Best Dark Chocolate Buttercream Recipe

This rich and smooth Dark Chocolate Buttercream Frosting will satisfy any chocolate lover. It's the perfect topping for cakes, cupcakes, or cookies. You will never buy store bought chocolate frosting again after trying this homemade frosting recipe.

For a decadent dessert, try adding this frosting to the top of a pan of Homemade Chocolate Chip Brownies. It's what dreams are made of!

When it comes to chocolate desserts, I say the darker the better. Of course, that's my personal opinion. I do realize not everyone shares this love for rich dark chocolate goodness.

The Best Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

In fact, I used to be an all milk chocolate kind of girl. Hello, M&M's. Those sweet little milk chocolate candies are still my favorite. But then my husband introduced me to dark chocolate, and my world has been changed.

Dark chocolate does take some time to get used to. The difference in dark chocolate versus milk chocolate is that there is more cocoa bean present in the dark. Milk chocolate has sugars and creams added to it to sweeten the flavor.

Today I wanted to share the best chocolate icing recipe with you. Again, that's my personal opinion on the matter. But I think you will agree that this Dark Chocolate Buttercream Frosting made with cocoa powder is absolutely amazing! In fact, I'm confident that this will become your favorite chocolate frosting too!

The Best Dark Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Now this recipe really isn't anything new because I have used on multiple recipes over the years. So you may be wondering why I am sharing it with you again.

Well, homemade buttercream frosting this good deserves its own page of glory. I mean look at that rich dark chocolate swirl staring at you.

Makes you want to grab a spoon and dig in doesn't it? Or just grab a spatula and go to town frosting this Peanut Butter Explosion Chocolate Cake with a thick layer of this chocolate frosting. You know you want to.

Triple Dark Chocolate Cake

Or make a batch and have on hand to top on these 2 minute vanilla mug cakes. You will be glad you did!

Nutrition facts are an estimate and are not guaranteed to be accurate. If you need special diet advice, please see a registered dietician.

Jocelyn is the owner and creator of Inside BruCrew Life where she loves to share semi-homemade recipes with flair that anyone can recreate in their own kitchen. Jocelyn is married and has three kids. She loves to workout, enjoys trips to Disney, and relaxing at the beach.The Best Dark Chocolate Buttercream Frosting is rich and creamy and intense. Perfect for Dark Chocolate lovers and so good on chocolate baked goods.

Healthy Chocolate Frosting

We love our The Best Chocolate Buttercream Frosting recipe. It is our go-to Chocolate Frosting and we use it all the time. But sometimes you want a Chocolate Frosting that is a little more intense. A little more sophisticated. A little more chocolate-y. When those times come around we pull out the recipe for our The Best Dark Chocolate Buttercream Frosting. Mmmm … mmmm …. good!

Step 1: Add the butter and vanilla to a mixing bowl. The butter should be “slightly softened” which means it is still cold but has warmed up enough so you can press your thumb down into the stick of butter. If the butter is straight out of the refrigerator it will bounce around against the paddles of the mixer and won’t mix with the vanilla. If it is too soft, the butter will start melting during the creaming process and the consistency of your icing won’t be correct.

Step 2: Mix the butter and vanilla together on medium speed until thoroughly combined (about 2 minutes.) You want to give the butter and vanilla and chance to meld together.Use a spatula to scrape the butter and vanilla mixture down from the sides of the bowl before moving on to the next step.

Dark Chocolate Cake Recipe

Step 3: The key to a really Dark Chocolate Frosting is the type of Cocoa Powder you use. You will need a Double Dutch Dark Cocoa Powder. We purchased our Dark Cocoa Powder on Amazonbut we have also seen it at our local grocery store.

Step 4: In a separate bowl, use a food scale to measure 1 Pound of Powdered Sugar. If you don’t have a food scale, measure 4 cups instead. We normally do not sift the powdered sugar and instead rely on the mixer to do that work for us.

Step 6:Use a fork to whisk the Cocoa Powder and Powdered Sugar. We highly recommend that you do not skip this step because you need to fully incorporate the dry ingredients to maximize the chocolate flavor in your frosting and avoid pockets of pure cocoa powder in the frosting.

My Favorite Chocolate Frosting Recipe

Step 8: Two Sisters Tip – cover the mixer with a towel during this part of the mixing process to keep the powdered sugar from flying out of the mixer. Start your mixer (or electric beater) on the lowest setting and keep it on low until the butter and sugar are incorporated (about 30 seconds). Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl and then increase the speed to medium-high and mix for another 30-45 seconds so the frosting gets light and fluffy.

Step 9: Add one tablespoon of non-flavored brewed and cool coffee. The coffee will not add a coffee taste to the Dark Chocolate Buttercream but instead greatly enhances the chocolate flavor. Mix until the frosting is the correct consistency.

Step 10: ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS taste your frosting to determine if it is the right consistency. If you need to add a little bit more liquid you can add more coffee a 1/2 teaspoon at a time.

Chocolate Frosting With Cocoa Powder Recipe

How much frosting will you need? That always depends on how thick or thin you apply the frosting or how much decorating you do but here are a couple of guidelines. Our recipe should make enough Dark Chocolate Frosting to cover a 9″ x 13″ sheet cake or a two-layer 8″ cake. If you are making cupcakes, you should be able to frost 24 cupcakes if you apply the frosting with a knife. If you swirl on the frosting with a pastry bag you should be able to frost 15-18 cupcakes depending on the size of the swirl.

Frosting stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator should be good for up to a week. If you carefully wrap the frosting in order to avoid freezer burn, the frosting should be fine in the freezer for 3-4 months.

No, the frosting does not need to be refrigerated. For example, brownies frosted with this Dark Chocolate Icing would be fine left out on the counter for 2-3 days if the pan was tightly covered with aluminum foil. That said, we usually refrigerate our frosted desserts to keep the baked good from going stale even if the frosting would be fine. We think frosting tastes best at room temperature so we will then remove the item from the refrigerator a couple of hours before we will serve them.

Dark Chocolate Buttercream Frosting {hints For The Best Chocolate Frosting}

Add another teaspoon of the cooled brewed coffee and mix again. Continue to add the coffee, a teaspoon at a time, until the frosting is the consistency that you like it

Other Chocolate Frosting Recipes You Will Love The Best Chocolate Buttercream Frosting The Best Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting The Best Mocha Buttercream Frosting The Best Chocolate Mint Frosting

Did you Make This Recipe? Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @ on Instagram so we can see it!

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Did you Make this Recipe? Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @ on Instagram so we can see it!