Last Updated on December 12, 2021. This post may contain affiliate links to products I use, love or recommend. That means I may receive a small commission on products you purchase through my links at no cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please see my Disclosure Policy for more details. Thank you for your support, which allows me to continue to create content for this website.
This bakery-style chocolate buttercream frosting is fluffy, and light and makes a perfect compliment to your choice of cakes and cupcakes. My House Vanilla Buttercream Frosting is whipped with cocoa to create this rich and creamy chocolate buttercream.
Use it to frost my Moist and Fudgy Chocolate Cupcakes, the only cupcake recipe you’ll ever need. Or frost the your favorite cake for a creamy chocolote bite. I also use this recipe in my Triple Chocolate Ganache Cake Bakery-Style Cake Recipe.
Fluffy Chocolate Buttercream Frosting: a Bakery Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Instant Clearjel (A bakery ingredient you can use at home–See Note #1)
- ¼ cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (I use Hershey's)
- 4 ounces Cream Cheese
- 1 ½ sticks (6 ounces) Salted Butter at room temperature
- ¼ cup shortening
- 1 Tablespoon Pure Vanilla Extract
Equipment
Instructions
Turn Instruction images ON or OFFMake Vanilla Buttercream
- Whisk the powdered sugar, Instant Clearjel, and Cocoa Powder together until well-blended. Set aside.
- Using a stand mixer (preferred) or handheld mixer and a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until broken up and softened.
- Add the room temperature salted butter and continue to beat until there are no lumps, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the shortening and beat and scrape the sides until the mixture is smooth without lumps.
- While the mixer is on low, slowly add the powdered sugar mixture.
- Add the pure vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Then beat the buttercream on high for two-three minutes. This will add air into the buttercream and make it light and fluffy. The Instant Clearjel will cause the buttercream to thicken slightly during the next 10 minutes as it sits (See Note #2).
- This buttercream is best served at room temperature. If you aren't serving it within 24 hours, refrigerate it, but remove it from the fridge a couple of hours before using so that it may come back to room temperature before frosting cakes, cupcakes, or serving.
Notes
- Read my article Instant Clearjel: a Magical Little-Known Bakery Ingredient to see why I think this ingredient is worth having in your pantry. Instant Clearjel must always be whisked thoroughly with other dry ingredients before being added to wet ingredients to avoid clumping. I have tested this recipe with the following Instant Clearjel brands: Prepared Pantry, Hoosier Hill Farm, and Ingredion. Make sure what you purchase is labeled as “Instant.” Cooktyle Clearjel is a different product that does not work the same in cakes. If you don’t have Instant Clearjel you can simply leave it out completely, and add a little more powdered sugar if needed to make a thicker frosting, as described in my Instant Clearjel Substitutes under frostings.
Thanks for Reading. ❤️
Fluffy and light! Delish!
So glad you enjoyed it, thank you!