This frosting will reignite your love of American-style buttercream by perfectly balancing sweetness with notes of vanilla and cocoa, whipped into an ethereal texture that makes the best addition to your favorite chocolate cake or cupcakes!
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Often infamously referred to as "cloyingly-sweet," American-style buttercream garners a bad reputation across the world, including those from its country of origin, myself included. Many have openly admitted to avoiding it altogether, while others say they need to scrape it off before eating the cake or pastry underneath. What's the point in that!?
As such, this recipe focuses on creating a frosting that I, you and others will not only love, but actually begin to crave. Sweetness remains in the background, allowing for the cocoa and vanilla to emerge in a nuanced frosting you simply won't be able to stop sampling while working with it.
Reasons Why Chocolate Lovers Make This Recipe
- Ready in minutes -- if you have 10 minutes, you have enough time to make an entire batch of homemade frosting, making you ever prepared for that last-minute bake sale at school (and by last-minute, we really mean you remembering last-minute). 😉
- Simple and versatile -- whether you need to decorate cakes and cupcakes or fill fresh, flaky doughnuts, this recipe is versatile enough to complement any pastry you can bake!
- Make-ahead -- buttercream frosting stores amazingly well in both the fridge of freezer for weeks to months at a time (see "Storage and Reheating Instructions" for more information), making it work seamlessly into your busy schedule.
- Few ingredients -- rather than store-bought frostings that are loaded with chemicals and other additives you can't pronounce, keep frosting as nature intended with just a few ingredients and nothing more.
Ingredients and Variations
Frosting is shockingly easy to prepare and needs only a few pantry staples that I bet you already have on hand, including:
Butter -- as the name suggests, buttercream uses a generous amount of butter (and has the amazing taste to prove it)! This recipe steadily balances the ratio of butter to sugar so that the other flavorings shine through into a complex, delicious frosting. Use softened butter for the best texture. If you don't have butter, you can substitute with vegetable shortening or margarine.
Confectioner's sugar -- this lightly-textured sugar dissolves wonderfully in the butter, creating a smooth finish with the right amount of sweetness. I wouldn't recommend substituting with another sugar, otherwise the frosting might turn out too grainy.
Cocoa powder -- while unsweetened cocoa powder will work just fine in this recipe, I always opt for the Dutch-processed variety for a more intense cocoa flavor. Sift the cocoa powder and sugar together to prevent lumps in your frosting.
Milk -- adding a liquid helps smooth out the frosting in its final stage. Using whole milk or heavy cream, with their increased fat content, add extra silkiness, but you can use evaporated milk or a milk substitute with good success.
Salt -- a touch of salt always complements any chocolate recipe, so use a pinch to help tie everything together.
Vanilla extract -- chocolate and vanilla are a classic combination, and the vanilla helps dilute the bitterness from the cocoa powder without the need for more sugar.
Tips for Success
- The butter's texture is crucial to the success of the frosting's final consistency. Do not use room temperature of melted butter, as the frosting will be too greasy. Rather, use butter that maintains your fingerprint once gently pressed, but not so warm that the butter bows and drips under the weight of your finger.
- If you are piping the buttercream, fill up the piping bag no more than halfway with frosting to avoid any excess spilling over the top and all over your hands in a proper mess.
- To that end, after filling in the piping bag with frosting, squeeze any air out through the top before twisting it closed, otherwise air pockets will pop out through the piping tip and mess up your intricate design work-- and we all know how painstaking cake decoration can be already!
- If you find your frosting too thin, add more powdered sugar one tablespoon at a time until you reach your desired consistency. If your frosting is too thick, add a splash of milk (or whatever liquid you are using) a bit at a time until thinned to your liking.
Detailed Preparation Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fixed with the paddle attachment, whip butter on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Pour half of the dry ingredients over the butter and mix on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase the speed to medium-high and mix for another 3-4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl every minute.
- Add in the remaining dry ingredients, milk, vanilla extract, and salt, and repeat the same mixing procedure as above for another 2-3 minutes, until the mixture is fluffy and homogenous.
Storage and Reheating Instruction
Wrap any unused frosting in cling film and store in the fridge for up to 3 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
As mentioned above, frosting can split into a grainy texture once chilled, but this is easily remedied. When ready to use the frosting, you have a few options for reconstitution.
The easiest way is to simply let it gently warm undisturbed for a few minutes on the counter, then return the frosting to the stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Whip on high speed for another 2 minutes until homogenous again.
Other options for reheating the frosting back to working temperature are gently microwaving in 5-10 second bursts, or even with a hair dryer blowing hot air for a few seconds at a time. If using either of these methods, ensure you gently stir in between for even heating.
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Equipment
- 1 electric stand mixer with paddle attachment
- 1 rubber spatula
Ingredients
- 227 grams salted butter, softened see "Tips for Success"
- 340 grams powdered sugar
- 40 grams Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 85 ml milk or heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fixed with the paddle attachment, whip the softened butter on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and Dutch-processed cocoa powder. Pour half of the dry ingredients over the whipped butter and mix on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase the speed to medium-high and mix for another 3-4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl every minute.
- Add in the remaining dry ingredients, milk, vanilla extract, and salt, and repeat the same mixing procedure as above for another 2-3 minutes, until the mixture is fluffy and homogenous.
