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!
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. It really is like a cup of coffee in frosting form!
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Why you'll love this coffee buttercream!
- Simple Frosting: You only need six simple ingredients!
- Easy to Make: It's a simple frosting recipe and comes together really quickly, it's way more simple than something like a Swiss meringue buttercream (like the chocolate frosting from my chocolate and strawberry filled cake).
- Versatile: I've paired this with a coffee cupcake, but it also is perfect with chocolate cake or vanilla cake.
Ingredients Needed
- Butter: I always use unsalted butter in my recipes to control the level of salt in the frosting. I also always use European style butter which is much creamier.
- 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 thick up 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.
Expert Tips & Tricks
- 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!
Frequently Asked Questions
This espresso buttercream recipe makes enough to frost 12 cupcakes or frost a two layer 8 inch cake. You can double the recipe to frost 24 cupcakes or a three layer cake!
Yes, if you're making this frosting in advance I recommend placing it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
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!
Have you made this recipe? Please rate the recipe below! Don't forget to follow me on Instagram @alpineella and Pinterest!
Recipe
Coffee Buttercream
Ingredients
Espresso Buttercream
- 2 sticks unsalted butter room temperature
- 3 cups confectioners' sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 teaspoons espresso powder
- ¼ cup 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 unsalted butter, 3 cups 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 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 heavy cream
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