Sweet, Fluffy, Creamy Coffee Frosting Recipes

The perfect excuse to have cake for breakfast, my coffee frosting is great for topping cakes, cookies, cinnamon rolls, and more. You can tweak the recipe to create a sweet glaze or use it as a thick filling for a layer cake. Here’s the thing about my frosting recipes: They aren’t exactly recipes. Each one is a special little science experiment in texture, flavor, and “I don’t have enough of ingredient X, can I use more of Ingredient Y?” The latter is usually easily avoided by actually going shopping instead of looking in your fridge and wondering what you can whip together to top your cake with. 

I stumbled upon this recipe when I saw a video of a delicious chocolate cake with what I thought was coffee frosting. It was chocolate frosting, but that didn’t stop me from wanting a chocolate coffee cake. So, I used my favorite chocolate cake recipe and gathered my ingredients to make a coffee frosting. 

Instead of a singular recipe, I have a list of ingredients I have used and different variations of recipes you can use and tweak to fit your needs. When I am in the kitchen, it is difficult to get precise measurements. I am not a professional recipe developer. I am a true believer that some foods are best measured by the heart. For the sake of this blog post, I will try to be as specific as possible, but I truly encourage you to take any liberties you can and make these recipes your own!

Vital Ingredients
  • Water
  • Instant Coffee
  • Brown Sugar
  • Powdered Sugar 
  • Vanilla Extract or Vanilla Bean Paste
Recipe Specific Ingredients 
  • Heavy Whipping Cream
  • Coffee Creamer
  • Milk
  • Butter (salted or unsalted)
  • Meringue Powder

Coffee Syrup Base

This recipe I use for the base of all of my coffee frostings. It can also be blended and added to your favorite milk for a cup of coffee, or can be used as a soak for your cakes!

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup of Water
  • 3 tbsp of Brown Sugar 
  • 3 tbsp of Instant Coffee

Steps

  1. In a small saucepan pan bring your water to a boil on low heat. 
  2. Add in your instant coffee and stir until it dissolves. 
  3. After about one minute, add your brown sugar and stir. 
  4. Cook on low heat for about 10 minutes or until your syrup can lightly coat a spoon. 
  5. Remove from heat.

Coffee Glaze

Perfect for topping cinnamon rolls or a pound cake!

Ingredients

  • Coffee Syrup Base
  • 3 tbsp Milk, Heavy Cream, OR Coffee Creamer
    • The milk is an easy ingredient most have on hand
    • Heavy cream brings a richer, heavier texture
    • Coffee creamer adds a richer texture and more interesting flavor
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Steps

  1. Using a blender, whisk, or handheld mixer, blend your coffee syrup base on high until it is thick and frothy.
  2. Pour about 1 tbsp of this mixture into your dairy ingredient (milk, heavy cream, coffee creamer) and stir.
  3. Add your coffee mixture and vanilla into your powdered sugar and hand whisk until well combined.
    1. You can use a hand mixer here on low. 
    2. If you’re looking for a thicker texture, add more powdered sugar
    3. If you’re looking for a looser texture, add more milk/ heavy cream/ coffee creamer

Coffee Whipped Cream Frosting

Great for topping iced coffee, pancakes, and more!

Ingredients

  • Coffee Syrup Base 
  • 1 quart and 1 pint Heavy Whipping Cream 
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste
  • 6 cups Powdered sugar 
  • 2 tbsp Meringue Powder (optional)

Steps

  1. In a mixing bowl, add your heavy whipping cream.
    1. Whipping cream doubles in size when at peak whip. The more you add to your bowl, the more whipped cream you will have. I usually add about one quart and one pint if I’m frosting a cake. 
  2. Using either a stand mixer or hand mixer, whip your whipping cream to soft peaks.
    1. When you lift the mixing tool, your cream should be stiff enough to hold a shape but loose enough that it will slide off the whipping tool. You should do this at low to medium speed, but I typically use high speed with a close eye. 
  3. Add in your coffee syrup base.
    1. The more syrup you add, the stronger the flavor. I also like to add in a bit of vanilla for extra flavor at this step. Whip to incorporate. 
  4. If you’re looking for a fabulous coffee whipped cream to top a latte, pancakes, or just something a bit lighter than a frosting, you can stop at this step. If you’re looking for a heavier whipped cream for cakes or cupcakes, you can continue on to step five.
  5. Frosting Steps
    1. To make my whipped cream into whipped cream frosting, I typically use 4 cups of powdered sugar. Add in sugar slowly. You can 100% tweak this amount to your preferences or dietary needs. 
    2. To stabilize my coffee whipped cream, I prefer to use two tablespoons of meringue powder. Whisk to incorporate. 
  6. Whip until you reach stiff peaks. This is when your cream holds a defined shape and doesn’t fall off the whipping tool.

Coffee Buttercream Frosting

Great for frosting cakes and cupcakes!

Ingredients

  • Coffee Syrup Base
  • 3 tbsp Milk, Heavy Cream, OR Coffee Creamer
    • The milk is an easy ingredient most have on hand
    • Heavy cream brings a lighter, fluffier texture
    • Coffee creamer adds a richer texture and more interesting flavor
  • 2 Sticks Softened Butter 
  • 5 cups Powdered Sugar
  • 1 tbsp Vanilla Bean Paste

Steps

  1. Using a blender, whisk, or handheld mixer, blend your coffee syrup base on high until it is thick and frothy.
  2. Pour about 3 tbsp of this mixture into your dairy ingredient (milk, heavy cream, coffee creamer) and stir.
  3. In a stand mixer, whip your butter on medium speed until it becomes pale in color.
  4. Add in your powdered sugar slowly until well incorporated into the butter. You should now have a thick mixture. Scrap the sides with a rubber spatula.
  5. Pour in your coffee mixture slowly, then add your vanilla.
  6. Beat your buttercream until it reaches your desired texture. Scrape down sides as needed.
    1. The longer you beat your buttercream, the smoother it will become.
    2. If your buttercream is too soft, add more powdered sugar.
    3. If your buttercream is too tough, add more of the coffee mixture, or make more if needed. 
    4. To make your icing fluffier, add heavy whipping cream
      1. When crumb coating a cake, it’s best to use a tougher frosting.
      2. When frosting a cake or cupcakes, people tend to use a fluffier, smoother texture.
      3. Before adding your buttercream to your pastry bag, hand mix your buttercream to beat out the air pockets. This will help you to pipe smooth lines without any bubbles.

Whether you used the coffee syrup base to make your morning coffee, the coffee glaze to dip your donuts in, the whipped cream to top your breakfast waffles, or the buttercream to top your layered cake, I hope you find a way to make this recipe your own! Thank you for supporting my blog, and as always, Stay Alive and Be All Over!