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If you need a quick an easy cupcake frosting recipe you have come to the right place! This collection of over 15 cupcake icing recipes gives you so many flavors and variations to try. Plus they are all made in 5 minutes or less. From classic vanilla buttercream to tangy cream cheese frosting, you can’t go wrong with any of these!
Cupcakes are always such a huge hit for any occasion because they are generally easier to make than a whole cake, plus kids love them! They are also individually sized so they are much easier to serve.
And when you bake cupcakes, you also need delicious and easy cupcake frosting recipes to go with it! As a trained pastry chef, I have made literally hundreds of cupcake icing recipes over the last 10 years. Read on to find 15 of my favorite ones- the best part is they are all made in 5 minutes or less! It doesnt get easier than that!
Pro tip- All these cupcake frosting recipes require softened butter. If your butter is cold, learn how to soften butter quickly so you can get back to frosting your cupcakes ASAP!
Easy Vanilla Frosting
This classic vanilla frosting recipe is light and fluffy and super easy to make. This easy recipe is perfect for beginners and will frost 12-15 cupcakes or fill and frost a 9″ 2 layer cake or a sheet cake.
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Fluffy Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
This Fluffy Chocolate Buttercream Frosting is the perfect frosting for cupcakes, cakes, or icing your favorite desserts. It is made with cocoa powder and has a deliciously decadent chocolate flavor that everyone will love. Plus, it’s easy to make, and easy to store!
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Dairy Free Cupcake Frosting
Finally! A Dairy-Free Cupcake Frosting recipe for all of your vegan dessert decorating needs! This light and fluffy vegan buttercream is made from scratch with just four ingredients in less than 5 minutes. It pipes like a dream, perfect for frosting vegan cakes, cupcakes, cookies, brownies and more!
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Marshmallow Cupcake Icing
This Marshmallow Buttercream Frosting recipe is so fluffy and super easy to make. Its the perfect cupcake icing! It is made with marshmallow fluff and is sweet, creamy and delicious any time of year!
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Easy Strawberry Cupcake Frosting
This lemon cupcake is topped with a strawberry cupcake frosting that is made with butter, powdered sugar, strawberry jam, and milk. It only takes a few minutes to mix up and it pipes beautifully on top of cupcakes!
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Mint Cupcake Frosting
This Easy Mint Buttercream frosting is made with just six simple ingredients, takes only 5 minutes to prepare, and is perfect for frosting mint cupcakes or chocolate cupcakes. Plus, it gives a delicious minty kick that will leave you wanting more.
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Coffee Cupcake Icing
This coffee buttercream frosting is fluffy, delicious, and amazingly easy to make at home. The recipe uses instant coffee, softened butter, powdered sugar and 1/2 tsp of milk. It’s packed with coffee flavor is a delicious coffee frosting for coffee cupcakes!
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Blueberry Frosting Recipe
This blueberry cupcake frosting recipe takes only 5 minutes to make! It is made with freeze dried blueberries for a rich purple color and blueberry taste. No need to boil anything down! This frosting pairs perfectly with blueberry cupcakes, or any kind of lemon dessert.
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Espresso Frosting
This espresso buttercream frosting has only 5 ingredients and is the perfect frosting to put on top of chocolate cupcakes or espresso cupcakes. It is super fluffy and pipes easily too! You will absolutely love this if you love coffee desserts.
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Strawberry Frosting
This Strawberry Buttercream Frosting is fluffy and creamy, with a delicious natural strawberry flavor. Best of all, it’s easy to make from scratch! All you need are a few simple ingredients along with freeze-dried strawberries to make a fruity and sweet cupcake icing!
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Oreo Cupcake Frosting
This Oreo cookie cupcake frosting has crushed up Oreo's inside and tastes just like a cookies n cream frosting. Its quick and easy to make, especially over Oreo cupcakes!
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Cream Cheese Cupcake Frosting You Can Pipe
This cream cheese buttercream frosting is the perfect icing for cakes, cupcakes, and cookie sandwiches. It isn’t runny at all and can even hold still while piped on cupcakes. There are only a few simple ingredients in this versatile recipe, it will be your new go to!
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5 Minute Fluffy Caramel Buttercream Frosting
This caramel buttercream frosting is super fluffy and ready to pipe in only 5 minutes! Made with only a few simple pantry ingredients, this icing is perfectly sweet to top your favorite cupcakes.
