chocolate fudge frosting

This chocolate fudge frosting is easy to make and has a silky smooth texture. Using both melted chocolate and cocoa powder, it has a rich and full chocolate flavor. This chocolate frosting recipe is not overly sweet and is made in one bowl by hand!

Rich, silky, smooth chocolate frosting is something every home baker should have in the toolbox. This homemade chocolate fudge frosting is the answer. Not only is it super easy to make, it checks all the boxes for the best chocolate frosting! Using both dark chocolate and cocoa powder gives the frosting a deep, rich flavor and velvety texture.

Use this chocolate fudge frosting with my strawberry cake, coconut cake or on top of my vanilla cupcakes. Or top my homemade brownies with some chocolate fudge frosting to get extra dessert indulgence!

Why You Will Love This Frosting for Your Chocolate Cakes

• Made in ONE bowl! No stand mixer or electric mixer is needed! This frosting is made in one bowl and comes together in under 5 minutes. 
• Has a rich chocolate flavor. Using dark chocolate and cocoa powder gives the frosting a well-rounded and decadent chocolate flavor. And it isn’t overly sweet. 
• Silky smooth texture. Adding light corn syrup instead of sugar gives this frosting a super silky smooth texture. Then, finishing with the butter adds even more richness and creaminess.

Professional Tips for Making The Best Chocolate Fudge Frosting

• Don’t over-whisk the ganache. Whisking ganaches too much can cause the emulsion to break, leaving the frosting grainy and lose its glossiness. Whisk just enough, and be sure to switch to the silicone spatula when adding the butter. 
• Be patient with the cooling process. You need the frosting to set before you can pipe it. Let it sit at room temperature if your room isn’t too warm. Place it in the fridge and stir every ten minutes until set. 
• Use room-temperature butter. Using room-temperature butter, not melted butter, will help it incorporate into the ganache. This will require less stirring, helping ensure a smooth frosting.

Ingredients & Substitution

• Heavy Cream: I use a full-fat (40%) heavy cream in my frosting and baking because it doesn’t break as easily as the lighter whipping creams. The fat also helps create a rich and smooth frosting. 
• Light Corn Syrup: Light corn syrup thickens the consistency of the frosting like sugar but it doesn’t taste as sweet. It will also create a thicker, smoother texture. You can also substitute honey.  Save the powdered sugar for a different chocolate buttercream!
• Dark Chocolate:  I like to use chocolate that has at least 54% cocoa solids but up to 65% to balance the sweetness of the frosting. Chopping bar chocolate is a better bet than chocolate chips because the bar will melt and incorporate better. 
• Vanilla Extract
• Kosher Salt
• Cocoa Powder: I use Dutch-processed cocoa powder, which just means it has been treated with an alkaline solution. It has a rich, deep flavor and a darker color. You can substitute other cocoa powders, like natural cocoa powder; it will make the frosting lighter in color and slightly sweeter. 
• Butter: Unsalted butter gives the frosting a silky finish. If using salted butter, reduce or omit the salt; otherwise, the frosting will be very salty.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Variations

• Add in some extracts. You can make fun flavor combinations with extracts. Try peppermint, coffee, or almond. Start small and add slowly; extracts can vary in intensity, and you can always add more. 
• Mix in some alcohol. Add up to 2 tablespoons of your preferred liqueur. This frosting would be absolutely delicious with bourbon, amaretto, Frangelico, or Chambord. 
• Infuse the cream. Heat the cream beforehand with spices to allow it to infuse, then strain and heat again before pouring over the chocolate. Try with cinnamon, chili, or bananas.

How to Make Chocolate Fudge Frosting

Use these instructions to make perfectly silky chocolate fudge frosting every time! Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below.

Prepare the frosting: 

Step 1: In a large heat-proof bowl, add chopped chocolate, vanilla extract, light corn syrup, and salt. 

Step 2: In a small saucepan over low heat, bring whipping cream just to a boil. Pour over the chocolate, shaking it to distribute and cover it. 

For the best ganache, make sure the heavy cream comes to a boil, and let it sit with the chocolate for 2 minutes before stirring at a low speed. If you stir too soon, the chocolate will not be melted, and you will have lumps. 

Step 3: Allow the cream to sit, covering the chocolate mixture for 2 minutes. Slowly whisk, starting from the center and working your way out to create an emulsion. Sift in the cocoa powder and whisk to incorporate. 

You can also put the cocoa powder in before with the cream, but it tends to clump and create lumps that will not come out. 

Step 4: Add butter to the still-hot ganache. Switch to a silicone spatula and gently stir in one direction until all the butter has melted and incorporated into the ganache. 

If you’re adding additional flavors, do so when adding the butter. 

Step 5: Cover the surface with plastic and allow to cool to room temperature. You can speed it up by putting it in the fridge and stirring it every 10 minutes. I recommend doing this if your room is warm. Mine was about 70°F, so it cooled to room temperature in a little under 2 hours. 

Step 6: Transfer to a piping bag and pipe on cupcakes or a cake! 

FAQ

Before You Go

I hope you enjoyed this professional chef-tested frosting recipe. Check out our other delicious frosting recipes, such as cream cheese frosting, chocolate beet cupcakes with mocha buttercream frosting and fudgy brownies with cashew butter frosting!