Easy American Buttercream with Real Chocolate for Cakes & Macarons

Easy rich American style buttercream with real chocolate and an extra ingredient to make it taste amazing! Perfect for cakes, cupcakes, brownies and macarons.

I made this real chocolate American buttercream frosting recipe for my husband who always mentions that my favorite Swiss meringue buttercream is "too buttery" for him. Although I personally prefer the smooth texture and buttery flavor of meringue-based (egg whites + sugar) buttercreams, it didn't occur to me that there are A LOT of people who prefer American buttercream. Also known as ABC, it is generally regarded to be sweeter and thicker than SMB. However, with the addition of real chocolate, I find this recipe to be a good compromise between the two types of buttercreams.

Why You'll Love It

• Rich chocolate flavor
• Less "greasy" or "buttery" than meringue-based buttercreams
• Easy to make
• Few ingredients and doesn't require cooking eggs
• Can be easily re-whipped to a fluffy texture again and again
• Can be used on a variety of desserts when beaten to different consistencies

What Type of Buttercream is This?

As the name indicates, this is an American Buttercream. American buttercream is made from beating butter and icing sugar together optionally along with salt, extract and a bit of milk or cream. The major difference between American buttercreams from other buttercream methods like Swiss meringue buttercream, Italian buttercream, French buttercream and Germain buttercream is that the latter all contain eggs.

How Does This Frosting Taste?

Because American buttercream contains powdered sugar as one of it's main ingredients, it will not be as smooth and velvety as the other egg-based buttercreams mentioned above. However, it has a less-buttery texture and flavor which some people prefer.

American buttercreams are generally sweeter frostings but this recipe also contains real chocolate (instead of cocoa powder) which balances out the overly-sweet taste and gives it more depth. Personally, I find this frosting to be on the thicker, richer and fudgier side like the toppings you find on brownies.

For a smooth velvety buttercream try Swiss meringue buttercream, for a lighter, less- sweet chocolate-y frosting try real chocolate whipped cream with only 2 ingredients.

What is this Frosting Good For?

This is a very versatile frosting that you can make at varying consistencies for use on a variety of baked goodies like cakes, cupcakes, brownies and even macarons! When it's at a thicker consistency it can act as a topping on brownies or as a sturdy filling for macarons. It can also be made into a more spreadable consistency for frosting a cake with sharp edges.

Taste-wise, this frosting is on the sweeter side so keep that in mind when pairing it will other desserts. I would say it's typical of the frostings you find at the bakeries in North America. If you're looking for a chocolate frosting that is less sweet and more creamy, try this 2-ingredient chocolate frosting.

Can I Use This Buttercream for Filling Macarons?

Yes! Chocolate American buttercream can be used as a filling in macarons. It's quite a sturdy filling that performs well at room temperature. Normally, this buttercream is quite sweet and I usually prefer Swiss meringue buttercream or chocolate ganache instead for filling "already-sweet" macaron shells. However, with the addition of real chocolate in this version, I think the sweetness level is acceptable. When and why should this buttercream be used for macarons?

• Use it to save time and ingredients; use it on both desserts and macarons too.
• It's easy and takes less time than Swiss meringue buttercream
• It can be re-whipped again and again; more fool-proof than bringing chocolate ganache back to a pipeable consistency.
• Perfect for people with a sweet-tooth.
• Perfect base for macaron flavors like mocha, chocolate fudge or mocha.

Ingredients & Substitutions

• Dark chocolate couverture/baking chocolate - IMPORTANT: see paragraph below
• Powdered sugar
• Espresso powder - Espresso powder is the secret ingredient that makes chocolate desserts taste amazing! Only a small amount is used here to highlight the chocolate and make the flavors pop. It's usually sold in well-stocked grocery stores or online. You can omit this if you can't find it.
• Unsalted butter - must be at room temperature for it to cream properly with the sugar. Omit salt in recipe if using salted version.
• Vanilla extract - helps round out the flavors. It's not the main ingredient, you can even use an artificial one to cut down on costs.
• Sea salt - brings out the flavors in the frosting and cuts down on the perception of sweetness. Use half the amount if using table salt. Omit if using salted butter.
• Heavy cream - Heavy cream has a milk fat content between 35-38%, this will be denoted on the carton with something like "M.F. 36%". For this recipe, it can also be substituted with whipping cream which has a milk fat content of 30-35% or whole fat milk.

