This is a simple chocolate frosting recipe that you’ll use over and over again. Chocolate Frosting with Cocoa Powder and Powdered Sugar is ready in minutes with ingredients your more-than-likely have on hand.
This is not a mind-blowing original recipe. I’ve been making it for years and years. It is a basic Chocolate Frosting recipe that you need to have in your arsenal. Plus, it’s my favorite. If I could, I would eat spoonful after spoonful of it straight from the pan….oh, wait, I did to that!
Chocolate Frosting with Cocoa Powder and Powdered Sugar is my go-to basic chocolate frosting recipe. I use it for my Chocolate Coca-Cola Cake and on my Famous Rocky Road Brownies. This frosting is great on donuts, over ice cream, and on a classic white cake.
This recipe is also easily adaptable. If you have a large sheet pan of brownies, you may want to double the recipe. For just a few cookies, you may want to half the recipe.
It really is a delectable 5-minute frosting that goes great on cakes and cupcakes. Add an additional 2 tablespoons of milk to make it into an easy pouring sauce for ice cream and bread pudding.
Chocolate Frosting with Cocoa Powder and Powdered Sugar
One tip you must remember when making this icing recipe is to sift your sugar. Otherwise, you’ll have lumps and will have to stir A LOT, to get them out. I find that lumps are near impossible to get out once the sugar is stirred into the mixture.
Another tip, ok, I know this is two, is to use real butter. Margarine really doesn’t work well because it’s mostly oil. Use real butter at room temperature.
*The calorie count is for the whole recipe.
Chocolate Frosting with Cocoa Powder and Powdered Sugar
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup butter salted or unsalted, I use this
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder I prefer this brand
- 1/3 cup milk whole or 2%
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract preferred brand
- 3 and ½ cup confectioners sugar sifted
Instructions
- Sift sugar.
- Heat butter in a small pan on medium heat, do not let butter get brown.
- When butter is melted, whisk in cocoa, milk, and vanilla. Add sugar 1/2 cup at a time, whisking after each addition.
- Remove from heat, after all the sugar has been added.
- Whisk until smooth.
- Immediately pour over cake.
- If icing is too thin, add additional sifted sugar 1/4 cup at a time until desired thickness or sit it in the refrigerator a few minutes. Take it out and whisk it until creamy again.
- Frosting will thicken as it cools, but it'll be harder to spread.
Notes
Nutrition
You can also find great recipes at my recipe index or at Meal Plan Monday or Weekend Potluck.
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Joey says
My mother made this, she’d make 2batches at one time. One for her and one for the cake! So happy to see the recipe hasn’t been list
Melissa Schaub says
Is the butter in your recipes salted butter or unsalted butter? Thanks!
Paula says
I use salted, professional bakers recommend using unsalted. It reacts the same in the cake so it basically comes down to which you like the taste of better. Using unsalted just tastes bland to me.
Anna says
I have always had difficulty making icing for my cakes. Spreading it was always done badly. This recipe was easy to make, easy to pour over the cake, looked decorative and tasted great! I had planned to scrape out the pan later, but someone beat me to it. Next time I am including a spoonful of instant coffee! Thank you!
Gil Ferguson says
OMG…this is the best frosting and so quick and easy…Thank You so much