Calling all coffee lovers! This Coffee Buttercream is whipped to perfection, starting with a stabilized meringue base of egg whites and sugar. Instant espresso powder is incorporated in this velvety smooth and rich coffee frosting for that bold coffee flavor that is pure magic on cakes, cupcakes, or straight off the spoon!
I really love Swiss meringue buttercream because it has less sugar but is still super stable, thanks to the meringue base. It does take a little more effort than American buttercream, but I think it is well worth it. If you’re looking for something simpler, though, I have a not-too-sweet American buttercream frosting recipe that you can easily upgrade with instant espresso powder for a quicker coffee buttercream option.
Table of Contents
✨ Recipe highlights
- TASTE: bold coffee flavor with a balanced sweetness.
- TEXTURE: smooth and silky, light and fluffy, yet rich and creamy!
- EASE: more advanced than American style buttercream but totally doable with my detailed instructions, step-by-step photos and all the tips to help you succeed.
- WHY YOU’LL LOVE IT: hands down the best coffee buttercream out there thanks to its intense coffee flavor, balanced sweetness, and perfectly smooth texture. Guaranteed!
Ingredients you’ll need
The photo above shows everything you’ll need to make this coffee buttercream. As always, the complete list of ingredients with quantities is in the recipe card. But here are some notes on the key ingredients.
- Egg whites – temperature of the egg whites doesn’t matter so much as you will heat it up anyways. While it is typically not recommended to use pasturized egg whites for meringue, I’ve tested my OG Swiss meringue buttercream with both fresh and pasturized (carton) egg whites many times and never had any issues with either. So feel free to use carton egg whites if that’s all you have.
- Vinegar – you’ll need an acid to help stabilize the meringue. Vinegar, lemon juice or cream of tartar will all do the job. Without one of these acids, meringue can collapse easily.
- Instant espresso powder – I used Medaglia D’oro espresso instant coffee, which I usually find at my local grocery store, but any brand will work. Look for instant espresso, espresso powder, or instant espresso powder. Instant coffee will impart a milder flavor, so if that’s all you can find, you may want to increase the amount in the recipe.
Let’s make coffee buttercream frosting
In this section, I will walk you through how to make this recipe and share with you tips to help you make it successfully. But you can always skip straight to the recipe card!
Heat the egg whites and sugar
Gently heat your egg whites and sugar in a heatproof glass bowl over a pot of simmering water (a bain-marie). Stir constantly until the sugar dissolves and the mixture reaches 160°F, ensuring it’s safe to consume without accidentally cooking the egg whites.
Tip: If you don’t have a thermometer to check the temperature in this step, just heat the egg white mixture until the sugar fully dissolves. Rub a bit between your fingers—if you still feel sugar granules, keep heating.
Make the meringue
When your egg mixture is ready, dry the bottom of the glass bowl and transfer the egg white mixture to your stand mixer or a clean mixing bowl. Beat on medium speed, slowly streaming in the vinegar, until the meringue is smooth, shiny, and holds stiff peaks.
Slowly add your butter
When the meringue is ready and cool so it won’t melt the butter, start adding the butter, go slow! Add one cube at a time, letting it fully mix in before adding the next.
Blend in the coffee
Finally, add the instant espresso powder, a splash of vanilla extract to enhance the overall flavor, and a pinch of salt to balance the sweetness. Beat on medium-high speed until your coffee buttercream is light and fluffy.
Tip: You can adjust the amount of espresso powder in this step to make the coffee flavor as strong or mild as you like.
Potential issues you may run into
- Meringue doesn’t whip up – Meringue can be a bit of a challenge since just a spec of oil, butter or egg yolk can ruin it. So, make sure all of your equipment, tools, utensils are clean, dry and grease-free.
- Buttercream breaks or curdles – during or after you add all your butter to the meringue, the mixture may curdle. This is totally okay, you need to keep beating to emulsify the butter. I promise your buttercream will come together!
- Buttercream is gritty – if your buttercream is gritty, the sugar may not have fully dissolved during the heating step. Try warming it gently using the double boiler method to help dissolve any remaining sugar crystals. Let it cool again, then re-whip. If it’s still grainy, you may need to start over.