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Marble Cupcake Icing
Marble cupcake frosting is made from combining vanilla and chocolate buttercream frosting together in a piping bag and swirling it on top of cupcakes. It looks harder than it actually is, and can be done by beginners!
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Raspberry Cupcake Frosting
Do you love the tart, sweet flavor of raspberries? If so, then you’re going to love this raspberry frosting recipe! Using freeze-dried raspberries and a few simple ingredients, you can create a delicious frosting that is perfect for piping on to cupcakes!
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Lemon Icing
This lemon buttercream frosting has serious flavor to it! It’s made with both fresh lemon juice and lemon zest for that extra flavor punch. This icing is perfect to add to all your spring cupcake recipes, especially lemon cupcakes!
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Coconut Cupcake Frosting
This Coconut Buttercream Frosting is super fluffy and will add that tropical flare you are looking for to all your cakes and cupcakes! Just combine some simple ingredients like coconut milk, sugar, and butter, and you’ll be ready to frost in no time! This is the best frosted on top of coconut cupcakes!
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Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
This 5 Minute Rich Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting is the perfect frosting recipe for your cupcakes! It’s quick, easy, and absolutely delicious. The frosting is made with cocoa powder and is thick, creamy, and has a slightly tangy flavor that comes from softened cream cheese, making it the perfect way to top rich chocolatey cupcakes.
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Cupcake Frosting Tips
- To make your cupcakes look more professional, use piping bags and decorating tips to frost. My favorite decorating tip, and the one I have used on most of my cupcakes is the 1M tip from Wilton.
- If your frosting is too thick, the general rule is to add 1-2 tsp at a time of milk or cream to thin it out.
- If the frosting is too thin, then add 1/4 cup powdered sugar at a time, mixing in between until you get to the right consistency.
- You can easily color frosting by using a water based or gel food coloring. Remember a little bit goes a long way, so start with a small amount and work up from there!
How to store cupcake frosting
Storing frosting is super easy to do! If you are making it only 1-2 days in advance you can store it in an airtight container at room temperature. Or you can fill a piping bag and cover the tip with a paper towel and leave it overnight on your counter.
If you are making it a few days (3-5) in advance then store it in a container in the fridge. It will harden up so make sure to take it out 1 hour before you need to use.
You might have to rewhip it in the mixer to fluff it up a bit.
Freezing
To freeze icing, dump it on top of plastic wrap and wrap it up well. There’s no need to use a bowl, just the plastic wrap. Store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge or counter and re whip in the mixer.
15+ Quick and Easy Cupcake Frosting Recipes Including Chocolate Cupcake Frosting
If you need a quick an easy cupcake frosting recipe you have come to the right place! This collection of over 15 cupcake icing recipes gives you so many flavors and variations to try. Plus they are all made in 5 minutes or less. From classic vanilla buttercream to tangy cream cheese frosting, you can't go wrong with any of these!
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Servings: 12 cupcakes
Calories: 267kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened (227g)
- 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (65g)
- 3 cups powdered sugar (340g)
- 1 tsp black brewed coffee optional, but gives great depth of flavor
- 1 tbsp cream add 1 tbsp more if needed
Instructions
- In the bowl of a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add in the 1 cup butter, and ⅔ cup cocoa powder and mix on medium speed for 1 minute until light and fluffy.
- Add in the 3 cups of powdered sugar and mix on low-medium speed until combined, about another minute. Make sure to start on low so the powdered sugar doesn't blow everywhere.
- Add in the coffee if using, and the heavy cream starting with 1 tbsp at a time. Mix on medium- high speed for 2 minutes.
- Add the other tablespoon of heavy cream if you want the frosting thinner.
- Pipe on top of your cupcakes!
Notes
All these frostings require softened butter. If your butter is cold learn how to soften butter quickly!
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
15+ Quick and Easy Cupcake Frosting Recipes Including Chocolate Cupcake Frosting
Amount Per Serving (1 serving)
Calories 267
Calories from Fat 144
% Daily Value*
Fat 16g25%
Saturated Fat 10g63%
Trans Fat 1g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 4g
Cholesterol 42mg14%
Sodium 4mg0%
Potassium 79mg2%
Carbohydrates 33g11%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 29g32%
Protein 1g2%
Vitamin A 491IU10%
Vitamin C 0.01mg0%
Calcium 12mg1%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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