If you think plain cream cheese frosting is the best, wait until you try chocolate cream cheese frosting. It’s silky, undeniably creamy, pipes easily with piping tips, and the flavor is outstanding!
I originally published this recipe in 2018, and I’ve since updated it to include new photos and extra success tips.
This chocolate cream cheese frosting is silky smooth with a rich, balanced chocolate flavor and just the right touch of tang. It’s less sweet than traditional buttercream, so the chocolate truly shines without being overpowering. The texture is ultra-creamy and easy to spread, yet stable enough for layering cakes and piping with your favorite tips. The frosting doesn’t crust over, so every bite stays soft and luscious.
Whether you’re frosting a cake, cupcakes, or brownies, it delivers a flawless finish. We can always appreciate that!
If you think classic cream cheese frosting is the best, this version will completely change your mind. This chocolate cream cheese frosting is, without a doubt, one of the best in the biz. 😉
Here’s Why You’ll Love This Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
- Silky smooth and luxuriously creamy
- Holds its shape beautifully for piping
- Rich flavor, but not overly sweet
- Spreads like a dream
- A lighter, tangier alternative to buttercream
Made with cream cheese, butter, cocoa powder, and confectioners’ sugar, it’s smooth, rich, and perfectly balanced. Unlike traditional buttercream, it isn’t overly sweet. The tang from the cream cheese cuts through the richness and actually enhances the chocolate flavor. The result is a frosting that tastes lighter and pairs beautifully with even the sweetest cakes.
This frosting comes together just like regular cream cheese frosting. Using an electric mixer (either handheld or stand) ensures the ingredients blend into a silky, smooth, and perfectly creamy consistency.
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!
Use Dutch-Process or Natural Cocoa Powder
Because this frosting doesn’t rely on any leavening, you can use either natural or Dutch-process cocoa powder.
In baking, the choice usually matters because natural cocoa is acidic and reacts with baking soda, while Dutch-process cocoa is neutral. However, with today’s frosting, there’s no chemical reaction needed. Use natural cocoa for a slightly sharper, more intense chocolate flavor, or Dutch-process for a smoother, deeper, and more mellow chocolate taste.
Both work beautifully, so you can choose based on your flavor preference or whatever you have on hand.
Read more: Dutch-Process Cocoa vs Natural Cocoa Powder
Yes, but be sure to refrigerate the frosting for at least 30 minutes prior to piping so it holds the piped shape. You can refrigerate it in the bowl, or inside of the piping bag. Some of my favorite piping tips to use for chocolate cream cheese frosting are Wilton 1M, Ateco 849, and Wilton 8B.
Yes, you can freeze this chocolate cream cheese frosting for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or in the refrigerator, and then beat with a mixer on medium speed for a minute or 2 to smooth it out again.
This recipe yields around 4-5 cups of frosting, which is enough for a 3-layer or 2-layer 8- or 9-inch cake, a 9×13-inch sheet cake, or 2 dozen cupcakes.
What Tastes Best with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting?
- Zebra Cake (pictured above)
- 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.
Print
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
This chocolate cream cheese frosting is silky smooth, rich, and perfectly balanced with just a hint of tang. Less sweet than traditional buttercream, it spreads easily, pipes beautifully, and pairs perfectly with cakes, cupcakes, and brownies.
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 or at room temperature then beat the frosting for a minute or 2 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 2 dozen cupcakes, one 9×13-inch sheet cake, or one 2 or 3 layer 8- or 9-inch cake.
Reader Comments and Reviews
This is my go-to chocolate cream cheese frosting! It tastes delicious and turns out perfectly every time!
Hello Team Sally! I want to add semi-sweet chocolate to the frosting; Should I swap out the cocoa powder for it entirely? Should I do 50% cocoa powder/50% chocolate? I want to preserve the tanginess of the cream cheese, however. Would all this be possible? Thank you so much! I’ve been a huge fan of these recipes for years 🙂
Hi Omar! we haven’t tested it but would start with at least 6 ounces of melted and cooled pure baking chocolate if you were to replace all the cocoa powder. Not sure if the flavor will be strong enough, but that’s where we would start. A mix of the two would make a more rich chocolate flavor and preserve the texture more. Let us know what you try!
My family LOVED it. Looked this up last minute because I forgot I don’t use cream cheese for my homemade chocolate frosting and already had a block room temp ready to go. Came out fantastic, we were going to share the cake with others but my family ended up eating all of it!
Hi there, Sally + team
I want to freeze cream cheese as Im not using it all now. I read freezing cream cheese can cause the texture to become grainy.
If I use the [frozen and thawed] cream cheese in a frosting, would that affect the taste/texture of the frosting?
Thank you
Hi AA, we haven’t tested freezing cream cheese blocks, but this frosting does freeze well! See recipe Notes for details.
In Germany! Cream cheese bricks don’t exist! We can ONLY buy the spread which is much more runny and watery. The solution I’ve found is to make the buttercream first – mix the butter and confectioners sugar and THEN add the cream cheese. Somehow it makes it less soupy.
Thanks for the tip, Katie!
My son loves this frosting on the triple chocolate cake on this blog and wants nothing else for his birthday cake! (I tried ;))Bricks of cream cheese are hard to find in the Netherlands too – I am using Mon Chou and works like a charm- in case it helps.
I want to make these yellow cake cupcakes with the cream cheese chocolate frosting. Was wondering if I could use regular flour in the cupcakes?
Hi Dottie! Cake flour is really best for our yellow cupcakes. Here’s a quick trick for making your own cake flour substitute at home.
Delicious! I made this for a birthday cake and it was a hit?