- Buttercream is runny or too soft – your butter may be too soft, or the meringue may be too warm when you start adding butter. Try placing your buttercream in the fridge for 15-30 minutes to firm it up, then beat it again.
- Buttercream just tastes like butter – if your buttercream tastes just like butter, it’s likely that you haven’t beaten it enough. The air whipped into the buttercream is what makes it light and fluffy, so be sure to beat it long enough to achieve that texture.
Storing and make-ahead tips
You can store this coffee buttercream at room temperature for up to 24 hours. For longer storage when making ahead, keep your buttercream in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, or freeze it for 2-3 months. When you’re ready to use it, let the buttercream come to room temperature and re-whip until fluffy.
Thawing tips: You can either thaw overnight in the fridge or thaw at room temperature for a few hours. Either way, you’ll need to let it come to room temperature before you can re-whip it.
Pairing suggestions for coffee frosting
- I pair it with my favorite chocolate cake recipe to make this amazing mocha cake. You will need to double the recipe to make enough frosting for a 2-layer 8” cake.
- Swap out the chocolate ganache frosting on these chocolate ganache cupcakes to make them into mocha cupcakes.
- Add it on top of my go-to brownie recipe for mocha brownies.
- Make mocha sandwich cookies with these rich and chocolaty brownie cookies.
- Or jazz up these vanilla cupcakes with the bold flavor of coffee.
📖 Recipe card
Coffee buttercream frosting recipe
Equipment
- Thermometer
Ingredients
- 4 oz egg white (115 g, a smidge less than 4 large egg whites)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar (135 g)
- ¾ teaspoon distilled vinegar or lemon juice (4 g)
- 10 oz unsalted butter (room temperature, cubed or cut into thin pats, 283 g)
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoon instant espresso powder (10 g)
- A pinch of kosher salt
Instructions
- Add egg white and sugar to a heatproof glass bowl and place it over a pot of boiling water without allowing the bottom of the bowl to touch the water, reduce heat to keep the water simmering and not boiling over. Whisk the mixture constantly until all the sugar dissolves and the mixture reaches 160°F.4 oz egg white, ¾ cup granulated sugar
- Carefully remove the bowl from the pot and wipe the bottom and side dry. Transfer the egg white mixture into your stand mixer bowl and beat with the whisk attachment on medium speed. Stream in the vinegar or lemon juice, and continue beating until stiff peak forms and the meringue is shiny and smooth.¾ teaspoon distilled vinegar or lemon juice
- Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly add the room temperature cubed butter, one cube at a time, allowing it to incorporate into the meringue before adding another.10 oz unsalted butter
- Once all the butter has been incorporated, add vanilla extract, instant espresso powder, and a pinch of salt, beat on medium-high speed until buttercream is light and fluffy.½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 2 tablespoon instant espresso powder, A pinch of kosher salt
Notes
- This recipe yields about 3 cups of espresso Swiss meringue buttercream, enough for 15-18 cupcakes or a 6” cake. For a full size 8” layer cake, you’ll need about 5 cups, so 1.5x or double the recipe.
- Ensure all your equipment, tools, and utensils are clean, dry, and free of grease to help the meringue whip properly.
- To avoid gritty buttercream, make sure the sugar is completely dissolved in the egg whites while heating.
- When adding the butter, your buttercream may appear separated or curdled—just keep beating, it will come together.
- To avoid runny buttercream, ensure the butter is soft but not melted, and the meringue has cooled before adding the butter.
- Don’t hesitate to beat your buttercream enough to incorporate plenty of air for a light, fluffy texture. Under-beating will result in a thick frosting that still tastes like butter.
- Store this coffee buttercream at room temperature for up to 24 hours. For longer storage, refrigerate it in an airtight container for up to a week, or freeze for 2-3 months. Before using, bring it to room temperature and re-whip until fluffy.
Nutrition
This post may contain affiliate links. For more details on how we utilize affiliates, ads, and sponsored content, see our full disclosure policy. Thank you for your continued support, which enables us to keep bringing you delicious recipes, at no extra cost to you.
Leave a Reply