How to make perfect coffee buttercream icing. Ideal for cupcakes, macarons and layer cakes – especially coffee & walnut cake.
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.
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.
- 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.
- Make sure you let your coffee cool completely before adding it to the buttercream (otherwise it’ll melt the butter).
- Add the coffee very gradually and beat each addition in before adding more. This will help ensure that you get a nice smooth buttercream.
- 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.
- 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.
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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Coffee Buttercream
INGREDIENTS
- 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
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
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.
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.
Diane says
So Delicious! I dumped all the icing sugar in at once and stirred a bit by hand with a spoon until it wasn’t so dusty then fired up the beater again. Worked a treat. Makes a huge lot, so next time it’s half mix for me! Cheers for posting this recipe!
Rosie says
Finally, a recipe you don’t need to tweak. Lovely sponge and buttercream. Thank you Charlotte. I’be a frequent visitor, no question.
Teresa says
Made coffee buttercream for the first time about 3 weeks and it split and was awful. So when my sister asked for a coffee and walnut cake yesterday I was panicking lol. Found your recipe it was so easy, creamy and delicious. I didn’t put all of the icing sugar in just because I’m diabetic so I always cut the sugar by at least a third but it was still delicious – my new go to recipe thanks for sharing xx
Tom says
Made this to go with my daughter’s birthday cake. Delicious.
Marjorie says
Thanks for this easy and yummy recipe,,,perfect
Hilly says
Excellent instructions, tasted great.
Karina says
butter- salted or unsalted? Thanks!
Charlotte Oates says
I use unsalted.
Natalie says
Can you freeze this to use at a later date?
Charlotte Oates says
I haven’t tried freezing it so I’m not 100% sure – sorry.
Pari says
Loved this recipe. I didn’t change anything except for I did not need to use all of the coffee. Thanks for the super simple yummmm recipe
Sophie says
I really loved this recipe! Coffee buttercream is such a dream on layer cakes and macarons, I’ll definitely be using this recipe again and again. Note: I reduced the 500g (4 cups) of icing sugar down to 3 to 3 1/2 cups just because I prefer a less sweeter buttercream. I also did not add in all the coffee.
Sian Ward says
Does it matter whether you used coffee granules or coffee powder?
Charlotte Oates says
Either is fine
Stevie says
The icing is for more like 20 than12
Charlotte Oates says
What style did you use for the buttercream on the cupcakes? I find that if they are piped as shown in the pictures then it is the right amount for 12 (with a small amount left in the bag to ensure that last cupcake can be piped neatly). However, this swirly style uses quite a lot of buttercream and if you were to use a different style then you would use less.
Did you enjoy that flavour of the buttercream?
Jenny magill says
Whenever i make this my icing always splits..yet i follow the recipe ..help please x
Charlotte Oates says
It sounds as though you may be adding the coffee too quickly. You need to add no more than 1 tsp at a time and ensure each addition is thoroughly combined before adding more.
TropicLuv says
Hands-down this is the best coffee buttercream I’ve ever had in my life ! Are used to between three layers of a homemade Hersheys chocolate fiesta cake that has tons of coffee in it . It was an absolutely heavenly combination ! THANX!
Elaine says
Just made this to go on a coffee and walnut cake, texture and flavour is lovely. I doubled up and still worked well, will definitely use this recipe again. Thank you x
Chloe Edges says
I’m back to this recipe for the 6th or 7th time. I’m using it to make myself a coffee birthday cake. I’m making extra because I know how much I’m just going to eat with a spoon. Its my birthday and I’ll eat excessive sugar and butter if I want to!!!
Rose says
Hey can it be made in advance and frozen?
Charlotte Oates says
It can be frozen, but I find that the texture goes a little stiff and fudgy if I do and will not pipe well.
Ava Rose says
Can u use espresso instead of coffee granules?
Charlotte Oates says
You can, but it won’t have the same intense coffee flavour.
Rose Goodey says
What is Icing Sugar??
Charlotte Oates says
It depends what country you’re in.
In the UK – This is icing sugar.
If you’re in the US then it’s called powdered sugar.
If you’re in a different country, then let me know which one and I’ll look up the equivalent name for you.
Cheri says
Been making this for 50 years. We always put it on spice cake. Wonderful!
Twila says
Amazing coffee flavour and super easy! Definitely a new family favourite!