This brown sugar frosting is smooth, creamy, and perfect with any dessert! It’s delicious and can be piped onto cakes, cupcakes, cookies, and more!

How to Make Brown Sugar Frosting

To make sure this brown sugar frosting turns out as amazing as possible, let’s walk through each step together.

I’ve also included a video tutorial of the process below.

You can make this recipe with either an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer fit with a paddle attachment.

Step 1: Cream Together the Butter and Brown Sugar

Before you make this frosting, make sure that you use a fresh, soft bag of brown sugar to prevent any hard lumps of brown sugar in the buttercream.

Add the butter, light brown sugar, vanilla extract, and salt into a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.

Beat on a medium-high speed for 2 minutes with a stand mixer and paddle attachment or hand mixer.

The mixture should get lighter in color as air is whipped into it.

Step 2: Give the Buttercream a Little Time

Then let the mixture sit for about 5 minutes to give the brown sugar time to dissolve.

After 5 minutes, rub a bit of the frosting between your fingertips.

If it feels smooth, move on to the next step. If you still feel a lot of sugar granules, beat the mixture on a medium high speed for another minute, then let it rest for another 5 minutes and test it again. Repeat until the frosting feels smooth.

Step 3: Mix in the Sweet Stuff

Gradually mix in the powdered sugar and heavy cream on a low speed.

Continue to mix on a low speed for a few minutes until the desired consistency is reached. If the frosting seems too thick, add in additional cream (1 Tbsp at a time).

Or if the frosting seems too thin, add in more powdered sugar (1/4 cup at a time).

Step 4: Make It Extra Smooth

The final step is to stir the frosting by hand with a rubber spatula once it’s made for a minute or two to make the frosting super smooth.

Cover the buttercream flush with plastic wrap or immediately place it in a piping bag. Otherwise, the frosting will crust if it’s left sitting out!

Substitutions & Swaps – Brown Sugar Buttercream Frosting Recipe

Below are some swaps and substitutions that can be made in this recipe.

• Unsalted Butter – If you only have salted butter on hand, you can use it in place of the unsalted butter. Just be sure to omit the salt that this frosting recipe calls for.
• Light Brown Sugar – I prefer using light brown sugar in this frosting recipe, but you can also use dark brown sugar for a stronger molasses flavor.
• Heavy Cream – You can also use whipping cream, half and half, milk, or alternative milk. However, if you use milk, it will make the frosting thinner than cream. I recommend adding a bit less than the recipe calls for if you use milk.

How Much Frosting Does this Recipe Make?

One batch of this recipe makes about 7 cups of frosting. This recipe can be halved or doubled if needed though! A double batch can be made in a 5 qt KitchenAid mixing bowl.

I usually make one batch to frost three dozen cupcakes with large swirls or to fill and frost a 7- or 8-inch layer cake.

What Can I Frost with this Brown Sugar Buttercream?

The sky’s the limit when it comes to using this frosting. Cakes, cupcakes, cookies, macarons, you name it!!

I’ve used it to frost my cookie dough cake, vanilla cupcakes, French macarons, and even my buttercream cookies!  

Brown Sugar Frosting Troubleshooting

While this recipe is pretty straight forward, sometimes people do run into issues making it.

I covered the issue of gritty / grainy brown sugar buttercream above, but another thing that can be difficult is getting the consistency of your buttercream just right.

There are few different factors that influence the consistency of your frosting.

It’s a delicate balance between the temperature of your kitchen, the brand of butter you use, the temperature of your butter, and the amount of heavy cream you use.

The easiest way to see if your frosting is the right consistency is the spatula test! I check the consistency of every batch of frosting I make using this test.

To test your frosting, firmly press a rubber spatula into your frosting and pull directly up. Turn the spatula right side up and look at the frosting on the tip.

The frosting should form a somewhat soft peak that has a little curl on the end. It’s stiff enough to hold up that curl, but soft enough to create that little curl.

If the frosting is too stiff and sticks straight up, add in additional heavy cream (1 tsp at a time).

If the frosting is too thin, add in more powdered sugar (quarter of a cup at a time).

Or if your frosting looks broken, add in more room-temperature butter, 1 Tbsp at a time until it comes back together.

You can also chill it in the fridge in 10-minute intervals if you think your butter was too warm.

After each adjustment, be sure to retest the frosting with your spatula before using it.

Tips for Making the Best Brown Sugar Frosting

• Make sure the butter is at room temperature before making this frosting.
• Use a fresh, soft bag of brown sugar to prevent any hard lumps of brown sugar in the buttercream.
• If your powdered sugar contains cornstarch (most brands in the US do) there’s no need to sift the powdered sugar.
• Once you’ve creamed together the brown sugar and butter, let the mixture sit for at least 5 minutes to help the brown sugar dissolve. This can prevent your buttercream from having a grainy/gritty texture.
• Mix the buttercream on the lowest speed at the end of the process for a couple minutes. This removes any extra air that might have been incorporated during the mixing process.

Does This Brown Sugar Buttercream Need to be Refrigerated?

Below are some tips for storing this frosting in case you make it in advance or have leftovers.

This buttercream can sit out at room temperature for up to 2 days or be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month.

You can also store this frosting in the freezer for up to 3 months. Just be sure to give it a good stir once it thaws to make it nice and smooth again.

A frosted cake can last in the fridge for a week, or in the freezer for a month. The buttercream locks in the moisture and keeps the cake fresh and delicious!

Let Me Know What You Think!

If you make this brown sugar frosting recipe, I’d love to hear what you think of it! Please leave a rating and comment below.

Don’t forget to tag me @chelsweets and #chelsweets so that I can see your amazing creations on social media.

Other Recipes You Might Like: