Everyone needs a “go-to” chocolate frosting and this is now mine! One of the most popular recipes on Our Best Bites is this vanilla Perfect Cupcake Frosting and Filling. Its velvety smooth texture combined with the not-so-sugary bite is perhaps the perfect thing on top of almost any cake or cupcake. One of the most commonly asked questions on that post is, “Where’s the chocolate version??!!” I experimented a lot with adding chocolate to that recipe without much luck. I came up with a lot of things that tasted amazing, but there were always slight problems with the consistency. I knew I had seen similar recipes in chocolate before but I couldn’t seem to find one until one of you dear readers pointed me to a recipe on Sugar Plum. Sure enough, it was just what I was in search of! I adapted the recipe slightly by using plain ol’ salted butter and omitting added salt. And then I added extra chocolate to get a richer color and flavor. Once you try this chocolate frosting you’ll be hooked!
Ingredient Notes
- Sugar
- All-purpose flour
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Milk
- Butter
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips
How to Make Chocolate Frosting
- The recipe starts by cooking flour, milk, sugar, and cocoa powder in a sauce pan until it thickens, much like the first step in the beloved white frosting. You’ll strain the mixture so you don’t end up with icky flour lumps in your frosting, because who wants icky flour lumps in their frosting??
- While that mixture is cooling off, melt some chocolate chips in the microwave. I found this to be the key to having the frosting remain stable- the melted chocolate seems to bind it. Then we whip real butter with our chilled chocolate mixture until it’s light and fluffy.
- At this point it’s much like the results of just adding cocoa powder to the white frosting. But the secret is adding in the melted chocolate. Isn’t chocolate always the secret?? Whip that up and then give it a taste. If you want a richer chocolate flavor just add more cocoa powder. I added about 4 Tablespoons extra to get my frosting looking and tasting like this (I also found the color of the frosting darkened as it sat). It pipes beautifully, and tastes amazing!
Storing and Other Tips
- Store unused frosting in fridge and bring to room temperature before using again. If needed, beat with an electric beater before using.
- Note that the longer this frosting sits, the darker it appears. For darker, more intense flavor, use a chocolate chip with a higher cocoa content.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! There is enough here to generously frost 24 cupcakes or to frost and fill an 8 or 9 inch 2-layer cake.
Check out this post on How to Frost Cupcakes to help you achieve the perfect cupcake!
Chocolate Frosting
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup real butter softened
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips melted
- Optional: Additional cocoa powder as needed
Instructions
- Melt your chocolate chips if you haven’t already and set aside to cool. You obviously don’t want it so cool that it hardens, but you can get it close to room temperature and still have it be soft and stir-able.
- In a small saucepan, whisk together sugar, flour, cocoa, and milk; bring to a boil, whisking frequently. Boil 1-3 minutes or until thickened like a thinned pudding. Remove pan from heat and strain mixture into a small bowl. Cool completely in the refrigerator or freezer.
- When chocolate flour mixture is cooled, beat the butter until creamy, about 1 minute. Beat in the cooled chocolate mixture until well combined fluffy, about 1 minute. Finally add in melted chocolate and beat again until well combined and fluffy, about 2 minutes. If desired, add additional cocoa powder to taste, up to 4 tablespoons more. Spread or pipe frosting on to cupcakes or cake.
- Makes enough to frost 24 cupcakes or to frost and fill an 8 or 9 inch round 2-layer cake.
Questions & Reviews
I think the "flour frosting" is what my grandmother always used to frost red velvet cake. I think she called it a cooked frosting and it is the best frosting for red velvet!! It is one of my favorite frostings because it is not too sweet. Now, a chocolate version… WOW! I will have to make this!
I'm excited to try this out! I've been on the lookout for a good chocolate frosting recipe because my daughter's third birthday is coming up. Thanks!
This frosting looks DELICIOUUUUS!!
I will definitely try this. I am a chocolate Lover and I am looking for THE CHOCOLATE FROSTING for my cakes. Thanks for sharing.
Have a blessed evening.
Again, yes, you've done it again! Oh, how I wish I could just dip my finger in your bowl for a little taste!
Happy Day,
Jasey @ Crazy Daisy
Oh my goodness, that looks great! I've never tried the white frosting, but I'm guessing it's pretty stellar! And as for chocolate frosting, well, with banana anything? Yes, please! I'm looking forward to seeing what you do with it!
Nice! I literally just bought cocoa powder for the first time EVER, so I have been looking for a good recipe for it. I loooove your white frosting, so I am sure I would like this.
Excited to see this recipe! Just bought some dark chocolate powder which should work with this recipe perfectly!
I LOVE your blog!!! I have found some wonderful recipes on here that our family adores!
My son just had his 4th birthday and I tried a buttercream recipe I hadn't tried before (where you do the sugar water then add to stiff peak egg whites and mix in the butter) it was SOOOO gross! I felt horrible I hadn't tried it before hand but was at least thankful we had ice cream! I completely forgot about your white frosting and I can't wait to try them both!!! Thank you SO much for sharing your yummy recipes! I tell people about this site all the time and I know they have enjoyed it too!!!
Rachel…
i’ve used the simple syrup, egg white, butter recipe with great success but it is time consuming… don’t give up! it looks curdled and gross and then after quite a while on the kitchenaid it comes together and is my go to most requested frosting… just don’t quit too soon lol
Shanna- it should be enough to frost 24 cupcakes. I'll add that to the post- thanks!
Hi
This looks awesome. I have about 4 different chocolate frosting recipes I love and I am going to try this one out and add it to my repertoire! I was wondering what the yield is – it doesn't say in the recipe how many cups it makes or how many cupcakes it would frost. I am making 2 doz cupcakes and would love to know if one recipe is enough to pipe or if I should double the batch! Thanks. And I LOVE this site by the way I make one of your recipes ( sweet and savory) almost weekly!!
Shanna
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