COFFEE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

Makes about 3 cups

• 16 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 to 5 tablespoons coffee syrup (see recipe)

Whip the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed until it is light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the powdered sugar, slowly, with the mixer on low speed. Add the cocoa powder and mix it in, slowly, until the frosting is whipped. (Powdered sugar and cocoa can waft into the air and onto your shirt easily, so you might want to cover the bowl of the stand mixer with a towel while you do this.) Add the coffee syrup, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the frosting is whipped and smooth.

Feel like playing?

If you don’t have any coffee syrup on hand, you could use strong brewed espresso here instead. It might make the frosting more bittersweet than sweet, which isn’t a bad thing at all.