Some recipes take careful planning and lots of testing before I get them right. Others seem to come together effortlessly, like this chocolate cream cheese buttercream frosting. The slight tartness of the cream cheese and bitterness of the chocolate create a rich, not overly sweet flavor that you’re sure to love. And the texture? Yeah, it’s as silky smooth as it looks!
A lot of cream cheese frosting recipes call for just cream cheese and powdered sugar, which make it very thin. The reason I add butter to mine is so that it’s pipeable. Grab your favorite cupcake recipe and your favorite piping tip and let’s get going (I used Wilton tip 1M.)
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The first step is letting the cream cheese and butter warm up to room temperature. Just leave them on the counter for an hour (not in the direct sunlight or near a heat source) and you’re good. Then cream together until smooth and fluffy. If the butter and cream cheese aren’t soft enough you might end up with little chunks in your frosting.
ALSO use full-fat cream cheese. I tried making this recipe with low-fat cream cheese and it was too thin.
Mix in the powdered sugar and cocoa powders on low speed until combined, and then cream on high speed until light and fluffy. I like to use a mix of regular cocoa powder and dark cocoa powder.
And you’re done! This recipe yields enough frosting for at least 12 cupcakes. The exact yield depends on your decorating style. You’ll get more decorated cupcakes if you simply spread on the frosting instead of piping it. For two dozen cupcakes using Wilton tip 1M, I recommend doubling the recipe.
Store decorated cupcakes and leftover frosting in the refrigerator. Tag me @roseandwhiskers on Instagram if you try my chocolate cream cheese buttercream frosting and use the hashtag #rosesandwhiskers. Happy baking! 🙂
Chocolate Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 8 oz. full-fat cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup dark cocoa powder
Instructions
- Let cream cheese and butter soften for about an hour. Then cream on high speed until smooth and fluffy. Mix in the powdered sugar and cocoa powders on low speed. Once combined, cream on high speed until light and fluffy.
- Store in the refrigerator. Yields enough to decorate at least 12 cupcakes.
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[…] free to substitute the chocolate for this chocolate cream cheese buttercream if you want a little extra tartness. You can also sub the cream cheese for vanilla […]