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Buttercream Frosting
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- #24848
A tasty American chocolate buttercream frosting made with butter, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract. Directions include amounts for making medium and dark chocolate frosting too.
serves/makes:
ready in:
under 30 minutes
under 30 minutes
80 reviews
3 comments
ingredients
6 tablespoons butter, softened
cocoa powder, see below
2 2/3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
directions
For light chocolate frosting use 1/3 cup cocoa powder. For medium chocolate frosting use 1/2 cup cocoa powder. For dark chocolate frosting use 3/4 cup cocoa powder
Add the butter to a mixer bowl. Beat on medium speed until the butter is fluffy. Add the cocoa powder and powdered sugar alternately with the milk while the mixer is running.
Beat until the mixture is the desired spreading consistency, adding more milk or powdered sugar as needed.
Blend in the vanilla.
nutrition data
37 calories, 1 grams fat, 6 grams carbohydrates, 0 grams protein per tablespoon. This recipe is low in sodium.
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reviews & comments
August 8, 2016
Made this recipe just now (it's 12:45a)to frost a homemade (but easy) chocolate cake. I used a hand-held electric mixer. I had all the ingredients (there aren't that many) and it only took a few minutes. Hubby's in bliss licking the bowl and beaters. This recipe is a keeper!!!!! OUTSTANDING FROSTING!!!Woohoo!
September 11, 2014
Great recipe! I use it for my chocolate and vanilla buttercream (just sub additional powdered sugar for the cocoa).
October 22, 2013
Fantastic recipe! I love that it gives the amounts to make it the different degrees of chocolate-y. I've printed this out and put it in my "most used" cooking folder and will be using this again and again. I made the dark chocolate frosting and it was delicious.
July 22, 2013
Perfect! Frosted a pan of brownies with it! Made such a lovely mess on the face of my toddler! Can't wait to use this recipe again and again!
February 2, 2013
WOW! What a winner! Fast and easy to make and boy this tastes out of this world. I will never buy canned frosting again. Thank you so very much! Sheila
January 4, 2013
PERFECT! Tasted like my mom made when I was a kid! SUPER EASY!! Thank you for sharing!
December 22, 2012
Delicious! I used the 1/2 cup of cocoa and it was perfect. Thanks for all the great reviews that caused me to try this frosting. More than enough to frost a 9x13 cake.
October 22, 2012
Just tried this recipe and it turned out great! Just enough for 24 cupcakes. Will definitely use this again.
September 6, 2012
Oh....my....G-d!!!! This was so easy and tastes wonderful! I used Country Crock light and half and half and it was amazing! Thank you for sharing, my daughter and I licked the bowl and spatula. This recipe was helpful because we were on a budget. It was the frosting for our Chocolate Mayo cake and will now be my go-to frosting!
June 14, 2012
I served this yesterday on Sour Cream white cake for my church circle. All the ladies loved it and several asked for frosting recipe. I used the 3/4 cup cocoa. Also used fat-free half and half for milk, as that was all I had. The recipe was easy and so very delicious.
May 14, 2012
I fell onto this recipe by accident , first I thought the sugar looked too much, and I have been struggling to find a good chocolate icing so I said to my self what the heck why not try it and boy I have not regretted it once. I didn't even have to alter anything, This has become my icing of choice. Thank you so much for sharing.
May 11, 2012
This frosting is fantastic! I will never make another recipe again. I learned this week that you must use 100% pure cane confectioners sugar. This is perfect buttercream frosting! Thank you!
March 30, 2012
I've never made frosting before, this recipe worked perfectly, I used the 3/4 cup cocoa for a darker result. It tastes amazing and is light and fluffy.
March 4, 2012
I was looking for a chocolate frosting recipe for my my 2 layer yellow cake. After reading the reviews, I thought I'd try it. Well, this frosting recipe is FANTASTIC!! So quick and easy, great consistency, so fluffy, and very tasty. I went for the 3/4 cup cocoa. Just right. A must try. SO GLAD I FOUND THIS RECIPE!!! Delicious!!
February 17, 2012
I used margarine instead of butter as that was all I had in the house and cream instead of milk. (with half a cup of cocoa) Very delicious!
