This is pretty much the easiest post I have written in quite some time.
I realized that I have made things a little complicated lately…multiple steps, lots of ingredients…ALLTHELAYERS!
Ain’t nobody got time for complicated. So what we’re doing today is making frosting.
I mean, why not?
Plus, this is the fluffiest, easiest chocolate buttercream ever. And there are only 2 ingredients in there.
2 Ingredient Chocolate Buttercream? Yep.
I talked about this frosting back on THIS POST. But I really felt like it deserved it’s own entire post, because well, it’s THAT good.
So let’s talk Easy Chocolate Buttercream.
Start with a bag of chocolate chips and 2 cups of butter.
I know this seems excessive. But it’s buttercream…while it should be a food group, it isn’t.
I’d like to think that using a good chocolate makes a huge difference, and while it certainly is good when using fancy chocolate, does it make a whole lotta difference? Not in my world.
Plop those in a saucepan…
And melt over medium low until they are melted together.
It will be remarkably thin. I mean, you use a whole pound of butter, remember?
Now, let that set up. I stuck mine in the fridge until it was a solid block.
I know it looks kind of gross..some of the butter separates to the top. It’s fine, though…I promise.
I even flipped it over to show you that it really is a solid block.
Hilarious.
Let that come back up to room temperature and dump it into your mixing bowl.
Beat that up for about 2 minutes on medium speed.
Magically the color turns from dark brown to light brown.
It goes from dense and thick to light and fluffy.
As the frosting sits, the color will deepen, which is totally fine!!
You need to go make this.
Like NOW!
Try it on top of my favorite Yummy Chocolate Cupcakes!
And if you’re wondering if this works with White Chocolate Check out this WHITE CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM
Print
Easy Chocolate Buttercream
Ingredients
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 lb (2 cups) butter
Instructions
- In medium saucepan, melt chocolate chips and butter over medium low heat, whisking frequently.
- When melted, cool completely and chill until solid.
- Remove from fridge and allow to come up to room temperature.
- Put all the chocolate in a mixing bowl and beat on medium for 2 minutes until light in color and fluffy.
Notes
Makes enough frosting to filling and frost an 8″ layer cake, or frost 24 cupcakes.
Store refrigerated, but allow to come back to room temperature before serving.
I just made this and had my kids all excited to try it, but it came out BITTER. My kids actually spit it out 🙁 Can sugar or something be added? I am trying to salvage the chocolate and butter I put into it.
You could certainly add sugar.. what kind of chocolate did you use?
Semi sweet chips like it called for… Nestle brand. It’s just not very sweet… which would be better, regular sugar or powdered?
Hi
You can also just let the butter soften to room temperature (then it will be soft) and then ad the chocolate 🙂
Do u have a peanutbutter icing recipe? Mine is crap! Thanks
Here is a cupcake post with peanut butter frosting.. http://cookiesandcups.com/banana-cupcakes-with-peanut-butter-frosting/
Could you cover a cake with this like you do with ganache? Also if covering a cake would you be able to decorate with gum paste figures etc?
You use it as you would any frosting! It will be great!
Shelly,
This looks absolutely delicious and amazingly easy!!! I recently started experimenting with swapping out butter for coconut oil, it makes me wonder if it would turn out the same. I’ve had success with cookie recipes, I’ll let you know when I try this. Thanks for the great recipe!!
I’m not so sure it would work with coconut oil because you would lose the butter flavor that you get, but if that wasn’t an issue for you it might be ok! If you try it let me know!
Hi Candice, I can’t have dairy and was curious as to whether or not you ended up trying it with the coconut oil and if so, how did it turn out? 🙂
Shelly, can I use white chocolate for this recipe?
Yes! Here’s the link to my try at it! http://cookiesandcups.com/2-ingredient-white-chocolate-buttercream/
This is very similar to what I have been doing for years. I have a favorite chocolate ganache recipe that I make – semisweet chocolate chips, butter, corn syrup, vanilla, cream. If I don’t use all of the ganache for other purposes, I will let it come to room temp and then I whip it up into a frosting. It has become my signature chocolate frosting. But your recipe sounds just as good, and very simple. Thanks!
Could this frosting be used to pipe “petals” onto a cake for decoration? Thanks. And it tastes yummy.
Yep, it would work for that and as the frosting sets up it gets a firmer!
Why does mine taste so bitter? I used semi sweet chips and butter and followed the recipe to a tee.
I would imagine it was the type of chocolate…what brand did you use?
Hi Shelly, If don’t have a mixer, do you think it’ll whip up ok in a food processor? TIA.
That’s a tricky call. The whisk attachment on the mixer is hugely important in this recipe…
Hi Shelly,
It looks like you are using a paddle-type attachment to beat the frosting. I don’t have a stand mixer and there isn’t that kind of attachment for my hand mixer. However my hand mixer does have a wire balloon whisk attachment (in addition to the normal mixing rods). Would that be an appropriate substitution? Or is there no hope for me and I should just buy a stand mixer already haha.
I think that would work fine!