Smooth Chocolate Fudge Frosting

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Silky smooth and super chocolaty, this fudge frosting is perfect for piping out designs on cakes and cupcakes. Of course is spreads like a dream too, make a batch and see for yourself!

Swirl of piped chocolate fudge frosting with ruffled edges showing texture of icing.

Smooth chocolate fudge frosting is perfect for piping and is ready to decorate your layer cakes, cupcakes and cookies. This fudgy frosting recipe makes a luscious chocolate icing that has a bit of sheen and is silky smooth. It’s easy to make and delicious to eat too!

This is my new favorite chocolate frosting. It has a really creamy texture and rich chocolate flavor.

Ingredients, including powdered sugar, vanilla, butter, cocoa powder and coffee ready to be made into fudge frosting.

It has a full cup of cocoa in it for a rich chocolate flavor. All of that cocoa powder also gives it a nice deep color.

Of course you can use black cocoa powder or Dutch cocoa powder for an even darker color. Each has a slightly different flavor, but all will result in a delicious buttercream.

Mixer bowl filled with chocolate fudge frosting and mixer paddle showing creamy chocolate texture.

If you choose to make it with coffee, the flavor is even more intense. Don’t worry, it doesn’t taste like coffee. I just gives great depth of flavor to the chocolate.

Adding hot water or coffee helps to develop the cocoa powder a bit. It also gives the finished frosting that silky finish.

Whether you use coffee or water, it is silky smooth and a dream to decorate with. If you are spreading it over a cake, you can do it while it is still warm.

That will help you to get a really nice finish. To pipe the frosting let it come back to room temperature or chill it a bit and then mix it one last time before loading your piping bag.

Hand holding mixer paddle with lots of fluffy fudge frosting on it.

One batch makes enough to very generously frost 24 cupcakes, but realistically it can do 36 cupcakes if you don’t pile it super high. It is also plenty to fill, cover and decorate your favorite layer cake as well.

Of course you can cut the recipe in half if you would like. The ingredients all divide by two easily enough.

We tend to like to make the big batch and spread any extra frosting between two graham crackers. That is one of our all time favorite treats!

Piping bag filled with fudge frosting next to vanilla cupcakes topped with swirls of piped fudge frosting.

Ideas for using your fudge frosting:

Of course you can just pipe this fudge icing on cupcakes or spread it over a cake and leave it as is. But you can also use it to make cute designs on your cupcakes.

Cupcakes decorated like a turkey, rudolph the red nosed reindeer and monkeys all decorated with chocolate frosting.

This frosting would be a great base for making Tom the turkey cupcakes. Or use it to decorate Rudolph the red nose reindeer cupcakes.

It would also be a great base for cupcakes decorated like monkeys. The possibilities really are endless.

If you are in the mood for a cake rather than cupcakes, it would be perfect on homemade butter cake. That recipe is my mom’s favorite birthday cake, the one her grandma made for her when she was a child.

My favorite chocolate cake recipe is chocolate crazy cake. It is super soft, moist and so easy to make.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you store leftover frosting?

If you have extra frosting, put it in an airtight container and store it at room temperature for a couple of days. For longer storage, refrigerate it for up to a week or freeze for up to a month.

What is the best way to get smooth perfect frostings?

Using room temperature butter is a great start. Cold butter is hard to get perfectly silky. The hot water in this recipe helps to get a nice smooth frosting. But with most frosting recipes, the key is getting enough air to get it fluffy but not so much air that there are big bubbles. Using a paddle attachment on your stand mixer is best, but you a hand mixer will also work.

Buttery cupcakes topped with chocolate fudge frosting for piping.

Tips and tricks:

If you are in a hurry (or your kitchen is warm from baking) you can speed up getting pipable frosting by putting it in the fridge for 10-20 minutes. Stir it every 5 minutes or so until you have the right consistency.
This frosting spreads great and pipes like a dream.
As the frosting sits, it does form a light crust. That makes transportation and storage easier!
The extra is fabulous between two Graham crackers.

Hand holding cupcake topped with a piped rosette of chocolate fudge frosting.

If you are a frosting fanatic like me, check out my Frosting 101. It goes through the different types of frosting and links to all sorts of delicious recipes!

Yield: 24 Servings

Chocolate Fudge Frosting

This rich, smooth and creamy chocolate fudge frosting is perfect for piping. You can use it on your favorite cakes, cupcakes and cookies. Of course you can spread it too. It is the perfect way to finish your favorite desserts.

Prep Time 30 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup hot coffee (or hot water)
1 cup cocoa powder
2 pound bag powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
optional: 1 teaspoon coffee extract

Instructions

Add all ingredients to a large mixing bowl (or bowl of a stand mixer).
Beat on low speed for 30 seconds to combine and then on medium for 5 minutes. The mixture should be completely smooth.
Allow to sit until completely cooled to room temperature. To speed up the process, you can put the bowl in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes.
Beat again until light and fluffy.
Pipe or spread on completely cooled cake.
Extras can be stored in the refrigerator or freezer in an airtight container. Just allow to come to room temperature and rewhip before using.