September 8, 2011
This is perfect! I used the dark chocolate frosting quantities and it turned out delicious. I do recommend sifting together the powdered sugar and the cocoa for the smoothest frosting (or you can blend them with a small hand whisk). I've been searching for a non-sickening-sweet frosting for a very long time and this is it. There was enough frosting to fill and frost a 9-inch round layer cake plus 12 cupcakes. Delicious! Thanks for the great recipe!
August 13, 2011
Great recipe!! So easy to make! No need to buy frosting anymore!
Does the frosted cake require refrigeration due to milk in receipe? Thanks!
June 15, 2011
I can crash and burn any recipe that says it is easy. Take it from me you can't ruin this one. It is the best I have ever made or tasted, just the way granny use to make it( maybe even better) sorry granny
May 19, 2011
EXCELLENT recipe and taste great
April 2, 2011
This is super yummy and super easy! I had a box cake mix but no frosting mix. I searched around and finally thought this looked easy and I had all the ingredients. Wow! So chocolaty and creamy and rich. I added a little instant coffee to the mix to bring out the chocolate flavor.
March 31, 2011
Absolutely love this recipe. I did use Unsalted Sweet Cream butter instead of regular butter, and it was so good! Had to make a double batch to get what I needed out of it. Thanks for this!
March 13, 2011
This is my favorite chocolate frosting recipe...no more bought frostings...it is very easy to make also...my family really likes this too
February 18, 2011
It is very easy to make. Before I added everything it didn't quite look right so I was hoping for the best but it came together nicely. It was BARELY enough for a 2 layer 8 inch round cake. anything bigger then that you might want to double the recipe.
February 4, 2011
I am so happy I didn't bother going to the store to buy a can of frosting as I had planned. I will never drag the baby to the store for frosting again. This recipe is a keeper. Easy to make- and easy to modify based on how chocolate-y or thick you want it. Just right for the birthday cupcakes I made. We are licking the beaters and bowl until we are sick! You will need willpower to stay away from this stuff :)
January 3, 2011
I lo-lo-love this!! Super duper easy and so delicious. I'm a huge fan of the dark chocolate taste so I just put in less icing sugar - and it's great! thumbs up to this recipe!
November 16, 2010
Finally, a dark chocolate frosting recipe. Fantastic!! (And easy, too.)
November 15, 2010
Tastes Great!!!! DISCLAIMER: if you think you need more milk, think twice. that's what i did, and the icing fell off the cake. :( but it still tasted amazing!!
October 8, 2010
OMG!!! I usually don't care for chocolate nor cakes, but I had to make a cake for someone. I had a little taste test and I swear I would eat a gym sock if it was covered in this frosting. I made enough to fill, lightly frost and decorate a 2 layer 9 inch cake. Perfect consistancy.
June 27, 2010
chocolate coma
June 18, 2010
I used granulated sugar and it came out good. very tasty and easy for a novice baker
April 12, 2010
A great recipe where you can adjust the amount of cocoa based on taste. Easy to make.
February 22, 2010
Very easy to make and it was sooooo yummy. I went the dark chocolate route and am very happy I did. I made this for some cupcakes and it was the perfect amount. This is my new go to recipe.
December 20, 2009
My family ate the cake in one day, and wanted me to make another the next day!
December 17, 2009
Best icing ever! Easy to make and so so tasty.
November 20, 2009
Ahhh, the classic buttercream frosting... my favorite chocolate frosting, next to the one on the "big-brand" cocoa tin itself but with a lot less work! This recipe is great as-is, but other variations in addition to the raspberry that someone mentioned earlier include substituting cooled, brewed coffee for some or all of the milk; substituting mint extract or rum flavoring for the vanilla (the rum is a hit at church parties); or using one of the flavored liquid creamers in place of the milk-- adjust the portion as needed to get the right consistency. Great recipe!
October 23, 2009
Works great with 1 1/3 cup 1/2 Splenda sugar mix. I used smartbalance instead of butter (my father's diabetic) and it worked wonderfully! I also added crushed pecans and black walnuts. It's wonderful I could find a recipe that really can work with diabetic ingredients.
August 20, 2009
Once you make this, you will never buy frosting again. It is so light and fluffy. I added almond extract and my whole family commented on how delicious it was.
