All right, today we’re whipping up a gorgeously delicious, ribbony, rich chocolate cream cheese frosting that you’re going to want to eat with a spoon. (We’ve all been there, there’s no shame in it!) This glossy, gorgeous frosting glides over layers of cake and cupcakes and wraps ‘em up in a cocoa blanket. Can you say yum?? This chocolate frosting is amazing and you’ll never go back to another recipe once you try it!

Room temperature cream cheese and butter are the base of our frosting, which get creamed together until they’re nice and fluffy, then you beat in your powdered sugar and cocoa powder and salt. You’ll want to use unsweetened natural cocoa powder (Dutch process cocoa powder is a good choice too) for maximum richness and undiluted chocolate flavor, which is why this frosting knocks it out of the park every time! Also, pro tip: while it’s not essential, sifting your powdered sugar, cocoa powder and salt together before beating it into the butter and cream cheese will ensure you get the smoothest frosting around.

We sometimes skip this step if we’re pressed for time, but not having to deal with any tiny lumps is always a plus in our book…plus, it makes the frosting that much better, so it’s worth it! Once you get your dry ingredients into your butter and cream cheese, you’re going to add a hearty splash of vanilla extract, then pour in, bit by bit, some heavy cream until you’ve got the thickest, creamiest frosting you’ve ever made. Trust us, you’ll forget all about regular cream cheese frosting once you try this one!