The best, quick and easy chocolate cream cheese frosting recipe, homemade with simple ingredients and lots of cocoa powder. Soft, creamy, fluffy, fudgy, slightly tangy, not too sweet and perfect for cake decorating and piping cupcakes.
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If you were to combine my classic Cream Cheese Frosting with this Chocolate Buttercream Frosting, you would end up with today's recipe. Some people make this with melted chocolate, especially semisweet chocolate chips but I prefer using cocoa powder because the chocolate flavor is more prominent. The cream cheese adds tanginess that cuts the overall sweetness. You have seen this similar sweet and tangy flavor profile in my Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting (Cocoa Powder) as well. My son loves them on top of my 1 Hour Cinnamon Rolls.
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Key ingredients
- Butter- Be sure it is at room temperature when mixing.
- Vanilla- A great compliment to the other flavors.
- Cream cheese- This gives it that nice creamy texture.
- Cocoa powder- Brings in the chocolate flavor and dark color.
- Powdered sugar- Sweetens up that cocoa and thickens the frosting.
- Milk- Remember that a little bit goes a long way in icing.
Variations
- Add other extracts- Such as almond, coconut, or maple.
- Try different flavors of cream cheeses- Such as strawberry, maple, almond, mixed berry, or even blueberry.
- For a sweet and salty flavor profile- Add a little bit of salt or you can use half salted and half unsalted butter.
- For dark chocolate flavor- Use dark cocoa powder or even black cocoa powder, which you may remember from my tutorial on How to Make Black Icing.
- Mix in other nut butters for something unique- Try Biscoff cookie butter, Nutella hazelnut spread or pistachio butter, almond butter, cashew butter, sunflower seed butter or even peanut butter.
- Make it for a birthday- And check out my Birthday Cake Ideas for various themes and colors.
- Use for piping- And try out How to Make Buttercream Ruffle Cake, How to Make Rose Cupcakes, How to Make Buttercream Flowers, or How to Make a Rosette Cake.
- Use brown frosting to make- Cupcakes in the shape of something like this Football Cupcake Cake.
- Add in some spices- Such as pumpkin spice, Cinnamon and Sugar, or cayenne pepper to top this Mexican Chocolate Cake (With Cake Mix).
How to make easy chocolate cream cheese frosting recipe from scratch?
1. Add butter and cream cheese- In a large mixing bowl.
2. Cream them together- Until fluffy.
3. Add vanilla- And keep this mixture to the side.
4. In a separate bowl- Mix together cocoa powder and powdered sugar.
5. Combine wet and dry mixtures- Until smooth and creamy.
6. Fill piping bag- And frost cakes, cupcakes, and other treats.
What goes well with cocoa cream cheese buttercream icing?
If you are a chocoholic like me, you can use it on Chocolate Cake, Best Red Velvet Cake, Moist Carrot Cake, or Chocolate Cupcakes. They also pair well with Chocolate Brownie Cookies, Cake Mix Brownies, Banana Chocolate Chip Cake, and Brookies Bars. You can spread it with a spatula or use decorator tips for piping swirls and other forms of cake decorating. If you prefer a more classic chocolate vanilla flavor combo, then try it on my favorite Vanilla Cupcakes or the Best Vanilla Cake. I have lately been obsessed with spreading it on these delicious Almond Cupcakes (Sour Cream Cupcakes).
Tips and techniques
- All ingredients must be at room temperature- Because they blend together easily and smoothly.
- Use unsalted cream cheese and unsalted butter- Because it prevents this frosting from becoming too salty.
- Use cream cheese blocks- Rather than cream cheese spreads because they have a thicker consistency.
- Full fat ingredients should be used- For the creamiest texture and flavor.
- Sift powdered sugar and cocoa powder- Because that prevents any lumps from forming in the icing and keeps it super smooth.
- Hot cocoa mix vs. cocoa powder- They are both different. You must use cocoa powder in this recipe because the hot cocoa mix is already sweetened with granulated sugar and has other ingredients mixed into it.
- Chill frosting- For at least 30 minutes, to make it easier to handle and firmer and holds its shape better, especially when piping and doing any cake decorating work.
- Double recipe- To make a bigger batch for icing more cupcakes.
Recipe FAQs
Absolutely! Just place in an airtight container. When you are ready to use, thaw in the fridge, whip up again, and spread or pipe on desserts.
Add some milk or heavy cream and mix until icing thins to your desired consistency.
Add powdered sugar and mix until icing thickens to your desired consistency.
This can happen if you use cold butter and cream cheese, because the ingredients don't mix together as well. It can also happen if you use old powdered sugar that has clumps in it. Be sure to measure all ingredients properly.
No, because these are two very different ingredients. The biggest difference being that hot chocolate mix already has a lot of sugar in it.
Storage
- Refrigerate- Since dairy is used in this recipe, it needs to be stored in the fridge, to prevent the icing from going bad. Store in a sealed container for up to 1 week.
- Freeze- Store in a sealed container for up to 1 month. When you are ready to use it, thaw in the fridge overnight and whip it again it to make it fluffy.
- Room temperature- This can stay out for 3-5 hours away from direct sunlight, heat and moisture.
- Make ahead- This can easily be made 1-2 days in advance.
More easy frosting recipes
- Caramel Frosting (3 Ingredients)
- Easy Pumpkin Frosting (Cream Cheese)
- Blackberry Buttercream Frosting
- Seven Minute Frosting (Egg White Icing)
- Coconut Cream Chocolate frosting
Recipe
Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
Video
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Ingredients
- ½ cup Butter Unsalted, Room temperature
- 8 oz. Cream cheese Softened, Full fat
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ½ cup Cocoa powder
- 3 cups Powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoon Whole milk Or heavy cream
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and cream cheese until fluffy.
- Mix in vanilla extract. Keep aside.
- In another bowl, whisk together together cocoa powder and powdered sugar.
- Gradually, add this sugar/cocoa powder mixture into the cheese mixture and mix until smooth and creamy.
- If it looks too thick, add milk or heavy cream to smooth it out to your desired consistency.
- Chill frosting for 20-30 minutes to make it easier to handle.
- Use it to frost cakes and cupcakes. Enjoy!
Notes
- Please use unsalted butter to prevent the end result from being too salty.
- If frosting is too thick, mix in more milk or water (1 tablespoon at a time).
- If frosting is too thin, mix in more powdered sugar (¼ cup at a time).
- Use high quality cocoa powder for best chocolate flavor.
- Cocoa powder cannot be replaced with hot cocoa mix. They are not the same.
- Use room temperature ingredients because they blend together smoothly and evenly.
- Read additional tips and variations above.
- Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- Recipe is enough to frost about 20 cupcakes or fill and frost a round 8x2 cake.
Nutrition
An automated tool is used to calculate the nutritional information. As such, I cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information provided for any recipe on this site.
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