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5 from 3 votes

Brown Sugar Buttercream

A creamy vanilla buttercream frosting recipe gets even better when brown sugar is added!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time0 minutes
Total Time10 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 12 cupcakes
Calories: 311kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 sticks (283 g, 1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter softened
  • 1/2 cup (107 g) packed light brown sugar *see note
  • 2 1/2 cups (313 g) confectioners sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons heavy cream
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt

Instructions

  • Combine the butter and brown sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer.
  • Add the confectioners sugar (1/2 cup to 1 cup at a time) and mix on low speed at first, then increase the speed until combined.
  • Add in your heavy cream, salt, and vanilla extract, and mix on medium to high speed for 8 minutes until light and creamy.
  • If not using immediately, store in a container in the refrigerator until ready to use, mix again until light and fluffy.

Notes

  • Brown Sugar: This buttercream can be slightly gritty due to the brown sugar. I personally like the little bit of crunch, but if you want a smoother buttercream put your brown sugar in the food processor. Another reader said they warmed the heavy cream and brown sugar together first to dissolve the brown sugar and then let it cool before adding to the butter (make sure it's cooled so it doesn't melt the butter). 
  • Storage: This frosting will be safe at room temperature for 2-3 days. Any longer than that and I recommend you refrigerate the buttercream frosting up to 5 days. The buttercream frosting can also be frozen up to 3 months. Before serving your cakes or cupcakes with this frosting, be sure to bring the frosting to room temperature due to the butter in the frosting.
  • For Cupcakes – This recipe will generously frost 12 cupcakes. I like to pipe a pretty tall amount of frosting on each cupcake.  So if you don’t use as much as I do as in the photos, then you might get more frosted (around 24 cupcakes). For help on decorating cupcakes, be sure to check out my The Ultimate Guide To Baking Cupcakes At Home and The Ultimate Guide To Making The Best Buttercream Icing.
  • For Cake – This frosting will cover a 9 x 13 sheet cake a 2 layer 8-inch. For a larger cake I'd make a double batch.

Nutrition

Calories: 311kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 31mg | Potassium: 21mg | Sugar: 33g | Vitamin A: 625IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 1mg