4 Ingredient Quick Chocolate Fudge Frosting
Your new favorite frosting recipe, AKA this chocolate fudge frosting, is made with only four ingredients and can be ready in just 3 minutes! Made with cocoa powder, butter, powdered sugar, and cream, this easy icing is the perfect topping for chocolate fudge cupcakes or any chocolate dessert that you want to take to the next level. Get ready for this frosting to be your new obsession!
This fudge icing is perfect for topping chocolate fudge cupcakes!
Want a seriously thick and easy to pipe chocolate fudge frosting recipe?
Well, you have come to the right place! This quick recipe is made with just 4 ingredients- rich cocoa powder, melted butter, powdered sugar, and a splash of cream. Plus, the best part is is that you can whip it up in just 3 minutes!
I was excited to make this recipe because I saw so many others that called for melting chocolate, and sometimes I just dont want to do that.
Melting chocolate can get a little complicated-it can get overheated and seize up. So to make this easier (and shorter on time!) I purposely used cocoa powder.
As a trained pastry chef, theres a time and place for everything but I wanted to make this super easy for ya! These ingredients are whipped together into a velvety texture that can be easily slathered or piped onto your favorite chocolate dessert.
Personally I use this on chocolate fudge cupcakes– the more fudge the better! You can also pipe it onto brownie cupcakes, cookie dough cupcakes or these hot chocolate cupcakes!
Make frosting feel easy, finally.
Struggling to pipe pretty cupcakes or fix frosting that won’t cooperate? My frosting guide gives you simple techniques, recipes, and tutorials so you can frost with confidence every time.
What you need to make this
How to make this frosting in 3 minutes
Then add the cocoa powder and whisk until smooth, making sure there are no lumps. The butter should completely melt the cocoa powder.
4 Ingredient Quick Chocolate Fudge Frosting
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, 113g
- ⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, natural 70 g
- 4 cups powdered sugar, 460g
- ½ cup heavy cream, 4 oz
Instructions
- In a microwavable safe medium bowl, melt the butter 30 seconds at a time until melted.
- Add the ⅔ cup cocoa and whisk until smooth making sure there are no lumps. The butter should completely melt the cocoa powder.
- Transfer the chocolate mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer.
- Sift 4 cups of powdered sugar and add to the bowl. Add the ½ cup heavy cream.
- Attach the whisk attachment and mix on low speed for 30 seconds until the mixture is combined.
- Raise the speed up to medium high and whip for 30 seconds.
- Frost on top of your favorite cupcakes or cake
Delicious and easy … just like you said! 😊
Great directions! Thank you
Thank you so much Kathy!!!
Great taste.
I needed to add a lot more liquid to make it spreadable
Thank you Gail!
Don’t forget, air can be an ingredient. Particularly in frosting. If you find it’s not spreadable you may not have whipped it long enough. Let it whip for a good couple minutes and you’ll find it’s much more velvety and spreadable.
Thanks for this David, agreed!
Am excited to try this recipe. Beautiful instructions. Thank you.
Thank you Rita!
Made this recipe to frost a vanilla poundcake. It turned out amazing!! Love the fact you don’t have to melt chocolate chips Make sure you sift both the cocoa and the powdered sugar like Sam says and your frosting will turn out perfect!
YESSSS! Honestly melting chocolate is so annoying for me sometimes so I also love that this recipe uses cocoa powder and doesnt sacrifice on flavor!
Thank you! I enjoyed it with whole milk and added extra powdered sugar for consistency. It wasn’t quite as rich in chocolate fudge flavor as I hoped for a devil’s food layer cake, but a cup of melted semisweet chocolate chips blended in last added the body, aroma, gloss and richness that I was going for. Best chocolate frosting ever!!
Sounds delicious Melissa!
Can I use chocolate bark instead of baking cocoa? How would I do that?
Hi Samantha! I haven’t used chocolate bark so I can’t say if this would work. My chocolate ganache frosting might be more what you’re looking for – that includes melting down chocolate to make the frosting. https://frostingandfettuccine.com/chocolate-ganache-frosting/
This recipe is delicious! I also added unsweetened coconut flakes and the zest of 1 orange. AMAZING!🤤
Does the cake or cupcakes need refrigerated do to the cream in the frosting
Can I use Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa in this recipe?
Thank you very much for the beautiful recipe…..god bless.
Thank you so much for this sweet comment and the 5 star rating!
Hi Sam,
I haven’t tried this yet, but I love the fact that there are only 4 ingredients. I’d just like to check if this is freezable, as I’d like to prep it in advance.
Many thanks!
Hi Sue! You totally can. Once you make the frosting, store it in a airtight container or freezer safe bag and squeeze out as much air as possible. I’ll hold for up to 3 months. Then just defrost in the refrigerator. Lemme know how it goes!
Although the recipe was very good, there is too much junk on your page.
Hey Renmer- glad you liked the recipe! When you say too much junk do you mean the ads or the content? Running ads to sites is how bloggers get paid for putting out professional grade recipes for free, you can always print the recipe to keep on hand and then not be bothered by ads.
Can I make this the day before I want to frost the cake?
You sure can! Just leave it out at room temp in a covered bowl.
Perfect for my Ding Dong cake! I did add the extra chocolate chips for deeper fudge flavor. Was enjoyed greatly by my co-worker for his birthday. Thank you for a super easy and delicious frosting.
So fun! Thanks so much for letting me know Audrey, so glad you loved this recipe! I have never made a Ding Dong cake but now I want to just for the name haha
This frosting taste just like fudge! We loved it.
So glad Mary! Thanks for making this!
Well I sort of made it and the results were yummy. But … I couldn’t find metric measurements anywhere and I wanted double the recipe to make a Chocolate fudge cake. Please can you add metric measures because it’s so easy and lovely. Mine was a concoction of guesstimates!!
Sure Stephanie!
Omg that is the most bitter icing we did NOT like it
Hey Sandra, what kind of chocolate did you use? If it was too bitter then you probably used a chocolate that wasnt sweet enough.
Thanks for this great recipe! I’m always amazed when people come in and say “oh can you add the metric amounts?”. Really, have you ever heard of Google? 🙂 It’s so easy to put the amounts in and ask it to be changed to metric. I don’t know why people expect you to do everything for them but anyway you’re gracious, thank you!
Haha thank you! I really don’t mind the questions, I’d honestly rather people ask than guess. So glad you loved the recipe, and thank you for the 5 star rating!