If you’ve ever been disappointed by gritty, overly-sweet chocolate frosting that tastes more like sugar than cocoa, my silky chocolate buttercream is the recipe for you! Most traditional American buttercreams use only a splash of milk. I use over a cup of heavy cream to transform standard butter and sugar into a whipped chocolate ganache-style frosting with a velvety-smooth finish. It tastes like a chilled chocolate truffle and spreads like a dream! It’s rich, stable enough for 24 cupcakes, and–most importantly–completely void of that sandy texture often found in homemade recipes.
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Whipped Chocolate Ganache Frosting
We’ve all been there… you follow a buttercream recipe that looks great, but it turns out sandy and gritty in the end. With this recipe, I set out to fix that problem once and for all. The secret is in the moisture–most recipes don’t have enough of it! 1¼ cups of heavy cream, I transform the sugar, cocoa, and butter into a silky smooth emulsion that’s more akin to a whipped ganache than your standard buttercream.
With a mousse-like texture and a milder sweetness, my homemade chocolate buttercream frosting is so much better than store-bought. It melts in your mouth with every bite, leaving behind a deep, rich chocolatey flavor. I love using this as my go-to chocolate cupcake frosting, but honestly, it tastes amazing on just about anything (brownies, cookies, even sandwiched between graham crackers)!
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Beat Longer for a Smoother Texture
If you see tiny air pockets in your frosting while piping, don’t panic. Put it back in the mixing bowl, switch from the whisk to the paddle attachment, and run the mixer on its lowest setting for 3-5 full minutes. This “massages” the frosting against the side of the bowl, knocking out the air bubbles for a glass-smooth finish on your layer cakes.
Whipped Chocolate Buttercream Frosting Recipe
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
- Hand Mixer or Stand Mixer
- Fine-Mesh Sieve (optional)
- Piping Tip Set (optional)
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter room temperature (2 sticks)*
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder **
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1¼ cups heavy cream
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer), beat the butter, cocoa powder, and vanilla until smooth and fluffy.1 cup salted butter, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- Gradually add in the powdered sugar, mixing on low speed to prevent too much powder being tossed out of the bowl.4 cups powdered sugar
- With the mixer on low, slowly pour in the heavy cream and beat until light, fluffy, and fully combined. You can adjust the amount of cream to change the consistency of the buttercream.1¼ cups heavy cream
- To frost cupcakes, fit a large piping bag with cake decorating tip #1M. Fill the piping bag with buttercream. Pipe buttercream onto cupcakes in a counter-clockwise direction, swirling up and toward the center.
Notes
- The butter should be cool to the touch and hold an indentation from your finger without being greasy or shiny. If the butter is too warm, the frosting will be soup; if it’s too cold, it will be lumpy.
- Optionally sift the cocoa powder and sugar to avoid lumps.
- Add the cream one tablespoon at a time after the first half-cup. Stop as soon as you hit the texture you like. You can always add more, but you can’t take it out!
- If your buttercream is noticeably gritty in texture, add just a little bit more cream and continue mixing until you have a smoother consistency.
- Once your frosting is fully mixed and fluffy, optionally switch to the paddle attachment and run it on the lowest possible speed for 3-5 minutes for a super-smooth texture.
- This buttercream pipes fairly well, though I wouldn’t use it for intricate designs. But you can use it to make swirls and/or piped borders.
- If buttercream becomes too soft while piping it, place in the refrigerator to firm up for 10-15 minutes.
- This is not “shelf-stable.” It needs to be refrigerated whether stored alone or frosted on baked goods.
Is it Stable Enough to Pipe?
Yes! While this whipped ganache frosting looks soft and fluffy, the cold fat in the heavy cream provides amazing structure. It holds a beautiful swirl on a cupcake and stays perfectly in place between cake layers.
How to Make Chocolate Buttercream Frosting Step-by-Step
Prep: Gather up al of the ingredients needed to make this silky chocolate frosting. Bring the butter to room temperature for about 15-30 minutes before beginning so it combines more easily with the other ingredients.
Beat the Butter and Cocoa: In a large mixing bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment), beat the 1 cup of room-temperature salted butter, 1 cup of sifted unsweetened cocoa powder, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract until smooth and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
Add the Sugar: Gradually add in 4 cups of powdered sugar, mixing on low speed to prevent too much powder from being tossed out of the bowl.
Adjust the Consistency: With the mixer still on low, slowly pour in 1¼ cups of heavy cream and beat until light, fluffy, and fully combined. To achieve that signature silk-smooth texture, I recommend using the full 1¼ cups, but you can stop slightly early if you prefer a very stiff piping consistency. For an even silkier texture, switch to the paddle attachment and beat for another 3-5 minutes to remove air bubbles.
Use the Frosting: To frost cupcakes, fit a large piping bag with cake decorating tip #1M. Fill the piping bag with buttercream. Pipe buttercream onto cupcakes in a counter-clockwise direction, swirling up and toward the center. If at any point the frosting gets too soft, pop it in the fridge for 10-15 minutes to firm back up before continuing.
How to Store and Freeze
Store leftover chocolate buttercream frosting in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months. To use the frozen buttercream frosting, just let it thaw in the fridge for a few hours, then re-beat it before using. It should be as good as new!
While you can use milk, the texture will not be the same. Heavy cream has a higher fat content, which allows this frosting to whip up into a stable, mousse-like consistency. Milk has more water and less fat, which may make the frosting runny rather than fluffy. I’d recommend trying half-and-half for a lower-fat option.
For a deep, dark chocolate look, use Dutch-process or black cocoa powder instead of natural cocoa.
Gritty buttercream is usually caused by one of two things: either using cold butter that won’t emulsify, or not having enough liquid to dissolve the powdered sugar. My recipe fixes that by using a higher ratio of heavy cream, which ensures the sugar dissolves completely into a silky, smooth finish
Air bubbles/pockets form when the frosting is whipped at high speed for too long. To fix this, swap to the paddle attachment and run on the lowest speed for 3-5 minutes to remove them.
Yes. Because my recipe uses a significant amount of heavy cream, it is not shelf-stable. Cakes or cupcakes frosted with this buttercream should be kept in the refrigerator and brought to room temperature about 30 minutes before serving for the best texture.
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