Brown Sugar Buttercream

Shake-up your cake frosting options with this rich and buttery homemade Brown Sugar Buttercream. Use it for frosting special occasion cakes, cupcakes and muffins.

Easy Brown Sugar Buttercream Recipe

To make  this frosting, light brown sugar is combined with heavy cream then simmered together until it becomes velvety smooth. Using a mixer, whip this with softened butter, pure vanilla and powdered sugar and voila, it's ready to spread on top of cupcakes, or your favorite flavor layer cake. It's spectacular when used to frost your favorite muffins or sweet breads giving them a smooth caramel-like decadent finish. The rich finish it gives is reminiscent of those spicy flavors we associate with fall so, add this buttercream to your fall baking plans. Think, sweet potato, pumpkin, French vanilla, cinnamon and beyond.

How to Make the Best Brown Sugar Buttercream Frosting Recipe

Homemade frosting makes the cake. No matter what the accompanying cake flavor may be whether it's vanilla, chocolate or caramel it's worth the minimal effort it takes to whip-up the icing from scratch. The frosting is the first thing you notice on baked goods, and they naturally provide the complementary smooth finish to cookies, cakes, muffins and sweet breads. When you take the time to make the frosting from scratch it really shows the love don't you think?  They're tasty to the very last crumb and then you get to lick the spoon.

• Ingredients you'll need to make homemade Brown Sugar Buttercream: Light brown sugar, heavy cream, powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract.
• Kitchen gadgets you'll need: A stand mixer or a hand mixer, measuring cups and spoons, a 2 quart saucepan and a spoon for stirring.
• After melting together the brown sugar and heavy cream allow it to cool but not long enough to set or the frosting won't come together as smoothly.
• You can make Brown Sugar Buttercream up to one day in advance and chill it in the refrigerator. You'll need to whip it again with a mixer before using it to frost the cake, adding heavy cream to smooth the consistency. It's an important step when making it in advance.
• Any cake frosted with this buttercream should be kept chilled in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

More Homemade Icing and Buttercream Recipes to Make 

Regardless of the cake flavor you're planning to make, I've got you covered with icing recipes. More flavoprs you may also like to make:

• My Chocolate Layer Cake with Chocolate Icing is made from scratch from top to bottom. The icing can be used on any cake that you like.
• Dulce de Leche Cream Cheese Frosting is a creamy caramel icing that goes well with apple cake, spice cake, pumpkin cake and cookies as well as classic chocolate or vanilla.
• My homemade Vanilla Buttercream Icing recipe is the only one you'll ever need.
• This easy Whipped Chocolate Frosting only requires 4 ingredients to make.
• Fluffy 7 Minute Frosting is a tasty option for carrot cake, red velvet cake or chocolate cake. It's equally delicious on vanilla or banana cake, too.
• Pink Lemonade Cream Cheese Frosting is bright and flavorful for your summer picnics and barbecues.
• You may also like this S'mores Buttercream Frosting  from Simple Joy.

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Helpful Kitchen Items:

• Stand Mixer
• Gel Icing Colors
• Cake Decorating Set
• Aluminum Revolving Cake Stand

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Brown Sugar Buttercream

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time5 mins

Total Time20 mins

Course: Dessert, Frosting

Cuisine: American

Keyword: brown-sugar-buttercream, brown-sugar-frosting, buttercream-recipes

Servings: 7 cups

Calories: 934kcal

Author: Melissa Sperka

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cup light brown sugar
• ½ cup heavy cream plus additional as needed to thin
• 1 ¼ cup salted butter (2 ½ sticks) softened
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 6 cups powdered sugar sifted

Instructions

• In a medium-size heavy bottomed saucepan bring the brown sugar and heavy cream to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Set aside to cool enough to still be pourable, but not set.
• In a medium-size mixing bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed, whip the butter and vanilla with the brown sugar and cream mixture. Stop to scrape the sides of the bowl periodically.
• Lower the speed, of the mixer and gradually add the powdered sugar. Stop and scrape the sides of the bowl between additions.
• Add additional heavy cream 1 tablespoon at a time to thin to spreading consistency, as needed.
• After the powdered sugar is added, raise speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy.
• Store chilled in an airtight container until ready to use. Beat again before using.
• Refrigerate any leftovers.

Notes

This recipe makes enough to frost: 24 cupcakes, 1 9-inch (2) layer cake, 1 8-inch (3) layer cake or (1) 9 x 13-inch sheet cake

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 934kcal | Carbohydrates: 150g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 39g | Saturated Fat: 25g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 110mg | Sodium: 311mg | Potassium: 90mg | Sugar: 147g | Vitamin A: 1263IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 61mg | Iron: 1mg

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