Chocolate Frosting: Best Ganache Recipe

Whether you’re baking a cake from scratch or you start with a boxed mix, you’ll want to have a creamy chocolate frosting recipe in your arsenal. This one is perfect and it’s not like all the rest.

If you’ve been following me for any length of time you probably know that my Dreamy Buttercream Frosting is my go-to frosting for most of those delicious cakes I’ve been baking. But there are many times when I need something chocolate.

Simply adding cocoa powder isn’t enough for me. I love the addition of chocolate ganache (melted chocolate with cream) to add a richness and creamier texture to my buttercream.

Traditional Chocolate Buttercreams

Here are a few of the traditional chocolate frosting recipes you might find. I’ve used many of them, myself.

• Milk Chocolate Frosting: This frosting is made with a simple vanilla buttercream (butter and confectioner’s sugar), to which melted milk chocolate has been added.
• Traditional Cocoa Powder Frosting: Again, this is a traditional buttercream (butter, powdered sugar, and milk) with some cocoa powder thrown in.
• Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting: Basically, a cream cheese frosting with cocoa powder tossed in to make it chocolate.

Those are all well and good but I was looking for something different. My chocolate frosting would have cream cheese (duh!) but needed some structure so that I could pipe with it. (See photo above for example.) It’s got a light, creamy texture that can’t be beat!

What Kind of Chocolate Should I Use?

Chocolate frostings run the gamut and so much depends on the kind of chocolate you choose to use. In my recipe I used sweetened chocolate chips but you might choose to use an unsweetened baking chocolate bar or even a high end sweetened specialty chocolate bar. The choices are up to you.

(And that’s the beauty of this recipe! You could even use a flavored candy/chocolate bar like a Lindt raspberry chocolate or orange chocolate in your ganache if you prefer.) And why not consider a flavored chocolate chip, like Nestle’s espresso chips?

Hint: if you don’t feel like making ganache you can always use a jar of hot fudge or even Nutella (slightly softened).

Milk Chocolate or Semi-Sweet?

Finding the right “level” of chocolate flavor would be key to my recipe. I love bittersweet (or semi-sweet) chocolate, but too much in a cake (even a really sweet cake) can be overwhelming. That said, milk chocolate is a little too weak for me.

So, I settled for something in-between. My frosting has both ganache (a mixture of milk and semi-sweet chocolate chips) and cocoa powder. Best of all, the recipe is adjustable, meaning you can tweak it to your preferences. If you like a darker, more pungent chocolate, skip the milk chocolate chips and just use semi-sweet. Prefer milk chocolate only? Easy-breezy! Cut out the semi-sweet and trim back on the cocoa powder.

Ready to try my Creamy Chocolate Frosting?

You’ll find the full printable recipe at the bottom of this post but here’s a quick peek at what you’ll need. You probably have a lot of these items in your pantry or refrigerator right now!

Ingredients for Creamy Chocolate Frosting:

• milk chocolate chips
• semi-sweet chocolate chips
• heavy cream (or milk)
• Dutch-process cocoa powder
• salted or unsalted butter (your choice, room temperature)
• cream cheese (room temperature)
• Crisco (for piping/stability)
• powdered sugar
• vanilla extract
• pinch of salt

You’re probably looking at that list thinking, “Whoa, that’s different.” Yes, it is! And trust me, different is definitely better. Anyone can throw together butter, confectioner’s sugar and cocoa powder to make a simple chocolate frosting but you’re going for something a lot more memorable than that!

Wondering how to whip up a batch of this yummy stuff? It’s so easy!

How to make Creamy Chocolate Frosting:

Start with room temperature butter and cream cheese. Nothing will wreck a batch of frosting faster than chunky butter and cream cheese!

Let’s start with the ganache.

Put your chocolate chips and heavy cream in a microwave safe bowl. Place in the microwave for 30 seconds. Remove and stir. Repeat this process until the chips are melted. Add the cocoa powder. Stir, stir, stir until the ganache comes together then place the cocoa mixture in the refrigerator to cool down while you make the buttercream.

Time to work on that buttercream!

Place the cream cheese and butter into your mixing bowl and whip until light and fluffy. (I’ll pause here to add that I always use salted butter but eliminate the pinch of salt from the recipe.) You can certainly use unsalted!

It’s critical to get it as light in color and texture as you can, so this is going to require an electric mixer or stand mixer. Now it’s time to add the Crisco.

I know. You don’t want to. You’re afraid it will alter the taste. I promise, it won’t. It will do the one thing you need it to do, the one thing that sets this apart from a runny cream cheese frosting. . .it will add stability. You’ll need this if you plan to pipe your frosting. (If you don’t plan to pipe it, feel free to skip this step but you will have to adjust the amount of powdered sugar you add.)

Before you incorporate the shortening, go ahead and add your extract. I used a butter vanilla emulsion but a traditional vanilla extract will be just fine. You can also add your pinch of salt at this time.

Time to add the ganache!

Make sure your ganache is cool but not too thick. Slowly work it into your butter, cream cheese, and shortening mix.

Now it’s time to add your powdered sugar!

Be so careful. Turn your mixer speed way down and add it slowly mixing at a low speed. Once it’s all incorporated take your mixer back up to medium speed.

Whip, whip, whip until fluffy. You’re going for a light, creamy frosting here. (Note: you might need to adjust the amount of powdered sugar you add to get it to the texture you like. You can always add a tablespoon of milk to thin it down if it’s too thick. Likewise, you can add more powdered sugar if it’s too thin.)

I have a large bowl with my stand mixer, which comes in handy on projects like this!