What Type of Chocolate Do I Need?

Try to use Couverture Chocolate a.k.a "baking chocolate". It is a higher class of chocolate containing a higher percentage of cocoa butter than compound eating chocolate, giving chocolate desserts a more complex flavor and better texture. You can find good quality brands (ex. Callebaut, Valrhona, Guittard, Ghiradelli) at gourmet food shops or online. The brands at your local grocery store usually label this class of chocolate as "baking chocolate".

Some brands may even have a distinction between semi-sweet and bitter-sweet with the former being a little bit sweeter. If the brand you are using does not have this distinction, it may simply be denoted by the term "dark chocolate." Regular chocolate chips can be used in this recipe but couverture is preferred because chips contain stabilizers that prevent them from melting into a super smooth mixture.

Couverture chocolate/baking chocolate is offered in both bar shape or in small pieces called callets that look similar to regular chocolate chips (see ingredient photo above). If you're using the bar shaped kind make sure to cut them up into similarly small pieces before melting. This will prevent over-heating of certian pieces.

Step By Step

Melt Chocolate & Sift Dry Ingredients

Chop chocolate into small pieces similarly sized. Transfer to heat-proof bowl, place over pot of boiling water to melt. Do not let bowl touch the water. Stir occasionally, being careful not to let any water inside the bowl. Once melted, set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, sift in dry ingredients (powdered sugar and espresso powder), stir to combine.

Beat Butter Mixture & Add Dry Mixture

In a mixing bowl, beat butter, vanilla extract and salt on medium-high with electric mixer (best with paddle attachment in a stand mixer) until mixture is fluffy. Add in dry ingredients, beat until fluffy and pale. Tip: to prevent sugar clouds, incorporate the dry mix into the butter mixture by hand first to bind them together.

Add Melted Chocolate

Stop mixer, add cooled chocolate into mixture and beat until it all comes together, mixture will look fluffy and airy.

Add Cream to Desired Consistency

Lower mixer speed to slow, add heavy cream into mixture one tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is achieved (see consistency table in recipe card below). Use immediately to frost cakes or fill macarons. Store and re-whip as needed.

Quick Tips for Success

• Use good quality baking chocolate or couverture chocolate.
• To prevent clumps, always sift powdered sugar before use.
• For a fluffy texture, ensure butter is at room temperature so it can be easily incorporated into the other ingredients.
• Fully beat the butter first before adding sugar.
• Ensure chocolate is fully cooled before adding to the mixture.

How To Fix Curdled American Buttercream

Buttercream curdles when the ingredients are not at an ideal temperature. To prevent curdling in the first place, ensure that the butter is at room temperature so it can be easily incorporated with the other ingredients.

If cold butter is added, it might take a while for the ingredients to come together, don't worry, just keep beating and it will become smooth and fluffy. To speed things up, you can also place the mixing bowl over a pot of boiling water (don't let it touch the water) and let the edges melt a little before beating again. Do not add the chocolate until the butter-sugar mixture is beaten to a fluffy stage.

If hot chocolate is added to the butter-sugar mixture, the mixture might become thin and soupy. In this case, place the mixing bowl in the fridge and let the edges firm up before beating again, about 20-30 min.

How to Store This Frosting

Room temperature: chocolate American buttercream can be kept at room temperature for one day as long as the temperature isn't too warm. Re-whip before using.

In the fridge: it can be kept in an air-tight container for up to 5-7 days. Re-whip before using.

In the freezer: it can be kept for up to 3 months. Double wrap it in plastic wrap and flatten into a round disk for easy defrosting, then place it inside a Ziplock bag. To defrost, transfer to fridge overnight and re-whip before using.