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Are you looking for an easy chocolate frosting for your favorite desserts? You’re going to love this one made with just five simple ingredients! It’s sweet, creamy, and full of lots of milk chocolate flavor!

Chocolate frosting in a glass bowl with a spatula stirring it around.

Why You’ll Love This!

  • The only frosting you need for cakes, cupcakes, cookies, and brownies.
  • Made with simple ingredients that are easy to find!
  • Mixes up in just minutes!
  • Perfectly sweet and creamy that will make all your sweets taste even better!

Ingredients

Are you ready to get mixing? First, you need to gather everything together. Here is a look at the highlights but be sure to check the recipe card for the full list and quantities.

Chocolate frosting spread over a cake with sprinkles added.
  • Milk Chocolate Bar: I prefer using Hershey’s milk chocolate. You can use other brands but I highly recommend using a quality brand of chocolate for the best results.
  • Butter: Makes the chocolate frosting creamy and buttery.
  • Powdered Sugar: Also called icing sugar because it’s perfect for making icing and frosting. It dissolves much easier so that it mixes with the other ingredients and results in creamy smooth texture.
  • Heavy Whipping Cream: Helps the other ingredients mix together and achieve the right texture for spreading. I like to use heavy whipping cream because it makes this chocolate buttercream frosting thicker. However, if you don’t have heavy whipping cream in your fridge you can use milk instead.
  • Vanilla: A hint of warmth and natural sweetness. Use pure vanilla for the best flavor.

How To Make Chocolate Frosting

Making chocolate frosting takes just minutes using a hand mixer or stand mixer. Here’s a look at the main steps!

A collage of images showing how to make chocolate frosting from melting the chocolate, beating the butter and sugar, and mixing the rest of everything together.
  1. Heat. The milk chocolate candy bar in the microwave in a small bowl. Use 30-second intervals and stir after each one. Repeat until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Then, set it aside and allow the chocolate to cool.
  2. Beat. The butter and powdered sugar together until light and fluffy. You will need to stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl during mixing.
  3. Add. The heavy whipping cream and vanilla extract to the butter mixture and mix until combined.
  4. Fold. In the milk chocolate until it’s fully mixed into the frosting.

Now your chocolate frosting is ready to use. Frost cupcakes, cakes, or cookies using a piping bag or knife.

Tips & Variations

  • Use Softened Butter. It’s the secret to a creamy and fluffy frosting.
  • Add Different Flavors. You can easily alter the flavor of this chocolate buttercream frosting by swapping out some of all of the vanilla with other extracts. Coconut, almond, and orange are just a few favorites that work great with chocolate.
  • Chocolate. You can swap the milk chocolate for other varieties of chocolate. For a less sweet, more intense chocolate flavor, dark chocolate works great.
  • Melt the Chocolate Slowly. When microwaving chocolate, heat for only a short amount of time and stir between each cycle. This way you don’t end up scorching your chocolate.
  • Add Some Sprinkles After Frosting! Because everything is always better with sprinkles.

Serving Suggestions

I make this chocolate frosting to put on all my favorite chocolate desserts. And for all my vanilla lovers, try my vanilla buttercream frosting and funfetti cake or vanilla cupcakes.

Homemade Chocolate Cake

Chocolate Cupcakes with Milk Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Chocolate Frosted Peanut Butter Bars

These Frosted Peanut Butter Bars are my favorite…they’re like the ones I used to LOVE in grade school at lunchtime. They’re the perfect way to use this chocolate buttercream frosting.

The Best Cookie Frosting

Traditional Christmas Cookies

Frosted Sugar Cookies

And if you’re looking for cut-out cookie frosting, check out my best sugar cookie frosting.

Cupcakes on a plate with chocolate buttercream frosting and bits of chocolate sprinkles on top.

Recipe FAQ

My frosting is too thick, what can I do?

You want it to be thick so that it stays in place on top of your cupcakes and cakes but if you feel it’s too thick you can simply add a bit more heavy cream or milk to thin it out a bit.

How can I fix thin frosting?

If after mixing, you find the frosting is too thin, you can add a little extra powdered sugar?

Can I substitute cocoa powder for the chocolate?

No, unfortunately in this recipe you can’t as it will change the consistency since it’s a powder while the chocolate is a liquid.

Storing

  • Store. Store leftover or prepared frosting in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week. When you’re ready to use it, simply let it sit at room temperature to soften up a bit.

More Dessert Recipes

Easy Jello Poke Cake

Snickerdoodle Cookie Recipe

Easy Sugar Cookies

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Chocolate frosting in a bowl with a spatula stirring it.
4.58 from 66 ratings
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Servings: 10 servings

Easy Chocolate Frosting

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Are you looking for an easy chocolate frosting for your favorite desserts? You're going to love this one made with just five simple ingredients! It's sweet, creamy, and full of lots of milk chocolate flavor!
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Ingredients
 

  • 1 bar Hershey's Milk Chocolate candy bar*, 4.4 ounces
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened, 2 sticks
  • 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
  • ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions
 

  • Place milk chocolate candy bar into small bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds intervals, stirring after each interval until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Set aside and allow to cool.
  • Using an electric or stand mixer, cream together butter and powdered sugar together until light and fluffy, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
  • Add heavy whipping cream and vanilla extract, and mix until combined. Fold in milk chocolate until fully incorporated into frosting.
  • Frost cupcakes, cakes, or cookies using a piping bag or knife.

Notes

  • Chocolate Bars: I bought the XL Hershey’s Milk Chocolate candy bar which is 4.4 ounces but if you can’t find the XL Hershey’s Milk Chocolate candy bar you can buy 4 (1.55 oz.) regular sized Hershey’s Milk Chocolate candy bars.
  • This recipe yields about 2 1/2 cups of frosting.
  • Use Softened Butter. It’s the secret to a creamy and fluffy frosting.
  • Add Some Sprinkles After Frosting! Because everything is always better with sprinkles.
  • Melt the Chocolate Slowly. When microwaving chocolate, heat for only a short amount of time and stir between each cycle. This way you don’t end up scorching your chocolate.
  • Chocolate. You can swap the milk chocolate for other varieties of chocolate. For a less sweet, more intense chocolate flavor, dark chocolate works great.
  • Add Different Flavors. You can easily alter the flavor of this chocolate buttercream frosting by swapping out some of all of the vanilla with other extracts. Coconut, almond, and orange are just a few favorites that work great with chocolate.
Serving: 0.25cup, Calories: 364kcal, Carbohydrates: 38g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 25g, Saturated Fat: 16g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 7g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 56mg, Sodium: 150mg, Potassium: 48mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 36g, Vitamin A: 655IU, Vitamin C: 0.04mg, Calcium: 13mg, Iron: 0.4mg
Cuisine: American
Course: Dessert
Author: Jennifer
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