Espresso Spice Buttercream
A delicious and creamy frosting that's full of flavour! This classic american buttercream is not overly sweet or overly buttery, but instead got an upgrade with amazing fall spices and a hint of coffee! This frosting adds so much depth in flavour to your favourite cakes, especially when paired with pumpkin cake for all of the pumpkin spice latte lovers!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter room temp
- 1 cup shortening room temp, I prefer Crisco`
- 4-5 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp instant coffee
- 1 tbsp heavy whipping cream
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp allspice
Instructions
- In a small, microwave-safe bowl, add the heavy cream and instant coffee. Microwave for 10-20 seconds or until the coffee has dissolved into the cream. Stir. *See notes*
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the room temperature butter and shortening until lighter in colour and smooth. Scrape down the bowl (don't miss the bottom!!) and beat again for another few minutes until all lumps are removed.
- Add in a cup or 2 of powdered sugar and mix. Start by beating on low so that you don't spray powdered sugar everywhere. Once it's mostly combined, turn up your mixer to high and beat for a few minutes until smooth. Scrape down the bowl.
- Add in another cup or 2 of powdered sugar and repeat the process above. Once you have 4 cups of powdered sugar mixed in, taste your frosting to see if it needs more powdered sugar. If it still has a bit of a buttery taste or if you feel it's not sweet enough, add more powdered sugar, a 1/2 cup at a time until you reach your desired sweetness.
- Pour in the vanilla extract, coffee syrup, and all of your spices. Beat until smooth. Give the frosting another taste test to see if there are enough spices, and feel free to add more or add in different spices if you'd prefer.
- Once your frosting is done, use a rubber spatula to hand beat it for a few minutes to get rid of some pesky air bubbles.
- Spread it or pipe it onto your cake, and enjoy!
Notes
Once you've stirred together the coffee and cream, it should appear like a darker coffee syrup. If it does not appear like this, add more instant coffee and dissolve it again in the microwave. You can also adjust this part of the recipe to your liking. If you want a stronger coffee flavour, add more instant coffee; if you want a weaker coffee flavour, add less instant coffee, or add more cream. If you add more cream, keep in mind that this can make your frosting a bit thinner, so don't add more than a few tablespoons more at maximum.
Remember, everyone has different tastes when it comes to frosting, so adjust the amount of powdered sugar, coffee, and spices to your liking!
My favourite use of this delicious frosting is on my amazing Pumpkin Cake! It makes it taste exactly like a pumpkin spice latte! Check out the recipe here: https://albofbutter.com/pumpkin-cake/