If you enjoy the taste of a fresh morning cup of coffee, wait until you try this coffee buttercream frosting! Made with a creamy vanilla buttercream base and fragrant espresso powder, this delicious coffee buttercream recipe will make your favorite desserts taste just like an iced latte!
Jump to:
- 🌟 Why this is the best Coffee Buttercream Frosting recipe
- 📝 Ingredient notes
- 👩🍳 How to make Coffee Buttercream Frosting
- 🍰 How Much Coffee Buttercream Do I Need to Make For A Coffee Cake?
- ❄️ Storage and Freezing
- 🔍 Troubleshooting
- 🎓 Expert tips
- 🥣 Equipment Notes
- ❓Recipe FAQs
- 🧁 More Frostings
- Coffee Buttercream Frosting
🌟 Why this is the best Coffee Buttercream Frosting recipe
- It is very easy to make - This is a real simple coffee frosting that requires less than ten easy steps and just 10 minutes of your time.
- No fancy ingredients required - This old-fashioned coffee icing requires just six ingredients, most of which are pantry staples you may already have at home!
- It is absolutely delicious - I use the highest-quality ingredients and best ratios to create the perfect balance of sweetness and coffee flavor. Just one taste will have you thinking you are sipping on a latte from your favorite coffee shop!
- It is versatile - You can use this coffee buttercream with espresso to enhance many of your favorite desserts. Use it with my chocolate cake layers to make a delicious chocolate coffee buttercream cake. You can use it to frost my coffee cookies for extra coffee flavor or as a frosting for chocolate cupcakes!
📝 Ingredient notes
Butter - Butter is responsible for the creamy texture and rich flavor, so you need a high-quality, high-fat butter. I use European-style butter with an 82% fat content. Always use unsalted butter so you do not change the salt levels in the recipe. It is also crucial that the butter is at room temperature.
Powdered sugar - Powdered sugar adds sweetness to the buttercream, thickens it, and helps give it structure. Always sift the sugar first to prevent lumps in the mixture.
Espresso Powder - Also known as instant espresso, espresso powder gives the buttercream its coffee flavor. The powdered sugar helps balance the intense coffee flavor of the dark-roasted instant coffee granules. If you do not have espresso powder, you can use one of these espresso powder substitutes.
Heavy cream - Heavy cream provides a creamy, fluffy texture. High-quality cream with at least 36% fat content is essential for the best results. If you need to make coffee buttercream frosting without heavy cream, you can try one of these heavy cream substitutes.
Vanilla extract - Vanilla extract is used in the base buttercream to add flavor and goes great with the coffee flavor. Always use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor.
Salt - Salt is an essential ingredient that helps balance out the sweetness.
🛒 You’ll find detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post.
👩🍳 How to make Coffee Buttercream Frosting
- Before starting, bring the butter to room temperature. It must be soft enough to cream with the sugar and neither too hot nor cold. For more tips, see my guide on how to soften butter quickly.
- While waiting for the butter to soften, prepare your stand mixer with the paddle attachment.
- With the mixer set to medium-high speed, cream the softened butter for approximately three minutes until it becomes light in color and fluffy in texture.
- Switch the mixer to low speed and slowly add in the powdered sugar one tablespoon at a time. Then, turn the mixer back to medium-high speed and whip for another four minutes until the mixture increases in volume and has a light and fluffy consistency.
- Mix the espresso powder with the heavy cream in a separate bowl until fully dissolved.
- Next, add the espresso powder mixture, vanilla extract, and salt into the mixing bowl. Continue whipping for another minute until the buttercream becomes smooth and silky.
- If the coffee buttercream frosting is too thick for piping, add one tablespoon of heavy cream at a time to thin it. If it is too thin, add one tablespoon of powdered sugar at a time to thicken it.
- Use immediately while the ingredients are freshly mixed and the butter is still at the ideal temperature.
💡 Top Tip: Use immediately while the ingredients are freshly mixed and the butter is still at the ideal temperature.
🍰 How Much Coffee Buttercream Do I Need to Make For A Coffee Cake?
You can generously frost 12 cupcakes with this recipe. If you want to make a coffee cake, you will need approximately 2x the amount for a 6-inch cake, 2.5x more for a 7-inch cake, or 3x more for an 8-inch cake.
The amount can also vary depending on the complexity of the cake and your personal preference for frosting vs. cake.
❄️ Storage and Freezing
I recommend using buttercream immediately after making it for the best flavor and texture. However, if you want to make it in advance or have leftovers, you can store it in a piping bag or airtight container at room temperature for a few hours or in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Once refrigerated, bring it back to room temperature before using it. To increase the volume, use a mixer to whip the cream for another minute or two.
You can freeze the coffee American buttercream frosting in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. Bringing it back to room temperature overnight is best, then whipping it in the stand mixer for a minute or two, increasing the frosting volume.
