Brown sugar buttercream has the flavor you love from brown sugar with a nice fluffy texture. It is simple to make and the perfect way to finish your favorite cake, cupcakes and cookies.
This wonderful brown sugar frosting is made from simple ingredients. It only takes a few minutes to make and it goes perfectly with chocolate but would also be wonderful on spice cake, banana cake, or pumpkin cake as well.
By now you know I am crazy about frosting. There are endless combinations of flavors and types. No matter the situation, there is a perfect frosting.
While we recently fell in love with an easy mock swiss meringue buttercream recipe, American buttercream is still my first true love. It is just so easy to make and perfect for taking on different flavors.
Based on butter and powdered sugar, it is the easiest of all of the frosting types. It is such a great way to get a smooth and fluffy icing.
The beauty of this brown sugar frosting recipe is you get caramel frosting vibes without needing a candy thermometer. As written, it has a mild brown sugar flavor but you could easily use dark brown sugar to accentuate the caramelly molasses flavor.
It would be the perfect topping for a carrot cake or just sandwiched between graham crackers. It holds up well to frost a layer cake and can be used to pipe ruffles and swirls.
So it is definitely super versatile and really delicious. I hope you give it a try to see for yourself.
Tips for Getting a Smooth Fluffy Frosting
Using brown sugar can make the frosting grainy, so there are a few simple tips to help ensure it is smooth. First, make sure you butter is room temperature.
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Then beat together the butter and brown sugar for a couple of minutes to give it plenty of time to dissolve. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula a few times along the way to ensure there are no sugar crystals hiding out anywhere.
Go ahead and add the heavy cream or milk and vanilla extract next and beat it again. That will give you a little more insurance on getting everything dissolved.
Then add your confectioners sugar a little bit at a time, Once all of the powdered sugar is incorporated, mix the frosting on medium speed for an extra couple of minutes to get it fluffy.
When making buttercream, you should use the paddle attachment on your electric mixer. Using the whisk attachment can actually add too many air bubbles and make it hard to get a smooth finish when piping or spreading the frosting.
If you use unsalted butter, add a pinch of salt to the mixture. If you are using salted butter, give the frosting a taste before you decide whether to add salt or not.
Now what are we waiting for? Let’s make some frosting!
Brown Sugar Buttercream
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 Tablespoon milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 4 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Beat butter and brown sugar together on medium speed for 4 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl a few times to ensure all of the brown sugar has a chance to get dissolved.1 cup unsalted butter, ½ cup light brown sugar
- Add the milk and vanilla, mix for 1 minute.1 Tablespoon milk, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Slowly stir in the powdered sugar and salt. Once it is incorporated, beat on medium speed for an additional 2 minutes.⅛ teaspoon salt, 4 cups powdered sugar
- Adjust the consistency with additional milk or powdered sugar as desired.
- Use right away or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Refrigerate for up to a week or freeze for up to 3 months. Bring chilled or frozen buttercream to room temperature before using.
Notes
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I LOVE how you put the ingredients in the instructions. With most instructions, you must keep scrolling up to see the ingredient amounts. So much better the way you did it! Thank you! This was yummy!
I’m glad you liked it!
Very Grainy But Was Delicious on My Carrot Cake, Thanks!!
I’m sorry it was grainy! In my experience if you really beat it in with the butter and milk before adding the powdered sugar, the brown sugar should practically melt in. I am glad you liked the flavor!
I added this to a gingerbread cake. It tasted really good. I was unable to get the brown sugar to completely dissolve. I am wondering if it would make a difference if I were to add the milk and vanilla to the sugar first and then beat it together with the butter?
That could help. I’m sorry it was still a little grainy, hopefully the taste made up for it!