Stir together a super creamy, super delish Chocolate Frosting with cocoa powder—and without butter—in minutes. (And with less sugar too!)
Chocolate Frosting with Cocoa Powder
I love eating baked goods but honestly, I kind of hate how many things I have to pull out and wash when making them at home. To help, enter this super simple, one-bowl, no-electric-appliances-needed chocolate frosting! All you need to make this is a bowl and a spoon and it’s a perfect recipe to cook with the kids too because they can make the whole thing…it’s that easy!
Can you really make chocolate frosting without butter?
Oh my, yes you can! Honestly, I discovered this by mistake. I wanted to make frosting for a cake and was out of my usual cream cheese and butter. But I did have Greek yogurt so I figured it was better than nothing. And I was SO pleasantly surprised by how good it was that it’s now become my go-to chocolate frosting!
Ingredients in Quick Chocolate Frosting
To make this recipe, you’ll need:
- Plain Greek yogurt
- Confectioner’s sugar
- Cocoa powder
TIP: There’s not a lot of confectioner’s sugar in this recipe, so don’t be alarmed. It helps thicken the frosting and adds intense sweetness without going overboard on the sugar content.
How to Make Chocolate Frosting with Cocoa Powder Step-by-Step
Here’s a look at the general process for making this easy frosting for cakes or cupcakes. Scroll down to the bottom of the recipe for the full information.
- Add the ingredients to a medium bowl.
- Stir together with a spoon or spatula.
- Use on a cake or cupcakes!
TIP: If your yogurt has any liquid on top, drain it off before you measure out the yogurt.
Tips for Making the Best Chocolate Frosting with Cocoa Powder
- You can make this up to 3 days ahead. Store in an airtight container in the fridge. Drain off any liquid, stir together, and add to your cake or cupcakes.
- Dairy-free: Use a dairy-free Greek style yogurt if needed.
- You can try making this with 2-4 tablespoons honey instead of confectioner’s sugar if desired. (I prefer confectioner’s sugar as it makes it more of a traditional frosting consistency. Honey will make a slightly softer frosting.)
- I usually make this with Cabot brand whole milk plain Greek yogurt and it’s delicious.
- I like using SACO brand cocoa powder or Hershey’s special dark.
- This makes enough for my Healthy Chocolate Cake or 10-12 cupcakes. (If you like a lot of frosting on your cupcakes, you may want to do 1.5 times the recipe!)
- Spread onto Healthy Chocolate Cake. Or spoon into a zip top storage bag, seal, and trim off one corner. Pipe onto Vanilla Cupcakes, Chocolate Cupcakes, or Banana Cupcakes.
If you try this recipe, please comment below to let me know what you thought of it. The more I hear from all of you, the better I can continue making my content so thank you in advance!
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PinDescription
If there’s any liquid on top of your yogurt, pour it off before you measure out the yogurt for the creamiest results.
Ingredients
- 1 cup plain whole milk Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4–1/3 cup confectioners sugar
Instructions
- Add the ingredients to a medium bowl.
- Stir together with a spatula until uniformly mixed (and a uniform color).
- Spread onto Healthy Chocolate Cake. Or spoon into a zip top storage bag, seal, and trim off one corner. Pipe onto Vanilla Cupcakes, Chocolate Cupcakes, or Banana Cupcakes.
Notes
You can make this up to 3 days ahead. Store in an airtight container in the fridge. Drain off any liquid, stir together, and add to your cake or cupcakes.
Dairy-free: Use a dairy-free Greek style yogurt if needed.
You can try making this with 2-4 tablespoons honey instead of confectioner’s sugar if desired. (I prefer confectioner’s sugar as it makes it more of a traditional frosting consistency. Honey will make a slightly softer frosting.)
This makes enough for my Healthy Chocolate Cake or 10-12 cupcakes. (If you like a lot of frosting on your cupcakes, you may want to do 1.5 times the recipe!)
Will this icing keep its form at room temperature, like buttercream? Thanks for all your hard work!
Yes it does, though I wouldn’t keep it out for hours since it does have dairy in it.
Can I use this for the healthy chocolate cake recipe while using a 9 inch cake pan?Would it make enough?
Yes, it’s a nice amount for that recipe!
Thanks for the tip.
★★★★★
How much tablespoons of honey should I use?
Probably 2-3. Start with 2 and taste it and add more as you like.
Thank you it was a success!
★★★★★