Boozy pumpkin spice buttercream is a delicious fall take on homemade icing. A basic buttercream gets the special treatment with a shot of Bailey’s Pumpkin Spice Irish Creme liquor for a frosting you’ll want to use on everything this fall.

Boozy Pumpkin Spice Buttercream on wood with pumpkin roll slices — Boozy Pumpkin Spice Buttercream

Happy first day of fall! Let’s celebrate with all the pumpkin things, ok? Good I’m glad you agree.

So make yourself a spiked pumpkin spice latte and let’s get our fall on with this boozy pumpkin spice buttercream. It is the topping you absolutely need in your life this fall for things like pumpkin cake.

What’s in pumpkin spice buttercream?

Boozy Pumpkin Spice Buttercream in a bowl on wood with pumpkins and a hand mixer — Boozy Pumpkin Spice Buttercream

I’m using a basic buttercream recipe with butter, powdered sugar, and heavy cream. Then to flavor the buttercream instead of using vanilla extract, I used 2 teaspoons of Pumpkin Spice Irish Creme Liquor. Let me tell you, that was plenty of flavor because the Pumpkin Spice Bailey’s has tons of flavor.

The base for the recipe is room temperature butter. It’s very important to have the butter room temperature. Don’t microwave it and definitely don’t try to make buttercream with cold butter. If you use melted, microwaved butter, the buttercream will be runny. Meanwhile if you use butter that’s too cold, the butter won’t incorporate well into the rest of the ingredients. You want nice soft butter that will easily whip so the rest of the ingredients will blend seamlessly into the butter for a silky smooth frosting.

What if I can’t find Pumpkin Spice Bailey’s?

Boozy Pumpkin Spice Buttercream inside pumpkin rolls on wood — Boozy Pumpkin Spice Buttercream inside pumpkin rolls

Great question! You can make this same exact recipe without the Bailey’s if you prefer. You have a couple options:

First, you could make this with 2 tsp of plain Bailey’s the way I do in this Bailey’s chocolate icing. If you do that, to get the pumpkin spice flavor, add a tsp of pumpkin spice to your icing.
Your second option is the nonalcoholic version. Instead of using Bailey’s at all, you could either add an additional 2 teaspoons of heavy cream and a teaspoon of pumpkin spice. You could also add 1 tsp of vanilla extract, an additional teaspoon of heavy cream, and 1 teaspoon of pumpkin spice.

So you have options to get your pumpkin spice buttercream on.

What to Put Pumpkin Spice Buttercream On

Boozy Pumpkin Spice Buttercream on a paddle that has a pumpkin on it — Boozy Pumpkin Spice Buttercream

Honestly, when we made this it was for a pumpkin cake. However, it was so good we kept stealing spoonfuls. I’d honestly tell you it would make cardboard delicious. That’s how yummy it is. So imagine it on a baked good. Omg. To die for. It’s the ultimate fall indulgence.

You could slather this pumpkin spice buttercream on:

A pumpkin roll instead of filling them with cream cheese icing. IMHO I feel like pumpkin rolls with buttercream > pumpkin rolls with cream cheese.
Cupcakes! It would be so good on vanilla cupcakes for just a hint of fall or on pumpkin or spice cupcakes for a full on fall flavor explosion.
Pumpkin cake. I mean honestly it’s a given.
Cinnamon rolls. YES. Imagine biting into a fresh cinnamon roll slathered in this creamy pumpkin spice goodness. This is fall brunch goals people. Also, I love these easy cinnamon rolls from my friend Kim at Berly’s Kitchen.
Pumpkin French Toast Casserole. Ok, so maybe it would be more of a drizzle than a slather, but yes, what a way to really take this fall brunch staple over the top for Thanksgiving or even Christmas.
Sugar cookies. Make them cute and shape them like pumpkins.

Other Boozy Dessert Recipes

Boozy Pumpkin Spice Buttercream in a pumpkin roll

I love making desserts boozy. It makes them a little extra and adds a layer of flavor that I am all about. Personal favorites are Kahlua brownies and Bailey’s cake with Bailey’s chocolate buttercream. Both sooooooooo yummy. Also, top all these desserts with boozy whipped cream because why not?

And if you want a different kind of holiday flavor for topping brownies, vanilla or chocolate cake, check out Peppermint Frosting