream, made for spreading or piping onto cakes and cupcakes when you want a classic chocolate finish.
Prep 20 min · Makes about 4 1/2 cups
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups butter, at room temperature, I like to use 1 cup unsalted and 1/2 cup salted
- 3 3/4 cups powdered sugar
- 2/3 cup cocoa powder
- 3 – 4 Tbsp heavy cream or half-&-half
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Directions
- Add the butter to the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or use the paddle attachment if you prefer, keeping an eye on the butter’s color either way. Beat on moderately high speed until the butter looks very pale, almost white, and fluffy, about 6 – 8 minutes, stopping now and then to scrape the bowl.
- Sift the cocoa powder into the bowl, then add the powdered sugar, 3 Tbsp heavy cream and vanilla. Mix on low speed until everything comes together, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. If you want a looser consistency, blend in up to 1 tbsp additional cream.
- Turn the mixer up to medium-high and beat until the frosting becomes lighter in color and very fluffy, about 4 – 5 minutes, pausing occasionally to scrape down the bowl.