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Close up of a round chocolate cake covered in chocolate icing and decorated with colorful sprinkles on the edges.
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5 from 3 votes

3 Ingredient Chocolate Frosting (Easy Chocolate Icing Recipe)

This 3 ingredient chocolate frosting is decadently rich and chocolatey. It is simple, easy and quick and can be made in 10 minutes!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
Total Time10 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 990 g chocolate frosting
Calories: 10.8kcal
Author: Priya Maha

Ingredients

  • 400 g dark chocolate (cooking chocolate with at least 70% cocoa butter)
  • 200 g butter
  • 400 g powdered sugar

Instructions

  • Chop the chocolate into small pieces (if using a chocolate block).
    Make sure the knife and the cutting board, as well as your hands are completely dry as any traces of water in the chocolate can cause it to seize when double boiled.
  • To double boil the chocolate, you can use a double boiler.
    If you don't have one, you can easily use a small saucepan and a slightly larger heat proof bowl. Fill some water in the pot and then place the heat proof bowl over it. The bowl should rest on the saucepan but should not be touching the water. The chocolate is melted by the heat from the water steam and not the hot water.
  • Once you have set up your double boiler, turn on the heat to medium heat. Add chocolate into the prepared bowl.
  • Let the chocolate sit in the bowl without stirring for a minute or 2. Stir occasionally after that to expedite the melting.
  • Once the chocolate is almost fully melted, add in the butter and remove the mixture from heat by lifting the bowl off the saucepan. Melt butter from the heat of the chocolate. For quick melting, cut the butter into small pieces and make sure it is at room temperature.
  • Stir to mix the chocolate and the melted butter.
  • In a separate mixing bowl, sift the powdered sugar.
  • Once the chocolate mixture has cooled down to room temperature (which it will almost immediately after mixing in the butter), pour it into the powdered sugar.
  • Mix well until all the ingredients are well combined.
  • If the icing appears too dry, add some heavy cream (or milk) and mix well before using. The frosting can be used immediately.
  • This recipe makes approximately 990g of chocolate frosting (3 ⅓ cups). It is sufficient to generously fill and frost a 2 layered 8-inch or 9-inch round cake.

Notes

  • When melting chocolate, take extra caution to not have any traces of water in the bowl or the knife and board used to chop it. Any slight trace of water can cause the chocolate to seize and become grainy. For this reason also, if you keep your chocolate in the fridge, make sure to bring it to room temperature (without unwrapping it) before double boiling it. This is to avoid any condensation directly on the chocolate and prevent seizures.
  • For quick and easy melting, it is best to chop the chocolate into small pieces (only for the block chocolate. No need to chop the chocolate buttons or chips). For easy cutting, leave the chocolate at room temperature. Grating it with a serrated knife is also a good option. Smaller pieces of chocolate can also prevent overheating of the chocolate as you try to melt it. Overheating can cause the chocolate to become grainy.
  • For additional flavoring, you can add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract to the frosting after adding the melted chocolate mixture into the sugar.

Nutrition

Calories: 10.8kcal | Carbohydrates: 1.2g | Protein: 0.1g | Fat: 0.7g | Saturated Fat: 0.4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.02g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 0.9mg | Sodium: 2.7mg | Potassium: 5.8mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 10.3IU | Calcium: 0.7mg | Iron: 0.1mg