Chocolate Chip Red Velvet Buttercream

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: red velvet buttercream

Prep Time: 20

Total Time: 20

Servings: servings

Calories: 259kcal

Author: Kara @I Scream for Buttercream

This red velvet buttercream frosting is made with cream cheese and added mini chocolate chips. This recipe makes a beautiful bright red icing and is perfect on vanilla or chocolate cupcakes for Valentine's day or any day you want!

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US Customary - Metric

Ingredients

1 ½ cups butter (3 sticks) (softened)
1 8oz block cream cheese (softened)
2 tablespoon cocoa powder
6 cups powdered sugar (may use up to 7 cups)
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon milk (or cream)
1 ½ teaspoon red velvet emulsion (optional) (if needed, can use vanilla extract instead)
2 teaspoon red gel food coloring (may use up to 3 tsp)
¾ cup mini chocolate chips

Instructions

If you are using a stand mixer, use the beater (paddle) attachment on your mixer. (If you don't have a beater attachment or a stand mixer, it's okay. Just use the whisk attachment, or the attachments that came with your handheld mixer.)
Make sure your butter and cream cheese are softened. They should be a little cooler than room temperature. (The cream cheese can be a little colder than the butter.) Don't microwave them though.
Add the butter and cream cheese to a bowl and beat very well on medium to medium/high speed until creamy.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat again until well mixed.
Add in the cocoa powder and mix well. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again.
Add in three cups of confectioner’s sugar plus the salt and one tablespoon of milk or cream. Beat on low until incorporated and then medium until well mixed.
Add the last three cups of confectioner’s sugar and mix on medium until well incorporated.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again.
Add the optional red velvet flavoring and mix on medium high until well mixed. (If you don't have red velvet flavoring, or do not want to use it, just use a teaspoon of vanilla extract instead.)
Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again.)
Add in two teaspoons of the red gel food coloring and mix on medium to medium/high until well mixed. Add more food coloring if needed and scrape down the sides of the bowl, then mix again. Do this until you reach the desired color.
Now, check the consistency. If it’s too thick, add another tablespoon of milk and mix again on medium. If it's too thin, add in another cup of confectioners sugar. Adjust the coloring if needed.
Fold in the mini chocolate chips.
Spread or pipe onto cupcakes. (If you want to pipe onto cupcakes, pop the buttercream into the fridge for it to firm up a bit and use a large opening piping tip like an 8B.)

Video

Notes

Notes:

This buttercream needs to be kept in the refrigerator as it contains cream cheese. It can be kept chilled in the refrigerator for about a week and frozen for several weeks.

This recipe makes enough buttercream to cover a two layer, 8 inch cake or approximately 24 cupcakes.

Tips:

The red velvet extract is optional, but it really kicks up the flavor.

You definitely want to use gel food coloring and not the liquid kind from the grocery store. It takes too much of the liquid food coloring to get a deep red and will add too much liquid to your buttercream. Americolor gel food coloring works very well and will give you a pretty red tone. Wilton also makes a 'no taste' red food coloring. It has a slight more orange look to it.

You don't have to add in the mini chips, but I think it adds a nice taste and texture to the buttercream. If you're piping this on cupcakes or a cake though, either forego the chocolate chips or just use a very large open piping tip. I used a Wilton 8B tip and it worked fine. If you use a smaller icing tip, the chocolate chips can get clogged when you're piping.

This is a bright red buttercream, so understand that when you eat it, your mouth will be red and your hands as well.

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Nutrition