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Home » Baking & Desserts » Icing » Coffee Buttercream

12 March 2017

Coffee Buttercream

40.6K shares

How to make perfect coffee buttercream icing. Ideal for cupcakes, macarons and layer cakes – especially coffee & walnut cake.

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A close up of a coffee cupcake topped with a swirl of coffee buttercream on a cooling rack with more cupcakes behind.

One of my all-time favourite cakes is coffee and walnut. If I spot it in the cake cabinet in a cafe it takes a serious amount of willpower not to sneak it onto my tray. In my opinion, the key to a great coffee and walnut cake is a really good coffee buttercream, so I’ve been busy in the kitchen getting mine just right.

Piping a swirl of coffee buttercream onto a coffee cupcake with more plain cupcakes in the background.To get the coffee flavour into my buttercream I prefer to use instant coffee rather than stuff made in a proper coffee machine. The simple reason for this is that it’s the easiest way to get a really intense flavour into your buttercream. You dissolve it in the minimum amount of water possible to get as much coffee in as you can without making your buttercream too runny.

A few other tips…

  1. Make sure you leave your butter out of the fridge to soften before attempting to make buttercream, otherwise it’ll be tricky to get it really smooth. I usually take mine out a couple of hours before I’m planning on using it.
  2. Make sure you let your coffee cool completely before adding it to the buttercream (otherwise it’ll melt the butter).
  3. Add the coffee very gradually and beat each addition in before adding more. This will help ensure that you get a nice smooth buttercream.
  4. Beat your buttercream on a low-medium speed. It’s tempting to turn the speed up high to get it made quicker but you’ll end up with lots of air bubbles. If you can, try and mix it by hand for a really smooth consistency.
  5. If your buttercream is still a little too thick once you’ve added all your coffee, add a little milk to get it to the right consistency.

Six coffee cupcakes topped with coffee buttercream on a wooden board with cake forks at the side.

What You’ll Need

Before you start, make sure you have all of the equipment needed.

NOTE – These are affiliate links which means that if you purchase from Amazon after clicking on one the product links below I may earn a small commission. All of the products linked are ones I use in my kitchen.

  • Weighing Scales
  • Measuring Spoons
  • Knife – to cut the butter
  • A small bowl or cup – to mix the coffee and water in
  • Electric Mixer (or a bowl and hand mixer or wooden spoon)
  • Sieve
  • Piping Bags – if you’re planning on piping the cupcakes
  • Piping Nozzle – To pipe the cupcakes as shown in the pictures and video you’ll need a JEM 1B nozzle.

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A close up of a coffee cupcake topped with a swirl of coffee buttercream on a cooling rack with more cupcakes behind.

Coffee Buttercream

How to make perfect coffee buttercream icing. Ideal for cupcakes, macarons and layer cakes – especially coffee & walnut cake. Recipe VIDEO below.
4.75 from 24 votes
Print Rate Save Go to Collections
Active Time: 5 minutes minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes minutes
Servings: 12 servings
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INGREDIENTS

Metric - US Cups/Ounces
  • 250 g softened butter
  • 500 g icing sugar
  • ¼ tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 tbsp instant coffee granules
  • 1½ tbsp boiling water

RECIPE VIDEO

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Mix the instant coffee granules (3 tbsp) with the boiling water (1½ tbsp) and then set aside to cool.
  • Cut the butter (250g) into cubes and then beat on a low-medium speed until soft. Gradually add the icing sugar (you add it gradually to stop it flying everywhere) and beat until fully combined.
  • Add the vanilla extract (¼tsp) and add the coffee a teaspoon at a time, beating in each addition before adding more.
  • Check the consistency of your buttercream. It should be soft and perfect for piping at this point. If it’s still a little stiff then beat in a little milk.
  • Decorate your cakes (or just eat if off the spoon because it’s yummy!).

NOTES

Take a look at my cupcake index for a selection of cakes to spread this buttercream on to. It goes particularly well with the coffee, vanilla and caramel cakes drizzled with a little caramel sauce.
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NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Calories: 316kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 44mg | Sodium: 150mg | Potassium: 49mg | Sugar: 40g | Vitamin A: 520IU | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 0.1mg

Any nutritional information provided is the estimated nutritional information per serving. Please refer to my guide to Charlotte’s Lively Kitchen nutritional information if you would like to learn more about how this is calculated.


A coffee cupcake topped with coffee buttercream with a cake fork at the side and more cupcakes in the background.

Free From/Suitable For…

  • Suitable for Vegetarians
  • Gluten-Free
  • Egg-Free
  • Nut-Free
  • Soya-Free

The ingredients for this recipe are commonly available free from all these allergens. However, please ensure you double-check allergen information for all ingredients.

Coffee cupcakes topped with coffee buttercream on a cooling rack.

How to make perfect coffee buttercream icing. Ideal for cupcakes, macarons and layer cakes - especially coffee & walnut cake.


 

40.6K shares

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Charlotte Mihailovich says

    November 05, 2024 at 1:43 pm

    5 stars
    Hi Charlotte
    Absolutely looove your coffee cupcake and coffee buttercream combo! Can I ask please on your buttercream nutritional info, is the calorie per cupcake with the buttercream? So the cupcake without is 215 and with its 316? Or 316 per portion of buttercream?
    Thanks so much 🙂
    Charlotte x

    Reply
  2. Edgar says

    August 29, 2024 at 4:24 pm

    5 stars
    I just did this and I have to say it’s great! It also works with vegan butter or shortening, and as a matter of fact, I like it better without the extreme buttery taste of the latter but rather a hint of it from a good vanilla like gourmet Watkins, which definitely surprised me with the flavor profile similar to our former dairy favorite.

    Reply
  3. Jill Ellis says

    April 17, 2024 at 5:34 pm

    Do you use all the coffee to make the frosting?

    Reply
    • Charlotte Oates says

      May 09, 2024 at 12:44 am

      I do yes although I suppose in theory you could keep tasting the buttercream as you add it to make sure it is the flavour you’re looking for – especially if you prefer a more mild coffee flavour.

  4. Joanne says

    April 06, 2024 at 6:24 pm

    5 stars
    Hi.
    I am making a wedding cake, he loves your coffee buttercream very much, if I layered my cake can I freeze it?

    Reply
    • Charlotte Oates says

      April 12, 2024 at 9:11 pm

      You can freeze it!

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4.75 from 24 votes

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