July 18, 2009
Tastes just like my Grandma used to make! WOW! So easy and delicious!
June 26, 2009
delicious frosting, very easy to make! I added some nutella hazelnut topping to it and it added additional flavor and lightened it up a little bit.
March 7, 2009
A very good icing. I noticed though that the butter doesnt completely mix with the rest of the icing, you can see the film of it after you lick some off your fingers. Im cooling it right now, maybe that will help.
It maybe be that your butter was too warm? And did you use real butter or a blend?
February 16, 2009
This recipe was a great easy chocolate frosting. The only thin I did diferently was add 1/4 cup of cream cheese to make it creamier. YUM!
January 28, 2009
I forgot the vanilla, but it still tasted great! Would definitely make again.
January 22, 2009
Easy and amazing! I used 3/4 cup of cocoa and slightly less sugar than called for. I also added a little chocolate liqueur at the end. This is now in my permanent recipe collection!
January 12, 2009
This was AMAZING!! I just made it quickly for a cake me and the neighbor child made... I had to hide it from him!!! tastes AWESOME and reminds me of the filling in Dunkin Donuts chocolate filled Donuts!
January 12, 2009
This was AMAZING!! I just made it quickly for a cake me and the neighbor child made... I had to hide it from him!!! tastes AWESOME and reminds me of the filling in Dunkin Donuts chocolate filled Donuts!
October 28, 2008
This recipe is absolutely delicious! I made the dark chocolate version and it's amazing. It says that it makes 3.25 cups, but I didn't have enough to frost 24 cupcakes...I would definitely need to triple or even quadruple this recipe to frost a multi layer cake....but this is the best chocolate frosting I have ever had :-)
October 6, 2008
This was a very good treat. I had to replace the milk with water, but it still tasted great. I used heavy chocolate.
August 29, 2008
I'm what you might call "cooking challenged" and even I couldn't screw this one up! I adjusted the recipe down to 2 cups for the cupcakes we were making, and just kept fiddling with the cocoa, milk, and sugar from there. It's very forgiving, and we had just enough for 18 cupcakes. Of course I licked the bowl and beaters too!
August 22, 2008
i agree with everyone else: this recipe is quick and delicious!
August 18, 2008
Quick and easy, yet delicious. Perfecto! :-)
August 16, 2008
It is the best recipe ever. Fast and easy. i substituded the vanilla extract with amaretto. it taste so good. i think everyone should have this recipe. ;-)
August 1, 2008
this is the best icing i ever tasted. my whole family likes it im going to use this icing forever.thank you for who ever made it.
July 12, 2008
I made this in a pinch because I didn't have heavy cream to make a ganache for my chocolate peppermint cupcakes. I added peppermint extract instead of the vanilla and it was great! It only made enough to coat 12-13 cupcakes so I had to make a second batch to finish up my frosting, but that is my only complaint. Great recipe and most of the stuff you need, you have around the house if you bake at all.
July 8, 2008
Easy. An electric hand-mixer worked wonders to get a nice creamy texture. I had some older clumpy powdered sugar that I sifted and it turned out great.
June 10, 2008
Thank you all who commented - this recipe gets 5 stars from me, and yes, I'm licking the beaters, spoons and bowl, too! Great recipe.
May 16, 2008
WOW!This is so easy and tastes fantastic. Very smooth and rich! I will use this recipe from now on. This is the best homemade chocolate frosting recipe that I have ever found!
May 8, 2008
This recipe is great! This is the first quick and easy frosting recipe I have found. It turns out perfect!
March 12, 2008
Yippee!! I found it!! Made this recipe before and it was wonderful!! I have a special occasion coming up and wanted to make again but could not remember where I had originally found the recipe. When I saw the reviews I knew this was the one! Can't wait have it again!
March 5, 2008
My wife is having a card party tonight and she wanted me to bake her a cake. Normally I buy icing for my cakes, but I wanted this to be a little more special. Man, I know my cakes are good, but her friends won't even notice my cake next to this delicious icing!!
