Chocolate buttercream frosting with (almost) any chocolate
This buttercream frosting is based on my American Dreamy Buttercream and has a beautiful chocolate flavor from melted chocolate and cocoa powder. I’ve formulated a customizable recipe for any chocolate type, including chips, bars, or callets. You can also adjust the intensity of chocolate flavor: use milk chocolate for a light chocolate flavor or go all the way up to the darkest for an intense chocolate frosting.
What ingredients do you need for my Chocolate American Dreamy buttercream?
Dutch-processed (European-style) unsweetened cocoa is a cocoa-based ingredient that gives my frosting a deeper chocolate flavor. Dutch-processed cocoa is an alkalized form of natural cocoa. It imparts a darker hue and more mellow flavor than its natural counterpart, which is slightly more acidic (some describe it as astringent-tasting) and lighter in color.
Water is added to the cocoa powder to create a paste. Using boiling water, we can break open the starch granules in the cocoa powder, which will thicken into a paste. It also melts the cocoa butter fats, making the paste shiny.
Chocolate is the second cocoa-based ingredient used to flavor this frosting. I’ve formulated this recipe so you can use any type of chocolate (e.g., bar, chips, or callets.) The only thing you need to check is that your chocolate contains emulsifiers. If you check the ingredient label, you should see “lecithin,” “soy lecithin,” or “sunflower lecithin.” This is a very common ingredient used in chocolate products and allows us to use a higher ratio of chocolate in this recipe while maintaining a smooth and creamy texture.
Chocolate also contains sugars and fats, adding to our buttercream’s flavor and texture. You can tailor the chocolate intensity of your buttercream by the flavor of the chocolate, which I’ll help you with below this section.
Unsalted butter is the base fat for this buttercream. It is vital to any of my emulsion-based frostings because it contains emulsifiers.
I always use unsalted butter in all my frostings because that allows you to customize the saltiness at the end. Not all salted brands of butter contain the same amount of salt. I’d hate you to waste an expensive recipe because your butter was saltier than mine.
Powdered (confectioner’s) sugar is added based on your taste testing. Your chocolate may be different than mine and probably contains various sugar levels. Also, the cocoa powder adds chocolate flavor with no sugar, so we’ll have to adjust the sugar level.
Salt is a flavor enhancer to balance sweetness and boosts chocolate flavor, and this is also tailored to your taste.
What kind of chocolate can you use in this frosting?
You can use any chocolate in this recipe and in this post, I’m using chocolate chips. I’ve tested four popular flavors: milk, semi-sweet, bittersweet, and ‘extra’ dark.
The labeling on chocolate products will vary based on where you live or even the brand type. There are a few regulations worldwide that help us categorize chocolate products. Still, the easiest way is to find one that gives you a percentage.
This number indicates the percent weight of all the ingredients within that product that are derived from the cacao pod. If you look at an ingredient label, this will include things like “cocoa liquor” (not alcoholic, btw, just a term for the liquid that drains off), “cocoa butter,” or “cocoa solids.” Collectively, this percentage is also referred to as the “cocoa mass.”
So all you need to remember is that the higher the percentage, the more cocoa-based ingredients it will contain, which translates to a more robust chocolate flavor.
Although you use any chocolate that you like, remember that we are adding other ingredients, such as butter, so the chocolate flavor will be slightly diluted. So if you’re looking for a mid-range general-purpose chocolate frosting, semi-sweet is a good starting point.
You also use any combination of chip flavors. I settled on a 50:50 mixture of semi-sweet and bittersweet chocolate. I enjoy intensely, not-too-sweet chocolate desserts, so adding bittersweet chocolate nudged my frosting towards the intense flavors of chocolate.
Step by step:
Step 1: Hydrate the cocoa powder
Sift the Dutch-processed cocoa powder (1a). Pour boiling water over the powder and stir into a paste (1b).
Step 2: Melt the chocolate
If you’re using bar chocolate, chop it into small pieces (around the size of chocolate chips is fine.) Add the chocolate to a heat-proof bowl (2a) and microwave until melted (2b, c).
Step 3: Whip butter
Add the softened butter to the stand mixer (3a). Whisk until the butter is slightly more pale and voluminous (3b).
Step 4: Add chocolates to butter
Scrape the melted chocolate into the butter (4a) and stir to mix it into the butter a little (4b). Mix on high speed, add the cocoa powder paste (4c) and mix for another minute.
