Upgrade your baking with this light and fluffy Chocolate Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting! Similar to my whipped cream cheese frosting, this chocolate version simply replaces some of the powdered sugar with cocoa powder. The result is a less sweet frosting that still tastes decadent and chocolatey and only takes 5 minutes to make! This airy, yet stable, chocolate whipped cream is perfect for piping onto cakes or cupcakes, like these chocolate zucchini cupcakes, and will hold its shape for days in the fridge!
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Quick Look: Chocolate Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting
- ⏱ Prep Time: 5 minutes
- 🧁 Servings: 24 (makes enough frosting for 24 cupcakes or a 9x13 inch sheet cake)
- ⚡ Calories: 92 per serving
- 🍽 Diet: gluten-free
- 🔥 Flavor/texture: milk chocolate flavor that isn't overly sweet; texture is light, fluffy, airy and creamy.
- 👌 Difficulty: easy, but electric mixer is required.
- ❤️ Why you'll love: stable chocolate whipped cream that holds its shape; made without gelatin; perfect texture for piping.
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Why we love this chocolate frosting
- Ready in 5 minutes. This recipe calls for cold cream cheese straight from the fridge. There's no waiting around for ingredients to soften at room temperature!
- Deep flavor, not too sweet. You don't need a lot of powdered sugar to help stabilize the frosting, so the result is an intense chocolate flavor without the sugar rush.
- Light and airy. Some chocolate frostings, like my chocolate sour cream frosting, have a rich and fudgy taste and texture. This frosting is light and fluffy and tastes like a milk chocolate cloud.
- Zero gelatin. Cream cheese naturally stabilizes the frosting so there's no need for gelatin.
- No tangy flavor. The frosting doesn't taste like a cream cheese frosting. The cocoa masks the tangy flavor of the cream cheese so the result is just pure chocolate flavor.
Table of Contents
Ingredient notes
- Cocoa. I used Dutch-processed cocoa as it delivers a deep, intense chocolate flavor. (It's also what I use in my chocolate peanut butter frosting). Natural cocoa works too, but your frosting will be lighter in color and may taste slightly bitter.
- Cream cheese: Use full fat, block-style cream cheese. Do not use low fat options or spreadable tubs as this will affect the texture of the frosting.
- Heavy cream: Choose heavy whipping cream with a minimum of 35% milk fat.
- Powdered sugar: Sweetens the frosting while the built-in cornstarch helps to stabilize it.
- Vanilla: Use exactly 1 teaspoon. Keeping liquids to a minimum prevents the frosting from becoming runny.
How to make chocolate whipped cream cheese frosting
Step 1: Cut the cold cream cheese into cubes and add to a large mixing bowl with the vanilla.
Step 2: Use an electric mixer to beat together the cream cheese and vanilla until combined.
Step 3: On medium speed, gradually add the powdered sugar, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl.
Step 4: Continuing on medium speed, add the cocoa and mix until the mixture is thick, smooth and glossy.
Step 5: On low speed, slowly stream in the heavy cream until it is incorporated into the cream cheese mixture.
Step 6: Increase the mixing speed to medium-high, and mix until the mixture thickens and then forms stiff peaks.
Measuring ingredients
For convenience, US cup measurements are included in the recipe card for this recipe. To ensure greater accuracy, however, weight and volume measurements are also provided. So, if you see grams (g), you'll want to use a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients, and if you see milliliters (ml), you'll want to use a liquid measuring cup. Smaller quantities of ingredients are provided in teaspoons and tablespoons.
Expert tips
- Use cold cream cheese. This ensures it blends well with the cold heavy whipping cream.
- Cut cream cheese into cubes. Dice the block of cream cheese into small pieces and add your vanilla to the mixer at the same time to provide a splash of liquid for smoother mixing.
- Choose your attachment. Use the stand mixer whisk attachment for the entire process instead of starting with the paddle and switching to the whisk. A handheld electric mixer with basic beaters will also work.
- Beat until smooth. The cream cheese, vanilla, powdered sugar and cocoa powder should be a smooth consistency before adding the heavy whipping cream. This will prevent any lumps in your frosting.
- Stream in the heavy cream. Pour the heavy whipping cream into the cream cheese mixture slowly. This will allow the two bases to blend evenly before ramping up the mixer speed.
- Watch for stiff peaks. Turn the mixer off once the frosting holds its shape. Over mixing will cause it to separate and curdle.
Chocolate whipped cream cheese frosting FAQs
Once piped onto cupcakes or spread onto cakes, this frosting will last for 5-6 days in the fridge.
You'll get enough to frost 24 cupcakes, an 8-inch layer cake or a 9x13 inch sheet cake.
If your frosting is soupy or runny, you might not have whipped the frosting long enough or you may have over whipped it. It could also be because your heavy whipping cream wasn't cold enough or it didn't have a high enough fat content (use at least 35% milk fat).
Since it's a milk chocolate flavored frosting, it goes equally well with vanilla and chocolate cakes or cupcakes. I recommend trying it with these almond flour chocolate cupcakes or vanilla almond flour cupcakes. As for cakes, it would be perfect with this air fryer chocolate cake or almond flour chocolate cake and even with this peanut butter chocolate chip cookie cake!
More recommended frosting recipes
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📖 Recipe
Chocolate Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 6 ounces (170 g) full fat cream cheese, cold (about ¾ cup)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups (180 g) powdered sugar, sifted if lumpy
- ⅓ cup (30 g) Dutch-processed cocoa, sifted if lumpy
- 1 ½ cups (360 ml) heavy whipping cream, (at least 35% milk fat), cold
Instructions
- Cut the cold cream cheese into cubes and place in a large mixing bowl with the vanilla extract.
- Using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or a handheld mixer with beaters, beat together the cream cheese and vanilla until combined.
- On medium speed, gradually add the powdered sugar, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl.
- Next, add the cocoa and mix on medium speed until the mixture is smooth, thick and glossy.
- On low speed, slowly stream in the cold heavy whipping cream until it is incorporated into the cream cheese mixture.
- Increase the mixing speed to medium-high and whip together until stiff peaks form.
Notes
- Use cold cream cheese. This ensures it blends well with the cold heavy whipping cream.
- Cut cream cheese into cubes. Dice the block of cream cheese into small pieces and add your vanilla to the mixer at the same time to provide a splash of liquid for smoother mixing.
- Choose your attachment. Use the stand mixer whisk attachment for the entire process instead of starting with the paddle and switching to the whisk. A handheld electric mixer with basic beaters will also work.
- Beat until smooth. The cream cheese, vanilla, powdered sugar and cocoa powder should be a smooth consistency before adding the heavy whipping cream. This will prevent any lumps in your frosting.
- Stream in the heavy cream. Pour the heavy whipping cream into the cream cheese mixture gradually. This will allow the two bases to blend evenly before ramping up the mixer speed.
- Watch for stiff peaks. Turn the mixer off once the frosting holds its shape. Over mixing will cause it to separate and curdle.
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Nutrition Facts per Serving
Disclaimer
Nutrition information is an estimate only and will vary depending on the substitutions made and the brands used.
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