I set aside some of my frosting in a piping bag and left the rest in the bowl to frost this golden butter cake, which I baked for my brother-in-law’s birthday. (He loved it! Golden butter cake and chocolate are a terrific combination!)

I was concerned that my cakes were a little dry so I decided to coat them in chocolate syrup before frosting. If you read my 8 Cake Decorating Tips post you know that adding moisture after the bake is a great way to fix issues like dryness.

I added chocolate buttercream on top of the chocolate syrup and then piped a ring around the edge of the cake. I always do this when I’m adding a filling. (I usually throw in mini chocolate chips or chopped Oreos or something like that, especially when I’m baking for kids.) This particular cake didn’t have a filling but I still piped the ring because it helps fill in the gap between the cake layers.

Once my cake was stacked I did a quick crumb coat and put it into the refrigerator.

Once the cake was completely chilled I removed it, finished adding the icing, then smoothed it with a bench scraper. I’m not the best at smoothing a cake (see photo for proof) but I knew this one would have a chocolate drip, as well. (Hey, chocolate drip can cover imperfections easily!)

Note: Add as much frosting as you like! You’re going to be scraping off the excess and this recipe makes a lot!

As you can see, I also trimmed out the bottom with some simple rosettes. You can easily decorate your own cake with this yummy icing!

How do I make chocolate drip?

If you want to make a homemade chocolate drip just double your ganache recipe. Use half for the frosting (with cocoa powder added) and half for your drip (don’t add cocoa powder to your drip).

In my case I happened to have on hand a bunch of these bottles of store-bought drips. I love them! They harden like candy, though, so you have to be prepared to cut through them when you’re serving the cake.

After adding my chocolate drip (which I placed into a piping bag and dripped along the edges and then used to flood the top) I set the cake back into the refrigerator to firm up. You can’t trim out a cake on wet/warm chocolate drip! (Ask me how I know.)

Once the cake cooled I pulled it from the refrigerator and added some pretty swirls of chocolate frosting on top.

This is a great chocolate frosting, friends, and it’s such a simple way to dress up any flavor of cake! And so yummy, too! Whether your making birthday cakes, baby shower cakes, or even a groom’s cake, you’ll find this frosting to be the perfect complement!

How to store chocolate frosting:

Place in an airtight container and refrigerate (up to a week) or freeze for up to two months. Frosting will have to come to room temperature (on its own, no help from the microwave!) and then you can re-whip it. I use my stand mixer, but you can use a hand mixer for this process.

Variations on chocolate frosting:

Homemade chocolate frosting is the best! (Why use store bought when homemade is so easy?) This creamy chocolate frosting is perfect for any project.

• If you prefer milk chocolate frosting, use only milk chocolate chips and skip the semi-sweet, as well as the cocoa powder.
• Want a white chocolate frosting? Use white chocolate chips instead of milk or semi-sweet and skip the cocoa powder.
• Using a chocolate bar? Check out the various flavors. An orange chocolate ganache would be yummy with a dark chocolate cake. (Yum!) So would a raspberry flavored chocolate. Check out the Lindt chocolate bars for more flavor profile ideas! Think of the possibilities!
• Looking for a darker chocolate ganache frosting? Add a dark cocoa powder. (Just be aware that it can be bitter, so you might need to balance with milk chocolate chips.)
• Add a small amount of coffee! If you read my How to Doctor a Boxed Cake Mix post you know that coffee and chocolate go together! Coffee enhances the flavor of chocolate. Take a teaspoon of espresso powder and add it to your warm ganache, making sure the crystals dissolve before adding to the buttercream.
• Love mint chocolate? Use mint chocolate chips for your ganache. Serve with a rich chocolate cake. Yum!
• Enjoy the flavor of hazelnut? Try Nutella in your ganache.
• You can even go way outside the box and use butterscotch chips, if you like. A butterscotch ganache would make a terrific frosting for a fall-themed cake like my Apple Spice Skillet Cake.
• Use this frosting over chocolate cupcakes. You might consider filling those cupcakes with my Easy Cheesecake Mousse before swirling on the frosting! (This recipe makes enough to easily frost 2 dozen cupcakes, maybe more.)
• If you’re looking for great cake recipes or ideas to improve your baking skills, check out my Become a Better Baker post, as well as my handy How to Doctor a Boxed Cake Mix post.

I’ve used this recipe to decorate lots of chocolate cakes over the years! It’s so versatile!

Looking for more chocolate-themed desserts?

What are your favorite ways to enjoy chocolate, friends?

Here are a few of my favorites!

• German Chocolate Cake: I mean, how can you go wrong with an amazing German chocolate cake, y’all? This one hits all the notes!
• Easy Brownies: They’re simple, rich, and decadent!
• Double Mint Chocolate Cookies: These are among my most requested cookies. I could eat them all day long!

No cake is complete without the perfect frosting! Mix and match using my Dreamy Buttercream Frosting and Raspberry Whipped Cream Frosting recipes! I hope you are as pleased with them as I am!

Looking for more? Check out this week’s Full Plate Thursday offerings over at Miz Helen’s Country Cottage! She’s loaded with dreamy ideas!

While you’re browsing, check out the offerings at Weekend Potluck over at South Your Mouth. They’ve got some amazing recipes.

I’m excited to hear what you think of my Creamy Chocolate Frosting. Let me know your thoughts after you try it, y’all!

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About the Author

Janice Thompson is an author, baker, and all-around mischief maker! She has overcome a host of baking catastrophes, including a toppled wedding cake, to learn more about the baking process. Janice has published over 150 books for the Christian market but particularly enjoys writing recipes and baking devotions. To learn more about Janice or to drop her a note, visit her About the Author page.