🔍 Troubleshooting
My buttercream is too grainy - If the butter is not soft enough to dissolve the sugar entirely, the buttercream will become grainy. To fix it, re-whip it with the paddle attachment or add one tablespoon of heavy cream and mix until smooth.
My buttercream is too runny - If the butter is too warm or overwhipped, it can result in a runny buttercream. To fix it, add one tablespoon of sifted powdered sugar at a time to thicken it, or chill it in the refrigerator to stiffen it.
My buttercream is splitting - The buttercream may separate if the butter is too cold. To fix it, add warmth to the bowl's exterior (e.g. using a hair dryer), then mix until smooth.
🎓 Expert tips
- Remove the butter from the refrigerator an hour earlier to soften and prevent a lumpy, grainy texture. You can also try one of these tips for softening butter quickly.
- Stop overwhipping the butter as soon as it becomes light and fluffy, or it can deflate and become runny.
- Always mix the powdered sugar at low speed to prevent a huge sugar cloud!
- Use a paddle attachment on the stand mixer to avoid any unnecessary air bubbles from forming in the cream.
- Once finished, mix the buttercream by hand with a rubber spatula for a few minutes to get a super silky texture.
🥣 Equipment Notes
Always use a digital scale to get the most accurate and consistent measurements.
The easiest way to make buttercream is with a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. However, you can also use an electric hand mixer.
❓Recipe FAQs
Some recipes use freshly brewed coffee to make buttercream. The key is to ensure that the coffee has cooled to room temperature so that it can blend with the other ingredients properly. I prefer powder, as it prevents a runny buttercream. You might want to reduce the cream in the recipe if using a liquid version.
You should be able to dip a rubber spatula into it and get stiff peaks that hold their shape. It should also come out of the piping bag effortlessly without much pressure.
You can use high-fat vegan butter and heavy cream instead. However, the taste will slightly differ from that of dairy products.
🧁 More Frostings
Have you tried this recipe?
Please leave a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on the recipe card and consider leaving a comment as well! I would love to hear about how your dessert turned out and your feedback also helps other Readers!
Coffee Buttercream Frosting
Equipment
Ingredients
Coffee Buttercream Frosting
- 226 g (1 cups) Unsalted butter 82% fat content European-style butter, use it softened
- 240 g (2 cups) Powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon Espresso powder
- 3 tablespoons Heavy cream 36% fat content
- ½ tablespoon Vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
US customary cup measurement is an indicative figure only. Measure the ingredients with a digital scale by weight (gram). Baking is art but also science which requires precision and accuracy.
Instructions
- Buttercream can be prepared with softened butter, so first, bring your butter to room temperature. In the meantime, prepare a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Alternatively, use your electric hand mixer.
- Cream the room-temperature butter at medium-high speed for 3 minutes until it becomes light in color and fluffy in texture.
- Add in the powdered sugar tablespoon by tablespoon on low speed, then turn the mixer back on medium-high speed and whip it for another 4 minutes or until the mixture becomes light, fluffy, and increases in volume.
- Mix the espresso powder with the heavy cream until fully dissolved.
- Then, add the espresso powder cream mixture, vanilla extract, and salt into the mixer and continue whipping for another minute until the buttercream is smooth and silky.
- This coffee frosting should have the perfect pipeable fluffy texture, but if, for some reason, it is too thick, add some more cream (1 tablespoon at a time). If the frosting is too thin, add more powdered sugar (1 tablespoons at a time).
- Note that the coffee buttercream texture is best straight after making it when the butter is at the right temperature (room temperature), and the mixture is freshly whipped. I like to use the frosting immediately or store it at room temperature in a piping bag for a few hours. If stored in the refrigerator, you will need to bring it back to room temperature before using it and might need to give it another minute or two to whip in the stand mixer to increase the volume again.
Notes
- Measure your ingredients with a digital scale for accuracy.
- Use high-fat (36%) heavy cream and good quality high-fat (82%) butter for making buttercream.
- Alternatively, the recipe can be made with high-fat vegan butter and vegan cream, however, the taste will be different vs using dairy products.
- It is key to use high-quality vanilla for the best flavor, feel free to try my homemade vanilla extract.
- Espresso powder, also known as instant espresso, comes from darkly roasted espresso beans that undergo a process of grinding, brewing, drying, and a subsequent fine grinding process. This creates a concentrated powder that easily dissolves in liquid. Alternatively, use one of these espresso powder substitutes.
- Make sure you read my Expert tips section above to maximize your success. A short recipe alone is not able to cover all the necessary details, and science behind baking.
- The temperature and texture of the butter are key when making buttercream. Wait until it is soft, however, avoid last-minute microwaving.
- When adding the powdered sugar, reduce the speed of the mixer to avoid creating a huge powder sugar cloud.
- I recommend the paddle attachment to avoid unnecessary air bubbles. To get your buttercream fully silky, without air bubbles, mix the cream at the end by hand with a rubber spatula for a few minutes.
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