6-Ingredient Coffee Buttercream
Today’s coffee frosting was highly requested (note: keep the recipe requests coming, I keep a running list and love being able to deliver something that’s been specifically asked for!). With subtly bitter undertones and bright coffee flavor, it’s the perfect combo of sweet and bitter and a lovely complement to just about any baked good. It pairs well with so many different flavors of cake, cupcakes, and more (you can even spread it over cinnamon rolls–yum!).
Why you’ll love this coffee buttercream:
Easy to make with simple ingredients (only 6!). Distinct coffee flavor from a quick homemade coffee concentrate. Not too sweet, which is a common complaint with buttercreams. Pipes well and looks so pretty on cupcakes! Versatile! I include instructions in the recipe card to transform this recipe into a mocha frosting (which I honestly prefer, because coffee and chocolate together is one of my favorite combos).
I can think of so many uses for this coffee frosting, from filling chocolate macarons and whoopie pies to topping donuts and even brownies! I have a feeling you are really going to love it 💜
What You Need
As I mentioned in yesterday’s Oreo frosting, I’m a flag-waving fan of fuss-free buttercreams that are simple in terms of ingredients yet complex in the flavor department. Today’s recipe fits the mold nicely, with just 6 basic ingredients:
Instant coffee. You might have some of this lying around if you’ve made my devil’s food cake, double chocolate chip cookies, or cheesecake brownies. We’ll be mixing this with a small amount of water to create a coffee concentrate. Make sure you let this mixture cool completely before adding it your buttercream (hint: pop it in your fridge to speed up the process)! Butter. Grab some unsalted butter and let it sit at room temperature until it is fully softened (but not melty) before getting started. If you’d prefer to use salted butter, you can just skip the additional salt in the recipe. Salt. Just a pinch balances the sugar and brings out the flavor of this coffee buttercream. Vanilla extract. A splash of vanilla extract goes SO well with the coffee flavor; it smooths everything out. Powdered sugar. I was very careful to make sure this coffee buttercream wasn’t too sweet! As a result, it’s a bit of a softer texture (totally pipeable and stable, though!). You can make it sturdier by adding more sugar if you’d like, just note it’ll be a bit sweeter.
SAM’S TIP: Want to make mocha frosting? Add a bit of cocoa powder! I included notes for making a mocha version of this coffee buttercream in the recipe below. It has a subtle chocolate flavor (and is honestly my favorite version of this recipe!). As usual, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Coffee Frosting
SAM’S TIP: If you plan to use this coffee buttercream for an 8 or 9″ layer cake, you may want to consider increasing the recipe by 50%, since this recipe will make just enough frosting for that size cake. I’d especially recommend this if you plan to decorate your cake with some extra swirls on top. Easy breezy. I can’t wait to hear how you like this one, and don’t hesitate to send more recipe requests my way! Enjoy! Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
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