This decadent Chocolate Buttercream Frosting is the best homemade icing for cupcakes! It’s super simple to make and tastes incredible on all of your favorite sweets (or straight off the spoon — I won’t judge!). If you’re a chocolate lover, you’ll adore this incredible buttercream frosting recipe.

Looking for cupcake recipes to try with this frosting? Try my vanilla cupcakes recipe!

The Best Chocolate Buttercream Icing for Cupcakes

I have spent many a birthday whipping up festive cakes and cupcakes for my little ones who insist on getting older year after year, much to my equal delight and dismay! Mamas out there, I’m sure you understand this bittersweet dilemma. They enter new stages and grow taller and more mature, which is a joy to witness, but at the same time, I just want them to be little forever. The struggle!

But celebrating them every year when their birthdays roll around will forever be a treat. And I’ll keep making them sweets for the celebrations — many of which will obviously include this delicious chocolate buttercream frosting that I could easily eat a whole bowl of — as long as they’ll let me.

Simply put, this frosting is impeccable! It’s creamy and chocolatey, but not too much. And it’s a fantastic texture for piling high on a big batch of cupcakes (if your spoon doesn’t steal too much of it away first). You know me — simple recipes that come together quickly and with a handful of ingredients are sort of my thing, and this one hits all the marks. I hope you enjoy celebrating your people with it as much as I do!

Does Buttercream Frosting Need To Be Refrigerated?

Buttercream frosting with a small amount of milk or cream, like this recipe, is not perishable for short periods of time and can be left at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. Other recipes, like French and Italian buttercream frostings that use eggs, should be refrigerated to maintain freshness.

How Long Does Chocolate Icing Last?

Chocolate buttercream lasts in the fridge for about 1 week and in the freezer for 3 months kept in an airtight container. You can make it ahead and store it either way before frosting cake or cupcakes.

How Much Frosting Do I Need for a 9×13 Cake? For 12 Cupcakes?

This recipe is the perfect amount of frosting for 12 generously frosted cupcakes. You need about 3 to 4 cups of frosting for a 9×13-inch cake.

Should I Refrigerate Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting?

You can store iced cupcakes in an airtight container (careful not to smash the frosting) at room temperature for 2 to 3 days, in the fridge for up to a week, or frozen for 3 months.

How to Make Chocolate Buttercream Icing For Cupcakes:

Add the butter and cream to the bowl of your stand mixer. Mix on medium speed.
Increase the speed to high until very fluffy.
Add the vanilla, cocoa, and 2.5 cups of the powdered sugar.
Mix on low until combined, then increase speed to medium, and whip for 1 to 2 minutes.
Pipe on cupcakes.

The Texture of the Frosting is Important for Frosting Cupcakes:

The consistency of the icing is important if you are going to pile it high on a cupcake. It should be a medium consistency. If you mix the batch of icing with a metal teaspoon (the kind you use for dinner) the spoon should stand up straight in the middle of the bowl when it is stuck in the icing. So, you should be able to stir it with a spoon by hand, but it should also be sturdy enough to hold the spoon up.