Easy Coffee Frosting Recipe | Rich Coffee Buttercream

Whip up this easy homemade coffee frosting recipe in minutes! Creamy coffee buttercream with bold flavor that is perfect for all your sweet treats.

This is a rich, creamy coffee buttercream with robust coffee flavor made using simple ingredients. This coffee frosting is ideal for cakes, cupcakes, cookies and more!

Easy Coffee Frosting Recipe | Rich Coffee Buttercream

This coffee frosting is a light, fluffy, café‑style buttercream with a pale mocha color and a smooth, whipped texture. The cinnamon adds warmth without overpowering, and the dissolved coffee gives the frosting depth and a subtle flavor that balances the sweetness of the confectioners’ sugar. This delicious frosting spreads easily, holds soft peaks, and pairs beautifully with chocolate, vanilla, spice cakes, or anything that benefits from a little coffee magic.

This easy-to-make, homemade coffee frosting recipe delivers rich, bold coffee flavor without any fuss, thanks to the use of instant coffee. Simply dissolve a couple of tablespoons of instant coffee in a bit of boiling water, let it cool, and beat it into softened butter and confectioners’ sugar for a silky, creamy coffee buttercream that is ready in no time. The result is a smooth, pipe-able frosting with rich coffee flavor that pairs perfectly with caramel or toffee flavors, brownies, spiced flavors, or carrot cake!

Coffee lovers will enjoy this creamy frosting. Homemade buttercream frosting is great for layer cakes, cupcakes, cookies, and brownies.

Whether you are frosting a layer cake or swirling it onto a dozen cupcakes, this homemade coffee frosting stays light, fluffy, and delicious every time.

What instant coffees should use use to make coffee frosting?

● Great overall instant coffee for homemade coffee frosting: Nescafé Gold or Mount Hagen. Both dissolve completely in hot water (then cool before adding to buttercream), deliver rich flavor without graininess, and avoid the watery dilution that comes from using brewed coffee from beans.
● Boldest coffee flavor: Choose Café Bustelo, Nabob, or an instant espresso powder style product. These are dark coffees. that will produce a strong coffee flavor
● Budget picks: Folgers or Maxwell House work in a pinch and are easy to find.

Remember to always dissolve the instant coffee fully in the boiling water first, then cool the coffee completely before beating into your frosting. This ensures smooth texture and maximum flavor intensity. The type of instant coffee granules you choose to use are a personal preference, but they will impact the take of this coffee-flavored frosting.

How much frosting do you need?

This recipe makes about 2-2.5 cups of frosting. So, how much do you need for your purposes? Do you need to double the recipe?

Generally speaking for cakes:

● 6″, 2 layers = 3 cups
● 8″, 2 layers = 4.5 cups
● 9″, 2 layers = 5 cups
● 9×13″ Cake, 1 layer = 2 cups

Cupcakes:

● 12 cupcakes = 1.5 cups
● 24 cupcakes = 3 cups

If you have a heavy hand with apply frosting (I do!) or are piping your frosting on, add ½ – 1 cup for those decorations. Unless you are only frosting 12 chocolate cupcakes or a 9″x13″ yellow cake in the pan, you are going to want to double this recipe.

Tips and variations for making this easy coffee frosting recipe:

● Be sure the coffee mixture is completely cooled before using. If it still hot, it could melt your butter and make the frosting runny.
● You can use espresso powder in place of the instant coffee
● For my UK and Australian friends: confectioners’ sugar is icing sugar (powdered sugar, 10x).
● In the US 8 tablespoons of butter = 1 stick, and 1 stick of butter = ½ a cup.
● Butter in Baking: Essential Tips for Perfect Baked Goods
● Swap out coffee extract for the vanilla extract for more intensity.
● How to make vanilla extract
● For a Mocha version, add a teaspoon of cocoa powder into the confectioners’ sugar before blending into the butter.
● Store this frosting in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two (2) days. The flavor of the coffee will deepen after a day. If you need to store it longer you can place in the fridge for up to five (5) more days. If you chill it, bring it to room temperature before decorating with it.
● This frosting freezes beautifully for up to two (2) months in an airtight container. Thaw at room temperature when you are ready to use.
● This coffee buttercream recipe is made with simple ingredients found at your local grocery store.

