Coffee Frosting for People Who Don’t Like Frosting, Or The Frosting That Convinced My Husband to Marry Me
Even if you don’t like coffee, hear me out about this buttercream frosting recipe. You wouldn’t know it’s made with coffee if I didn’t tell you.
It’s true. I have had many people taste it, swoon, and ask what it’s made of. When I say “coffee,” they make a face and tell me they don’t like coffee. But they do like this recipe.
It is hands-down the frosting I make for every occasion. It’s rich and sweet and soft and fluffy but holds its shape perfectly when piped. It’s a recipe handed down in my family, used to frost a specific kind of cake called a Sunshine Cake (Sunshine Cake is made with a dozen eggs and is NOT my a favorite — but its killer frosting makes up for the eggy cake taste).
And it’s not hyperbole: I made this frosting to top a pan of brownies early into dating #DoneWithFun Daddy, and he was so taken with them, I’m pretty sure he basically decided to marry me on the spot. Think about that next time you are trying to decide which frosting to go with!
(Of course, he didn’t propose until a year later … but I digress.)
Yes, over the years, I’ve completely abandoned the Sunshine Cake from my repertoire but I’ve held fast to this buttercream recipe. It’s great on chocolate cake. It’s great on vanilla cake. It’s great on brownies. It’s great on a graham cracker or off of a spoon straight into your mouth.
And it’s the perfect topper for my Coffee & Donuts cupcakes I made this weekend for my father-in-law’s birthday — I’ll be sharing that recipe here later this week.
Cafe Au Lait Buttercream Frosting: The Coffee Frosting for People Who Don’t Like Coffee
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
- 1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp cold-brew or cooled brewed coffee
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 3.5 cups powdered (confectioners) sugar
Instructions:
1. In a large bowl or stand mixer outfitted with paddle attachment, cream together butter, coffee, and vanilla extract.
2. Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time. I find 3.5 cups of powdered sugar to be the perfect balance of sweet and fluffy, but if you are looking for a slightly heavier, stiffer frosting, increase to 4 full cups of powdered sugar.
3. Frost dessert of choice. Makes enough for a double-layer cake or 24 piped cupcakes (with leftovers for graham crackers, most likely).
4. Frosting leftovers will keep, refrigerated, for two weeks. Cover top in plastic wrap and bring to room temperature before using. (You made need to re-whip it for best results.)
5. Desserts can be but do not need to be refrigerated after frosting. Frosting texture and consistency is best at room temperature, so if refrigerating, remove from fridge about 20 minutes before serving.
I hope you love my family’s favorite frosting recipe as much as I do. For other family favorites, check out my perfect cream cheese pound cake, decadent chocolate chip brownie torte, or white chocolate buttercream frosting — these are all tried-and-true family recipes that used to be “secret” … until I started blogging.
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