February 29, 2008
Must admit, didn't have much hope for this recipe with the miniscule amount of butter compared to the vast amount of dry ingredients, but, WOW, what a fantastic frosting, make it for a cake for a customer, now i've got a dozen more orders!!!!!! FANTASTIC!!!
January 2, 2008
read the reviews and decided to try... glad that I did! I used a little more powdered sugar and cocoa than 1/2 cup and it turned out perfect.
October 4, 2007
I used this instead of my usual frosting. This is great, great, great. So easy and spreads like a dream. I used the medium chocolate amount and used some cold coffee for part of the milk as we like the coffee flavor. What a hit.
September 6, 2007
Very Good!!! I adjusted slightly because I realized I ran out of milk so substituted with water... in addition, I am quite the dark chocoholic so added a little more cocoa (1 cup). lastly i added maybe a tablespoon or so (according to taste) of raspberry dessert squeeze to finalize this delicious product and it is truly to die for!!
August 19, 2007
This icing was easy and tasty with nice light texture. Try sifting the icing sugar and cocoa for extra smoothness.
August 12, 2007
I had an icing "disaster" and needed a quick recipe. After reading the reviews, I decided to try this one. It was AWESOME!! I used a bit more milk because I needed a thinner icing. I added some marshmallows and spread it on brownies. They were a huge hit!! I'm not a baker, so thanks for saving my cooking reputation!
August 11, 2007
Quick and easy recipe. Great consistency for decorative icing too. Also very tasty. A great recipe to use when you need something quick and easy
July 18, 2007
This is a great recipe. Very easy, quick, and delicious! I scaled the recipe down to make 2 cups of frosting because I was low on butter, and found it to be a very light, fluffy frosting! The light chocolate version (1/3 cup) is just chocolately enough for my rich devil's food cupcakes!
July 18, 2007
This icing is awesome. I baked a cake that didn't turn out so well (had to sub half of the self raising flour with regular flour) and it didn't come out so good. Made this icing for it and now it tastes great! I'll be using this in the future. thanks for the great recipe!
July 14, 2007
This frosting not only tastes great, but the consistency was so smooth and easy to work with that it spread on the cake like a dream. Quick/easy/delicious - what more could you want? I just realized I forgot the vanilla, but it was still great!
It's so easy to make a chocolate cake, but making your own icing can be tricky. I tried this recipe and it is perfect choc icing! I will always use this for chocolate cakes. Quick, simple, looks great and taste even better. It makes plenty as well. I did the cake in half and put some in the middle, and all around the outside and i still had some left over. Recommend it to anyone!
January 25, 2007
This is the best chocolate icing ever! We made the dark chocolate version and it's delicious!!! I have also add more milk to drizzle this icing over bunt cake. Yum yum! Two chocolate thumbs up, way up!!!!!
I just made the Buttercream Frosting and it came out great. We only use skim milk in the house, so I used Evaporated Milk (a little more than called for) but it turned out so great. Thanks for your website. I visit it often and find so many great recipes. Keep up the good work. You make us all gourmets. Thankx again.
January 16, 2007
ahh...this frosting was AMAZING. i ate it without even putting it on the cupcakes i baked. =]
November 22, 2006
Very easy, and quite tasty (although I added another 1/2 cup of powdered sugar, since I like my frosting very sweet).
November 18, 2006
Oh my! This is the best chocolate frosting I've ever made. My daughter and I are licking the beaters as I type. Delicious!
November 7, 2006
The frosting needed at least another two Tbsp of milk to be smooth, but overall was good. I added a Tsp more of butter and milk and 1/3C more of cocoa to make it extra rich, alterations made it awesome.
October 31, 2006
Worked well with a good consistency for decoration (at least the way we made it which may not have been exactly the same as the recipe due the difficulty in measuring "cups" - doesn't anyone have a weighing scale? ;-)
October 25, 2006
Man o man this is the best chocolate frosting i have ever ever ever had and i am a vetran when it comes to chocolate lol. Thanks
October 15, 2006
make chocolate frosting for the first time using this recipe it was easy and sooo good will use all the time
July 21, 2006
LOVE IT
June 11, 2006
Quick and easy.. Perfect for that last minute frosting. Very tastey too.
October 6, 2005
Absolutely super, and so quick & easy. I'll use this for all my chocolate cakes.