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If you love coffee and chocolate then these cupcakes are made for you! I made a really moist and fluffy chocolate cupcake with a healthy dose of espresso then topped is with an espresso buttercream that’s to die for. These are actually the cupcake version of my Mocha Cake, which I highly recommend if you enjoy this flavor profile. If you’re worried about caffeine or like to eat cake at night then it’s totally fine to use decaffeinated coffee in this recipe. instead of the espresso powder in the buttercream you can use caffein-free instant coffee.
I love chocolate and coffee so why not bring them together?! You might have noticed most of my chocolate cakes having a healthy splash of coffee; it really amps up the chocolate flavor. For this recipe I went all in on the espresso! There’s a lot in the batter and the buttercream is flavored with instant espresso and a splash or cocoa powder. In the mood to try more easy cupcake recipes? Check out my homemade vanilla cupcake recipe!
A Few Hints and Tips
- If you want to add a little something extra to the recipe you can hollow the cupcake out and fill it with chocolate ganache. I use a cupcake corer for this but a spoon or large piping tip works too.
- To make the chocolate ganache melt half a cup of nice chocolate with a third a cup of cream and spoon into the hollowed out cupcake.
- You can make a ganache with any liquid really so go ahead and add coffee, brandy, bourbon or whatever else you desire instead of the cream! If you don’t have chocolate covered espresso beans handy you can always add a drizzle of ganache on top of the buttercream for some contrast.
How to Make mocha Cupcakes
1. Add the wet ingredients into a large bowl and whisk together.
2. Sift together the dry ingredients (including the sugar) into the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk to combine.
3. Add the wet ingredients the dry ingredients.
4. Distribute batter evenly to cupcake papers.
5. In a medium bowl, sift the confectioners’ sugar and cocoa.
6. Add espresso powder.
7. Remove the core of the cupcake.
8. Drizzle chocolate ganache.
9. Pipe buttercream.
If you’ve tried these cupcakes then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Mocha Cupcakes
Ingredients
INGREDIENTS
For the Cupcakes:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 ⅔ cups granulated sugar
- 3 tbsp cocoa powder nice quality
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp baking soda
- 1 ½ tbsp baking powder
- ½ cup sour cream warm
- 1 cup buttermilk warm
- 3 eggs large
- 1 1/4 cups coffee hot 300ml, strong
- 1/2 cup water
- ¾ cup veggie oil
For the Buttercream:
- 1/2 pound butter unsalted, room temperature
- 1 lb confectioners sugar
- 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1/2 tbsp espresso powder
- 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 tbsp heavy cream
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
For the Assembly:
- 1/2 cup chocolate covered espresso beans
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chopped, melted, cooled
Instructions
INSTRUCTIONS
For the Cupcake Batter:
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Add papers to a cupcake pan.
- Sift together the dry ingredients (including the sugar) into the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk to combine.
- Add the wet ingredients into a large bowl and whisk together.
- Add the wet ingredients the dry ingredients.
- Whisk to combine then mix on level 2 for two minutes.
- Distribute batter evenly to cupcake papers. Bake for about 15-20 minutes at 350F or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow time to cool for 10 minutes to cool fully.
For the Mocha Buttercream:
- In a medium bowl, sift the confectioners’ sugar, cocoa and espresso powder.
- In a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, whip the butter for about 5 minutes.
- Beat in the confectioners sugar mixture slowly.
- Add vanilla and drizzle in the cream while beating until desired consistency is reached. Transfer to a piping fitted with an 858 tip.
For the Ganache:
- Give chocolate a rough chop. Melt and allow to cool.
For the Assembly:
- Remove the core of the cupcake.
- Drizzle chocolate ganache.
- Pipe the buttercream.
- Top each dollop with a chocolate covered espresso bean. Dust with cocoa powder.
Notes
- You can make a ganache with any liquid really so go ahead and add coffee, brandy, bourbon or whatever else you desire instead of the cream! If you don't have chocolate covered espresso beans handy you can always add a drizzle of ganache on top of the buttercream for some contrast.
Nutrition
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