Today, I’ve got the most deliciously creamy and easy chocolate cream cheese frosting. This perfectly pipeable chocolate cream cheese icing pairs so well with various desserts and is the perfect addition to brownies, cakes, cupcakes and more!
Cream cheese frosting will forever be my favourite kind of icing as it balances so well with sweeter desserts and brings the perfect tangy contrast to so many flavours like spice, fruit or chocolate. If you feel chocolate won’t pair as well with your dessert, then try my regular cream cheese frosting. This homemade chocolate frosting only takes about 5 minutes to whip up and will keep it’s shape on your desserts without being overly sweet.
I’m not a fan of overly sweet desserts and I personally cannot stand when cream cheese icing is so sweet that you lose the tanginess. My recipe keeps the tang while still being perfectly balanced and stable enough to pipe onto cakes and cupcakes. This chocolate frosting will be your new go to, it’s definitely one of my families.
If you’d like something a little different, try my chocolate cinnamon cream cheese frosting, one of my most favourite recipes or if you just want a plain chocolate frosting, try my homemade chocolate buttercream for a rich and fudgy frosting.
FAQ: Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
Can You Make This Chocolate Frosting Ahead Of Time?
Yes, you can make it 2-3 days in advance. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge. When you’re ready to use it, let it sit on the counter for 20-30 minutes before rewhipping it to get the creamiest texture.
Should This Cream Cheese Frosting Be Stored In The Fridge?
Yes, I wouldn’t let it sit out for longer than 2 hours as it does contain cream cheese. Anything you pipe it on, like cakes or cupcakes should be stored in the fridge.
Can I Pipe This Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting?
Yes, this recipe should be smooth and pipeable. Ensure you use full fat cream cheese for best consistency.
Why Is My Frosting Not Holding It’s Shape?
If your butter or cream cheese were too warm to start, then the frosting will be softer. You can fix this by letting it sit in the fridge for 20 minutes. Or you can add a little more cocoa powder or icing sugar.
Can I Freeze This Chocolate Frosting?
Yes, you can freeze it in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Allow it to come to room temperature and rewhip it before using.
Can I Pipe This On Warm Cakes or Brownies?
Theoretically yes, like a mug cake or something but it will melt. I recommend adding it to desserts once they’re fully cooled, as hard as it can be to wait!
Do I Need To Add The Lemon Juice?
I highly recommend you do but no you don’t have too. If you don’t have it on hand, bottled or fresh, doesn’t really matter for this recipe, then you can omit it. However, even though it’s just a tiny amount, I do find it really helps to maintain the natural tangy flavour of the cream cheese.
Can I Use Less Sugar?
Yes, however, I made it with the least amount of sugar I could to make it still pipeable. If you need to pipe it, make it as is in the recipe. If you need something lighter or with less sugar, try my stabilized chocolate whipped cream.
How Much Frosting Does This Make?
This recipe makes about 2.5 cups of frosting which is enough to generously frost 12-16 cupcakes, like I have in the pictures or lightly frost 24 cupcakes.
You should also be able to frost a 2 layer 6 inch cake or a 9×13 sheet cake with this amount. For other sizes or layer amounts, I highly recommend checking out Chelsweets buttercream calculator. It’s a great easy tool and she has everything you can think of in this post!
What To Pair This Frosting With?
My favourite thing to put this frosting on is my chocolate cupcakes, which is what’s pictured above or my vanilla cupcakes. You could also use it on fudgy brownies to spruce them up a but or even turn my chocolate chunk ginger molasses cookies into sandwich cookies with it! This frosting is very versatile and could be paired with most cake or cupcake recipes.
Why Is My Frosting Grainy?
Grainy frosting is honestly the hardest part about making frosting to me. Over the years, I have learned a few tricks including sifting your powdered sugar. You can also let the frosting sit for a while in the fridge, allowing more of the sugar to dissolve.
I would say the most important step is properly mixing your frosting though. You want to beat the butter and cream cheese for at least 3 minutes initially to make them light and fluffy. Then add your sugar in parts allowing it to fully incorporate each time. Then, the most important step, beating for an additional 2 minutes at the end helps to make a super light frosting while allowing the sugar to fully incorporate.
How To Get A Smooth & Fluffy Frosting
To ensure your frosting is light, fluffy and smooth, follow the above steps. Depending on the consistency you’re looking for, you may also need to add a couple tablespoons of milk depending on how stiff your buttercream is. If your frosting is too thick, it will be very hard to pipe or spread onto your baked goods.
To get a smooth frosting, once your done mixing, you’ll need to stir the frosting by hand with a spatula or wooden spoon for a couple minutes. This helps to get out big air bubbles ensuring a smooth piping experience.
Baking Tips
- Ensure you properly mix everything together and you beat the frosting for an additional 2 minutes at the end to ensure a smooth, fluffy frosting.
- Keep this cinnamon cream cheese frosting in the fridge if not eating right away as it does obviously contain cream cheese which can spoil if kept in warm temperatures for extended periods.
- Make sure your cream cheese and butter aren’t too warm when you start to avoid a runnier frosting.
- I create my recipes based off weights so I recommend measuring by weights if you own a scale. It’s actually so much easier and makes for much less cleanup. I wish I had baked by weight from the beginning, I could never go back now.
More Kinds Of Frosting
Today’s song is an but a goodie. Here’s Bloody Well Right by Supertramp. Happy baking! **Disclaimer: Liv’s Little Muffins owns no rights to this song.
Don’t forget to leave a STAR REVIEW if you try my recipe! Follow me on Facebook or tag me on instagram @livslittlemuffins. Find more ideas on my Pinterest or Whisk.
Easy Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 8 oz/225g cream cheese room temperature
- 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter room temperature
- 3 1/4 cups (455g) icing sugar
- 1/3 cup (35g) cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice
- 0-2 tbsp milk (if needed for consistency)
Instructions
- To the bowl of a stand mixer, add the cream cheese and butter. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
- Add in half the amount of icing sugar and mix at low speed until starting to incorporate. Then beat at high speed for additional minute. Add in the rest of the sugar and the cocoa powder. Again mix at low speed until incorporated and then at high speed for an additional 30 seconds.
- Add in the vanilla extract, salt and lemon juice. Beat on high speed for additional 2-3 minutes or until light and fluffy. If your frosting is a bit too thick to pipe, add in milk, 1 tbsp at a time until you reach the desired consistency.
- To get the air bubbles out, mix the frosting by hand with a spatula for 1-2 minutes. This helps give you a smooth frosting when piping. Then pipe however you desire. I used a Wilton 1M tip for the pictures. As this is a cream cheese frosting, I would eat right away once you frost your cake or cupcakes. Otherwise, store in the fridge and take out about 30 minutes before serving and enjoy!
