Mocha Cupcakes + Espresso Buttercream Frosting

Good morning, friends! I mentioned during final exams (a few weeks back) that I had found the ultimate finals day treat. And I couldn’t just keep this treasure a secret, right?! So today I’m sharing with you a recipe for Mocha Cupcakes with Espresso Buttercream Frosting that make the late nights of studying and the early mornings of test taking just a teensy bit easier sweeter.

These cupcakes are the cutest way to package a punch of coffee, in my opinion! The mocha cake is to-die-for and may be one of my favorite cake recipes to date. If you aren’t a huge coffee fan, you will still love the mocha cake portion of the recipe. I told Allen (who is avidly against the coffee flavor) that it’s like a mocha frappuccino in cake form….and that’s something he can definitely get behind. For those who love the coffee flavor, the Espresso Buttercream recipe is where it’s at! You will love the sweet and tangy frosting with real bits of espresso bean in it. And for a little extra treat, I topped each cupcake with a chocolate-covered espresso bean that add a surprisingly fun crunch to the mix.

When it comes to my studying habits, I find that my coffee intake increases drastically in proportion to the amount of studying I have to do. So when I anticipate many late nights happening in my future, these Mocha Cupcakes add some nice variety to my coffee drinking habits while still giving me the spike of caffeine I NEED during long study sessions.  I hope you enjoy them as much as my lab and I did during finals! P.S. – They’d make the perfect addition to any sweet little Friday brunch at the office too!

Recipe

Cupcakes Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup brewed coffee, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 tsp espresso powder
• 1/2 cup milk, at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 cups flour
• 1/3 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 egg, at room temperature

Frosting Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 tsp espresso powder
• chocolate-covered espresso beans for topping

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a standard cupcake pan with paper baking cups.
2. In a measuring cup, whisk the espresso powder into the brewed coffee until completely dissolved. Add the milk and vanilla extract and set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a bowl with a handheld electric mixer, beat the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and beat until combined. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with two additions of the coffee mixture. Mix each until just combined. Using a spatula, give the batter a final stir to ensure everything is well incorporated.
5. Using a standard-size ice cream scoop, scoop the batter into a cupcake pan so each well is two thirds full. Bake for 17 to 20 minutes (start checking at 15 minutes) or until a toothpick comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
6. For the frosting, whisk the espresso powder into the vanilla until dissolved and then set it aside.
7. Using the whisk attachment of a stand mixer, whip the butter on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, stopping once to scrape the sides of the bowl. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the powdered sugar a little at a time, waiting until it is mostly incorporated before adding more.
8. Once all the powdered sugar has been added, scrape the sides of the bowl and increase the speed to medium-high and whip until fluffy, about 1 to 2 minutes.
9. Add the espresso* and vanilla mixture and continue to mix at medium-high speed until it is completely incorporated, scarping the sides as necessary.
10. Frost each cupcake with a swirl of frosting and top with a chocolate-covered espresso bean!

*As an alternative (for those who may not like a more intense coffee flavor), hold back on putting the espresso powder into the buttercream mixture. But for those who love it (aka ALL the graduate students in my lab), pour it on in!

Original recipe here.