This Sour Cream Chocolate Frosting is smooth and creamy, made with butter, cocoa, powdered sugar and full fat sour cream. It's simple to make and you don't need any melted chocolate for the deep chocolate flavor. Only cocoa is required! By taking a basic chocolate buttercream recipe and swapping out some butter for sour cream, you get a frosting that's thick and fudgy. While it's similar to chocolate buttercream, it's less sugary and more like a rich and decadent chocolate ganache. It's perfect for spreading onto cakes and thick enough to pipe onto cupcakes.
Table of Contents
This is the frosting I use for my chocolate chip cookie cake and it's a delicious option for these almond flour cupcakes too!
You need just 5 ingredients!
Below is a brief overview of the ingredients and recommended substitutions. The recipe card at the end of this post includes the exact quantities used.
- Sour cream - For a rich and thick frosting, full fat sour cream is a must. Light sour cream will result in a thin and almost runny frosting. You would need to add a lot more powdered sugar to thicken the frosting, and then it would be too sweet.
- Butter - For the best results, use unsalted butter that has been brought to room temperature.
- Cocoa - I like to use Dutch-processed cocoa for frostings because it has a more intense flavor but natural cocoa works too.
- Powdered sugar - This sweetens the frosting and, along with the cocoa, helps thicken it. Be sure to sift it so your frosting doesn't end up lumpy.
- Milk - I don't always add milk to this recipe, but if you want to thin out the frosting, you'll want to use a few teaspoons of dairy or plant-based milk or cream.
How to make chocolate frosting with sour cream
Below is a brief overview of the steps to make this recipe along with photos. For further details, please see the recipe card at the end of this post.
Want to save this recipe for later?
Enter your email address and I'll send it straight to your inbox. You'll also receive new recipes from me regularly!
Tips for making the BEST sour cream chocolate frosting
- Sour cream. The recipe works best with full fat sour cream. Full fat ranges from 14-18% milk fat. While 14% works for this recipe, I prefer 18% for that extra thick and creamy texture.
- Room temperature sour cream. I know it may seem contrary to sour cream storage, but make sure you let it sit at room temperature for about 15-20 minutes before creaming together with the room temperature butter.
- Keep creaming together. This frosting will whip together quickly and look smooth and creamy almost immediately. But make sure you keep mixing on medium-high until the frosting turns a lighter color. This will ensure you get the smoothest and creamiest frosting.
- Frosting consistency. If you like a sweeter or thicker frosting, just add more powdered sugar. For spreading onto cakes, I usually add 1-3 teaspoons of milk, depending on how much I want to thin out the frosting. For piping, I rarely ever add the milk as I want the frosting to be a little thicker.
A note on 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.
Recipe FAQs
After you mix the sour cream into the whipped butter, it may take on a curdled appearance. Ideally, you'll want it to look smooth, but if it doesn't, don't worry. It's just because your sour cream was still too cold when it came into contact with the room temperature butter. As you mix in the cocoa and powdered sugar, the texture of the frosting will smooth out.
Yes! While traditional buttercream can be stored at room temperature for a few days, this frosting will need to be refrigerated because of the sour cream.
Yes, you can make this frosting a day or two in advance and store covered in the fridge. When ready to use, let it sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before re-whipping with your electric mixer until smooth and creamy.
More frosting recipes
- Vanilla Bean Sour Cream Frosting
- Chocolate Avocado Frosting
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Frosting
- Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
If you make this recipe, I'd love to hear what you think in the comments below!
HUNGRY FOR MORE? Sign up for our newsletter and follow Crumb Top Baking on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook!
If you make this recipe, please leave a review and rating below to let me know what you think. If you have a question, drop that below too!
📖 Recipe
Sour Cream Chocolate Frosting
Ingredients
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ cup (125 g) full fat sour cream (I prefer 18% milk fat), room temperature
- 1 ½ - 2 cups (180-240 g) powdered sugar, sifted if lumpy (more if desired)
- ½ cup (50 g) cocoa powder, Dutch-processed or natural
- 2-3 teaspoons milk or cream, optional if you need to thin out frosting
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add the butter and beat with an electric mixer until creamy. (You can use a handheld mixer with beaters or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment).
- Add in the sour cream and mix together on medium-high speed until creamy.
- Add the powdered sugar and cocoa and mix on low speed until the sugar and cocoa are incorporated. (If you set the mixer to high, powdered sugar and cocoa dust will go everywhere).
- Increase the speed to medium-high and beat together until the frosting is smooth and turns a lighter color, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add milk (one teaspoon at a time) for a thinner frosting or add more powdered sugar for a thicker/sweeter frosting.
Notes
- The recipe makes enough to pipe frosting onto 10-12 cupcakes. For cakes, it's enough for a layer of frosting on a 13x9 inch cake or a generous layer on an 8 or 9-inch cake.
- If the butter and sour cream look curdled when you start mixing them together, don't worry. This is because the sour cream was too cold when it was mixed in with the room temperature butter. Once you start mixing in the cocoa and powdered sugar, the texture will smooth out.
Want to save this recipe for later?
Enter your email address and I'll send it straight to your inbox. You'll also receive new recipes from me regularly!
Nutrition Facts per Serving
Disclaimer
Nutrition information is an estimate only and will vary depending on the substitutions made and the brands used.
Did you make this recipe or have any questions?
I love reading your comments and addressing your questions, so please leave your comments and ratings or questions below!
Ruby says
Easy and delicious
Leanne says
Thank you Ruby!