Hershey’s Chocolate Frosting is an easy, foolproof, delicious, classic recipe for chocolate frosting. The recipe calls for just 5 simple ingredients, it takes only 5 minutes to prepare and it turns out the most perfect, creamy and chocolatey frosting to use for all of your cakes and cupcakes.
The History of Hershey’s Chocolate Frosting:
A version of Hershey’s Chocolate Frosting first appeared in a 1934 Hershey’s cookbook. It was called, “Busy Day Cocoa Icing.” The recipe shared here is from a more modern day Hershey’s Classic Recipes cookbook. The recipe has been changed slightly from the original, and it’s called, “Hershey’s Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Frosting.” It’s the recipe that you will find on the back of the tin of Hershey’s cocoa too. I know that my mother always used this recipe as her go-to frosting recipe for cakes, so we probably all grew up with this same recipe. And of course, it’s meant to frost the Hershey’s Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Cake.
Ingredients needed for making Hershey’s Chocolate Frosting:
- Butter: I always used salted butter. The salt will balance out the sweetness in the frosting. Don’t use margarine or any other alternative varieties of butter.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: Use Hershey’s! Since this is a recipe that originated from Hershey’s, it only seems right. Of course, if you have another brand then you can use that too!
- Powdered Sugar: Just make sure it’s not lumpy and old. If you’re worried about the lumps, you can always run it through a fine sieve or sift it.
- Milk: Use whole milk for the best results. Half and half or cream may be used, but they might change the consistency of the frosting a bit.
- Vanilla Extract: Use good quality vanilla extract (real, not imitation).
How to make Hershey’s Chocolate Frosting:
In a large bowl, stir together the melted butter and cocoa powder. Then you’re going use an electric mixer to beat in the powdered sugar a little at a time. Add a little powdered sugar; mix. Then add a little bit of milk; mix. And keep going until all of the powdered sugar and milk have been added. Mix in the vanilla. Beat just until the consistency is smooth and spreadable. The frosting will thicken a bit more upon standing because the recipe started with melted butter.
This recipe makes 2 cups of frosting, so you can frost a 9-inch layer cake, a 9×13-inch cake or about 16 cupcakes.
Tips for making this frosting:
- Opt for using an electric mixer to combine the ingredients rather than just stirring. The electric mixer will help bring it to the perfect, creamy consistency.
- Add 1 teaspoon of instant espresso powder to the recipe to enhance the chocolate flavor.
- If the frosting is too thin for your preference, mix in a little more powdered sugar. And if the frosting is too thick, mix in a little more milk.
Why is Hershey’s Chocolate Frosting the best chocolate frosting recipe ever?
Pre-made, store-bought frosting is fine for some recipes, but I think that once you taste this amazing, homemade chocolate frosting, you will always want to make it. It’s not overly sweet, and it’s so easy to work with. It has the perfect creamy texture. And the flavor is 100% spot-on for chocolate lovers. It’s an excellent recipe for frosting a yellow layer cake or yellow sheet cake too!
What I Love About This Recipe:
- You only need one bowl to make the recipe.
- It’s easy to spread on cakes, and it pipes on well for decorative frosting too.
- It’s an easy recipe to double if you want more frosting!
- Hershey’s Chocolate Frosting is delicious on all kinds of cakes: white cake, lemon cake and chocolate-raspberry cake too.
Hershey’s Chocolate Frosting
Ingredients
- ½ cup (1 stick) salted butter, melted
- ⅔ cup Hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- ⅓ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Into a medium bowl, pour in the melted butter and stir in the cocoa.
- Alternately add 1 cup of powdered sugar and a little of the milk, beating with an electric mixer until you've added all of the powdered sugar and milk, and beat to spreading consistency. Add small amount of additional milk, if needed. Stir in the vanilla.
Notes
- This frosting pipes well onto cupcakes or cake.
- The recipe makes 2 cups of frosting, so you can frost a 9-inch layer cake, a 9×13-inch cake or 16 cupcakes.
- This recipe can be easily doubled (or 1 1/2).
- Hershey’s chocolate frosting may be refrigerated in a sealed container for up to one week.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I make this frosting often and it is very good. Not good for piping unless you chill it well! Melted butter in icing does not make for good piping frosting-it will just melt.
this frosting’s good but believe me for health sake you won’t want all that sugar on it, I’ve made it several times but reducing sugar to between 1/2 cup up to maybe 1 cup, the final flavor’s semisweet but still tasty. I recommend you making it like that, I love it.
This looks so good and so easy to make. I think I’ll use it on my husband’s birthday cake! I would totally add the confetti sprinkles, but he would not appreciate that. 🙂