If you think plain cream cheese frosting is the best, wait until you try chocolate cream cheese frosting! It’s silky, undeniably creamy, and the flavor is absolutely delicious.
If we think regular cream cheese frosting is the best, we’re definitely backwards. Because this chocolate cream cheese frosting is, in fact, the best in the biz.
- it’s silky smooth
- and pipe-able with your favorite piping tips
- it’s rich and easily spreads
- and creamier than any chocolate frosting you’ve had before
- you’ll want to eat it with a spoon!!
Tip for piping cream cheese frosting: Refrigerate the frosting inside the piping bag for at least 30 minutes prior to piping. Cream cheese frosting holds its shape much better when it’s piped cold.
Unlike most frostings, chocolate cream cheese frosting is not overly sweet. Rather, its sweet and tangy flavors are perfectly balanced and it tastes much better than buttercream on even the sweetest of cakes!
What Tastes Best with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting?
Besides zebra cake, you’ll also love it with:
- Chocolate Zucchini Cake
- Yellow Sheet Cake or Layered Yellow Cake
- Chocolate Caramel Coconut Cupcakes
- Marble Cake
- Chocolate Cake
- Chocolate Cupcakes
- Guinness Chocolate Cake (can swap the heavy cream for reduced Guinness!)
If you’re in the mood for vanilla, here is my plain cream cheese frosting recipe.
Success Tip: Avoid Runny Cream Cheese Frosting
Make sure you’re using a brick of cream cheese, not cream cheese spread. Cream cheese is sold in 8-ounce bricks—and you’ll need 1 and 1/2 bricks of the full-fat stuff. I’ve gotten many questions about cream cheese frosting being too runny and the #1 reason is because bakers have accidentally been using the spread instead of the brick.
There’s a HUGE difference!
Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 4-5 cups
- Category: Frosting
- Method: Beating
- Cuisine: American
Description
Chocolate cream cheese frosting is silky, undeniably creamy, and absolutely delicious.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces (339g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature*
- 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3 and 1/2 cups (420g) confectioners’ sugar
- 2/3 cup (55g) unsweetened natural or dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1–2 Tablespoons milk or heavy cream
- pinch salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese for 1 minute on high speed until completely smooth and creamy. Beat in the butter until combined. Add the confectioners’ sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, 1 Tablespoon milk, and salt and beat on medium-high speed until combined and creamy. Add 1 more Tablespoon of milk to slightly thin out, if desired. Taste, then add another pinch of salt if desired.
- Cover and store leftover frosting for up to 5 days in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer. After freezing, thaw in the refrigerator then beat the frosting for a few seconds so it’s creamy again.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: Cover and store leftover frosting for up to 5 days in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer. After freezing, thaw in the refrigerator then beat the frosting for a few seconds so it’s creamy again.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand)
- Cream Cheese: Make sure you’re using the bricks of cream cheese, not cream cheese spread. They’re typically sold in 8-ounce bricks, so you’ll need 1 and 1/2 bricks for the 12 ounces (339g) in this recipe.
- Tip for Piping Cream Cheese Frosting: Refrigerate the frosting inside the piping bag for at least 30 minutes prior to piping. Cream cheese frosting holds its shape much better when it’s piped cold.
- This recipe is enough to frost 18-24 cupcakes, one 9×13-inch sheet cake, or one 3 layer cake.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Hi Sally, I’m excited about making the chocolate cream cheese icing I’m in a hurry and only have a 8oz block of cream cheese. What are my options?
Thank you!!!
Hi Eileen, you can just use extra butter to make up for the 4 ounces of cream cheese. Enjoy!
This is THE best chocolate frosting I have ever tasted … it’s not sickish sweet like a buttercream frosting can be. Perfection!
I found this recipe to be very bitter. Like the tang of cream cheese frosting but without enough sugar and too much cocoa powder. It spread/piped nicely but I wouldn’t make it again.
Can I use melted chocolate instead of cocoa powder
Hi Melanie, we haven’t tested it but would start with at least 6 ounces of melted and cooled pure baking chocolate. Not sure if the flavor will be strong enough, but that’s where we would start. We would also add more confectioners’ sugar to make up for the loss of cocoa powder. Hope this is helpful!
Absolutely love this frosting I had a problem with cream cheese specs in it I did leave it and the butter out on the counter for 4 hours, any idea how I can avoid this problem next time? I had some colorful sprinkles on it so as not to show to much.
Hi Cathy, make sure to beat the cream cheese until completely smooth and creamy before adding the next ingredients. So happy you loved it!
Another Sally frosting winner! This tastes tangy and delicious and pipes beautifully. I will use this in place of regular chocolate buttercream anytime!
Does it have to be unsweetened cocoa powder?
Hi Kendra, Dutch-process cocoa powder or even special dark will work for frosting. Enjoy!
5 stars! I used salted butter (skipped the pinch of salt) and to make it low carb, I used 1 and 1/2 cups stevia confectioner’s sugar. It tastes amazing, great consistency, and I printed out your recipe to use in the future. SO much better than a tub of store-bought frosting AND it only took about 5 minutes to make. Thank you!!
Will this frosting hold up if I pour a chocolate ganache over the top?
Hi Priscilla, Yes it will! Yuu will want to make sure the frosting on the cake is cold, so place your frosted cake in the refrigerator to cool it, and then make sure you let your ganache cool down a bit after making so it’s not too hot that it melts the frosting. Enjoy!
