This Chocolate Coffee Crusting Buttercream recipe is easy to make. Just some heavy duty beating with the electric hand mixer to make it fluffy, and leftover room temp coffee to enhance the chocolate flavor. It’s easy to mix and easy to pipe and spread. Plus, it’s delicious!
I remember my Mother adding cold brewed coffee every time she made chocolate frosting, so this is nothing new. Coffee is probably the best thing you can add to a chocolate buttercream frosting. It greatly enhances the chocolate flavor without making it taste like coffee. So, if you do not like coffee, it still safe to add it to this frosting. You don’t need to make a new pot, it’s just fine to add day old or even two-day old coffee to your frosting. Just make sure it’s not hot – you don’t want to melt the butter or shortening. (If you still don’t want to include coffee in your frosting, just sub the same amount of milk or heavy cream.)
The density of the chocolate flavor in the frosting can easily be adjusted by the amount of cocoa you use. If you use the amount recommended below you will have a nice chocolate flavor. If you want something darker in appearance and deeper in flavor, add more cocoa and cut back a little on the powdered sugar. As you beat it to the fluffy stage you can adjust the dry vs wet ingredients to get the consistency you like.
So, why use crusting buttercream?
-Crusting buttercream is great for cookies, especially if you plan to pack them in a box or sealable plastic bag. By letting the piped or frosted cookies sit out for a couple of hours, the frosting will create a thin dry crust on top while the inside of the frosting will stay soft. You can touch the crust without disturbing the frosting or creating dimples in it. I have even stacked the cookies up to two layers with parchment paper separating the layers.
-This frosting is also good for cakes, leaving a nicely thin crust the frosting and on top of any piping you do on the top or sides of the cake.
Gather up your Ingredients:
½ C Shortening
½ C Butter (1 stick), softened
1 t Vanilla extract
2 T Coffee, brewed, room temp
Pinch of Salt
4 C Powdered sugar
Mix it up:
-In a medium mixing bowl, cream the butter and shortening, beating it with a handheld electric mixer. It should be fluffy and free of lumps.
-Add the vanilla extract, brewed cold coffee and salt and beat in. (If you don’t want to use coffee, just sub a couple tablespoons of milk or heavy cream.)
-Slowly add a cup of powdered sugar, beating in to combine completely.
-Add another cup of powdered sugar, beating in and scraping down the sides.
-Add the third cup of powdered sugar, beating it in completely. Beat until fluffy.
-You may not need the entire fourth cup of powdered sugar so beat it in slowly. If it gets too thick, stop adding and beat until fluffy and smooth.
-Depending on how thick or thin you want it, this is the time to add more powdered sugar or coffee.
Beat the frosting until it’s fluffy and at an easy spreading and piping consistency.
Storage it in the frig or freezer:
-I store the frosting in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. When I need to use it, I set it on the counter to bring it up to room temperature. Then, whip it a little to get the fluff back.
-Storage in the freezer is easy, too. Store it in an airtight container in the freezer for up a month. To thaw, I place it in the refrigerator the night before I want to use it. Then, set it on the counter, still covered, to bring it to room temperature. Beat it with the electric hand mixer to bring the fluff back. You may need a little more water or coffee to bring it to the consistency you like. This way, you can make a full recipe and save the leftover for another day without having to get all the equipment out again to make it from scratch.
Use the Chocolate Coffee Crusting Buttercream to frost cakes, cookies, cheesecakes, and more. If you like sprinkles on top, be sure to spread them on before the frosting dries or they will not stick.
Whether you make this Chocolate Coffee Crusting Buttercream with or without coffee, enjoy it with your favorite people, and “Bake your own Memories!”