Good Chocolate Buttercream – My Baking Habit

Made with cocoa powder and melted chocolate, this chocolate buttercream frosting is gentle and fluffy with a wealthy chocolate taste. You’ll by no means return to store-bought frosting once more!

Probably the most fashionable recipes on this website is my selfmade buttercream frosting. It’s straightforward to make and the frosting is tremendous fluffy and scrumptious. It’s received a whole lot and a whole lot of 5-star evaluations for a purpose!

And one of the frequent questions I get requested is how one can flip that attractive vanilla buttercream right into a chocolate buttercream frosting.

I’ve performed round with a number of completely different strategies over time, from including a number of tablespoons of cocoa powder to mixing in some melted chocolate. However I lastly nailed the proper chocolate buttercream.

This recipe makes use of two types of chocolate – cocoa powder and melted chocolate – for double the chocolatey goodness. The flavour is tremendous wealthy however the texture is simply as gentle and fluffy as the unique.

It’s the proper frosting for any chocolate lover!

The proper chocolate buttercream

This recipe makes a wealthy chocolate frosting with the sunshine, fluffy texture that everybody loves in a superb buttercream frosting. Despite the fact that it’s wealthy and decadent, it’s received a superb stability of sweetness, making it good for any of your favourite desserts or cupcakes.

The way in which we get a lot taste into this frosting is by utilizing a mix of cocoa powder and melted darkish chocolate.

Cocoa powder is form of like super-powered chocolate. If we solely used melted chocolate, we wouldn’t have the ability to get the fluffy texture we wish on this recipe. Including cocoa powder into the combo boosts the chocolate taste with out making the frosting too heavy.

I choose to make use of unsweetened cocoa powder on this recipe. For those who aren’t conversant in the kinds of cocoa powder or why it’s utilized in recipes, I stroll you thru all of that in my cocoa powder 101 submit.

The second sort of chocolate we’ll use is melted darkish chocolate. Even in the event you aren’t often a fan of darkish chocolate, I encourage you to provide it a attempt on this recipe.

The darkish chocolate provides a ton of wealthy taste with out making the frosting too candy. Belief me, there’s loads of powdered sugar on this recipe to stability out any bitterness from the darkish chocolate.

All you’ll style is extremely chocolatey goodness!

Tips on how to make my chocolate buttercream

For those who’ve by no means made one in all my frosting recipes earlier than, you may be stunned to study that making selfmade frosting isn’t just straightforward, it’s form of enjoyable!

Belief me, you’ll by no means return to the bathtub of store-bought frostings once more after making an attempt this recipe.

Components you’ll want

To make my chocolate buttercream, you will want:

• 1 1/2 cups room-temperature unsalted butter
• 5 cups powdered sugar
• ⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• pinch superb sea salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 
• 1 (3.5-ounce) melted and cooled Ghirardelli darkish chocolate bar (60% or 72% cacao) 
• 4-5 tablespoons heavy cream or entire milk

Be sure that your butter is at room temperature earlier than you begin making the frosting. For those who overlook to set it out forward of time, I’ve some ideas for how one can soften butter rapidly to assist velocity up the method.

When measuring the powdered sugar and cocoa powder, use the identical fluff, scoop, and sweep technique that we use when measuring flour.

I like to make use of unsweetened cocoa powder on this frosting. It’s generally known as pure cocoa powder – they’re the identical factor! If you wish to use dutch-process cocoa, simply needless to say the flavour and colour of the ultimate frosting could also be a bit completely different.

Ghirardelli is my favourite model of chocolate bar to make use of on this frosting. Their merchandise are top-notch (I am keen on their brownie mixes, too), and I actually do discover a distinction within the taste of this chocolate buttercream after I use a superb chocolate bar.

Making this frosting

Identical to whenever you’re making my whipped cream frosting or brown butter frosting, you will want a stand mixer or electrical mixer to create the proper texture on this chocolate buttercream.

If you’re utilizing a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment.

To begin, beat the butter on medium-high velocity for 6-7 minutes. Ensure you scrape down the edges of the bowl with a rubber spatula.

And sure, I actually do imply 6-7 minutes! Don’t attempt to rush this course of or the feel of the frosting received’t be proper.

In a separate bowl, sift the powdered sugar with the cocoa powder. With the mixer on low, slowly add this combination to the butter. Hold beating till it’s completely integrated – scrape down the edges and backside of the bowl as wanted.

Add in a pinch of salt and the vanilla; combine to mix.

Now spoon within the melted and cooled darkish chocolate. Combine on low till no streaks stay, then add in 3 tablespoons of the milk or cream. Combine to mix, then scrape down the edges of the bowl.

Flip the mixer again to medium-high and beat the buttercream for an additional 6-7 minutes. That is the place the magic actually occurs to make the frosting tremendous gentle and fluffy.

In case your chocolate buttercream is simply too thick, be at liberty so as to add a bit extra milk or cream – 1 teaspoon at a time – till you attain your required consistency.

At this level you’ll be able to pipe or unfold the frosting onto your cake or cupcakes or retailer it for later use.

Storage and freezing ideas

This chocolate buttercream might be made a number of days forward of time, so it’s straightforward to organize earlier than a celebration or vacation.

Retailer in an hermetic container and refrigerate the frosting for as much as three days. While you’re prepared to make use of it, deliver the frosting to room temperature. Beat it for about 5 minutes with a mixer or till clean.

You might want so as to add a splash of cream or milk to revive the consistency earlier than piping or spreading onto your cake or cupcakes.

Freezing chocolate buttercream

Further chocolate buttercream may also be frozen for longer-term storage.

Place the frosting in a freezer-safe hermetic container. Typically I can even place a layer of plastic wrap on the highest of the frosting for additional safety. Freeze for as much as a month.

Let the frosting thaw within the fridge in a single day. Earlier than utilizing, let it come to room temperature and beat it together with your mixer for about 5 minutes or till good and clean. Add a splash of milk or cream if wanted.

Makes use of

Chocolate buttercream frosting is superb on all types of desserts and cupcakes. This recipe makes sufficient to frost 24 cupcakes or a 9-inch layer cake, so you’ve a ton of choices for methods to make use of it!

For an ultra-decadent chocolate expertise, add it to black magic cake or the most effective chocolate cake. It could even be good on high of chocolate cupcakes made with my doctored cake combine recipe.

If you wish to distinction the chocolatey frosting with a distinct taste cake, attempt it on selfmade yellow cake, vanilla cupcakes, funfetti cupcakes, or strawberry layer cake.

You’ll be able to even use it as a filling for cookie sandwiches made with straightforward sugar cookies.

From birthdays and anniversary celebrations to a random weeknight, this chocolate buttercream is a recipe that you just’ll come again to again and again for all of your chocolate dessert cravings.