This recipe has been requested more than almost any other recipe in my repertoire. Today, I’ll let you in on my secret: a properly measured dose of cocoa and a whole lot of butter!
The Search For a Good Chocolate Buttercream Frosting Recipe
When I began my search for a good chocolate frosting, I quickly learned just how many versions of chocolate frosting already existed. After trying a few of the different varieties, I decided to dig in deep to chocolate buttercream frosting. I wanted a recipe that whips up light and fluffy and has the potential to pack a chocolate punch.
I tried several recipes and started to get a feel for what tastes best. Shortening was quickly eliminated, as it lacks in flavor and leaves a strange film on the tongue when used in frosting. (That being said, shortening works great when using for decorating on a practice board as it holds its shape and pipes more cleanly than butter). Other recipes I tried called for melted fine chocolate, which tasted good but increased the cost and effort. I was on a budget and was determined to find the perfect, everyday chocolate buttercream frosting.
After finding roughly the ingredient combination I liked, I realized it was imperative to weigh the cocoa and powdered sugar. As with any dry, scoopable ingredient, it is way too easy to pack these ingredients into the cup and the result was that my frosting varied wildly from batch to batch.
Measuring Cups Vary in Volume
Side story: recently we confirmed that measuring cups vary in volume. Kenzie was making a batch of crispy rice treats and tried to take a shortcut by measuring the corn syrup by volume instead of weight. The result was a slightly-too-sticky bar that was difficult to handle. I keep three different sets of measuring cups in the drawer. As we were trouble-shooting what went wrong, we measured corn syrup into each cup and weighed the amount. It varied by almost an ounce between cups!
So, moral of the story: sure, you can use measuring cups, but be warned that even the most careful of measurements can be thwarted by inaccurate measuring cups.
Salted Butter
If you’ve followed us for any amount of time at all, you’ll know the next important ingredient I’m going to talk about is butter. Salted butter, that is.
Salt is part mineral, part magic. It transforms food from bland to bursting with flavor. It tempers bitter flavors and accentuates subtle ones. Many great bakers use unsalted butter, and that works great for them. One of my greatest goals in the kitchen, besides making treats that taste good, is to keep it simple. Using salted butter often eliminates a step for me and helps to keep things as simple as possible, leaving more energy for creating and tasting!
So, in short, it was important to me to have a quality frosting that came together quickly. Butter adds a richness and a smoothness otherwise hard to come by. This frosting whips up with minimal effort and is endlessly versatile. It works well on devil’s food cake, yellow cake, brownies, or even a graham cracker frosting sandwich. This is my absolute go-to chocolate frosting.
Try it on your next chocolate frosted dessert and share with us the way you used it either on social media or in the comments!
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
This recipe has been requested more than almost any other recipe in my repertoire. Today, I’ll let you in on my secret: a properly measured dose of cocoa and a whole lot of butter!
Ingredients
2 C (16 oz) salted butter, room temperature
1 C (3.6 oz) cocoa
7 C (32 oz) powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla
7 T + 3 T milk
Instructions
Soften the butter, but do not melt. Beat butter with a mixer until it is smooth.
Add cocoa and powdered sugar. Beat butter, cocoa, and powdered sugar until combined and mixture looks dry and uniform. Scrape bowl.
Add vanilla and 7 T of milk. Beat until frosting is light, creamy, and soft.
If frosting is too thick, add up to 3 additional tablespoons of milk. Caution: overbeating will result in large air pockets that will make piping frosting difficult.
Notes
Weighing the ingredients will ensure a consistent result. Cocoa and powdered sugar, in particular, tend to vary when measured by volume.
Store leftover frosting in the refrigerator for up to one week, or the freezer for up to one month. Let come to room temperature and re-whip before using.
When adding powdered sugar and cocoa, we cannot recommend covering your mixer enough. Use either a clean tea towel or a shield if your mixer came with one, or spend the next decade cleaning powdered sugar and cocoa dust from every surface in your life.
