This chocolate fudge frosting is one of my favourite frostings of all time! It’s so rich and creamy, and best of all, is super easy to make!
What can I use fudge frosting for?
This frosting can be used to ice so many different types of cakes and cupcakes! Some of my favourites include vanilla, banana and chocolate cakes! You can also use it as a filling for macarons.
What is the shelf life?
You can keep the frosting stored in an air tight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Chocolate Fudge Frosting
Print Pin VideoIMPORTANT: For accuracy, I would recommend using the gram measurements provided, as those are the exact quantities I use. Cup measurements are given as estimates (based on US cup measurements) to make it easier for those who do not have a scale.
Ingredients
- ½ cup (113 g) cream - heavy cream, whipping cream
- 1¼ cup (200 g) semi-sweet chocolate - I use 50% dark chocolate
- ½ cup (113 g) butter - unsalted
- ½ cup (85 g) icing/powdered sugar - sifted
- ¼ tsp instant coffee powder
- ¼ tsp salt - omit if using salted butter
- 2 tsp cocoa powder - unsweetened, sifted
- 1 tsp vanilla essence/extract
Instructions
- Place a saucepan over medium heat and add in the cream. Heat until you begin to see little bubbles forming around the edges of the pan. The cream shouldn't be boiling.
- Turn the heat to low and add in the cocoa powder. Mix until well combined.
- Add in the remaining ingredients and continue to gently stir until all the solid ingredients are melted and you have a very smooth mixture.
- Strain the mixture into a heat proof bowl to get rid of any lumps (this step is optional), and then cover the top with cling wrap so that the cling wrap is directly touching the top of the frosting. This will prevent a skin from forming as it cools down.
- Let the mixture cool completely (about 45 minutes) before using.
Video
Nutrition
Nutritional information are estimates only as they are automatically calculated by a third party application. Actual values may differ based on brands and types of products used.
154 Comments
Should I whip this at all or is it just ready to go? Could I whip it?
Hi McKenzie! 🙂
I don’t usually whip it, though I think whipping it shouldn’t be a problem (just make sure its been chilling for atleast a few hours before whipping it otherwise it might split).
Enjoy!
If I wanted to frost a 2 layer cake with this, do I double the recipe?
Hi Larry! 🙂
Yes that’s correct, double the recipe will be enough to frost an 8 inch 2 layer cake and do some additional piping too, like how I’ve done in my rich chocolate cake recipe 🙂
Hope that helps and hope you enjoy the recipe!
If I frost my cake can it sit out over night or should I just refrigerate the frosting and frost tomorrow
Hi Caitlyn! The frosting will be fine to leave overnight at room temp 🙂
Hope you enjoy the recipe!
hi MK, I only make UR CAKES! they are the best as you promised to share best recipes in yt 😍 I am sooo glad that I found ur channel.. thankypu so much, May Allah bless you for ur honest foolproof recipes.
I have a doubt, can I use “ready to whip whipping cream” for this recipe? i found it is more stable when I use normal dairy whipping cream.
Hi Rasheedah! So so happy to hear you’re loving the recipes and thank you so much for your lovely duas 🙂
I haven’t tried that myself, but it should be totally fine!
Hope you enjoy the recipe 😀
This is so easy to make and so good! I’ve been looking for a chocolate frosting and this is a keeper. The others I’ve tried, you can taste the granules of the powered sugar, but this is just right. When you put it on a cake it does harden, so if you want it to be softer, let the cake sit out for maybe 5 to 10 minutes before cutting. Also, thank you for providing half of 1x for the amount of frosting! My husband and his family enjoyed it on chocolate cake! Love this recipe so much, thank you!
Thanks so much for the wonderful feedback Genny! So glad you and your husbands family loved the recipe 🙂
Yes when placed in the fridge it does harden, so allowing it to come to room temp is a great suggestion for a softer frosting.
So glad you found the different quantity options helpful too Genny 🙂
I frosted my 4 layer chocolate cake with this recipe but whipped it before doing so , i refrigerated it overnight and the next morning my frosting had harden and was beginning to fall off my cake , not sure what I did wrong ?? but other than that it was absolutely delicious!
Hi Autumn! 🙂 Hmmm that is strange that the frosting started to fall off! I’ve never seen that before. I wonder if the whipping played some part in that? Although I have whipped ganache/fudge frostings before and haven’t experienced that myself. So usually anything with butter or chocolate will harden when placed in the fridge, but will soften again once it comes back to room temp. The hardening doesn’t typically cause it to fall off though so this part is perplexing!
My best tips to prevet frosting from coming off would be to ensure the cake layers are levelled and also doing a crumb coat which may help the final layer of frosting ‘stick’ better to the cake.
Sorry I couldn’t be of more help Autumn, but glad the cake still tasted delicious anyway! 😀
Thank you for the recipe. Made it today it was delicious with my chocolate cake. Been looking for something like this. Do you know how I can make it firmer while maintaining the creaminess?
You’re so welcome Lisha 😀
So happy to hear you loved the frosting. You could add more powdered sugar, which helps to make a stiffer frosting, though this will make the frosting sweeter. You could add more dark chocolate in, which will also make the frosting stiffer (and not as sweet compared to adding in more powdered sugar).
Lastly, you could whip the frosting (I haven’t tried this myself though, though other readers have with success!), which also helps to thicken the frosting 🙂
Hope that helps Lisha 🙂
Could you use condensed milk instead of cream?
Hi Naomi! 🙂 I haven’t tried that myself, but it may work! Just keep in mind that if the condensed milk is sweetened, it will make the frosting a lot sweeter. I would normally advise to reduce the powdered sugar slightly, however for this recipe, reducing the powdered sugar is likely to affect the consistency of the frosting and it may not be firm enough once cooled.
Hope that helps and would love to hear how it goes if you decide to try it out with the condensed milk 🙂
I made this for my 3 layers chocolate cake and it’s phenomenal. I put it in the freezer for 45 minutes then I whipped it and the texture and the taste was perfect.
Thanks so much for the wonderful feedback Kat! So glad you enjoyed the frosting and whipping it sounds so good too! 🙂
I’m not sure what you mean by one and 1/4 cups of dark chocolate 50%… What form does this come in? Powder… Chocolate chips…??
Hi Barbara! 🙂 Sorry for the confusion – 50% refers to the amount of cocoa solids in the chocolate, but any dark or semi-sweet chocolate will work 🙂
You want to use a chocolate block, not a powder. Hope that helps and hope you enjoy the recipe!