This chocolate fudge frosting is perfect if you are searching for the ultimate creamy topping for your cakes and cupcakes. My popular buttercream frosting is enriched with melted dark chocolate and rich cocoa powder, resulting in a decadent, rich chocolate flavor that's absolutely irresistible. And the best part? It comes together in just 10 minutes!
Best 10-Minute Chocolate Fudge Frosting
If you've seen other old fashioned chocolate fudge frosting recipes before landing on this one, you'll notice that everyone has their own way of making chocolate fudge frosting. But once you try my recipe, I promise, you won't want to do it any other way!
This easy chocolate fudge frosting recipe is super creamy, stable to pipe, and packed with deep chocolate flavor. It's also incredibly easy, requiring just 10 minutes and a handful of simple ingredients you can grab from any grocery store. No fancy equipment or professional experience needed. This recipe is beginner-friendly, with all the tips and tricks to make it a breeze, even if it's your first time.
What really makes this frosting stand out from the others is the double dose of chocolate. It's like a combination of my white chocolate frosting and classic chocolate buttercream recipes, with a deep flavor similar to my whipped chocolate ganache frosting but with a fluffier texture! Keep reading to learn the technique that makes this the best chocolate fudge frosting recipe you'll ever try!
Katalin's Take On How to Make the Frosting Extra Chocolatey
The thing about chocolate frosting is that there is no one way to make it. You may find some chocolate fudge icing with cocoa powder, and you may find some with melted chocolate. However, if you're going for a deep, heavenly chocolate flavor, you'll want to use both! Combining the two really brings out that next-level fudgy flavor.
However, you can't just choose any chocolate; the average chocolate chips just won't do! Instead, you'll want to go for the good stuff, such as semi-sweet Callebaut or Lindt. I like using Callebaut 811 Dark Chocolate Callets with 54.5% cocoa content, much higher than your usual grocery store chocolate chips.
Unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder with 100% cacao is the way to go for the cocoa powder. It will give you a dark chocolate fudge frosting with a beautiful, velvety color and a rich flavor.
Of course, other ingredients behind the chocolate also make a difference to the chocolate flavor: Throw in good quality butter, a splash of vanilla, and just the right amount of salt (never skip the salt!), and you get a perfectly balanced frosting that's intensely chocolatey and not overly sweet or acidic!
Let's Make This Chocolate Fudge Frosting Ultra Chocolatey
Perfectly smooth chocolate fudge buttercream frosting starts with butter that's not too cold or soft. Having just the right temperature makes all the difference!
Before starting, the butter should be at room temperature. See my guide on softening butter to easily bring it to the right temperature without using a microwave or accidentally melting it. Use unsalted butter so you don't end up with salty frosting!
Prepare a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or get an electric hand mixer if you do not have a stand mixer).
Finely chop the chocolate and place it in a medium heatproof bowl. Gently melt it in the microwave (preferably in increments so it melts evenly), then allow it to cool to room temperature. Please do not wait until the chocolate sets completely, but also make sure that you don't use it while it's hot.
Use your mixer to cream the room-temperature butter at medium-high speed for about 3 minutes, until it becomes light in color and has a fluffy texture.
With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the powdered sugar, one tablespoon at a time, followed by the cocoa powder. Once incorporated, increase the speed to medium-high and whip for another 4 minutes or so, until the frosting is light, fluffy, and voluminous.
Next, add the vanilla extract, salt, and heavy cream. Continue whipping for about a minute until the texture turns smooth and silky.
Last, but not least, while the mixer is running, slowly add the melted room-temperature chocolate to the cream.
Once combined, your chocolate mixture should become a fluffy frosting perfect for piping. If it seems too thick, add extra heavy cream a tablespoon at a time. If it's too soft, stir in additional powdered sugar, a tablespoon at a time, until you reach your desired consistency. Or, chill it for 30 minutes.
This Is How To Store The Frosting
For the best texture and flavor, immediately use your chocolate frosting while the butter is still at room temperature and everything is freshly whipped. If you need to, store it in a piping bag at room temperature for a few hours or in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. You can freeze your chocolate frosting in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months.
Once refrigerated, let it come to room temperature before using it again, otherwise, since the butter hardens in the fridge, the frosting won't be pipeable in consistency. If frozen, let it thaw overnight at room temperature. Then, use a stand or hand mixer to rewhip for a minute or two to make it fluffy again.
If Something Goes Wrong...
Sometimes, even the perfect recipe and ingredients can give you not-so-perfect results. The good news is that many issues are minor and easy to fix with a couple of tweaks:
Grainy texture: If your butter wasn't soft enough when you started, the sugar might not fully dissolve, resulting in a gritty frosting. To smooth it out, try re-whipping the buttercream with a paddle attachment or mixing in a tablespoon of heavy cream and continuing to mix until the texture smooths out. You can also try to heat the outside of the bowl with a hair dryer (yes!) so the ingredients "soften" together to the same temperature.
Too soft or runny: Although the butter needs to be soft, too warm butter can make your frosting loose. To firm it up, gradually mix in sifted powdered sugar, one tablespoon at a time, until it reaches your desired consistency. You can also place the bowl in the fridge for a few minutes to firm up, then re-whip.
Too firm or dense: A stiff buttercream or one with visible air bubbles usually needs more time. Keep whipping until the texture becomes creamier and smoother.
Butter is separating: If your butter starts to separate from the frosting, it may have been too cold. Gently warm the outside of the bowl (a hairdryer works well) and continue mixing until the butter reintegrates and the frosting becomes smooth.