Don’t tell anyone, but I always lick the beaters when I make this creamy vanilla buttercream. Great for birthday cakes, wedding cakes, cupcakes, cinnamon rolls, and sugar cookies.
I’m a huge believer that every kitchen tool you own should serve multiple purposes (or be used A LOT for its specific purpose). I don’t have anything in my kitchen that is only used for one thing because it wastes valuable space. I believe the same thing about some recipes, including this one. This vanilla buttercream is so flavorful, endlessly versatile, and is my go-to for so many things: wedding cakes, birthday cakes, cinnamon rolls, sugar cookies, whoopie pies, red velvet cakes, pumpkin cakes, carrot cakes, and even devils food cake! Not just any white frosting can successfully be used on a chocolate cake, but this one can!
Coloring Tip
The only problem with this vanilla buttercream frosting is that the high amount of butter turns it more of an ivory color than a pure white. However, last year Kailey discovered that if you add the tiniest bit of violet food coloring to the frosting, it will turn it bright white. Why didn’t I think of that years ago?
If you want to add flavors to this frosting, I recommend avoiding extracts. The taste just doesn’t work in this yummy vanilla buttercream frosting. Try adding some of whatever flavor you’re trying to achieve. My favorites in the past have been citrus zests, cinnamon, or even raspberries.
If I’m craving a lighter flavored frosting I use my favorite cream cheese whipped cream. That and this buttercream are the only two white “frostings” I use anymore. They’re just so delicious and I’m happy every time I use them.
Share your creations with this vanilla buttercream frosting in the comment section below or tag us on social media!
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
Yield: Frosts 1 (2 layer) cake, 1 batch of sugar cookies, 1 batch of cinnamon rolls, etc.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Don’t tell anyone, but I always lick the beaters when I make this creamy vanilla buttercream. Great for birthday cakes, wedding cakes, cupcakes, cinnamon rolls (link), and sugar cookies (link).
Ingredients
2 C (16 oz) salted butter
7 C (32 oz) powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla
4-7 T milk
Instructions
Soften the butter. Do NOT melt. Beat butter with a mixer until smooth.
Add powdered sugar. Beat together until combined and the mixture looks dry but uniform. Scrape bowl.
Add vanilla. Add milk until frosting is light and creamy. Add up to 3 additional tablespoons of milk if too thick.
Caution, overbeating will result in too many air pockets while frosting.
Notes
Buttercream can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. Freeze any leftover frosting in a freezer container or freezer plastic bag. To use again, thaw and re-whip.
Cover your stand mixer with a towel or included appliance cover, or if you are using a hand mixer, use a deep bowl to avoid powdered sugar flying all over.
Buttery, cinnamony, and pillowy soft, these are what Weekend Brunch Dreams are made of. I admit it, I always eat too many of these the day I make them! But who wouldn’t?
This cinnamon roll recipe is truly special to me. My husband’s grandmother was a cinnamon roll expert and taught me how to make these many years ago.
My husband landed a six-week internship in Washington, D.C. with a congressman. We stayed with his grandmother during this time in Bethesda, Maryland. We were broke, had a toddler, and my husband needed the car for work every day. Without money or transportation, I spent lots of time learning from Grandma’s recipes.
Grandma had spent many years perfecting her cinnamon roll technique. She taught me how to carefully roll them out and cut them gently so they retained their beautiful cinnamon spiral.
Years later, I was on a mission to create the perfect cinnamon roll of my own. With only memories of those delicious cinnamon rolls and not the actual recipe, I had a difficult task ahead. I wanted to honor Grandma’s techniques and knowledge, combined with the memories of the super fluffy cinnamon rolls I had eaten as a teen at an Idaho mall.
It took years to arrive at the final cinnamon roll recipe. The perfect amount of sugar gave the right amount of sweetness, without melting out and pooling under the cinnamon roll. The roll itself needed to be luscious and soft, tasting just as good as it looks.