Other buttercream recipes you might enjoy:

● Strawberry Buttercream Frosting Recipe
● Chocolate Buttercream Frosting Recipe
● How to color buttercream frosting.

Some favorite desserts you will want to use this delicious coffee buttercream recipe on:

● Perfect Chocolate Cake Recipe
● Perfect Chocolate Cupcake Recipe
● Devil’s Food Cupcakes Recipe
● Carrot Cake Cupcakes Recipe

Easy Coffee Frosting Recipe Ingredients:

● 2 Tablespoons Instant Coffee
● 2 Tablespoons boiling Water
● 1 cup unsalted Butter, softened
● 3½ cups Confectioners’ Sugar
● 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
● ½ teaspoon Salt
● 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Easy Coffee Frosting Mise en Place:

● Small Mixing Bowl
● Whisk, Fork, or Spoon
● Stand-up Mixer (paddle attachment, whisk attachment, large bowl, etc.) or Electric Hand Mixer (electric mixer)
● Rubber Spatula
● Measuring Cup
● Measuring Spoons

Easy Coffee Frosting Recipe Directions:

1. In a small mixing bowl, stir the instant coffee and boiling water until the coffee dissolves. Set the bowl aside to cool completely.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the whisk attachment, beat the softened butter on high speed for a minute or two until smooth.

3. Add the confectioners’ sugar, ground cinnamon, and salt to the butter, and continue beating until mixed through. (Start your mixer on low speed, then as the confectioners’ sugar begins to blend, slowly increase the speed until you get to high speed.)

4. Add the vanilla extract and cooled coffee to the frosting mixture and continue beating on high speed until smooth.

5. This coffee frosting can be spread or piped to decorate your sweets.

6. Store this frosting in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two (2) days. The flavor of the coffee will deepen after a day. If you need to store it longer you can place in the fridge for up to five (5) more days. If you chill it, bring it to room temperature before decorating with it.

Yield: 2 cups

Easy Coffee Frosting Recipe | Rich Coffee Buttercream

5.0 Stars (2 Reviews)

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Easy Coffee Frosting Recipe | Rich Coffee Buttercream. This is a rich, creamy coffee buttercream with robust coffee flavor made using simple ingredients. This coffee frosting is ideal for cakes, cupcakes, cookies, and more!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Additional Time 5 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons Instant Coffee
• 2 Tablespoons boiling Water
• 1 cup unsalted Butter, softened
• 3½ cups Confectioners' Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Instructions

1. In a small mixing bowl, stir the instant coffee and boiling water until the coffee dissolves. Set the bowl aside to cool completely.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the whisk attachment, beat the softened butter on high speed for a minute or two until smooth.
3. Add the confectioners' sugar, ground cinnamon, and salt to the butter, and continue beating until mixed through. (Start your mixer on low speed, then as the confectioners' sugar begins to blend, slowly increase the speed until you get to high speed.)
4. Add the vanilla extract and cooled coffee to the frosting mixture and continue beating on high speed until smooth.
5. This coffee frosting can be spread or piped to decorate your sweets.
6. Store this frosting in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two (2) days. The flavor of the coffee will deepen after a day. If you need to store it longer you can place in the fridge for up to five (5) more days. If you chill it, bring it to room temperature before decorating with it.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 435Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 11gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 45mgSodium: 94mgCarbohydrates: 73gFiber: 0gSugar: 73gProtein: 0g

Note: for exact nutritional information, consult your dietitian. All nutritional information provided is simply a guideline.

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