Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

This chocolate cream cheese frosting is easy to make and delicious. If you are tired of regular buttercream frosting, try this one. It is not as sweet as buttercream and is balanced of with tangy cream cheese.

Impress your friends at the next gathering with this sweet and tangy frosting. This luscious frosting combines the rich flavor of cocoa powder and the tangy creaminess of the cheese, making it ideal for cakes and cupcakes.

I wanted to try something different for my chocolate cake other than my chocolate ganache frosting. Cream cheese frosting which goes perfectly with my red velvet cake, pairs nicely with chocolate cake, but I wanted to try something new. I had never tried the chocolate cream cheese icing so I thought to give it a try.

I tried this recipe with regular cocoa powder, dutch processed cocoa powder, and real chocolate. Although it tastes delicious with real chocolate, any cocoa powder can be used to achieve similar results.

Why this is the best cream cheese frosting?

1. The perfect combination of sweet and tangy flavors.
2. Easy to prepare.
3. Uses just 5 or 6 pantry ingredients.
4. Does not need any special ingredients and no special tools either.

How to make chocolate cream cheese frosting – overview?

This chocolate cream cheese frosting is made from scratch and is enough for 6 cupcakes.

It is a very simple process; beat the butter and cream cheese together, add the remaining ingredients one by one, and beat again. That it is.

You can easily double or quadruple the recipe to layer it between chocolate cakes.

Sr. No.	Steps
1.	Beat butter.
2.	Add cream cheese and beat again
3.	Beat after adding vanilla, salt, and cocoa powder.
4.	Add icing sugar, beat, and add milk if required. Chocolate cream cheese frosting is ready.

Let’s get started!

Chocolate cream cheese frosting ingredients

1. Unsalted butter – Use any brand of unsalted butter, no specific brand. I always use Walmart’s great values butter. Make sure the butter is at room temperature but not too soft or liquidy. If you press your thumb into the butter it should leave a dent and not stick to your hands. We can’t skip butter as using just cream cheese will make the frosting too soft and non-pipeable.

2. Cream cheese – Use full-fat cream cheese. I personally love Philadelphia’s cream cheese. Do not use the cream cheese that comes in a tub or spreadable form. So, use any brand of cream cheese that comes in block form. Just like the butter, make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature.

3. Vanilla extract – You can either use pure vanilla extract or vanilla imitation, depending on your choice. Although real vanilla extract has greater taste than vanilla imitation, using imitation won’t make any noticeable difference in this recipe.

4. Salt – As always, do not skip salt unless you are using salted butter otherwise, it will be very salty. Salt will ALWAYS enhance your frosting or dessert. So, consider salt as a friend.

5. Milk – Use full-fat or 2% milk. We already have butter and cream cheese which contain a lot of fat so we can easily reduce the fat content from milk. Hence, using 2% milk is ok in this recipe.

6. Icing sugar – This is also referred to as confectioners sugar or powdered sugar and is readily available at any grocery store. You can use that, or make your homemade powdered sugar.

Any substitute

1. Sugar-free: Replace sugar with sugar-free alternative in 1:1 ratio but make sure it is advisable to use the same replacement of sugar. For example, Splenda or monk fruit sweeteners are not a 1:1 replacement and are needed in very small quantities. Hence, I would not propose replacing it with such a sugar replacement. Also, check out the texture of that sweetener. If needed, grind it into fine powder similar to powdered sugar.

2. Fudgy frosting: For the fudgiest frosting, you can use melted dark chocolate but keep in mind that it is more expensive than any cocoa powder. You can also get the similar taste with Dutch-processed cocoa powder.

Tools needed

1. Mixing bowl
2. Hand beater
3. Measuring spoons and cups
4. Weighing scale
5. Sieve (Optional)

Chocolate cream cheese frosting step-by-step instructions

1. In a mixing bowl, add room-temperature unsalted butter. Beat the butter for a couple of minutes.

2. Now add softened room-temperature cream cheese and start beating until it is light and fluffy.

3. Add in vanilla extract and salt and beat again until it is combined properly.

4. Mix in cocoa powder and beat again.

5. Add a tablespoon of milk and mix until combines properly.

6. Add 1/3 portion of icing sugar and beat until it is just combined. Repeat until powdered sugar is finished.

7. If the frosting is too thick, add a teaspoon of milk and beat it again. Scrape the bowl as needed. I would recommend using a spatula for proper scraping.