I hope I have given a proper nod to what my husband’s grandmother taught me. I hope this is a cinnamon roll you are proud to share with neighbors, friends, and family. Cinnamon rolls are supposed to remind us of home so welcome home, friend, welcome home!
Products I Love to Use When Making these Cinnamon Rolls
Buttery, cinnamony, and pillowy soft, these are what Weekend Brunch Dreams are made of. I admit it, I always eat too many of these the day I make them! But who wouldn’t?
Ingredients
Cinnamon Roll Dough
3 ½ C (28 oz) milk, warmed to 120-130*F
9 ½ C (42.5 oz) all-purpose flour
⅔ C (5 oz) white sugar
1 T salt
3 Tablespoons yeast, instant active dry
1 T vanilla
2 T lemon juice
¾ C (6 oz) softened salted butter
Cinnamon Filling - per large dough piece
3 T (1.3 oz) white sugar
⅓ C (2.5 oz) brown sugar
1 ½ T ground cinnamon
¼ C (2 oz) margarine or butter
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
1 C (8 oz) salted butter
3 ½ C (16 oz) powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2-3 T milk
Instructions
Make Cinnamon Rolls.
Preheat oven to 375*F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
In a pot on the stove, heat milk to 120-130*F.
In stand mixer bowl, mix flour, sugar, salt, and instant active dry yeast. Add softened butter and then pour in 120-130*F milk, then add vanilla and lemon juice. Mix until combined. Knead dough in a stand mixer for 5 minutes. Cover loosely and let rest for 15 minutes. Dough will be soft.
Lightly flour the countertop. Separate dough into 2.5 balls. On lightly floured countertop, roll or press out the larger dough balls to a 12x18 rectangle and the smaller dough ball press into a 6x9 rectangle. Top EACH large rectangle with ¼ C softened margarine or butter, ⅓ C brown sugar, and 3 T white sugar and sprinkle generously with cinnamon. Cut filling measurements in half for the 6x9 rectangle.
Roll up, starting on the long side, and pinch seam to seal. Using a sharp knife, cut larger rolls into 12 pieces and smaller roll into 6 pieces.
Place dough 3 inches apart on a cookie sheet with the swirl facing up. Let rest for 15 minutes. Bake for 15 minutes till light golden brown.
Make Vanilla Buttercream Frosting.
Soften the butter, but do not melt. Beat butter in mixer until smooth and silky.
Add powdered sugar. Beat until combined and uniformly dry textured. Scrape bowl.
Add vanilla and 2 T of milk. Beat until frosting is light, creamy, and soft. If frosting is too thick, add up to 1-2 additional tablespoons of milk.
Frost Cinnamon Rolls.
Let cinnamon rolls cool for 5-10 minutes then frost with vanilla buttercream frosting.
Store covered in plastic wrap.
Notes
The dough will be very soft when kneading. It will continue to hydrate as it rests. Resist the urge to add extra flour or you may end up with dry rolls.
These freeze well. Individually wrap baked and cooled cinnamon rolls and place in a zip-top plastic bag. To defrost, let come to room temperature on the counter then microwave for 10 seconds to warm.
A perfectly spiced pumpkin cookie topped with creamy cream cheese frosting is made even better in both looks and taste by the addition of a single pecan on top.
Perfect Cream Cheese Pumpkin Cookie
This pumpkin cookie is a true gem. I have to admit that I’m not usually very fond of the fall “pumpkin spice” blend. It always feels unbalanced, with too many cloves or nutmeg that overpower the pumpkin flavor. Rest assured, I’ve done my homework here and this cookie has the perfect blend of all of your favorite pumpkin spices. The cream cheese frosting adds the perfect amount of smooth sweetness. They’re perfect. I can’t turn them down!
