Chocolate buttercream frosting
Light, fluffy and smooth and chocolate buttercream frosting!
Ingredients
Measuring cup used, 1 Cup = 250 ml, 1 teaspoon = 5 ml
- 1/2 cup /113 grams salted butter softened, not melted
- 2 & 2/3 cups confectioners' sugar, spooned and leveled
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder, spooned and leveled
- 5-6 tbsp heavy cream/milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract, add more if you want more vanilla flavor
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, sieve confectioner's sugar and cocoa powder, whisk well and set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, place butter and beat on medium high speed until pale and creamy, scraping down the sides of the bowl, as required, about 2-3 minutes. You can also use a hand mixer.
- Next, add the sugar-cocoa powder mixture, 1/4 cup at a time. Beat on lowest speed until all the sugar-cocoa powder mixture is well combined with the butter.
- Add vanilla extract, and beat on medium low speed another few seconds.
- Stream in the heavy cream, a tablespoon at a time, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as required, until the frosting is smooth and fluffy.
- Frost the cooled cakes/cupcakes using nozzles, or simply spread the frosting with an offset spatula! Yummmm !!
Notes
- For a silky-smooth buttercream that is free of lumps, always use room temperature butter. Powdered sugar/Confectioner’s sugar should always be sifted before adding to the creamed butter.
- To avoid too many air bubbles in buttercream, never whip it too much. Again, if you start off with cold butter, you will end up over beating the butter, thereby creating more air bubbles. Beat the buttercream just until light and fluffy.
- If your buttercream is not holding shape after piping onto cake/cupcakes, try adding more sifted confectioner’s sugar to help stiffen it. Also, wait for the cake/cupcakes to cool down completely before frosting.
- This chocolate buttercream frosting is just the right sweetness for me. If you wish, you can reduce the sugar to 2 cups or for a more intense chocolate flavor increase the unsweetened cocoa powder to ¾ cup, adjust the liquid accordingly.
- Always add liquid a tablespoon at a time, It is much easier to control the desired thickness of the frosting this way, rather than adding everything in one go, only to find out the frosting is too runny.
- If the frosting is thick, add some cream to thin it out. If it is runny, add some confectioner's sugar and beat until it is thick enough to hold its shape.
- You can store the frosting in the refrigerator for 2 weeks and in the freezer for 2-3 months. If storing in the refrigerator/freezer, let it come to room temperature, and whip again to get a smooth consistency before using.
- This recipe will yield enough frosting to frost 15-18 cupcakes depending on the size of the swirl. You will have to double the recipe if you want to fill and frost a two-layer, 8" or 9" cake.
- You may use margarine/shortening instead of butter, or use 50:50, 75:25 ,25:75 margerine/shortening:butter ratio, whatever works best for you depending on climatic conditions.