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Chocolate Frosting should be rich, sweet, and easy to make. My homemade chocolate icing recipe is easy to make, tastes like fudge, and is perfect for cakes and cupcakes!
This is one of my most popular frosting recipes, along with my Mascarpone Icing recipe, classic cream cheese frosting, and smooth Italian Buttercream.
Why this recipe works:
I may have grown up eating store bought frosting from a can, but once you discover how wonderfully delicious homemade frosting recipes can be, you’ll always make them from scratch!
- This recipe is easy to make and only takes a few minutes.
- It’s basically fool proof. No cooking experience needed to get perfect results every time.
- This chocolate frosting tastes like fudge. It’s perfectly sweet with a very rich chocolate flavor.
- This frosting turns out thick enough to decoratively pipe onto cakes and cupcakes, yet it is smooth enough to spread with a spatula.
- Using shelf-stable canned evaporated milk instead of refrigerated milk gives the frosting a smooth creamy texture.
Ingredients needed to make chocolate frosting:
- Butter
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Powdered sugar (confectioners’ sugar)
- Evaporated milk
- Vanilla extract
How to make this fudge-like chocolate buttercream frosting recipe:
- Using an electric mixer, cream the softened butter until it’s light and fluffy.
- Add the cocoa powder and the powdered sugar and mix on low speed until combined.
- Add the evaporated milk and vanilla while the mixer is running.
- Increase the mixer speed and mix the frosting until the chocolate frosting is fully mixed and smooth. Add small amounts of additional evaporated milk to thin, if needed.
Recipe tips:
- Although I use unsalted butter for this recipe, you can use salted butter if you wish.
- Be sure the butter is softened before you mix it. You can set it out on the counter or soften it in the microwave on low power.
- The cocoa powder and powdered sugar do not need to be sifted prior to mixing.
Related recipes:
If you love the taste of this chocolate buttercream frosting, you’ll definitely want to make my popular microwave chocolate fudge! Here are some of my other favorite frosting recipes.
- Perfect Italian Buttercream Frosting
- Brown Butter Vanilla Bean Frosting
- Cream Cheese Frosting
- Mascarpone Frosting
- Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
- Eggnog Frosting
- Blueberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- Peanut Butter Frosting
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup evaporated milk more if needed
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Add butter to bowl of stand mixer. Using paddle or whisk attachment, beat until light and fluffy.
- Add the cocoa powder and powdered sugar. Mix on low speed to combine. With the mixer running, add the evaporated milk and the vanilla.
- Once combined, increase speed to high and blend until fully mixed and smooth. Frosting will be thick. Add additional evaporated milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, to thin if needed.
Notes
- Although I use unsalted butter for this recipe, you can use salted butter if you wish.
- Be sure the butter is softened before you mix it. You can set it out on the counter or soften it in the microwave on low power.
- The cocoa powder and powdered sugar do not need to be sifted prior to mixing.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
First off let me say, I am not a baker, however, with that said I love chocolate frosting and buttercream even better.
I wonder, however, if you can use a hot cocoa mix. I think one, in particular, would be fabulous in a chocolate frosting!
I absolutely think you can mix it in!
This looks so good. I can’t wait to try it!
I just want to pipe this in to my mouth. It looks amazing.
Such an easy frosting to make and the chocolate flavor shines through.
Yay! Will definitely try this!!! Thanks <3
So easy and so, so, so much better than the canned stuff.