Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting + Video
This is the BEST Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting! Silky smooth and creamy, yet thick and sturdy enough for piping on cakes or cupcakes. It’s super easy to make and not too sweet.
I’ve gotten many requests for a chocolate version of my BEST cream cheese frosting recipe, so I’m very happy to share this chocolate cream cheese frosting recipe today.
Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
My recipe for regular cream cheese frosting uses a good amount of butter and way less powdered sugar than most recipes, which keeps it from going soft and stringy.
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To make chocolate cream cheese frosting, I simply added unsweetened cocoa powder and just one more cup of powdered sugar from my original cream cheese frosting recipe. Still less sugar than most other recipes, but perfectly sweet. It’s rich and chocolatey, but still has that tang we all know and love from the cream cheese.
You’ll definitely want to sift your cocoa and powdered sugar for this chocolate cream cheese frosting so there are no obvious clumps. This will also help ensure a smooth, velvety texture.
I recommend these large round sifters that I used in bakeries to make sifting quick and easy. TIP: Sift ingredients onto a piece of parchment paper. Then bring both ends together to create an easy pour spout to empty the contents.
If buttercream is too sweet for you, then give this chocolate cream cheese frosting a try. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. It goes great on my Chocolate Cupcakes. I’m thinking it would also be really good on my Chocolate Zucchini Cake. Yum!
More Cream Cheese Frostings:
- The BEST Cream Cheese Frosting
- Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting
- Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting
Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 8 oz (226 g) block-style cream cheese, cold
- ½ cup (113 g) salted or unsalted butter, (1 stick) room temperature
- ½ cup (40 g) unsweetened cocoa, (not hot chocolate mix)
- 2 cups (240 g) powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Measure, then sift the cocoa and powdered sugar together. Set aside.
- Place the cream cheese in a large mixing bowl.
- Using an electric hand mixer, beat until smooth.
- Gradually add the butter 2 Tablespoons at a time, and continue beating until smooth and well blended.
- Add the powdered sugar/cocoa mixture and vanilla all at once. Blend until combined and smooth. Use for any recipe that calls for chocolate cream cheese frosting.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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I just frosted some chocolate cupcakes with a Hershey Kiss surprise inside with this frosting. OMG so good! Creamy, chocolatey goodness!! Best frosting EVER! Thanks for the recipe😘
Such a fun idea with the Hershey Kiss! Glad you loved the frosting!
All I had to see was “cream cheese”! So tomorrow I’m making white
cupcakes and trying this recipe. Question….should the cream cheese be at room temp? Can’t wait.
Thank You
I use cold cream cheese so that it keeps the frosting stiff enough to pipe. The butter should be room temperature/soft though. Enjoy!
Oh,man!
This frosting is sooo fluffy, smooth, and delicious!
I just made it for my husband’s birthday cake and it is perfect!
I won’t make or buy any other frosting from now on. So easy, too. Thank you!
Keeper👍
So glad you enjoyed this recipe Janette! Thanks for taking the time to share your experience with it.
This frosting was delicious! Slight tang from the cream cheese, not too sweet, and perfectly smooth! Very yummy!
Wonderful! Thanks for your comment Crissy!
sorry………are you using the cream cheese right out of the fridge?
I do use it straight from the fridge and it doesn’t crust.
Can you put high ration shortening in it.
High ratio shortening should blend ok, but it will not have the same flavor as using butter.
will this crust? sounds very good!!
I have made hundreds of frosting over the years, a lot of them were just blah frostings. This is by far the best Chocolate Frosting I have ever made…It was truly light,airy,smooth and fluffy…On top of all these things it was heavenly!
Yay! Glad you liked it! Thanks for sharing your experience Jani!
Tried this for the first time and it tastes so good. I made mine with special dark chocolate cocoa and my husband cleaned the batter bowl with his fingers! Will make again, thank you so much!
Love that special dark cocoa! Glad you liked this recipe!
My last round of chocolate buttercream was way too sweet. Definitely trying this soon!
Prepare to be addicted!
First time making chocolate cream cheese frosting and I’m hooked!! I think I like it better than plain cream cheese frosting! There was more than enough to frost my 9×13 cake, even with what I ate before frosting!! SOOO good!!!
Haha! Glad you saved some for the cake! I am definitely hooked on the chocolate cream cheese frosting too. It just beats buttercream any day!