A chocolate buttercream recipe ready in 20 minutes and only 6 ingredients! Just make my American Buttercream Recipe and add cocoa powder and heavy whipping cream. My American buttercream recipe is the base for this recipe of chocolate deliciousness. The American buttercream ingredients all go into the mixer at once and just blend until smooth. This is an easy buttercream frosting recipe.
The ingredients for the chocolate buttercream recipe
There are just 6 ingredients for this simple buttercream recipe. Four sticks of butter, two pounds of powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and heavy whipping cream. The butter needs to be at room temperature. You should be able to easily press your finger into it. It should be soft but not oily and starting to separate. The two pounds of powdered sugar that I use comes from Aldis. I am not sure of the weight of any other brand. The vanilla extract, heavy whipping cream, and cocoa powder are available at most grocery stores.
Mixing the buttercream
Everything goes into the bowl! The powdered sugar can tend to be tricky because it doesn’t do well at high speeds.
Take the paddle of your mixer and mix the ingredients together by hand a little bit to avoid a powdered sugar disaster. Next, start your mixer on the slowest speed to get things going. Once the mixture starts to come together, gradually increase the speed. You will need to stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl 2-3 times during mixing. The total mixing time should be around 7-10 minutes before adding the cocoa powder and heavy whipping cream. The buttercream mix should not be too grainy or gritty when you taste it.
Add the cocoa powder and heavy whipping cream, then start the mixer on a low speed. You should mix the chocolate buttercream for about 4-5 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom as needed. The buttercream can be stored covered in your fridge for up to five days or in the freezer for three months.
Please try some of my other dessert recipes! Especially my whipped peanut butter frosting recipe!
Ingredients
- 4 sticks of room temperature butter
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 pounds of powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup whipping cream
Instructions
- Place all ingredients into a bowl of a stand mixer or bowl where you will be mixing in.
- By hand using the mixing beater, mix the butter and powdered sugar up a bit to avoid the powdered sugar from causing a mess when turning the mixer on.
- Turn the mixer on at a slow setting to start with then gradually bring the speed up as the mixture comes together.
- Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl 2-3 times during the mixing process. The whole process will take about 7-10 minutes. Mixture should be smooth and not grainy. Any unmixed sugar will cause the mixture to to be grainy.
- Add cocoa powder and 1/4 cup of whipping cream and combine. Mix for about 4-5 minutes. Scraping down the sides and bottom of mixing bowl as needed.
- If needed, store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
