Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

This chocolate buttercream will absolutely be my new go-to for chocolate icing!  Yu.mmy.  Easy.  So good.  This was a Pinterest success from addapinch.com.  I let a friend have a piece of cake with this new go-to recipe.  Her response:  "I could have eaten a bowl full of just that frosting!"  

- 1 1/2 cups butter, 3 sticks, softened

- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa

- 5 cups confectioner's sugar

- 1/2 cup milk

- 2 tsp vanilla extract

- 1/2 tsp espresso powder (remember coffee brings out the flavor of chocolate without adding a coffee flavor, but I felt like if you just didn't want to add this you could probably get away with it)

Add cocoa to large bowl. Whisk to remove any lumps.  Add butter.  Cream together butter and cocoa until well-combined.

Add sugar and milk to cocoa mixture by adding 1 cup of sugar followed by about a tablespoon of milk.  After each addition has been combined, turn mixture onto a high speed for about a minute.  Repeat until all sugar and milk has been added.

Add vanilla and espresso powder and combine well.  (Admittedly, I added these after the third cup of sugar, thinking it would be nice to have it fully incorporated once I was reaching desired consistency.  Either way should be fine!)

If frosting appears too dry, add milk about one tablespoon at a time until it reaches desired consistency.  If it appears too wet and does not hold its form, add sugar one tablespoon at a time until it reaches desired consistency.

After tasting this, I am looking for another reason to bake a cake!  Not that I need new reason to bake a cake; I just need the right ingredients!