Step 5: Adjust for taste and smooth out the frosting
Taste for sweetness adjustment (5a), add powdered sugar and salt (5b), and mix (5c).
Switch to the paddle attachment to smooth out the large air pockets (5d). Your frosting is now ready to use (5e).
Storage Tips
Leftover Buttercream stores well in the fridge or freezer. Additionally, this buttercream can be made ahead of time for larger cake projects.
For a detailed tutorial, check out my How to Store Buttercream Guide.
Video
Read this before you begin
Measure by weight, if possible.
Measuring by weight is the best way for you to replicate my recipes. I develop recipes using ingredients (even liquids) measured in grams, which is why you see them listed first in the recipe cards. For measurements under 5 grams, I will typically only list the volumetric measurements (teaspoons, etc.), as most home scales are not precise for such small weights.
In most cases, I have converted grams to volumetric measurements (aka US customary units) for bakers who prefer this method. However, the measurements are not as precise and may have awkward proportions. The recipes should still work, but for the ultimate precision, try to use weight.
This is the OXO scale I use daily. I also purchased this budget version of a good scale, which I keep at my Mom’s house for baking. If you’re interested in other tools I use for my baking, I’ve compiled a list here.
Use room temperature ingredients.
All my ingredients should be used at room temperature, or 65-75 °F/18-24 °C. I will always indicate if you need something outside this range. If no details are given, room temperature is the default.
Pay attention to the ingredient descriptions.
I try not to be brand-specific, but I will always note an interesting result from a type of ingredient, be it negative or positive.
A specific note regarding salt: I use Diamond Crystal Kosher salt for everything on this site except for frostings. In frostings, you want the salt to dissolve more easily, and kosher salt tends to leave granules behind. If you substitute table salt (more finely granulated) for recipes that list kosher salt, you must use half the volume indicated in my recipes.
Substitutions are hard.
That’s not to say they’re impossible, though. For instance, in many cases, substituting reduced fat for whole milk (and thus reducing fat by less than 2%) will probably be fine. Using applesauce for oil or even Greek yogurt when sour cream is listed will definitely alter the fat content and adversely affect the crumb texture and density of the cake.
I experiment for hours to get these recipes to work for us. First, try to make them as written or use one of my tested substitutions, which I often dedicate a section to. Then, if necessary, you can make modifications afterward. Even then I would be pretty cautious, as substitutions are one of the hardest things to investigate in recipe development.
Read all the recipe instructions before beginning.
I’m in the “Pre-read the Chapter before Class Lecture” club... and I invite you to join! Baking new recipes can be intimidating, so let’s set you up for success. I want you to think about timeframes. Most fillings and frostings can be made ahead of time, and give you an extra day for mental space. Also, as you become a more proficient baker, you can anticipate and recognize steps. (“Oh, this has a meringue step, so I’ll need an extra clean bowl…” etc.) Ensure you go down the ingredient list and have everything at the right temperature.
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Chocolate American Dreamy Buttercream
Yield: 1 cup (good for testing out this recipe)
- 6g (1 tablespoon) Dutch-processed cocoa powder, sifted*
- 14g (1 tablespoon) boiling hot water
- 85g (⅓ cup + 1 heaping tablespoon) any chocolate, chopped (with emulsifiers**)
- 75g (5 ⅓ tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened slightly
- 13g (2 tablespoons) powdered sugar, unsifted
- pinch fine salt (to taste)
Yield: 3 cups
- 18g (3 tablespoons) Dutch-processed cocoa powder, sifted*
- 42g (3 tablespoons) boiling hot water
- 240g (1 1/4 cups) any chocolate, chopped (with emulsifiers**)
- 226g (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened slightly
- 40g (1/3 cup) powdered sugar, unsifted
- 1/8 teaspoon fine salt (to taste, start with a pinch)
Yield: 1 cup (good for testing out this recipe)
- 6g (1 tablespoon) Dutch-processed cocoa powder, sifted*
- 14g (1 tablespoon) boiling hot water
- 85g (⅓ cup + 1 heaping tablespoon) any chocolate, chopped (with emulsifiers**)
- 75g (5 ⅓ tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened slightly
- 13g (2 tablespoons) powdered sugar, unsifted
- pinch fine salt (to taste)
Yield: 3 cups
- 18g (3 tablespoons) Dutch-processed cocoa powder, sifted*
- 42g (3 tablespoons) boiling hot water
- 240g (1 1/4 cups) any chocolate, chopped (with emulsifiers**)
- 226g (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened slightly
- 40g (1/3 cup) powdered sugar, unsifted
- 1/8 teaspoon fine salt (to taste, start with a pinch)
- Hydrate the cocoa powder. In a small bowl, sift in the Dutch-processed cocoa powder. Pour boiling water over the powder and stir until all the cocoa powder is hydrating and no lumps remain. Set that aside to cool while you prepare the other ingredients.
