The Best Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
Our The Best Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting is creamy, tangy, chocolatey, and super duper yummy. Homemade frosting never tasted so good or was easier to make.
Cream Cheese Frosting is delicious. And guess what? It doesn’t have to taste ONLY like cream cheese. It is also delicious with some extra flavor added in for good measure. And what flavor is better than chocolate? This Best Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting is creamy, tangy, chocolatey, and super yummy. You’ll definitely want to add this homemade icing recipe to your must-make list!
How to Make
Step 1: Add softened Cream Cheese, slightly softened butter, and Vanilla Extract to a mixing bowl. “Slightly softened” means the butter is still cold but has warmed up enough so you can press your thumb down into it.
Step 2: Mix the three ingredients together on medium speed until they are fully incorporated (about 2 minutes.) Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula before moving on to the next step.
Step 3: Measure 1 Pound of Powdered Sugar into a separate bowl. (If you don’t have a food scale the equivalent would be 4 cups.) We normally do not sift the powdered sugar and instead rely on the mixer to do that work for us.
Step 4: Add the Cocoa Powder to the bowl with the Powdered Sugar.
Step 5: Use a fork to whisk the Cocoa Powder and Powdered Sugar. We highly recommend that you do not skip this step because you need to fully incorporate the dry ingredients to maximize the chocolate flavor in your frosting and avoid pockets of pure cocoa powder in the frosting.
Step 6: Pour the Cocoa Powder/Powdered Sugar mixture into the mixing bowl with the cream cheese/butter/vanilla mixture.
Step 7: Here is a Two Sisters Pro Tip: Put a clean dishtowel around your mixer to keep the sugar from flying out when you are mixing the butter and the sugar together.
Step 8: Start your mixer (or electric beater) on the lowest setting and keep it on low until the cream cheese/butter and sugar start to come together (about 30 seconds). Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl and then increase the speed to medium-high and mix for another 30-45 seconds or until the frosting begins to get light and fluffy.
Step 9: This is the fun part of the frosting-making process where you get to taste your icing. You are tasting to determine taste (does it need more vanilla?) and consistency (is it too thin or too thick?) (Two Sisters note about Chocolate Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting … it is a thin frosting. It will never be a frosting that is pipeable or will crust up like buttercream. That being said, as you can see in our pictures, you can do a swirl.) The first thing you should do before using the frosting is put it in the refrigerator for an hour or so, that will help the butter and cream cheese firm up. Another thing to try if the frosting is too thin is to add EITHER 1/2 cup of powdered sugar or 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. Mix again and see if the consistency is better.
How to Serve
How much frosting will you need? That always depends on how thick or thin you apply the frosting or how much decorating you do but here are a couple of guidelines. Our recipe should make enough The Best Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting to cover a 9″ x 13″ sheet cake or a two-layer 8″ cake. If you are making cupcakes, you should be able to frost 24 cupcakes if you apply the frosting with a knife. If you swirl on the frosting with a pastry bag you should be able to frost 15-18 cupcakes depending on the size of the swirl.
Expert Tips and FAQ’s
We think the classic Hershey’s Unsweetened Cocoa Powder creates the perfect chocolate frosting flavor that everyone loves. But you can use your favorite brand. A Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder has a more intense flavor, we use that in our The Best Dark Chocolate Frosting recipe.
Yes. Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing needs to be refrigerated because of the Cream Cheese. You can leave it out for a couple of hours at a maximum before it needs to be refrigerated again. And be very careful with it outside on a sunny day.
Chocolate Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting will only be good for as long as your Cream Cheese is good so make sure to check the expiration date on the Cream Cheese package before making the frosting. For example, if the expiration date on the Cream Cheese is two days away, the frosting will be good for two days. Store any left-over frosting, in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. If you carefully wrap the frosting in order to avoid freezer burn, the frosting should be fine in the freezer for 3-4 months.
