Whisky Buttercream – Smooth sweet buttercream with a delicious kick of Whiskey.
I now have a new favourite flavour of buttercream – Whiskey buttercream. It truly is absolutely delicious.
I hadn’t originally planned on making a Whiskey buttercream. I had the idea in my head to create a new alcoholic buttercream flavour (as you all seem to like my Baileys and Brandy versions). Given the popularity at the moment of both gin and rum, these were the obvious choices for my new flavour, but seeing as I was recipe testing, I raided my drinks cupboard and tested a few others too.
Sadly the gin and rum buttercreams didn’t work out as I’d have liked. Despite adding A LOT of alcohol to both, the gin and rum got a bit lost in the sweetness of the buttercream, I needed something with a more powerful flavour. Enter Whiskey.
I’m not really a huge fan of Whiskey as a drink, I find it a bit too bitter on its own – I’m definitely more of a Baileys girl. However, it tastes simply amazing as a buttercream as the powerful flavour of the Whiskey goes perfectly with the sweetness of the buttercream. That buttercream is then perfect on some coffee cupcakes to make a kind of Irish coffee cake like the ones in these pictures. It also tastes great with vanilla, chocolate or caramel cake too.
If you really like the sound of gin and rum buttercream, fear not, I’ll keep working on them and I’ll share the recipe as soon as it’s ready.
Whiskey Buttercream, Whisky Buttercream or Bourbon Buttercream?
I was in two minds whether to go for Whiskey or Whisky when I named this recipe. In the end, I deferred to the knowledge of my Insta followers and did a poll in my stories. Whiskey with an e was the clear winner.
In reality, it doesn’t matter which you buy; the recipe works equally as well with any. You can also use Bourbon if you prefer. However, there was no way I could call it Bourbon Buttercream as if I saw that written down I’d always assume it was flavoured with the classic British chocolate biscuit (which while I’m thinking about it, would make a brilliant flavour – I’ll have to add it to my to-make list).
Other recipes for Whiskey lovers
If you’re a lover of all things whiskey-filled then why not try some of these other delicious recipes:
- Whisky Truffles from Tin & Thyme
- Whisky Fudge from Only Crumbs Remain
- Orange Bundt Cake with Salted Caramel Whisky Drizzle from Recipes from a Pantry
- Scottish Oaty Cranachan with Strawberries from Tinned Tomatoes
- Yorkshire Barm Brack from Farmersgirl Kitchen
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Whisky Buttercream
INGREDIENTS
- 175 g butter - soft at room temperature
- 350 g icing sugar
- 60 ml whiskey - choose your favourite as the flavour will come through in the buttercream
INSTRUCTIONS
- Beat the butter (175g) on a low speed until it's soft.
- Add the icing sugar (350g) and beat it into the butter on a low speed until it is combined. I like to add the sugar a little at a time as it's easier to mix into the butter.
- Add the whisky (60ml) no more than 1 tsp at a time and beat it into the buttercream mixture (again on a low speed). If you find that you've accidentally added your Whiskey a little too fast and your buttercream has gone a little grainy, don't worry, there's an extra tip below the recipe for rescuing it.
- Once all of your whisky has been added, your buttercream is now ready to use.
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
The ingredients I used to make this recipe are all free from the following allergens. However, please check any labels carefully for allergens you need to avoid as brands can vary, and product recipes can change over time.
- Suitable for Vegetarians
- Gluten-Free
- Egg-Free
- Tree Nut-Free
- Peanut-Free
- Sesame-Free
- Soya-Free
- Sulphur Dioxide & Sulphite-Free
- Lupin-Free
Some brands of Whiskey can contain allergens due to their particular manufacturing process so please check your chosen brand carefully.
Tip – How to rescue your buttercream if it starts to go grainy
In order to create a Whiskey buttercream that’s packed full of flavour, you have to add a decent amount of Whiskey. Unfortunately, butter isn’t a big fan of liquid so if you’re not careful your buttercream can start to split as you add more.
The solution to this is very simple – to add the Whiskey very slowly (no more than a teaspoon at a time). By adding the Whiskey slowly, you can make sure each addition is completely beaten in before adding more, and you’ll find the buttercream can incorporate a surprising amount of liquid.
- Firstly, if you haven’t added all of the Whiskey, stop adding more, fix the buttercream and then finish adding it.
- Then simply give it a quick blitz with a hand blender, and you’ll find it should come together again.
- You can then finish adding any more Whiskey needed (still only a small amount at a time).
Alina says
I would like this with whiskey. But would like it more as a glaze( something I can drizzle). Will this work
Charlotte Oates says
You would be better off making a thick water icing with icing sugar and the whiskey to create a glaze.
Debbie says
Can I use jagermeister instead of whiskey
Charlotte Oates says
I don’t see why not. However, I have found that the flavour of some types of alcohol can get overpowered by the buttercream, I haven’t tested this one so I don’t know how flavoursome it would be.
Kristal says
What whiskey did you use
Charlotte Oates says
I can’t remember which one it was – sorry.
Elizabeth Mercado says
What can I do if the buttercream starts to separate a bit??
Charlotte Oates says
Do you have a hand blender? If you do, then give it a blitz with that and it should start to come back together. In future, you may need to add the Whiskey more slowly to stop it happening.
Lynn says
Very smooth and creamy buttercream frosting with a nice whiskey flavor. The better the whiskey, the better the flavor!
Susan says
Chocolate Screwball buttercream! Im attempting it now…
Jen says
I’m totally going to make a whiskey frosting for my dad’s birthday cake that I’m going to make … thank you for sharing this recipe with us! I do have a request though – can you plz break down the measurements into cups & spoons instead of grams & such? I would very much appreciate it.
Charlotte Oates says
Click the button above the ingredients that says “Us Cups/Ounces” and it gives you the conversion.
JackieBonass says
This sounds amazing, but what’s the tip to rescue the buttercream? I think something may have gotten typed over accidentally in that section as the tip isn’t mentioned?
“However, you may have a moment where you accidentally add a little more than intended in one go, and your buttercream starts to look a bit grainy. If this happens, don’t panic as you can easily fix it.
Firstly, if you haven’t added all of the Whiskey, stop adding more, fix the buttercream and then finish adding it.
Then simply give it a quick blitz with a hand blender, and you’ll find it should come together again.
You can then finish adding any more Whiskey needed (still only a small amount at a time).”
Charlotte Oates says
The tip is to give the buttercream a blitz with a hand blender. The speed of the blades helps to bring everything g back together. I can’t guarantee it’ll work but it has always helped save mine if I’ve got a little too heavy handed when adding liquid to buttercream.
Chloe says
How about Bourbon Bourbon Buttercream? I’m in!
Charlotte Oates says
Hmmmm, now there’s an idea!