Coffee Buttercream Frosting Recipe

Name: Coffee Buttercream Frosting
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (see notes for using salted butter); 3-4 cups powdered sugar; 1 tablespoons instant coffee or espresso powder; 1 tablespoon boiling water; ⅛ tsp salt (omit if using salted butter); 2 tbsp milk or heavy whipping cream (up to ¼ cup if desired)

This easy coffee buttercream frosting tastes just like coffee ice cream and uses only 5 ingredients, and can be made in less than 15 minutes!

If you've never made coffee buttercream before, you're seriously missing out! It's such a simple and unique frosting. It's an American buttercream frosting, so it only has a few ingredients and is super easy. Plus, it tastes just like coffee ice cream!

It's a delicious frosting for Macarons (they’re what I use in these Coffee Macarons) Devil’s Food Cake, Yellow Cupcakes, Cakesicles, Cut-Out Sugar Cookies and basically any dessert that needs frosting!

Why you'll love it:

Easy: This recipe has just 5 ingredients and takes less than 15 minutes to make!
Versatile: While this recipe is for an American buttercream, check out the variations section to find out how you can use the same method to make coffee Swiss Meringue buttercream, coffee Ermine frosting, even make coffee flavored canned frosting!
Delicious: The rich coffee flavor combined with the buttery sweet frosting, makes this taste just like coffee ice cream!

Ingredients

Instant Coffee: You can also use finely ground espresso powder
Unsalted Butter: you can sub salted butter in place of the unsalted butter, just omit the added salt or reduce to just a pinch

HOW TO MAKE coffee buttercream

Step 1: Mix Instant Coffee and Hot Water

mixing instant coffee and water for frosting.

Make Coffee Mixture: Heat up your water and stir into your instant coffee. And don't worry - if you taste the coffee mixture by itself it can taste a bitter, strong, and well, not good. But I promise once you mix it into the frosting it is so delicious!

Step 2: Cream Butter and Sugar

Mix Butter: Using a hand-held mixer with a large bowl, or a standing mixer with either a whisk or beater attachment (both are fine) cream the butter for 3-5 minutes.It should go from darker yellow to a pale yellow.

Add Sugar: Add the powder sugar and continue mixer another 3-5 minutes. Mixing for so long really helps keep the frosting light and fluffy.

Step 3: Add Coffee, Salt, and Milk or Cream

Add remaining Ingredients: Add the coffee, salt, and milk or cream and mix until fully combined. I recommend adding the milk or cream 1 tbsp at a time until you get your desired consistency.

That's it! Add to your favorite desserts and enjoy!

TIPS and tricks

Make sure your butter is at room temperature. You want it pretty soft so it will incorporate all the sugar.
You want to mix the butter for a few minutes before adding the sugar. Mixing the butter until it is very pale makes for a really light and fluffy frosting.
If your powdered sugar is very stiff or hard, you might need to put it through a sifter so there are no lumps in your buttercream. I don't normally need to do this but it is something to be aware of if your powdered sugar is old and has visible lumps that don't break up when you press them.
You can add less sugar (as little as 1.5 to 2 cups), just know it will be less stable for sitting out or piping.

Flavor and Frosting Variations

While this recipe is for a coffee version of American buttercream, you can mix the coffee/water mixture into any type of buttercream frosting to create a delicious coffee flavored frosting.

It will work with ermine frosting, Swiss Meringue buttercream, sweetened condensed milk frosting, really any type of buttercream to create a delicious coffee frosting. You can even whip up store bought or canned frosting and add in the coffee mixture for canned coffee frosting.

You can also add it to chocolate buttercream frosting or chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream for a mocha frosting!

FROSTING CAKES AND CUPCAKES

This coffee buttercream recipe makes 2.5-3 cups frosting. This is enough to cover about 18-24 cupcakes (depending on how much frosting you use) or a 9×13 inch cake.

Frosted cakes and cupcakes can sit out up to a day, provide it’s not too warm out and there is nothing else in them that would need to be refrigerated.

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

Can I use regular or real coffee?

Part of what makes this recipe so simple is using the espresso powder or instant coffee to get a concentrated coffee flavor. But, if you want to use regular coffee, you can!

I recommend making ¼ cup of very strong coffee and then boiling it down in a pot on the stove until it is about ½ the amount, or about 2 tablespoons. Let it cool and then add it to the frosting as you would the instant coffee mix.

Can I make this less sweet?

American buttercream frostings are naturally very sweet frostings. But, you can always add less sugar!
I recommend starting with two cups of confectioners sugar. Just know that adding less sugar makes the frosting less stable for piping and sitting out. You can also try adding an extra pinch of salt to help cut the sweetness.
And, if you're looking for less sweet frostings, try Swiss Meringue buttercream! It is a little more complicated than American buttercream, but it is much less sweet and has a silky smooth texture. Just add in the coffee mix to the prepared Swiss Meringue buttercream frosting, for a coffee Swiss frosting that is much less sweet.

Does this frosting crust?

Yes, as an American buttercream this will form a slight crust as a sits out.

Can the frosting and/or frosted cakes sit out?

Yes, the frosting and frosted cakes and cupcakes can sit out for a day or so, provided there is nothing else perishable in the filling such as whipped cream or fruit, and that it's not too warm out.

Can you freeze this frosting?

Yes, buttercream frosting is very freezer friendly. Check out the section on storing and making ahead for details on freezing.

Storing Coffee frosting

Like most buttercream frostings, this recipe keeps in the fridge and freezer very well. It can last up to a week in the fridge and 2-3 months in the freezer.

Make sure it is very tightly covered in an airtight container in the fridge and in a freezer bag for the freezer so the butter does not take on flavors from your fridge or freezer.

When you're ready to use, let defrost in the fridge. Then, remove the frosting from the fridge and let it soften. Some people simply stir the frosting and then use it, but I like to remix it with a mixer so it gets really light and fluffy again.

Looking for more unique frosting recipes? Check these out!

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