Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

September 12, 2021

This chocolate cream cheese frosting is rich, smooth, and ready to enhance all of your desserts! It only takes 15 minutes of prep and a few super simple ingredients to create chocolatey perfection.

Honestly, this frosting is a chocoholic’s dream. It is smooth and creamy and tastes absolutely incredible when layered on other desserts like chocolate cupcakes, chocolate cake, and brownies! It’s the cherry on top to any dessert.

The Ultimate Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

Chocolate lovers, prepare to meet your new best friend. This super easy chocolate cream cheese frosting has been one of my latest obsessions. It is so quick and easy! All you need is cream cheese, cocoa powder, and a couple of other basic ingredients to create this smooth and creamy treat! The end result is honestly so amazing, it tastes as if it came straight from a bakery. Find chocolate buttercream a bit too sweet? This is the frosting for you! The addition of cream cheese gives this frosting the slightest bit of tang. It balances the sweetness perfectly. Both buttercreams and cream cheese-based frostings are delicious depending on what kind of dessert you are wanting to create! You will love them all!

This frosting is melt-in-your-mouth smooth! It is also sturdy enough for piping and works especially well for cupcakes! If double chocolate isn’t your thing, the flavor of this frosting pairs really well with vanilla and cappuccino cupcakes. The result is absolutely divine! This frosting always gets compliments wherever it goes. When asked for the recipe, I love telling friends and family about how easy it is to make! It’s a staple recipe that I know you will be going back to time and time again. With chocolate frosting this good, it is too hard to resist! Go ahead and eat it straight from the bowl. I won’t tell anyone!

Ingredients for Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

What I love most about this recipe is that it doesn’t require any fancy ingredients to put together! Sometimes simple is best! You can find measurements for each ingredient below.

Cream Cheese: This is the MVP in this recipe. It is responsible for the ultra smooth consistency and irresistible tangy flavor in the frosting! You can use your favorite brand here, but I always opt for Philadelphia. I like to make sure my cream cheese is softened. This way, everything mixes together smoothly.
Butter: I use unsalted, softened butter. This helps add to the tasty richness of the frosting.
Vanilla Extract: Vanilla helps to deepen the overall flavor of the frosting. Opt for pure vanilla extract over imitation if possible! It will give your frosting a better flavor.
Salt: Added to enhance flavor.
Powdered Sugar: Powdered sugar will give your chocolate cream cheese frosting its amazing sweetness. Once mixed, it adds a smooth texture, too!
Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: Some people swear by Dutch cocoa for its smooth flavor. I have used both Hershey’s and Ghiradelli cocoa powder and loved it just as much! No matter what cocoa you decide to use, make sure it is unsweetened since we will be adding powdered sugar to the mix.

How to Make Your Frosting

Since all you have to do here is mix everything together, you can’t go wrong! This frosting is as delicious as it is easy. Optional step: taste test once… twice… or maybe a dozen times. Let’s make some frosting!

Beat Butter and Cream Cheese: To begin, in the bowl of a mixer, use the paddle attachment to beat the cream cheese and unsalted butter together until smooth. Scrape down the bowl and beat again for about 10 seconds to make sure everything is completely incorporated.
Mix in Dry Ingredients: To follow, add the vanilla, salt, and powdered sugar. Mix on low until the powdered sugar is moistened enough for you to increase the speed to medium high without making a mess. Beat until incorporated.
Add in Cocoa Powder: Scrape down the bowl again and add the cocoa powder. Mix on low until mostly combined and then increase the speed to medium high and beat for 1-2 minutes until the color lightens and the frosting is nice and fluffy.
Frost: And, you are done! Frost completely cooled cupcakes or cake and enjoy!

Process shots of mixing cocoa powder together with cream cheese.

The Best Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting Tips

Take the deliciousness of traditional cream cheese frosting one step further with the addition of chocolate! This combination is the best. It pairs well with so many desserts. Here are a few helpful tips for making this frosting perfectly every time!

Room Temperature Ingredients: Make sure you start with cream cheese and butter that is room temperature. This will help the two combine. The result? A smooth, creamy frosting without any clumps.
Use Full-Fat Cream Cheese: It may not be the healthiest, but full-fat cream cheese is super important when making frosting. The higher the fat content, the more smooth and creamy your frosting will be! Try to avoid low-fat cream cheese in recipes like this one.
Mix Slowly: When adding the powdered sugar, make sure you start slowly! Go slow until it’s moistened. Then, you can begin to increase the speed. This way, you don’t end up with a cloud of powdered sugar in the air covering everything in your kitchen!
Thicker Frosting: If you decide that you want the frosting to be a little thicker, add 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar at a time until you reach your desired consistency.
Sift Powdered Sugar: Notice clumps of sugar in your frosting? Sift your powdered sugar before mixing it into your cream cheese. This is especially important if you are piping your frosting. Clumps can get stuck in your piping tips and cause a whole lot of mess!

Storing Your Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Unfortunately, chocolate cream cheese frosting is prone to heat and melting. Because of this, it needs to be kept in the fridge until it is ready to be used. Whatever you have frosted will also need to be stored in the fridge!

In the Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container for up to 7 days. Bring to room temperature before use.
In the Freezer: You can freeze chocolate cream cheese frosting for up to 3 months in an airtight container. Allow to thaw in the fridge before bringing it to room temperature on the counter. If it is a little too soft, mix more powdered sugar into it until it is as stiff as you would like!