Other Cream Cheese Frostings You Will Love
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The Best Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
Our The Best Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting is creamy, tangy, chocolatey, and super duper yummy. Homemade frosting never tasted so good or was easier to make.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Butter (Slightly Softened) (We use Salted Sweet Cream Butter)
- 8 oz. Cream Cheese (Softened)
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- 1 pound Powdered Sugar (or 4 cups)
- 1 /2 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
Instructions
- Add the softened Cream Cheese, the slightly softened butter, and the Vanilla Extract to a mixing bowl. The butter should be “slightly softened” which means it is still cold but has warmed up enough so you can press your thumb down into the stick of butter.
- Mix the three ingredients together on medium speed until they are fully incorporated (about 2 minutes.)
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula before moving on to the next step.
- Measure 1 Pound of Powdered Sugar into a separate bowl. (If you don't have a food scale the equivalent would be 4 cups.)
- Add the Cocoa Powder to the bowl with the Powdered Sugar.
- Use a fork to whisk the Cocoa Powder and Powdered Sugar.
- Pour the Cocoa Powder/Powdered Sugar mixture into the mixing bowl with the cream cheese/butter/vanilla mixture.
- Start your mixer (or electric beater) on the lowest setting and keep it on low until the cream cheese/butter and sugar start to come together (about 30 seconds).
- Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl and then increase the speed to medium-high and mix for another 30-45 seconds so the frosting begins to get light and fluffy.
- Taste your frosting to see if it needs more vanilla and if it is the correct consistency.
Notes
How much frosting will you need?
That always depends on how thick or thin you apply the frosting or how much decorating you do but here are a couple of guidelines. Our recipe should make enough The Best Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting to cover a 9″ x 13″ sheet cake or a two-layer 8″ cake. If you are making cupcakes, you should be able to frost 24 cupcakes if you apply the frosting with a knife. If you swirl on the frosting with a pastry bag you should be able to frost 15-18 cupcakes depending on the size of the swirl.
Did you Make this Recipe? Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @twosisterscrafting on Instagram so we can see it!
If you are looking for more tips and tricks for making that perfect batch of homemade frosting we have a few other posts you might want to check out:
I discovered your recipe yesterday while I was searching for a simple but good recipe to complete my yellow sheet cake. After making this recipe, I am delighted to tell you that it is PERFECT. It is everything that you described and it is delicious to taste. The cream cheese comes through really well. It’s a thick frosting that stands up well to decorating with. This recipe has earned its place in my go-to frostings. I can’t wait to discover all your other recipes. Thank you very much.
Just made this to frost a banana cake. The frosting is delish! It’s tangy from the cream cheese, chocolatey and sweet. Can’t wait to try it on the cake.
Nancy, I love your site, it’s always a pleasure to come here. The photographs are excellent – crisp, clean, and not overbearing. The things you write about prior to your recipes are not so long and drawn out that I lose my desire to find the recipe.
The Best Whipped Cream Frosting recipe is one of my favorites, and now that I just discovered this one (Chocolate AND Cream Cheese! I’m in Heaven!) I can’t wait to try it.
I think it ought to be noted that the cakes decorated with this frosting (as well as any other frosting that has a dairy product in it) should be refrigerated.
Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful recipes!
Best Regards
This was so yummy. Thanks for the recipe.
Nice texture, very easy to use and it was my first time but it is way too sweet to my taste. I was hoping to taste a bit of the cream cheese but the sugar covers everything. Without surprise, the kids liked it as it tasted very sugary, a bit chocolaty but not of cream cheese (my son doesn’t like it).
I make a vanilla cream cheese iceing with all these ingrediens (minus the cocoa) but I only use 1 cup of the sugar. It yeilds about 2cups.
I’m going to be making chocolate cupcakes for a bake sale and can not wait to use this frosting for them! Can I make this frosting a couple of days ahead of time and keep in the fridge?
Sure, that should work.
So delicious!!! Perfect in every way!!!
I can’t wait to try this on some vanilla cupcakes. It looks great and yummy.
Looks yum, i was searhing for your chocolate cupcake recipe, but couldn’t find it, can u plz mention the link here!! Much thanks!!
amazing