Look no further for the perfect keto chocolate buttercream frosting. This is the best recipe for all your low carb cakes, cupcakes, cookies, and brownies!
There is something you should know about me. I am a total faker and I am okay with that. I have accepted my fakery with aplomb and you should too. Because sometimes faking it gets you exactly where you want to be. Now of course I am not talking about pretending I went to Harvard or saying that I am a close cousin to Queen Elizabeth. (As far as I know, I am exactly 30 millionth in line for the throne…pretty much all of England and Canada would have to die before I was your royal highness). But I do fake it till I make it when it comes to low carb cooking and baking, and that’s what I did with this low carb chocolate buttercream frosting. And although I know some naysayer will inevitably come along and say it’s not a true buttercream, I say don’t be a hater. And don’t bother to give me a hard time about it, you will not ruffle my feathers. I know what I am about.
We get kind of used to faking it in this low carb diet of ours. We have to, if we want to enjoy some of the same foods we used to love. So zucchini and cucumber and eggplant become noodles, cauliflower becomes potatoes and rice, and pork rinds become rice crisps (I got a hater comment on my low carb Scotcheroos which I thought was absolutely hilarious!). Faking it comes naturally to me now, and I think as long as I can achieve my ultimate goal, which is the best taste and consistency in one of my keto recipes, I don’t care what I have to do. It’s all about the food, people!
Perfect Low Carb Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
And so the secret to perfect low carb buttercream frosting is…cream cheese. Gasp! No really, this is something I’ve known for a while now and I am passing this secret bit of low carb wizardry on to you.
Why does cream cheese help so much in a low carb frosting? Because it gives the frosting structure without having to use copious amounts of powdered sweetener. Think about it…a traditional buttercream frosting takes ridiculous amounts of powdered sugar. Take this gorgeous vanilla buttercream from Sally’s Baking Addiction, for example. It’s perfect but it also takes 4 to 5 cups of sugar, just to be able to be a proper spreadable and pipe-able consistency. While I could do something similar with powdered Swerve, I just don’t want to. Here’s why:
1. My tastes have changed and I find frosting, even low carb frosting, much too sweet.
2. Low carb sweeteners are expensive! Who wants to pay $25 just to make enough frosting for one cake?
So a few ounces of properly softened cream cheese will give your low carb chocolate frosting a smooth consistency…unlike a some of the lumpy, clumpy frostings you see on many low carb cakes! Ugh!
Now, don’t try to tell me this is a low carb cream cheese frosting. It’s not and nothing you say can convince me otherwise. I love cream cheese frosting but it has a significant tanginess from the cream cheese and this keto chocolate buttercream does not. All that the few ounces of cream cheese do is give it some structure so you don’t have to keep adding powdered sweetener. Instead, you simply get the best low carb chocolate buttercream around. Rich, smooth, chocolate-y, all without spending a small fortune on sweetener.
So the only question is…what are you going to put it on? How about my Classic Low Carb Chocolate Cupcakes? They are a match made in heaven!
Low Carb Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Serving Size | |
| Amount Per Serving | As Served |
| Calories 161 Calories from fat 136 | |
| % Daily Value | |
| Total Fat 15.17g | 23% |
| Carbohydrate 2.46g | 1% |
| Dietary Fiber 1.12g | 4% |
| Protein 1.56g | |
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs:
| Calories | 2000 | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Fat | Less than | 65g |
| Sat Fat | Less than | 25g |
| Cholesterol | Less than | 300mg |
| Sodium | Less than | 2,400mg |
| Total Carbohydrate | 300g | |
| Dietary Fiber | 25g | |
Look no further for the perfect keto chocolate buttercream frosting. This is the best recipe for all your low carb cakes, cupcakes, cookies, and brownies!
Ingredients
- 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2/3 cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup heavy cream, room temperature (give or take a few tablespoons)
Instructions
- In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine the chocolate and coconut oil. Melt in 30 second increments, stirring in between until smooth. Alternatively, you can melt the chocolate and coconut oil together in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Set aside to cool to lukewarm.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Beat in the powdered sweetener and the cocoa powder until well combined.
- Add the chocolate and vanilla extract and beat until smooth. The mixture will be very thick at this point.
- Add the cream a few tablespoons at a time until a spreadable consistency is achieved. (How much cream you need depends on the other ingredients...certain brands of cream cheese and cocoa powder have more fillers and fiber, which thicken the frosting and require more cream).
Recipe Notes
This makes enough frosting for 12 cupcakes or a single layer cake. You may need to do 1.5 to 2x the recipe for larger cakes.
What? Someone is hating om my favorite Sotcheroos? That’s crazy talk. I have made them every week since you posted them. A big piece is my reward for making it to the end of the day. Oh yeah, this frosting looks delis too!!
Does this freeze well? The recipes are large enough that for one person I need to be able to freeze them.
Yup, I have frozen this…I had too much leftover one time and so I froze it. Then I defrosted it and used it for cookies.
I absolutely love reading and using the recipes from your posts!! Keep up the great work for all of us. So appreciated!!
Thanks, Brenda!
In a word…brilliant. OK, one more word…delicious! Keep ’em coming!
Do I actually need to put it on something, besides a spoon? I remember eating half a jar of frosting and seems to me this would take me back to that yumminess 😉
I won’t tell if you won’t!
Hey, it’s technically a fat bomb so it could totally fit into your macros!
I was just thinkng about that, it sounds delicious a a dessert with a little buttercreamcookie or just like it is.
This sounds delicious, can I use adavodo oil instead of coconut oil?
Thanks for all your incredible recipes .
Hi, Carolyn. I’m curious if you have experimented at all with using polydextrose as an ingredient? I was looking at a recipe for keto frozen yogurt (from another cookbook), and it called for it. I think it affects texture? I wonder how it would do in frostings like this? If you have a moment, I’d appreciate any thoughts. Thank you!
Hold Up. You have a recipe for Scotcharoos?!! How’d I MISS that? So finding that recipe and making them. ASAP. They were my absolute fave before going lc.
Will make them. that is, as soon as I make this delicious-looking buttercream frosting to go with your chocolate cupcakes. Brother-in-law’s birthday tomorrow, so — perfect timing! (I always make the fam lc treats from your site and no one EVER knows the difference.) I’m a faker, too. =))
So glad to hear it! Yep, the scotcheroos are a huge hit!
This looks like an amazing solution to my usual LC buttercream dilemma– love frosting, but the LC versions are often too sweet, and very expensive to make.
Since I am a chocolate hater (yes, I know *sigh*) I may experiment with 2 ounces of cocoa butter, since the chocolate seems integral to the structure and texture.
It actually works. I have a white chocolate buttercream recipe…use the search box for my white chocolate cranberry cake and you will find it!