You may be surprised to see that I use margarine for this recipe, as well as for my Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookie. I find that the higher moisture content of margarine is better suited to these pumpkin cookies than butter. Please be sure to use stick margarine, because it contains the correct proportion of fat to water that is ideal for baking. If all you have is butter, you can use it, but expect your cookies to be drier and less flavorful than if you used margarine.
When you make these, note that the cookie dough will be a little closer to cake batter consistency than dough. It makes these cookies pillowy soft and delightful.
Cream cheese frosting is one of those things that is always delicious but isn’t always beautiful. Traditional recipes are often a little runny and definitely never pipeable. I prefer the piped look for these cookies. They taste so delicious that they deserve to look just as delectable. If you make it and it seems too runny, a quick chill will set it up and you’ll be good to go. This cream cheese frosting recipe is simple. I don’t try to hide the cream cheese flavor behind butter or a long list of ingredients and it allows the cream cheese to shine.
I’m dying to know what you think. Are the spices balanced perfectly? Did you love the creamy frosting? How about the pillowy soft cookie? Did the pecan on top surprise you with how perfect it made the whole thing? Comment and let me know!
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Cookie
Yield: 36 cookies
Cook Time: 13 minutes
Total Time: 13 minutes
A perfectly spiced pumpkin cookie topped with creamy cream cheese frosting is made even better in both looks and taste by the addition of a single pecan on top.
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cookies
1 C (8 oz) margarine
1 C (8 oz) brown sugar
1 C (7 oz) white sugar
15 oz can pumpkin puree
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp cinnamon
⅛ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 ¾ C (12.3 oz) all-purpose flour
Cream Cheese Frosting
1 (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 ¾ C (8 oz) powdered sugar
1 ⅓ C (8 oz) white chocolate wafers, melted and cooled slightly
1 ½ tsp vanilla
1 ½ tsp milk, room temperature
For Topping
½ C pecan halves (optional)
Instructions
Make Pumpkin Cookies.
Preheat oven to 350*F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Cream sugars and margarine. Add pumpkin, eggs, vanilla, and spices and mix well. Add remaining dry ingredients. Mix. Scrape bowl. Mix again until completely combined.
Using a #30 (2 ½ T) or #40 (1 ½ T) cookie dough scoop (depending on your preferred cookie size), place portioned dough a few inches apart on parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake 12-14 minutes for #30 size and 11-13 minutes for #40 size. Bake until the edges are lightly browned and the cookie no longer looks wet and doesn’t indent if you touch it.
Cool completely.
Make Cream Cheese Frosting.
Melt chocolate. Set aside to cool slightly, but not thicken. It needs to stay a bit warm.
In a separate bowl, beat softened cream cheese with ½ C (2 oz) of the powdered sugar until very smooth.
Beat in melted white chocolate.
Add remaining powdered sugar and vanilla and beat till smooth.
Add milk. Beat until light and completely smooth.
If consistency is too soft, put it in the fridge until thick enough to pipe.
Assemble Cookies.
Top the cookie with frosting and a pecan half if desired. Store in an airtight container. These cookies store well on the counter for a few days and in the fridge for a week.
Notes
Be sure to use stick margarine. The spreadable kind in the tub is watered down and will not work in this recipe. We recommend Blue Bonnet brand.
It is very important to use room temperature cream cheese and milk for the frosting. Using cold cream cheese or milk can cause the white chocolate to cool too quickly, making the frosting chunky instead of smooth and creamy.
This Black Forest Cake has lush chocolate cake layered with sweet cherries and cream cheese whipped cream and covered in smooth chocolate buttercream frosting. I promise you’ll cherry-ish this recipe forever!
This cake creation was a request from a dear friend of mine. I had never made a black forest cake before. I pondered on how I could make something delicious while keeping it simple. As per my usual, I broke almost all of the rules. I hope you’ll forgive me. I think it was worth it.