- Melt the chocolate. If you’re using bar chocolate, chop it into small pieces (around the size of chocolate chips is fine.) You can use chips as-is. Add the chocolate to a heat-proof bowl. Microwave on 50% power at 30-second intervals. Stir between every heating step. Repeat this process until 75% of the chocolate is melted, then just stir until all the chocolate is melted. Alternatively, you can bring a small pan of water to a simmer, then remove it from the heat. Place the heatproof bowl containing the chocolate directly into the water. It’s fine that it’s sitting against the pan. And just let the chocolate sit in the bath until fully melted. Just be very careful with this method not to get any water into the chocolate, as it will seize (or turn granular and overly firm), and you’ll have to start over.
Set the melted chocolate aside to cool until the bowl doesn’t feel hot to the touch. You don’t need a thermometer, but if you want to use one, any temperature between 80-95°F/26-35°C should be fine. - Whip butter. Add the unsalted and slightly softened butter to the stand mixer. With the whisk attachment, mix on low speed to break up the butter, then adjust to high speed until the butter is slightly more pale and voluminous.
- Add chocolates to butter. Use a spatula to scrape the melted chocolate into the butter and stir to mix it into the butter a little. Turn the mixer onto high speed and mix for a couple of minutes. You’ll probably need to stop once during this process to scrape and ensure that all the butter and chocolate are combined.
Scrape in the Dutch-processed cocoa powder paste and mix on high speed for at least a few minutes, scraping down at least once to ensure everything is mixing. Once the frosting has properly emulsified (combined), the frosting will look slightly paler and thicker. - Adjust for taste and smooth out the frosting. Taste the buttercream. Not only will your chocolate taste different than mine, but you’ll likely have a different preference for sweetness. Add the powdered sugar and salt, mix, and taste. You can add up to double the amount of sugar into the frosting without causing an overly grainy texture. (You can add more than double if you like, just do a little at a time to check if the flavor and texture are right for you.) Mix on high speed for a full minute after you’ve finalized the flavor.
Now switch to the paddle attachment to remove any large air pockets. Mix on low speed for at least 3 minutes to smooth it out.
Initially, the buttercream may seem loose. This will depend on the chocolate you chose with the lower percentages will have looser initial textures. Chocolate bars and chips contain different types of fats than butter and may take a little longer to solidify. You can use the frosting immediately if you like the softer texture and then place the frosted cakes in the fridge for about a half hour to set up.
If you prefer a firmer consistency when piping or spreading onto cakes, you can place the whole bowl in the freezer for a couple minutes - just enough to get a chill on the bowl. Then place it back on the mixer to smooth out until you like the consistency.
Conversely, if your frosting seems to stiff you can warm it slightly to get a smoother and softer texture. Take a couple tablespoons out from the bowl, and place it into a microwave safe bowl. Melt in the microwave, then mix it back in. You can also use a hair dryer on the side of the bowl to warm the frosting slightly.
Recipe Card - Adriana's Notes
*Dutch-processed cocoa (aka European cocoa - I prefer the Droste brand) works best in this recipe. It’s an alkalized form of natural cocoa, which imparts a more mellow flavor, less acidic taste, and darker hue. Your finished frosting will have a deeper brown color and a pleasant, well-rounded chocolate flavor.
**I’ve formulated this recipe so you can use any type of chocolate: bar, chips, or callets. This recipe only requires that the chocolate’s ingredients contain an emulsifier, which will be labeled: “lecithin,” “soy lecithin,” or “sunflower lecithin.” Most grocery store chocolates that I’ve seen will have this listed. If you’re using bar chocolate, just make sure it’s chopped to chip-like sizes. Also, you can use any flavor of chocolate (except for white), so be sure to read my guide in the intro, which will help you choose the right one.
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