Frosting Cakes
If you are making this frosting to frost a 9 by 13 inch cake, you can make the recipe just as written. If you are making a layered cake, I would suggest doubling the recipe here so that you have plenty for each layer and to coat the cake. This Chocolate Frosting is bound to become a favorite in your house. It is easy to make and perfect for all of your cakes and cupcakes. That being said, I you want to just eat it with a spoon then we are birds of a feather, my friend.
Unsalted Butter: You can’t make a buttercream without starting with butter. I like to use unsalted butter because it allows us to control the amount of salt in the recipe. Additionally, it is absolutely key that the butter is room temperature. Vanilla: Even though this is chocolate frosting, the vanilla adds a smooth, rich flavor to help keep the chocolate from tasting too bitter or chalky. Cocoa Powder: This is what gives the homemade buttercream frosting a rich chocolaty taste. Powdered Sugar: Regular confectioner’s sugar works great in this recipe; the finer the better. Many recipes call for you to sift the sugar first so it doesn’t clump. This isn’t a step that I find necessary, and as you can see the frosting is smooth and creamy. Heavy Cream: Here’s where your frosting will achieve its fluffy, airy texture. Heavy whipping cream blends with the other ingredients beautifully, making this frosting lighter than air! Salt: Adding salt to recipes helps enhance the flavor of all the other ingredients. This applies to savory and sweet recipes. We are adding just a pinch here and it is the perfect final touch.
Whip the butter. It is important that your butter is at room temperature. Beat it with a hand mixer or in your stand mixer. Add in the cocoa powder and vanilla extract. Add the powdered sugar. Slowly add in the powdered sugar one cup at a time. Then add in the heavy cream and mix until combined. The frosting might seem really thick at this point, but when you add in the heavy cream it will turn into the delightful smooth frosting you see here. Use right away or refrigerate until ready to use.
A few things to keep in mind with room temperature butter:
Room temperature butter is cold to the touch. You should be able to easily dent it with a finger without your finger going all the way through. Do not microwave the butter to achieve room temperature. The outside of the butter will melt while the inside of the stick of butter is still too cold. To achieve room temperature butter quickly, cut the stick of butter into one inch pieces and leave it on the counter for 30 minutes.
Storing Frosting
Store any leftover frosting in the refrigerator for up to two days. You may need to whip it for a minute or two to make it fluffy again. If you plan to make the frosting ahead of time, I would store it separately from the cupcakes and frost them when you are ready to eat them so you don’t have to keep the cupcakes in the fridge.
Sugar Cookie Bars: Use it as the frosting for these delicious cookie bars Pumpkin Cupcakes: Chocolate and pumpkin go great together and this frosting would be fantastic on those cupcakes. Banana Cake: This would go fantastic on my banana cake – one of my very favorite flavor combos. Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake: I love it for decorating this great cake. Make it for your next birthday!
I can’t wait to hear how your frosting turns out! If you try this easy chocolate frosting recipe, please drop me a comment below and let me know what you think.
