Creamy Brown Sugar Frosting (No Grain!)

Brown sugar buttercream on a paddle attachment with brown sugar in a small bowl.

5 from 1 vote

This creamy brown sugar frosting is extremely smooth, creamy, and has absolutely no grainy texture! It is easy to make and requires just 6 simple ingredients, resulting in a caramel-y rich flavor that is perfect on these moist maple cupcakes, simple banana cake recipe, and so many more desserts!

Prep Time45

Total Time45

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Chinese

Servings:

Calories: 313kcal

Author: Karissa Parrish

Equipment

Small Saucepan
Whisk
Electric Stand Mixer
Rubber Spatula
Piping Bag

Ingredients

¾ cup brown sugar
¼ cup water
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar
2-3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
¼ teaspoon salt

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

In a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the brown sugar and water until combined. Continue to whisk the sugar occasionally as it begins to melt. This should take 5-10 minutes for the brown sugar to fully dissolve.
Once there are no more grains, remove from the heat, pour into a glass bowl or jar, and cool completely. Place it in the refrigerator to cool down quicker (my prefer method).
In the bowl of an electric stand mixer using the paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until smooth and creamy.
Add the powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons of heavy whipping cream, salt, and the completely cooled brown sugar syrup and mix on low speed until combined (about 30 seconds). Then increase the speed to high and beat for another 1-2 minutes (frosting should be light and creamy).
If the frosting is too thick, add the extra tablespoon of heavy whipping cream (I prefer using 3 tablespoons total for my preferred buttercream consistency).
Use it to frost your favorite cupcakes and cake recipes!

Notes

Room Temperature Butter: The butter needs to be at room temperature in order to create the perfect consistency of buttercream frosting. If you start with cold butter, you'll have a difficult time getting the frosting to come together.

Brown Sugar Syrup: You must melt down the brown sugar first before adding it to the frosting. If you don't, the consistency will be grainy and sand-like in texture, which to me is unpleasant.

Scaling The Recipe: The recipe as written makes enough to frost 12 cupcakes. If you want to frost a three layer 6-inch cake, then 1.5x the recipe. Or, if you want to frost a three layer 8-inch cake, 2x the recipe.

Baked Desserts: Make sure any dessert you use this frosting on is completely cooled before frosting. If not, the frosting will melt right off.

Nutrition