Trust me, you NEED this espresso buttercream frosting in your life!
This espresso icing adds espresso powder to a classic Russian buttercream recipe for a rich, silky smooth frosting that’s not too sweet.
Russian buttercream frosting is not as sweet as an American buttercream because it uses a lot less powdered sugar.
The addition of sweetened condensed milk is what makes this a Russian buttercream, and the sweetened condensed milk perfectly complements the espresso flavor.
In fact, I secretly think of this frosting as an homage to the café bombón (a layered Cuban espresso drink with sweetened condensed milk).
If you’re looking for the perfect espresso icing for cupcakes (especially chocolate cupcakes … yum) then grab your ingredients and let’s get mixing!
Ingredients
The first step to making the most delicious espresso frosting of your life is to gather all your ingredients.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Instant espresso powder: Be sure to grab instant espresso powder so that it will dissolve properly. Ground coffee beans will not work the same! I know, I don’t love instant coffee either, but it will work for baking, I promise!
- Butter: Of course you can’t have espresso buttercream without butter, right? Make sure it’s at around room temperature before getting started.
- Powdered sugar: Gives structure and sweetness to the frosting.
- Sweetened condensed milk: Gives Russian buttercream its signature milky flavor. I recommend you grab a big squeeze bag to avoid waste, since this recipe uses a little less than a 14 oz can. Plus you can use any extra in your coffee 😉
- Vanilla: Technically optional: this adds extra vanilla flavor.
- Salt: A pinch of salt will not make your frosting taste salty. Instead, a tiny pinch of salt will help round out the flavors and prevent it from tasting too sweet.
This recipe has a few ingredients but it’s not too fussy. You can whip it up in 15-20 minutes, easy!
Note: I recommend instant espresso powder instead of prepared espresso because it will dissolve without impacting the final texture of the buttercream. If we introduced brewed coffee or espresso, the frosting would be much thinner.
How to Make
You can have the best coffee buttercream on your hands in minutes, but you still need to plan ahead.
The key to a good buttercream is emulsifying the butter, and to do that, the butter has to be the correct temperature.
Set out the butter an hour or two before starting to make the frosting. You want the butter to be between 65 and 75℉, not too much warmer.
This frosting was inspired by Sugarologie’s Russian Buttercream frosting, which I tweaked to make it espresso flavored. Check out their website for more details on the science behind this frosting!
Here’s an overview of the steps to make my perfect espresso buttercream icing.
- Get the temperature right:
- Bring all your ingredients to room temperature, especially the butter. Keep in mind, room temperature for butter means between 65 and 75℉. I'm in CA so my butter can get too warm if I leave it out for too long before starting.
- Set up your tools:
- If using a stand mixer, place the bowl in the mixer and attach the whisk attachment.
- If using a hand mixer, attach the beaters to the hand mixer and plug in. Set up your bowl nearby on a clear space on your counter.
- Whisk the butter until smooth and creamy
- Whisk in the powdered sugar, espresso powder, vanilla, and salt until fully combined, about 1 minute.
- Beat in the sweetened condensed milk a little bit at a time. Then continue to beat for another minute.
- Once fully mixed, turn the speed to low and mix for 1-2 minutes to smooth out the buttercream.
Then you’re ready to enjoy this sweet and milky coffee buttercream frosting.
How to Use
This frosting, like most buttercreams, is great for piping and frosting cakes and cupcakes!
I’ve used it to make intricately piped designs or some simple cupcake swirls.
Flavorwise, espresso goes great with anything chocolate! Some chocolate cupcakes with espresso frosting would be a crowd favorite.
In fact, if you just think about any flavor latte you would see at a coffee shop, that would probably make a decent cupcake to pair with espresso frosting!
Think caramel, pumpkin spice, caramel apple, honey, cinnamon, etc.
I also think espresso frosting would be really nice with a citrus cake like lemon or orange. I see espresso tonics in my neighborhood coffee shops all the time, where they pair iced espresso with tonic water and some lemon or orange flavor. Try it out!
Recipe
The Best Espresso Buttercream
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups butter unsalted
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- ¾ cup sweetened condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/16 teaspoon salt
- 4 teaspoons instant espresso powder
Instructions
- Make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature (between 65 and 75℉)
- Place the butter in the bowl of your stand mixer, with the whisk attachment. Beat on high for about 2 minutes, until the butter is very smooth and creamy.
- Stop the mixer, then add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, salt, and instant espresso powder. Set the mixer to low and mix slowly until the powdered sugar and espresso powder are fully incorporated. Then turn to high and beat for another 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Add the sweetened condensed milk in 2-3 batches. Stopping to beat on high for 30 seconds between every addition.
- After you’ve added all the sweetened condensed milk, beat on high for another minute. The frosting should be thick and creamy.
- Stop the mixer. If you have a paddle attachment, switch to that. Then turn the mixer to low and mix slowly for another minute to smooth out the cream.
Notes
- Make sure to use instant espresso powder so that it will dissolve properly. Regular coffee grounds or brewed coffee will not have the same results.
- Butter should be between 65 and 75 ℉ (around room temp or a little cooler)
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