I made this frosting this morning. I had no unsalted butter and was too lazy to go get some. I used the salted butter I had but did not add the pinch of salt. It worked for me.
I also put it in the fridge for a few minutes before using it. Again, it worked for me.
Hi Sally! Will this frosting “set” as a crumb coat and then a final layer of frosting? I’m assuming yes because it does have butter, but I’m planning to use it to make a striped cake (using a frosting comb), so I would need it to almost harden a bit in the fridge to achieve the look I’m going for. Thanks!!
Hi Laura, Cream cheese frosting won’t crust or get as hard as a buttercream. You can definitely try to refrigerate or even freeze it to help it harden before making your stripes. Let us know if you try it!
I love this recipe- decadent chocolate meets creamy, tangy cream cheese (most of it didn’t make it onto the cake)
Is this enough for a 9” 2 layer cake?
Yes!
Hey Sally (and Sally’s baking team :D) Quick question; I’d like to use this chocolate cream cheese frosting on your Pinata Cake for my birthday and I was wondering if a double recipe would suffice as a substitute for the buttercream in the recipe?
Also, I would just like to say that this is by far my favorite frosting recipe and I use it or the original cream cheese frosting on nearly every cake I make 🙂 I never suspected that tangy cream cheese and decadent chocolate could compliment each other so well, but it’s absolutley delicous!
Hi Sarah, We are so glad you enjoy this frosting! As written this frosting is enough for a three layer cake, doubling it should be plenty for the pinata cake! If you have leftovers, it freezes well 🙂
Hi Sally!
I just made it last week for my little one and we loved it!
For how long can i keep it freeze?
Thank you so much!
🙂
I’ve made this many times now as it’s a family favorite. Everyone wants me to make their Birthday cake and use this frosting. I’ve used it with salted butter and leave out the pinch of salt, I’ve used it with 16 oz of cream cheese, I’ve made it partially substituting cocoa with chocolate syrup and lessening the amount of powdered sugar, and each time it’s always turned out wonderful with heaps of praise. Thank you.
This is sooooo good! Next time I’m going to add a pinch or so of instant expresso powder! Yummy!! I love your website!!
This was a rich and creamy frosting. My family loved it!
Can I put this frosting on your triple chocolate cake? My dad loves cream cheese icing!
Absolutely! You’ll have enough from this recipe.
Very good icing. The texture is spot on and easy to spread. My 2nd time making it, I modified the amounts to use 2 full blocks of cream cheese. I also used some mocha hot chocolate mix in lieu of some of the cocoa… that really amped up the chocolate flavor.
I love this frosting. I cannot stand buttercream. I always have preferred cream cheese frosting, but hadn’t ever tried a chocolate version! How do you normally store the frosted result?? Fridge due to the dairy components?
Hi Rene! Yes, exactly. See the last step!
This is some FANTASTIC frosting! You’re right, IMO it’s the only chocolate frosting I’m making from now on. Perfect consistency, great chocolate flavor, beautiful rich color, and all the luscious richness I want without the cloying sweetness of buttercream frostings.
I don’t even generally like frosting and often scrape it off. We used this on our wedding cake and I actually liked it. Was able to get it pretty smooth on a cake, considering we had no real tools.
Delicious!!!!
I bought the spreadable cream cheese by accident instead of the blocks. Is there anything I can add to the recipe to make it work, or should I just order some block cream cheese and wait to make it later?
I just finished making this frosting and was lucky to have all of the ingredients on hand as I’m trying to limit trips to the store while sheltering in place. This is cream cheese frosting going to cover a mediocre vanilla bean cake I baked earlier today and all I can say is “WoW – so easy and so good!” After I blended the cream cheese and butter I was hestistant to put in 3 1/2 cups or powdered sugar and 2/3/ powdered cocoa (thinking the ratio would make the frosting too dry) but I was wrong, it all blended perfectly with my mother’s old reliable eletric hand mixer. My husband is napping, but he’ll be stoked with his dessert tonight! Thank you for providing us with your recipe! Stay safe out there.
I guess I should have sifted the sugar and cocoa but this turned out gritty. The flavor was great but next time I will be sure to sift the dry ingredients.
Hi Sally! Love it but I forgot to put the salt in it. Don’t think it matters too much but not sure! Thank you for sharing it.
Hi Sally, can I substitute melted dark chocolate in place of the cocoa powder? If so, any suggestion for the quantity?
Just finished making your triple chocolate cake. We prefer a cream cheese buttercream so going to use this recipe instead. 🙂
Hi Jan! I haven’t tested it, but I would use at least 6 ounces of melted and cooled pure baking chocolate. Not sure if the flavor will be strong enough, but that’s where I would start. I would also add more confectioners’ sugar to make up for the loss of cocoa powder.
This recipe is great! I have to say it was still a tad too sweet for me (almost all frostings are, my daughter had no complaints). For myself, I added 1/2 cup of plain greek yogurt to it and voila! The perfect chocolaty tangy creamy frosting of my dreams! Thank you for the amazing recipe
This is hands down the best chocolate cream cheese frosting I’ve ever had!! I’m not typically much of a baker but quarantine has me taking up new hobbies! Thanks for the recipe! It’s incredible!
Thanks Sally! This was SUPER helpful! I’ve never really been able to find a recipe that ACTUALLY works! I CAN PIPE!!! Whoo hoo! Thanks again! This recipe is perfecto