This glossy chocolate fudge frosting is silky and rich in chocolate flavor and is the most delicious chocolate frosting ever made!
This frosting is perfect for anything you want to frost and is very adaptable as well. You can make this frosting thick by storing it in the fridge for longer or make it more pipeable and less thick by letting it sit at room temperature.
What I love the most about this frosting is that it has the best consistency and rich chocolate flavor that everyone I know is obsessed with.
You can use it for anything from frosting cakes, to filling cakes, sandwich cookies, macarons, cupcakes, to frosting cupcakes, to piping dollops around the corners of cheesecakes, cakes, and much more!
For more frosting recipes, check out my mascarpone whipped cream, and my chocolate whipped cream frosting.
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Why this recipe works
- Texture- this frosting has the best frosting texture. It is thick but not too thick that is pipeable, and also is super chocolaty and rich.
- Flavor- the flavor of this frosting is the best flavor of chocolate frosting that I've ever had. It is rich in chocolate flavor and wins every store-bought frosting.
- Ease- this is actually super easy to make! All you need to do is throw all the ingredients into a saucepan, mix it until it's all melted, and let it cool and thicken in the fridge.
- Chocolate- this frosting has a rich chocolate flavor that you get from the cocoa powder and dark chocolate.
- Simple- this recipe uses super simple ingredients and simple tools. You do not need a candy thermometer or special equipment for this.
Ingredients
Before you start to make this recipe, measure and prepare your ingredients so the cooking process will go smoothly and easily.
Full measurements are in the recipe card below.
Chocolate- use the best quality semisweet or dark chocolate bars for the best flavor. using the best quality dark chocolate is very important in this frosting recipe. I recommend using 60%-70% dark chocolate for this.
Dutch cocoa powder– we like to use Dutch-process cocoa powder for our chocolate desserts because we like the deep and rich chocolate taste, but the natural cocoa powder will work great as well!
Butter- we used unsalted butter for the frosting but you can use salted butter and skip the salt. Only butter will work for this recipe, no margarine, and no coconut oil.
Margarine has a weird taste and can ruin the flavor of this delicious frosting.
Heavy cream- use full-fat heavy cream for this recipe. Room-temperature heavy cream is best for this recipe.
Powder sugar- you will need powdered sugar for this recipe. you don’t have to buy powdered sugar, you can simply make it at home by blending granulated sugar in a blender or food processor.
Vanilla extract- Vanilla extract Is an essential ingredient for chocolate frosting.
Salt- We used kosher salt for this recipe. Salt doesn’t give the frosting a salty taste, it helps to enhance the chocolate flavor.
Instructions
Into a saucepan, add the butter, heavy cream, and dark chocolate, and sift the cocoa powder and powdered sugar, and kosher salt.
Heat all the ingredients over medium heat mixing constantly until the mixture is smooth and melted.
Strain the mixture into a large bowl or baking pan to speed up the cooling process.
Cover the top with plastic wrap so that the plastic wrap is directly touching the top of the frosting. This will prevent skin from forming.
Let it cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, and then transfer it to the fridge to cool for another 1-2 hours. (depending on the thickness you are looking for)
Remove the frosting from the fridge and give it a mix with a spoon or a spatula. Use it for this matildas chocolate cake or for your dessert of choice!
Expert Tips
- Add ½ teaspoon of espresso powder to the mixture for a richer flavor and to enhance the delicious flavor of the chocolate.
- If you feel like your frosting is too bitter, feel free to add 1-2 tablespoons of powdered sugar.
- Use this frosting for your favorite cakes and cupcake recipes! Like chocolate cakes, chocolate cupcakes, vanilla cake, vanilla cupcakes, peanut butter cupcakes, etc.
- For a thicker frosting, let the frosting chill in the fridge for longer. If you want your frosting to be more loose, chill it in the fridge for less time.
- Don't cook this frosting on very high heat so the chocolate won't burn. If you are using very high heat, the texture of this frosting will become grainy and not smooth.
- Use room-temperature ingredients like butter and heavy cream. This will make it easier for the mixture to melt together and get smooth and silky.
Faq's
This happens if you don't let your frosting chill for long enough. The more you let the frosting chill in the fridge, it will get thicker.
Yes! You can double or triple this recipe. There is an option to automatically double, half, or triple this recipe in the recipe card below!
Simply let it chill in the fridge for longer. The longer you let this frosting chill in the fridge, the thicker it's gonna get.
Your frosting is grainy for a variety of reasons. The first reason is that you used a heat that is too high for this recipe which caused the chocolate to seize.
The second reason is that you didn't use a fine mesh strainer to strain any small bits of the frosting which creates the most silky frosting.
Storing
You can store this fudge frosting in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4-5 days.