Expert Tips For Making Chocolate Fudge Frosting
- For the best flavor and texture, choose high-fat, European-style butter with 82% fat and heavy cream with 36% fat content. You also want to stick to quality semi-sweet chocolate, Dutch-processed cocoa powder, and pure vanilla extract. Avoid imitation vanilla and vanilla essence at all costs!
- When selecting your chocolate, look for couverture chocolate made for cooking. A regular chocolate candy bar or chocolate chips don't melt properly and won't give you the right consistency.
- If you do not have a microwave, you can melt the chocolate on the stove using a double boiler. See my guide on melting chocolate for more tips.
- For a vegan-friendly frosting, you can swap in high-fat vegan butter and vegan heavy whipping cream. Just remember that the flavor will differ slightly from the traditional dairy version.
- To avoid unwanted lumps in your frosting, always sift the powdered sugar and cocoa powder first. Make sure your mixer is on low speed when you add them, or you'll end up with a huge sugar or cocoa cloud!
- When creaming the butter, stop mixing as soon as it becomes light and fluffy. Overwhipping can deflate it and leave your frosting soft and runny.
You Will Need the Following Equipment
A stand mixer with a paddle attachment is ideal for the smoothest frosting. However, you can also use an electric hand mixer if necessary. As with all baking recipes, use a digital scale for the most accurate and consistent ingredient measurements.
How Much Chocolate Fudge Frosting Do I Need to Frost a Cake or Cupcakes?
This fudge chocolate frosting recipe provides enough to frost a dozen cupcakes generously. However, if you're using it for a cake (it would pair wonderfully with chocolate cake), the amount you'll need depends on the cake's size and how you decorate it. A 6-inch cake usually takes about double the recipe, while a 7-inch cake may require roughly 2.5 times as much. For an 8-inch cake, it's best to plan on tripling the recipe.
Keep in mind that your chocolate icing needs may vary depending on how thickly you like to apply it and whether you're including any fillings between the layers. If using chocolate fudge frosting for brownies, the amount will depend on your preference.
Try Some Of My Other Frosting Recipes
If you enjoyed making my chocolate fudge frosting, you will also want to try my other easy frosting recipes:
- Coconut Frosting
- Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
- Nutella Frosting
- Whipped Chocolate Ganache Frosting
- Funfetti Frosting
And for even more frostings you can use for your desserts, check out my 45+ Easy Cake Filling & Frosting Recipes.
Have You Tried This Recipe?
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Chocolate Fudge Frosting
Equipment
- Digital scale
Ingredients
Chocolate Fudge Frosting
- 226 g (1 cups) Unsalted butter 82% fat content European-style butter, use it softened
- 240 g (2 cups) Powdered sugar sifted
- 50 g (½ cups) Cocoa powder Dutch-processed, sifted
- 1 tablespoon Vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 3 tablespoons Heavy cream 36% fat content
- 170 g (1 cups) Semi-sweet Chocolate good quality eg. Callebaut, Lindt
US customary cup measurement is an indicative figure only. Measure the ingredients with a digital scale by weight (gram). Baking is art but also science which requires precision and accuracy.
Instructions
- First, bring your butter to room temperature. Buttercream can only be prepared with softened butter, neither cold nor too hot (melted butter) will work.
- Prepare a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Alternatively, use your electric hand mixer.
- Place the finely chopped chocolate in a medium heat-proof bowl and gently melt in the microwave. Let it come to room temperature before using (but do not wait until it sets).
- Cream the room-temperature butter at medium-high speed for 3 minutes until it becomes light in color and fluffy in texture.
- Add the powdered sugar, tablespoon by tablespoon, on low speed. Then, add the cocoa powder. Turn the mixer back on medium-high speed and whip it for another 4 minutes or until the mixture becomes light, fluffy, and increases in volume.
- Now, add the vanilla extract, salt, and heavy cream and continue whipping for another minute until it is smooth and silky.
- Lastly, add the melted (but hot) chocolate to the cream slowly while the mixer is on.
- The chocolate fudge frosting should have the perfect pipeable fluffy texture, but if, for some reason, it is too thick, add some more cream (1 tablespoon at a time). If the frosting is too thin, add more powdered sugar (1 tablespoon at a time).
- Note that the chocolate fudge frosting texture is best straight after making it when the butter is at the right temperature (room temperature), and the mixture is freshly whipped. I like to use the frosting immediately or store it at room temperature in a piping bag for a few hours. If stored in the refrigerator, you will need to bring it back to room temperature before using it, and might need to give it another minute or two to whip in the stand mixer to increase the volume again.
Notes
- Measure your ingredients with a digital scale for accuracy.
- To make this frosting, use high-fat (36%) heavy cream, good-quality semi-sweet chocolate, good-quality high-fat (82%) butter, and unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder.
- For a vegan alternative, the recipe can be made with high-fat vegan butter, vegan chocolate, and vegan cream; however, the taste will be different compared to using dairy products.
- It is key to use high-quality vanilla for the best flavor. Feel free to try my homemade vanilla extract.
- Make sure you read my Expert Tips section above to maximize your success. A short recipe alone cannot cover all the necessary details and science behind baking.
- The temperature and texture of the butter are key when making frosting. Wait until it is soft, however, avoid last-minute microwaving.
- When adding the powdered sugar and cocoa powder, reduce the speed of the mixer to avoid creating a huge cloud.
- It is critical that you don't add the melted chocolate while it is still hot, or it might melt the butter.
- I recommend the paddle attachment to avoid unnecessary air bubbles. To get your buttercream fully silky, without air bubbles, mix the cream at the end by hand with a rubber spatula for a few minutes.
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