It is so important to use frozen or canned sweetened cherries. These are different from cherry pie filling, and are similar to the cherries my mom canned when I was growing up. They aren’t too sweet and they pair perfectly with the rich chocolate cake.
I felt like this cake would benefit from the smoothness of a chocolate buttercream frosting. I know, I know it’s not traditional, but it’s delicious! It adds to the chocolate dimension in a totally different way than the cake or chocolate shavings on top could. I think you’ll really appreciate the way it complements the cream.
The lovely cream cheese whipped cream cradles a generous layer of cherries. If you’re feeling apprehension about the cream cheese, it only adds a slight flavor and adds brightness and stability to the cream.
This is such a beautiful balance of chocolate, cherries, and cream. The fluffy sponge of the chocolate cake, the creamy whipped cream, and the smooth buttercream compliment the tart, sweet flavor of the cherries for a truly special Black Forest Cake experience. Don’t forget to add chocolate shavings to the top for the final decadent touch.
Black Forest Cake
Yield: 16 slices
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Additional Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour35 minutes
This Black Forest Cake has lush chocolate cake layered with sweet cherries and cream cheese whipped cream and covered in smooth chocolate buttercream frosting. I promise you’ll cherry-ish this recipe forever!
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
2 ¼ C (10 oz) all-purpose flour
½ C + 1 T (2 oz) cocoa powder
2 C (14 oz) white sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp Dutch-processed cocoa
2 C (16 oz) buttermilk
2 large eggs
1 C minus 1T (7 oz) vegetable oil
1 ½ tsp vanilla
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
1 C (8 oz) salted butter, room temperature
½ C (1.8 oz) cocoa
3 ½ C (16 oz) powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3-5 T milk
Cream Cheese Whipped Cream
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese
½ C (3.5 oz) white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 ¾ C (14 oz) heavy cream, cold
For Filling & Garnish
¾ C (4 oz) Dark Chocolate Bar, shaved
1 Can (15 oz) Dark Sweet Cherries, drained OR 1 ¼ C Frozen Sweet Red Cherries, thawed
Fresh Red Cherries for garnish
Instructions
Make the Chocolate Cake.
Preheat oven to 325*F.
Prepare two 9-inch round cake pans. Spray with non-stick spray. Line bottom with a circle of wax paper, then spray with non-stick spray again.
In a bowl sift together dry ingredients. Then add wet ingredients and mix for one minute to combine. Batter will be thin.
Divide batter equally between two pans (about 25-26 ounces of batter per pan).
Bake for 30 minutes, or until you can touch the center of the cake and it bounces back. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Turn out onto wire cooling racks, peel the wax paper off the bottom and cool completely before assembling or decorating.
Make the Chocolate Buttercream Frosting.
Soften the butter, but do not melt. Beat butter in mixer until smooth and silky.
Add cocoa and powdered sugar. Beat butter, cocoa, and powdered sugar until combined and the mixture looks dry and uniform. Scrape bowl.
Add vanilla and 3 T of milk. Beat until frosting is light, creamy, and soft. If frosting is too thick, add up to 2 additional tablespoons of milk.
Make Cream Cheese Whipped Cream.
In a medium-sized bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth.
Add sugar and vanilla and mix. Scrape bowl.
Add heavy cream and mix for 30 seconds. Stop, scrape bowl, beat another 30 seconds, then stop and scrape bowl again.
Whip on high speed until stiff peaks form.
Assemble Cake.
Put one layer of chocolate cake, top down, on a cake stand or plate.
Pipe or spread a bit of chocolate buttercream on the top edges of the cake to act as a wall to hold cream inside.
Fill the center of the cake with the cream cheese whipped cream and spread evenly. Sprinkle drained cherries on top of the cream.
Place the second chocolate cake on top.
Frost top and sides of cake with chocolate buttercream frosting.
Spread or dollop cream cheese whipped cream on top of cake and garnish with cherries and chocolate shavings.