Freezing
You can freeze this frosting in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw it at room temperature for a few hours until it is soft and spreadable again. You can also thaw it in the fridge overnight.
Substitutions
Heavy cream- if you don't have heavy cream or don't consume it, you can swap it with coconut milk or vegan heavy cream.
Vegan- you can make this recipe vegan by swapping the butter with vegan butter and swapping the heavy cream with coconut milk.
Variations
Zest- to add a delicious aroma and zesty flavor, add 1 teaspoon of lemon zest or orange zest to the mixture.
Cookie crumbs- you can add finely chopped Oreos, biscoff cookies, or graham crackers!
Fudge frosting uses
You can use this frosting in so many ways. Use it for cakes, cupcakes, fillings for macarons, frosting for cookies, etc. Here are my favorite ways to use this frosting:
Cakes- use this frosting for my favorite cakes that use chocolate frosting like my chocolate fudge cake, banana chocolate chip cake, chocolate poke cake, triple chocolate cake, marble loaf cake, and small chocolate cake.
Cupcakes- top these cupcakes with this delicious frosting. Like my chocolate cupcakes, Nutella cupcakes, banana pudding cupcakes, and reindeer cupcakes.
Topping- some of my favorite ways to use this frosting is topping it over your favorite ice cream or over your favorite desserts before letting it cool. It is very similar to hot fudge when it's hot.
I like using this hot over my homemade chocolate ice cream, homemade cookies and cream ice cream, and no churn chocolate peanut butter ice cream.
Equipment
- Mixing bowl set
- Saucepan
- Piping bag
- Whisk Set (pack of 3) to whisk the ingredients together
- 9 by 13 inch pan
- Strainer basket
More fudgy recipes
Chocolate fudge cake- This chocolate fudge cake is the most amazing chocolaty, rich, moist, and tender, and is the perfect dessert to satisfy your chocolate cravings!
Chocolate fudge with condensed milk- This chocolate fudge recipe is made with only 3 ingredients, all you will need is semisweet chocolate, condensed milk, and vanilla extract.
Fudgy brownies- These chewy and fudgy brownies are loaded with chocolate chunks, melted chocolate, and cocoa powder, have a crinkly top, taste a million times better than boxed brownies, and take under an hour to make.
If you tried this recipe, don’t forget to leave a rating and a comment below. We love hearing from you.
If you liked this recipe
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Fudge Frosting (Varsitile)
Ingredients
- 230 g Butter unsalted
- 300 g Dark chocolate about 60%-70%
- ¼ cup Cocoa powder
- 1 cup Heavy cream
- 1 cup Powdered sugar
- ⅓ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
Instructions
- Into a saucepan, add the butter, heavy cream, and dark chocolate, and sift the cocoa powder and powdered sugar, and kosher salt.
- Heat all the ingredients over medium heat mixing constantly until the mixture is smooth and melted.
- Strain the mixture into a large bowl or baking pan to speed up the cooling process.
- Cover the top with plastic wrap so that the plastic wrap is directly touching the top of the frosting. This will prevent skin from forming.
- Let it cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, and then transfer it to the fridge to cool for another 1-2 hours. (depending on the thickness you are looking for)
- Remove the frosting from the fridge and give it a mix with a spoon or a spatula. Use it for this matildas chocolate cake or for your dessert of choice!
Notes
- Add ½ teaspoon of espresso powder to the mixture for a richer flavor and to enhance the delicious flavor of the chocolate.
- If you feel like your frosting is too bitter, feel free to add 1-2 tablespoons of powdered sugar.
- Use room-temperature ingredients like butter and heavy cream. This will make it easier for the mixture to melt together and get smooth and silky.
Cindy says
So, if the frosting needs to stay refrigerated, does the cake need to stay refrigerated after its frosted?
RichandDelish says
Yes.
Samantha Ash says
Absolutely delicious! I realized I left out the vanilla due to it being in the ingredient list but it's not included in the instructions anywhere, unless im blind lol. Luckily it doesn't seem like it's lacking anything in flavor despite its absence. It is glossy, smooth, rich and indulgent! I've recently realized I'm not much of a fan of buttercream so I've been on the hunt for a good fudgy frosting recipe. This is perfect for my Father's Day cake! Thank you!
Tina says
I did the same thing!!
Kristan says
Have you ever had this break??? I followed your instructions exactly and the butter absolutely separated and the cream fat clumped up…. I’m wondering what I did wrong and if there’s any way to fix it?
RichandDelish says
Hi Kristan, this can happen if you cook it on very high heat. It should be cooked on medium-high heat. Hope this helps.
Graziella says
Taste wise it’s amazing - just literally prepared it now and am waiting for it to cool.
Do you think this would whip up well?