This coffee buttercream is like your morning cup of coffee but in frosting form! This American buttercream frosting is flavored with instant espresso powder, giving you a rich coffee flavor. This frosting is perfect for coffee lovers (which is me, hi!)
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This espresso buttercream frosting is the perfect match for my coffee cupcakes! But I also love pairing it up with chocolate fudge cupcakes, or how about small batch vanilla cupcakes to make a vanilla latte cupcake?
This coffee buttercream frosting is a simple American buttercream that I've flavored with instant espresso powder. Instant espresso powder is something I love using in baking. It's a bit different than instant coffee as it's way more concentrated.
I usually use it in chocolate recipes when I want to enhance the chocolate flavor, but I knew when testing this recipe that instant espresso powder would really give me that strong coffee flavor I was looking for.
Ingredients Needed
- Espresso Powder: You want to use instant espresso powder, and not granules. This is going to give you so much rich coffee flavor!
- Confectioners' Sugar: also known as icing sugar or powdered sugar, this is going to sweeten and thicken the frosting.
- Vanilla Extract: Even though this is coffee flavored, I like adding a dash of vanilla extract.
- Heavy Cream: Adding some heavy cream is going to help make this frosting spreadable and creamy, giving you a silky smooth coffee buttercream.
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1: In a large bowl with a hand mixer, or in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter with the confectioners' sugar on low speed until it is combined. Then increase the speed to medium-high speed, and beat until very thick.
Step 2: Stop the mixer and add the instant espresso powder, vanilla extract and salt. Beat again on high speed for a couple of minutes. Then slowly pour in the heavy cream and beat until the frosting is spreadable and creamy.
My Top Frosting Tips!
Don't use up all of the heavy cream, just start slowly pouring it in and stop once it reaches the desired consistency.
Make sure you're using room temperature butter here. If the butter is too cold it'll be difficult to mix with the powdered sugar.
If you've added too much heavy cream and it becomes liquidy, you can add more confectioners' sugar (a ¼ cup at a time) until it has thickened up.
Start by mixing the butter and icing sugar together on your lowest speed until combined, this helps the icing sugar not go everywhere!
This recipe makes enough frosting to frost 12 cupcakes or a two layer 8-inch cake.
Recipes to Use With This Coffee Buttercream!
- To frost butter sugar cookies, Crumbl cooking style!
- Frosting a vanilla layer cake or mini vanilla cupcakes.
- Frost chocolate fudge cupcakes or a triple chocolate layer cake.
- Top salted caramel filled cupcakes with it to make a salted caramel latte cupcake!
- I added pumpkin spice to this frosting for my pumpkin spice latte cake!
Try these frostings and fillings next!
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Thank you!
Ella
Recipe
Coffee Buttercream
Ingredients
Espresso Buttercream
- 2 sticks (226 grams) unsalted butter room temperature
- 3 cups (339 grams) confectioners' sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 teaspoons instant espresso powder
- ¼ cup (60 ml) heavy cream
Instructions
Coffee Buttercream
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the butter and confectioners' sugar together on low speed until well combined.2 sticks (226 grams) unsalted butter, 3 cups (339 grams) confectioners' sugar
- Increase the speed to medium-high and beat for 2 minutes until it becomes very thick.
- Stop the mixer and add the salt, vanilla, and espresso powder into the bowl. Beat on medium-high speed for another 2 minutes.1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, 3 teaspoons instant espresso powder
- Turn the mixer to your lowest speed and pour in the heavy cream. Beat until it becomes very creamy and spreadable. Frost your cooled cupcakes!¼ cup (60 ml) heavy cream
Save This Recipe! 💌
I'll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
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