This easy chocolate buttercream gets its extra-chocolatey flavour from using both melted chocolate and cocoa powder. Perfect for birthday cakes, layer cakes and cupcakes.
Over the weekend I shared my chocolate birthday cake recipe and what chocolate cake is complete without a decent dollop of chocolate buttercream all over it? As soon as the chocolate cake recipe was perfected I got straight to work on creating the buttercream to go with it.
For some strange and unknown reason I decided to leave sorting out the buttercream until I’d got the cake recipe nailed down, which meant baking even more cakes to test each buttercream with (OK I probably could have tasted the buttercreams without the cake and narrowed it down to a few favourites – but where’s the fun in that!).
Spreading my chocolate buttercream over the chocolate sponge – yum!
This chocolate buttercream is delicious in its own right and could go with all sorts of flavours of sponge, but it was designed to perfectly compliment my new chocolate cake. The key feature of this buttercream is that, like the cake, it gets its chocolate-iness from a combination of both cocoa powder and melted chocolate.
- Melt your chocolate first and make sure you cool it down to room temperature before adding it into the buttercream (if it’s warm it’ll melt the butter and you’ll end up with runny icing). If you stir it you should find it cools down to the right temperature in just a few minutes.
- Make sure your butter is soft, don’t try using it straight out of the fridge. I’ve tried it – you get lumpy uneven buttercream.
- Add your icing sugar and cocoa powder a spoon at a time and mix them in on a very low speed – this will (hopefully) stop them flying around your kitchen too much – something icing sugar in particular loves to do in my house!
- I generally find that my buttercream is the right consistency after adding the melted chocolate, but if yours is a little stiff then add a tiny bit of milk (no more than a tsp at a time) and mix it in until you get the right consistency (you’re aiming for it to be soft enough that you could spread it onto a slice of bread without it tearing but not so soft that it drips off the knife before you have a chance to spread it). If your buttercream is a little soft after adding the chocolate then pop it into the fridge and you should find that it firms up a bit.
What You’ll Need
Before you start, make sure you have all of the equipment needed.
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Weighing Scales- Measuring Spoons
- Knife – to cut the butter
- Something to melt the chocolate in – either a bowl in the microwave, small saucepan, or bowl over a small saucepan.
- Electric Mixer (or a bowl and hand mixer or wooden spoon)
- Sieve
- Piping Bags – if you’re planning on piping the cupcakes
- Piping Nozzle – To pipe the cupcakes as shown in the pictures you’ll need a JEM 1B nozzle.
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Chocolate Buttercream
INGREDIENTS
- 250 g unsalted butter - soft at room temperature
- 250 g icing sugar
- 150 g milk chocolate - choose a chocolate from the baking aisle as this won’t go grainy when it’s melted
- 40 g cocoa powder
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- A little milk
INSTRUCTIONS
- Break the chocolate (150g) into pieces and melt it (either using short bursts in the microwave – stirring regularly, over the lowest possible heat in a saucepan – stirring constantly, or in a bain marie – stirring constantly).
- Once melted remove from the heat and pour into another bowl (this will help it to cool as it needs to be back to room temperature before mixing with the buttercream).
- Beat the butter (250g) until soft then add the vanilla extract (¼ tsp), cocoa powder (40g) and icing sugar (250g) and beat until fully combined (it’s easier to avoid the cocoa powder and sugar flying everywhere if you add it a spoonful at a time).
- Once the chocolate has cooled to room temperature (DO NOT add the chocolate when it’s still warm as it’ll melt the butter and your buttercream will end up too runny) pour it into the buttercream and beat until fully combined. You should find that the buttercream is soft and spreadable. If it is a little stiff then add milk a tsp at a time until it is the right consistency.
- Your buttercream is now ready to use.
NOTES
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
Any nutritional information provided is the estimated nutritional information per serving. Please refer to my guide to Charlotte’s Lively Kitchen nutritional information if you would like to learn more about how this is calculated.
Free From/Suitable For…
- Suitable for Vegetarians
- Egg-Free
- Gluten-Free
- Nut-Free
- Soy-Free
The ingredients for this recipe are easily available free from all these allergens. However, please ensure you double-check allergen information for all ingredients.
Taslema Rob says
This is the best chocolate buttercream recipe I’ve bet I used it years ago for a birthday cake and came back to it today. Was brilliant both times.
Francis says
Hi im going to make your chocolate celebration cake tonight Wednesday 1st November 2023.
I am doubling the recipe and making 4 sandwich pans to make a higher cake so i can serve 17people.
Any recommendations?
I will be using this chocolate butter cream, would I need to double the mixture or make it one and half times so i can cover with fondant?
Thanks looking forward to using your recipe sounds amazing.
Charlotte Oates says
I’m sorry that I’m a little later replying. I would suggest doubling the buttercream recipe to be on the safe side. If you do find you have some leftover, you can freeze it to use another time. It will need a quick rewhip once defrosted before you can use it again.
Natalie McBraida says
My go to recipe for birthdays!
Charlotte says
So tasty! It was the perfect topping for my son’s birthday cake.
I’ll definitely use this recipe again.
Julie says
Can you tell me what piping nozzle you used?
Charlotte Oates says
I usually use the JEM1B piping nozzle.
Donna says
Is it a major issue if I don’t add cocoa powder?
Charlotte Oates says
You will create a perfectly useable buttercream but the chocolate flavour will be much more subtle. You could use dark chocolate instead of the milk chocolate for a richer flavour. But ideally I would recommend adding the cocoa if at all possible.
Christine Oatley says
Is this buttercream suitable for a Christmas chocolate log?
Charlotte Oates says
Absolutely!
Ginette says
I’m using a 23cm tin for your chocolate birthday cake based, how much do I need to increase the weights of the ingredients for the chocolate buttercream please.
thea hutchings says
can these be frozen please?
Charlotte Oates says
Buttercream can be frozen. Once it is defrosted, you will need to whip it again for a couple of minutes to bring it back to a smooth consistency.
Ruth Gardner says
Hi can you tell me if the buttercream can be frozen? I hand a fair amount left over? Thanks
Charlotte Oates says
Buttercream can be frozen. Once it is defrosted, you will need to whip it again for a couple of minutes to bring it back to a smooth consistency.
Chloe says
Can this bs made in advance and left in the fridge?
Charlotte Oates says
That should be fine, just make sure you allow it to come up to room temperature before you use it. You may find that it is a little stiffer than it was when you made it (after it comes up to room temperature). If that’s the case, beat in a little extra milk to get it to your desired consistency.
Lucy says
Thank you so much for your reply