Rich Chocolate Frosting Recipe

Great chocolate frosting is a repertoire must-have for any aspiring baker, and recipe developer Jennine Rye has you covered with her rich chocolate frosting recipe. Using just a few kitchen cupboard ingredients, you can make this quick, reliable, and utterly delicious frosting, which will add the perfect finishing touch to any cake or baked good.

This chocolate frosting recipe is incredibly versatile and can be used for a variety of kitchen bakes and sweet treats. Chocolate pairs really well with a large number of flavors so you don't need to reserve this recipe solely for chocolate cakes. Instead, why not experiment with different flavor combinations? You never know what you might discover in the kitchen!

Unlike some types of frosting, this frosting recipe uses butter as its base giving it a much longer shelf life as it doesn't need to be stored in the fridge. This makes it the perfect topping for sponge cakes and cupcakes, which are best kept at room temperature.

The special addition of coffee is what really makes this recipe a winner. When blended with the other ingredients it is impossible to taste the coffee itself, but its inclusion adds a depth of flavor and intensity to the chocolate, resulting in a richer tasting and more decadent frosting. We guarantee that this chocolate buttercream recipe will become a firm family favorite that you will come back to time and time again.

To make this rich chocolate frosting recipe, first you will need to gather the ingredients. You'll need butter, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, powdered sugar, strong, cooled coffee, and a splash of milk. The type of cocoa used will greatly impact the resulting flavor of this chocolate frosting, so make sure to brush up on your cocoa powder knowledge before you start. Cocoa powder with a higher fat percentage will create a richer taste, and make sure to avoid drinking cocoa entirely as it contains other ingredients. You will want pure cocoa powder for this frosting recipe.

In a stand mixer or mixing bowl, add the butter and vanilla extract, and then sieve in the cocoa powder to remove any clumps. Beat the ingredients for a minute or two until everything is well combined. 

For this recipe, it is important to make sure that the butter is at room temperature before being beaten so that it forms a smooth, non-lumpy paste. This will create the perfect base for a silky, pipe-able buttercream frosting.

Begin to add the powdered sugar to the mixing bowl, using about ½ cup at a time. Make sure to sieve the sugar to remove any lumps before adding it to the bowl. When incorporating the sugar into the buttercream frosting, Rye recommends starting off using a low speed, which helps to minimize the resulting dust cloud from the powdered sugar. As the ingredients begin to combine, it is fine to increase the speed of your stand mixer or hand-held mixer.

When roughly half of the powdered sugar has been incorporated into the buttercream, you can then add the cooled coffee to the mixing bowl. Pour the coffee in and then turn the mixer on to combine the liquid completely, before adding the remaining powdered sugar. If the resulting chocolate frosting is a little stiff, a splash or two of milk can be added at this point to loosen up the mixture. The end result should be silky smooth, lump-free, pipe-able chocolate frosting. Use straight away to frost your baked goods, or put to one side; it will last for up to one week stored covered in an airtight container.