I’ll show you how to make thick, creamy chocolate fudge frosting with only 2 ingredients: melted chocolate and butter. It’s smooth, chocolatey, and perfect for frosting cakes and cupcakes.
This is an easy alternative to classic buttercream frosting that’s quick to make and just as versatile. Try my pourable chocolate ganache for another delicious cake topping!
This chocolate fudge frosting is like a whipped, spreadable, pipeable version of chocolate fudge. And you need just 2 ingredients, chocolate and butter, to melt on the stovetop! Since it’s made without powdered sugar, the frosting isn’t overly sweet, and just the right amount of fudgy. Once you’ve made 2-ingredient chocolate frosting, you’ll be hard-pressed to go back to anything store-bought again.
Why This Chocolate Fudge Frosting Recipe Works
- Only 2 ingredients. Traditional chocolate buttercream frosting calls for a short list of ingredients, including heavy whipping cream. But all you need to make this frosting is 1) a package of chocolate chips and 2) plenty of butter.
- Thick, stable buttercream. Melted chocolate thickens this fudge frosting without powdered sugar, for an extra-rich, stable consistency. It holds its shape well, whether you spread it, pipe it, or otherwise. Unlike some whipped cream-based frostings, this chocolate frosting is resistant to melting, leaking, and wilting at room temperature.
- Easy method. You don’t need any fancy tools to make creamy chocolate frosting. A stand mixer makes things easier, but an electric hand mixer works, too.
Ingredients You’ll Need
I’ve included some quick ingredient notes for this chocolate fudge frosting recipe below. You’ll find the full, printable recipe with amounts in the recipe card after the post.
- Chocolate Chips – I recommend semi-sweet chocolate chips. The better quality chocolate you use, the better your frosting will be. You can also make this frosting with chopped chocolate bars (like you’ll find from Lindt, Ghirardelli, or Guittard). You may find that chopped chocolate melts more smoothly than chocolate chips.
- Butter – This recipe calls for a good amount of butter. I use salted butter, but it’s a preference, and you can absolutely make it with unsalted butter if you prefer.
How to Make Chocolate Fudge Frosting
The key here is to not overheat the chocolate and butter, which can cause the chocolate to seize. Melt the ingredients slowly and stir often. It’s worth mentioning that this method also works with white chocolate chips (see my white chocolate frosting). Follow the steps here, and scroll down for the printable recipe card.
- Melt the chocolate. First, combine the chocolate and butter in a saucepan. Keep that over low heat and stir often while it melts. It will look thin from all that melted butter.
- Cool. Once melted, take the saucepan off the heat. Cool the mixture completely, and chill it in the fridge until it’s solid. The butter might separate as it cools, but that’s OK. The mixer will take care of that!
- Whip the frosting. When you’re ready to whip your buttercream, transfer the solid chocolate/butter mixture to your mixing bowl and bring it back to room temperature. Once softened, whip the frosting. It takes about 2 minutes to get it light, thick, and fluffy. That’s it! Your chocolate fudge frosting is ready to use.
Ways to Use It
This recipe makes enough chocolate fudge frosting to fill and frost an 8-inch two-layer cake or 24 cupcakes. Pro tip: Use the “2x” and “3x” options in the recipe card to scale the recipe as needed. And if you need some inspiration, here are a few easy ways to use your fresh, fudgy frosting:
- Cakes. Use this frosting to frost and fill a frosted fudge cake or classic yellow cake.
- Cupcakes. Pipe or spread this frosting over your favorite homemade vanilla cupcakes, or try it in place of the peanut butter frosting in my banana cupcakes!
- Brownies. I think this chocolate fudge frosting would be amazing slathered over a batch of fudgy brownies or buckeye brownies.
- Cookies. Spread your frosting over chocolate sugar cookies or pipe it between two chewy chocolate chip cookies to make a cookie sandwich.
How to Store Homemade Frosting
- Refrigerate. This homemade chocolate buttercream frosting lasts up to 1 week in the fridge. Store it in an airtight container and bring it back to room temperature before you use it. I recommend re-whipping the frosting, too, to bring back the fluffy texture.
- Freeze. You can freeze this frosting for up to 1 month. Thaw it in the fridge and bring it back to room temperature. Again, give the frosting a fresh whip before you frost your cakes or cupcakes.
More Easy Frosting Recipes
Chocolate Fudge Frosting
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 3 cups (approx.) 1x
- Category: Frosting
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Description
This 2-ingredient chocolate fudge frosting makes a thick, creamy, chocolatey frosting that’s perfect for frosting cakes and cupcakes!
Ingredients
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 pound (2 cups) butter
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, melt the chocolate chips and butter over medium-low heat, whisking frequently.
- When melted, cool completely and chill until solid.
- Remove from the 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 fill 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!