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–+ servings
a cake frosted with chocolate frosting.
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4.39 from 36 votes

Chocolate Frosting

Homemade Chocolate Frosting made with delicious cream cheese and espresso for the ultimate decadent experience. Simple, quick and tasty, this recipe will make you say 'no' to any store-bought frosting. It spreads and pipes easily for cakes or cupcakes.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time0 minutes
Total Time10 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chocolate cream cheese frosting, chocolate frosting
Servings: 24
Calories: 285kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1½ cups butter salted, softened
  • 8 ounces cream cheese softened
  • 1½ cup cocoa powder unsweetened
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon espresso powder
  • 7-8 cups powdered sugar same as confectioners sugar or icing sugar
  • ¼ cup milk
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Combine butter and cream cheese: To the bowl of your mixer, add the butter and cream cheese and mix until fluffy and smooth.
  • Mix in chocolate ingredients: Add the cocoa powder, vanilla extract and espresso powder to the bowl and mix until well combined.
  • Add icing sugar and milk: Beat in the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, adding a bit of milk as necessary until it reaches a spreadable consistency. The frosting should be thick. This frosting will thicken further when refrigerated.

Notes

  1. Yields about 6 to 7 cups of frosting.
  2. Nutritional information is per 1/4 cup.
  3. If using unsalted butter, add a pinch of salt.
  4. While beating the frosting in your mixer, make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl many times to ensure even blending of all the ingredients.
  5. If you can't find any espresso powder you can substitute this with any instant coffee powder as well. Make sure you use the same amount as you would the espresso.
  6. Make sure the quality of your cocoa powder is a high grade one. It will make a world of difference when mixing it into your chocolate frosting.
  7. Soften your ingredients. Make sure all the ingredients you are using are at room temperature for at least a couple hours before making the frosting, so they can blend well together.
  8. Your leftover chocolate frosting will last at room temperature for about 8 hours, after which it will need to be refrigerated. Make sure to store it in a sealed container in the fridge where it will last for up to 5 days. Bring it to room temperature and re-whip it before using.
  9. If you decide to freeze it, again the best way to go about is to use a sealed container and store it in your freezer for up to 1 month.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.25cup | Calories: 285kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 35mg | Potassium: 104mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 35g | Vitamin A: 486IU | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 1mg