Calling all coffee lovers. This rich and creamy Coffee Buttercream Frosting is the perfect addition to all your cakes and confections. Just 4 ingredients and ready in 5 minutes!
Do you love the flavor of coffee? How about the heavenly smell of the freshly brewed coffee? It is AH-MAZ-ING – I can’t get enough.
This Buttercream Frosting made with intense coffee flavor is every coffee-lovers dream. The ideas of what to add it to are endless.
You see, almost all of us in this house are coffee lovers. But my oldest daughter, she is probably the most coffee obsessed. So each and every year she asks for a coffee flavored cake for her birthday.
Each time I plan it out I add more and more coffee flavor. I think the first year I just added coffee to the cake batter itself. Slowly increasing the flavors until this year we did this cake here.
I not only added the coffee emulsion to the chocolate cake (using my German chocolate cake as the base) but then added this delicious coffee buttercream frosting to really give her what she was craving.
coffee buttercream
Here are some commonly asked questions
How much frosting does this make?
This is enough to fill, crumb coat, and frost & decorate a 3-layer, 8″ round cake. Increase the recipe by 1/2 if you like your frosting thicker than what you see here or wish to pipe on more decoration.
Can I use a sugar substitute?
I have not personally tried it, so I can’t say how that would turn out. But if you would like to try it, I suggest a product that offers a 1:1 swap. I have heard that there are substitutes available now for confectioner’s sugar so please let me know how it turns out.
Can this frosting be made ahead of time?
You bet! Often when I am working on a cake, it happens in batches. I will bake the layers on one day and make the frosting while they are baking.
Then the layers go in the freezer and the frosting gets refrigerated for up to 1-3 days before I even get around to decorating the cake.
Sometimes I also like to half assemble – getting to the crumb coat and then I freeze again until I am ready to add the final layer of frosting the day I plan on serving it.
espresso buttercream
How can I make this frosting even more creamy?
To make this ultra-creamy – beat each step for 5 full minutes before adding more ingredients. This isn’t necessary but enhances the texture.
Can I use instant coffee?
Yes, absolutely, that will work just fine. Just be sure that it has cooled to room temperature or colder before you use it. You don’t want the coffee so warm that it melts the butter or the sugar.
espresso buttercream frosting
HOW DO YOU MAKE Coffee Buttercream Frosting?
- Place the butter in a large mixer bowl and beat on high speed for several minutes until light and fluffy.
- Sift in half of the confectioner’s sugar and beat again, starting slowly until incorporated and then increase to high until well-whipped.
- Add the remaining confectioner’s sugar along with the cold coffee, and the milk and mix slowly until just incorporated. Then increase the speed and beat well until whipped and creamy.
- Spread or pipe onto your baked treats – cake, cupcakes, etc.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
How do I properly measure the confectioner’s sugar?
The official way is to spoon the sugar into the measuring cup & level off. This makes sure the sugar isn’t packed tightly into your measuring cup, adding more than you need, as that will make your recipe too dry.
Sometimes if you fluff the sugar with a spoon, then gently scoop it into the measuring cup, taking care to not pack it in – that can work. But for THIS RECIPE – fluffing and lightly scooping will work just fine.
espresso frosting
To make Coffee Buttercream Frosting you will need…
- butter
- confectioner’s sugar
- strong brewed coffee OR espresso, OR coffee emulsion
- milk
Should I use salted or unsalted butter?
This is really a personal preference. If you are happy with just a little salt to cut the sweetness, then use salted butter.
I usually use whatever I have on hand & I really don’t pay too close attention to what butter I have. But I typically keep salted butter on hand & I love that little bit of extra salt with the sweet in this recipe.
These days with groceries being more difficult to find – I basically get whatever the store has available at the time and make it work.
coffee frosting
What is the best way to store leftover buttercream frosting?
Just keep it refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 7 days. As long as you don’t let it sit out at room temperature for too long, this should keep well when chilled.
You can also freeze it for up to 3 months. Just make sure to thaw in the refrigerator for 24 hours prior to using again.
This recipe calls for a stand mixer. Can I also make this recipe by hand?
Yes. This recipe can easily be made with a hand mixer. However, keep in mind that this method will influence the overall time commitment. I don’t recommend trying to make this without any type of mixer.
coffee icing
Can this recipe be doubled?
Yes – this recipe can be doubled well. I usually pull out the pro mixer when I need to make a large cake or want to decorate more as this makes just enough for what you see here.
Try these other great frosting recipes too
Can I use vanilla extract instead of coffee emulsion?
You can, but then it will be vanilla buttercream frosting instead of coffee buttercream. Still delicious though. You can also add a bit of vanilla in addition to the coffee if you like.
buttercream coffee frosting
Products I love when making coffee buttercream frosting…
This caffeinated frosting recipe is SUPER EASY and delicious – and if you’re like me, then you probably already have some of these items on hand OR maybe you have never made homemade frosting before, & you might be a bit nervous – but you’re going to love it. I have made a list below of the things I absolutely can’t live without when it comes to making and using this frosting recipe.
- confectioner’s sugar
- strong brewed coffee OR espresso, OR coffee emulsion
- mixer
- hand mixer
- mixing bowl
- piping bag
- piping tips
- offset spatula
- rubber scraper
- decorative scrapers
- cardboard rounds
If you love this Easy Coffee Frosting recipe, you’re going to love these other cake and frosting ideas too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!
coffee frosting recipe
coffee buttercream recipe
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Coffee Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
- 1½ cups butter – room temperature
- 5-6 cups confectioner’s sugar
- 3 tbsp strong brewed coffee OR espresso, OR coffee emulsion – room temperature or cold
- 3 tbsp milk
Instructions
- Place the butter in a large mixer bowl and beat on high speed for several minutes until light and fluffy.
- Sift in half of the confectioner’s sugar and beat again, starting slowly until incorporated and then increase to high until well-whipped.
- Add the remaining confectioner’s sugar along with the cold coffee, and the milk and mix slowly until just incorporated. Then increase the speed and beat well until whipped and creamy.
- Spread or pipe onto your baked treats – cake, cupcakes, etc.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate. Please double-check with your own dietary calculator for the best accuracy. We at Yummi Haus cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