I made this as a mocha flavor…I mixed 2 T of instant coffee with 2 t of vanilla and made a rue, then mixed that with the butter and cream cheese prior to adding the sugar and chocolate.
I live overseas and we don’t have the brick cream cheese, only the spreadable. How would I modify this recipe so that it’s not too runny? Thank you 🙂
Hi Leigh, in the U.S. block cream cheese is very different than the tubs and it is the only cream cheese that will work for frosting. We have been told be our readers outside the U.S. that cream cheese in a tub is different from ours and can work, but we have not tested it. Please let us know if you try!
I will never make a standard chocolate buttercream again! This is SO MUCH BETTER!
I reduced the recipe slightly, used a whole 12 oz brick of cream cheese, but just a 1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter, and 1/2 c of Hershey’s special dark cocoa. I don’t like sweet frosting, so I was surprised that I still needed 3-1/2 c of powdered sugar to add sufficient sweetness. I also added the 1t of vanilla and pinch of salt per recipe. but Instead of milk, I added about 2 capfuls of Kahlua. I think Frangelico would be fantastic too. This reduced quality was still enough to frost a 2 layer 8′ cake inside and out, plus pipe 7 cupcakes, withjust a couple T leftover. Thanks again for another winner! Sally you never disappoint.
Hi Sally!
Can I replace the cocoa with carob powder, if so, how much to use?
I can’t wait to try this recipe, it looks so delicious.
Hi Teresa, we haven’t tested it, but let us know if you do! You may need to tinker with the amounts a bit.
I love so many of your recipes and I’ve loved other cream cheese frostings from your site. (Right now I’m remembering the cream cheese frosting from the lavender blackberry cake. So good!) For this recipe, I’m wondering two things–
1) would this hold up just fine in between 9inch round cake layers?
2) I’m want to add some orange flavor to this. This should be as simple as adding some zest (which I don’t have at the moment) or orange extract (which I do have), correct?
Hi Sarah, we’re so glad to hear how much you enjoy our recipes! Yes, this frosting works well for a layer cake. And yes, you can use either method to make a chocolate-orange flavored frosting. Start small, taste, and then adjust to your liking. Hope you enjoy this one!
It tastes incredible and pipes beautifully!
This chocolate cream cheese frosting recipe is amazing! It’s light and fluffy, and easy to spread. The chocolate flavor is really balanced with the cream cheese flavor. A perfect pairing!
I tried the chocolate cream cheese frosting. I loved it. Your recipes are the best!!
Thanks so much for this recipe!
Do you have to keep the cake refrigerated with this frosting?
Hi Dee Joy! After decorating anything with buttercream or cream cheese frosting, it’s fine for 1 day at room temperature. After that, we would refrigerate it. But, use your best judgment and whatever you are comfortable with- we’ve never had any problems leaving frosted desserts at room temperature for a day.
Absolutely, heavenly!
I love this recipe
I am impressed with this recipe and I absolutely love it! I followed all the steps except for the milk (or heavy cream) and it turned out perfect! Thank you!
Wow!!! Awesome
How many cups of icing does this recipe make?
Hi Julie! About 4-5 cups.
Soooo good
I made this recipe with just 2 T of Cocoa (and hence no milk) and used it for the filling of a two layer half-sheet cake made with 2 recipes of Sally’s Red Velvet Cake. This was to serve to a group known to include Red-Velvet-Lovers. I just wanted another whisper of cocoa, and you know cocoa cuts the sweetness of the icing just a bit, which lets flavors come through a better. I was worried this would horrify Red-Velvet traditionalists, but no, the whole thing got rave reviews! Maybe it helped that the visible frosting was white so it looked traditional? Confirmation of that rating was that there was hardly any left though this was a generous amount for 25 people.
Now I’m thinking I might use this to fill and frost a (smaller) Red Velvet cake for my family of chocolate lovers. The cocoa taste of Red Velvet is a too subtle for them — they want to SEE their chocolate.
I made this for a white cake for a friend’s birthday and ate the leftover frosting with a spoon! delicious!
This was AMAZING! The best chocolate cake I have ever had! The only change that I made was to swap out the Guiness in the frosting for heavy cream like in your chocolate cream cheese frosting. It was divine! Thank you
Perfect match for chocolate mayonnaise cake which I bake every year for birthdays! Creamy and delicious
I have been cruising the internet for cakes to make for a wedding anniversary. I made your wedding cake a few years ago and it was delicious. Now I am making a chocolate anniversary cake and thinking about a chocolate cream cheese filling between the layers and maybe a nice thin layer of berry jam and then using a Swiss meringue buttercream on top and sides . I want to freeze it to transport so wondering if you have experience .Ive had lots of success freezing iced cakes in the past but I haven’t used the Swiss meringue or cream cheese icing and frozen.i have read you can freeze Swiss meringue buttercream on a cake and freeze Hope all that makes sense. I found a recipe that looks good for a layered cake. Hoping your experience can help.
Hi Fran, that should be fine! Thaw in the refrigerator before serving. Enjoy!
Just made this, best frosting for chocolate cake. Very delicious! Love it
I love this frosting! It’s really creamy and not too sweet!
Do you think it would be possible to make a Nutella variation of this. LOVE cream cheese icing and so many love my Nutella buttercream. I thought it could be a great variation. Thoughts?
Hi Mel, you could certainly try it! Let us know how it turns out.
Can I use this same recipe but add a bit of cold coffee to make a mocha frosting?
Hi Susan, we haven’t tested that, but you could certainly try it. The added liquid would mean you need to add more dry ingredients, too. You might have better luck with using a small amount of instant espresso granules instead. Hope it turns out for you!
Try cold brew concentrate for mocha! It’s available at a lot of stores including trader joes
Try Instant espresso ! Delish!