This is the best coffee frosting with Cool Whip that tastes fabulous on cupcakes or on frozen coffee to sweeten it up. As creamy as coffee mouse, it can even be a sweet treat by itself!!
Are you a coffee lover……to say it mildly, I am!!! I NEED a cup every morning as a Mom and over the years have grown to enjoy recipes with a coffee flavor. When it comes to baking I am all about easy so believe me when I say this easy coffee frosting recipe will be a favorite. 😉
We have a glass of this goodness every morning with homemade coffee creamer. If you too want to go a step further at dessert time we have a great idea. You can use espresso powder and make 2 shots to add into your light and fluffy mixture or instant coffee granules work too.
Whether you want this to eat alone as a mocha mousse or chill longer to get nice and thick and decorate a layer cake, it’s fabulous. Just one of our favorite toppings for all of the coffee recipes on our site.
You really could enjoy this a few different ways. Yes once it chills the thicker it will get, so then it is more like a frosting and perfect on cakes and cupcakes too. Super easy to blend together if you have a hand mixer or electric mixer at home. Elbow grease really doesn’t do it because you want it to be nice and smooth
I love my KitchenAid stand mixer so I use that any time I can to make this or our Brownie Frosting version. If you have leftover brewed coffee from the morning, go ahead and use that. You want it to be room temperature or chilled anyway so that works well.
If you want a mild flavor then use “regular” vs. instant espresso which would have a much stronger coffee taste.
Sugar Free Coffee Frosting (Option)
Want to be able to enjoy this without white sugar granules? Use liquid stevia instead, no problem. If you do want the quick method and use instant Joe then add 2 tsp. of Instant coffee into 1.5 tsp. of water until it dissolves. Then stir the two together and fold the coffee gently into the rest of your ingredients.
A mixer is handy for this and our Cream Cheese Frosting Without Butter creation and this. Now get out a pint sized freezer bag if you want to pipe it on to your baked goods. Fill it up with your coffee frosting. If you want it stiff quickly then just put it into the freezer so it can stiffen up a bit. It will need 30 minutes or longer.
You don’t have to do this step but it is easier to squeeze and swirl the frosting on to your cupcakes if you do it this way.
Variations
Once it is a bit stiffer you just clip the corner of your baggie off. Squeeze out into a nice swirl like the cupcake at the top of this post. This coffee buttercream frosting is also GREAT when added to your coffee instead of creamer!
Now if you want to make a version of our 3 ingredient Cool Whip Pudding Frosting you can. Just incorporate some instant coffee granules and voila. I typically will use chocolate instant pudding for this but you could use vanilla if you preferred.
Now bake your small batch cupcakes while your creation is in the freezer and you will be set. If you want to make more of a mocha cupcake and you’re using boxed cake mix recipes just add 2 tsp. of coffee into the hot water you would add into your cake mix for the batter. It will give it a nice subtle coffee flavor too!!
Coffee Frosting Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Bowl
- 1 mixer
Ingredients
Homemade Coffee Mousse
- 4 oz chocolate, dark
- 1/2 cup coffee, brewed, dark, or 2 espresso shots, cold
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3 egg whites
- 2 tsp liquid sugar, or liquid stevia for sugar free
- 2 cup heavy cream
- 2 cup mascarpone cheese, or softened cream cheese
Instructions
- Homemade Coffee Mousse – Place mascarpone cheese in a large bowl and mix it until creamy with a hand mixer. Add the heavy cream and mix to combine. Finally, add liquid sugar or sugar free stevia, vanilla extract, and brewed coffee (it shouldn’t be hot).
- Chop up and melt dark chocolate in the microwave in 30 second increments until smooth, let it cool until it is at room temperature.
- Incorporate chocolate into the mixture. Set aside. Beat the egg whites to firm with mixer, gently fold them into the creamy mixture.
- Once all the meringue is well combined, you can either chill it in the large bowl, or individual glasses or ramekins. Refrigerate the mousse for at least 2 hours before serving.
- If you want to use it as a frosting spoon it into a large piping bag or gallon freezer bag. Seal end and put into fridge for several hours until it firms up to your liking, then snip off edge and squeeze on top of cooled cupcakes or cake.
- Cool Whip Coffee Frosting – Add 1 tub softened Cool Whip + 1 cup milk + 1 box instant pudding + 1 tbsp instant coffee.
- Whisk instant pudding and milk in a bowl for a few minutes until it thickens, then incorporate instant coffee granules. Use a spatula to gently fold in defrosted but still very cold whipped topping to create a thick frosting.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How to save leftover homemade frosting
If you put it into a freezer bag to squeeze out then leave it as is. You won’t want it to get all over the inside of your fridge though so put a sandwich bag over the open edge and secure with a clip on the edge so it doesn’t dry out either.
If you enjoyed it in small containers but have some left then transfer it into a sealed container. It will sorta flatten out over time so try to enjoy it fresh or first thing the next day. It is best really cold if you ask me though so make sure you refrigerate what you don’t consume as soon as you realize you’re thru for the day.
Atop a chocolate cake or some over these cupcakes in a jar is heavenly I tell you! I have made a version of this that light frosting for my daughter’s Birthday cake but thought it may work well with coffee as well. I have been known to throw a dollop into my cup of Joe first thing in the a.m. and it was way better than my creamer. 😉
I hope you enjoy this quick easy dessert. If you’re itching for more there are lots more coffee recipes on our site with the great flavors of the morning.
