Chocolate Frosting with Cocoa Powder and Powdered Sugar
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This is a simple chocolate frosting recipe that you’ll use over and over again. Chocolate Frosting with
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 do that!
Chocolate Frosting with Cocoa Powder and Powdered Sugar
Chocolate Frosting with
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.
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Chocolate Frosting tips
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 nearly impossible to get out once the sugar is stirred into the mixture.
Another tip—okay, I know this is two—is to use real
More recipes you’ll enjoy
If you’re new to my site, some of my most popular recipes are my pound cakes. Actually, I have over 60 pound cake recipes that I have tested, developed, and reviewed for you. I have highlighted some below (click on the photo) or you can get them all here: Pound Cakes Reviewed.
I include specific products that I use because I’ve had success in that particular recipe with that particular product. Many readers ask me specifically what brands/products I use. I had a reader complain because I recommended products that may not be available to everyone. I’m a real person behind your screen. I’m doing the very best I can to give you tested recipes that you can make successfully and one way to help you, in my opinion, is to tell you exactly what I use. Thank you for visiting Call Me PMc. I sincerely hope you find recipes you like and will come back time after time.
*The calorie count is for the whole recipe.
You can also find great recipes here:
- BROWN BUTTER FROSTING RECIPE
- BEST FUDGY COCOA BROWNIES
- CHOCOLATE POUND CAKE
- Coconut Cream Cheese Pound Cake
- PERFECT POUND CAKE RECIPES
- Oreo cinnamon rolls
Chocolate Frosting with Cocoa Powder and Powdered Sugar
Ingredients
- ¼ cup butter salted or unsalted
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder I prefer this brand
- ⅓ cup whole milk whole or 2%
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract preferred brand
- 3 and ½ cup powdered sugar (aka confectioners) 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.
Nutrition
Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are important to you, I recommend calculating them yourself.
Made this today after searching for a recipe that was easy & that I had all the ingredients for..and it is amazing. I just poured it over a sheet cake and the family gobbled it up in celebration to my son’s 15th birthday!!! Thank you for sharing.
Going to try this today for a father’s day cake! Do you have a recipe for a chocolate frosting that sets up hard? My mother made some once when i was young and it was delicious! Unfortunately she can’t remember how she did it (i think she may have just messed up). It was a rich dark chocolate and she poured it over cake in a sheet pan. It set up about a 1/4 inch thick. Any ideas would be great!
No this is only one I use. You can make it stiffer by adding more sugar, or glaze consistency by adding less.
Would this work if I only used half the cocoa that’s called for? My husband wants a chocolate icing that is very, very light in the chocolate flavor, and I have tried many recipes that all are too chocolate-y for him. Will it be too thin if I don’t use all the cocoa, or is the cocoa not a factor in the thickness of the frosting?
I think using less cocoa will make it less chocolatey. It shouldn’t affect the thickness of it, but you may want to hold off on adding all the liquid. It’s easier to add it later.
I just tried making your recipe for frosting and spreed it on my homemade cake. I must say I absolutely love it!! Very easy to make and taste soooo delicious. This was my first time making homemade frosting and I will never buy store bought again. My family and I thank you.
Thank you. This is my favorite frosting as well. It’s so versatile too.
What if i only have regular sugar?
You need to cook it long enough for the granulated sugar to melt. I recommend waiting until you can get powdered sugar.
Is this a hard frosting when cooled? I’ve been looking for a hard frosting recipe.
Thanks,
Karron
It sets up and isn’t runny, but I wouldn’t say it’s ‘hard’. It is more like a birthday cake frosting.
I also asked the same thing. From looking at the pictures, I think I may have found it in her post for “Chocolate Coca-Cola cake” or “Diet Dr Pepper® Texas Sheet Cake”.
https://www.callmepmc.com/chocolate-frosting-with-cocoa-powder-and-powdered-sugar/
This is the basic chocolate icing I always use. You can put nuts into on or top if you want too.
Wow this recipe is the absolute best it turned out perfect I couldn’t have made a better frosting thanks for the great recipe!
I love making homemade frosting. The kids love using homemade frosting on graham crackers. Well, I do too!
The recipe is nice I love to try it today
Paula, this reminds me of chocolate frosting we made at home. Nothing fancy – but oh so chocolaty! Thanks for the reminder. New and improved isn’t always better. 🙂
Wishes for tasty dishes, Linda
Thanks, Linda! This is the first frosting I ever made and I’ve used it for (ahem) a lot of years now 🙂
Paula, do you ever make a boiled chocolate frosting with ‘granulated’ sugar! My Mother did and it was wonderful! I haven’t made it for a while so I can’t give a guarantee until I have made it and can comment on the results. Curious what you have to say!
I have not, this one is so simple it’s my go to
Hi,
Is this a thick spreadable frosting or more like a thin icing ? I would love to try it today on some goodies I’m making.
Thanks
I use it as both. As the recipe is written, it’s thick and can be used on a layer cake. When I want to ice sugar cookies, I add 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk to the above recipe and it’s thinner.