8. Use your favorite piping nozzle for piping. Enjoy! You can pipe the frosting right away but if it is too soft and not-pipeable, refrigerate it for 20 to 25 minutes and then use it.

Watch us making (video)

chocolate cream cheese frosting – storing and freezing instructions

like my regular cream cheese frosting, you can make this chocolate frosting ahead of time and store it in the fridge or the freezer.

Storing instructions

You can store this frosting in an air-tight container and store it in the fridge for up to one week and in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Freezing instructions

Usually, this frosting does not crust but, if it does, it is difficult to remove that crust, and has an awful texture. To avoid this, cover the frosting with cling wrap and then freeze.

Thawing instructions

To defrost the frosting, keep it in the refrigerator overnight or on the kitchen counter for 3 to 4 hours if you are in a hurry. If you want to use it before that then, please keep it in a stand mixer and start beating at low speed. At the same time, blow hot air from the air dryer from outside and around the bowl. Please keep an eye on it and turn off the dryer once it has been blended nicely.

For the best mouthfeel, keep the frosting at room temperature for at least an hour or an hour and a half before serving.

In short,

Sr. No.	Storing Place	Duration (week, months)
1	Refrigerator	1 week
2	Freezer	2 months

How to serve this frosting?

You can serve this with your favorite chocolate cake or cupcake. Also, try it with red velvet cake for a inviting twist. It won’t disappoint you.

Any variations?

1. You can add melted chocolate instead of cocoa powder to make the fudgier version. If you are using melted chocolate then make sure it is not hot or warm and has cooled down completely as it will make the frosting very soft.
2. You can also add 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon to give it a nice twist.

Pro tips to make best chocolate cream cheese frosting

• Use quality ingredients – This recipe is made up of just 6-7 basic pantry ingredients so please use the best quality ingredients possible to make the BEST frosting. Use full-fat cream cheese, dutch processed cocoa powder for fudgy flavor, and pure vanilla extract.

• Use room temperature ingredients – To ensure that the butter and cream cheese blend easily, they must be room temperature. However, please avoid making it too soft as this will result in soft and runny frosting.

• Use a weighing scale – To get the same consistency of frosting every time, follow the thumb rule of using a weighing scale. Incorrect measurement of ingredients could end up in runny or thick frosting.

• Do not skip salt – As I always say, salt is not going to make your frosting salty, but it will enhance the flavors. So, do not skip salt unless you are using salted butter.

• Do not overbeat – Overbeating the frosting will break down the cream cheese, separating water from the fat. This will make the frosting look curdled and runny. Please follow my step-by-step instructions to make the best chocolate cream cheese icing.

FAQ’s

• Why is my frosting runny? Overbeating or consistency of butter, or cream cheese will result in runny frosting. Let’s consider that you measured all of the ingredients using a weighing scale; yet, if it turns out runny, it must be the consistency of your cream cheese or butter (it may be too soft). Don’t worry, you can fix it easily. Refrigerate the frosting for 30 to 40 minutes, whisk and it will be ready to use. If it is still runny, try adding 1 tablespoon of icing sugar and check. If it is runny even after all of this, you might have overbeaten the frosting. Please refer at my step-by-step instructions or chocolate cream cheese frosting video to make the best chocolate cream cheese icing.

• Why is my frosting too thick? Using less liquid might be the cause of thick frosting. Again don’t worry about it being thick. You can fix it in a few minutes. Just add a splash of milk, beat, and check for consistency. I would not recommend adding more than 1 tablespoon of milk at a time, as it may turn runny.

• Can I store this at room temperature? No. This frosting should be stored in the refrigerator as it contains highly perishable cream cheese. However, I would suggest keeping it at room temperature one to one and a half hours before serving for the best mouthfeel. Also, it hardens when stored in the refrigerator.

Need more frosting recipes?

This chocolate cream cheese frosting is the perfect balance of sweet and tangy so I strongly suggest giving it a try. In case you would like to try different frostings, try the ones mentioned below:

1. Chocolate frosting for brownies
2. Chocolate ganache
3. Whipped cream
4. Stable cream cheese frosting

Did you try?

Please make this chocolate cream cheese frosting and let me know how this turns out for you in the comments! I honestly love to hear from you, and your feedback is really important to me.

If you post the frosting pictures on Instagram, do not forget to tag me. Tag @DessertKatta or use the hashtag #DessertKatta.

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