Mocha Cupcakes

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These moist, fluffy mocha cupcakes combine moist chocolate cake and creamy, fluffy coffee buttercream to create an unforgettable treat!

Prep Time30

Cook Time30

Total Time1

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 349kcal

Author: Katalin Nagy

Equipment

Ingredients

Chocolate Cupcakes

100 g Granulated Sugar
100 g Brown sugar
80 g Vegetable Oil
120 g Whole milk room temperature
120 g Freshly brewed coffee room temperature
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
1 Egg room temperature
180 g All purpose flour
50 g Cocoa powder
½ teaspoon Baking powder
½ teaspoon Salt
½ teaspoon Baking soda

Coffee Buttercream Frosting

226 g Unsalted butter 82% fat content European-style butter, use it softened
240 g Powdered sugar Sifted
½ tablespoon Vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon Salt
3 tablespoons Heavy cream 36% fat content
1 teaspoon Espresso powder

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Chocolate cupcakes

Prepare your cupcake tin by lining it with muffin liners and preheat your oven to 175℃ / 347℉ (no fan).
With an electric hand mixer, whip together the wet ingredients for 1-2 minutes: room temperature egg, oil, sugar, coffee, milk, and vanilla extract.
Sift dry ingredients together; flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder, salt then pour the wet ingredients into dry ingredients and fold just until combined.
Spoon the batter evenly into the cavities of your cupcake tin, filling each one about ¾ full.
Bake the chocolate cupcake for about 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Do not overbake them, as they can dry out.
Cool the baked cupcakes on a cooling rack. They must be at room temperature before frosting.

Coffee Buttercream Frosting

Using your stand mixer or electric hand mixer, cream the room-temperature softened butter at medium-high speed for 3 minutes until it becomes light in color and fluffy in texture.
Add in the powdered sugar tablespoon by tablespoon on low speed, then turn the mixer back on medium-high speed and whip it for another 4 minutes or until the mixture becomes light, fluffy, and increases in volume.
Mix the espresso powder with the heavy cream until fully dissolved.
Lastly, while the mixer is on at low speed, add vanilla extract, salt, and heavy cream & coffee mixture and continue whipping for another minute until it is smooth and silky.
Move the frosting into a piping bag fitted with a piping nozzle. Frost the cupcakes with the coffee buttercream, and decorate according to your liking eg. with coffee beans or a hint of cocoa powder.
The cupcakes are best served fresh. Any leftovers can be stored refrigerated for 2-3 days in an air-tight container. Bring them back to room temperature before serving for the frosting to soften.

Notes

The frosting recipe above is enough to frost 12 Mocha cupcakes generously.

You might be able to make more or less cupcakes with this recipe, depending on the size of the cupcake tin cavities.

Ingredient notes:

Measure your ingredients with a Digital scale for accuracy.
All cupcake ingredients must be at room temperature to properly emulsify: eggs, coffee, and milk.
Use high-fat (36%) heavy cream and good quality high-fat (82%) butter for making buttercream.
It is key to use high-quality vanilla for the best flavor; feel free to try my homemade vanilla extract.
Espresso powder, also known as instant espresso, comes from darkly roasted espresso beans that undergo grinding, brewing, drying, and a subsequent fine grinding process. This creates a concentrated powder that easily dissolves in liquid. Alternatively, use one of these espresso powder substitutes.

Technique notes:

Make sure you read my Expert Tips section above to maximize your success. A short recipe alone is not able to cover all the necessary details, and science behind baking.
A digital scale is required for a consistent, happy baking experience.
Do not overwork the cupcake batter. After whipping the wet ingredients, switch to a rubber spatula to incorporate the dry ingredients.
Always preheat your oven and consider using a digital oven thermometer for the best results.
Baking these cupcakes takes 22 minutes in my oven. However, you should focus on the texture, not the time. Apply the toothpick test (it should come out clean) to avoid overbaked cupcakes. Do not overbake them, as that will result in a dry texture.
When making the buttercream, the temperature and texture of the butter is key. Wait until it is soft, however, avoid last-minute microwaving.
When adding the powdered sugar, reduce the speed of the mixer to avoid creating a huge powder sugar cloud.
This coffee frosting should have the perfect pipeable fluffy texture, but if, for some reason, it is too thick, add some more cream (1 tablespoon at a time). If the frosting is too thin, add more powdered sugar (1 tablespoons at a time).
Note that the coffee buttercream texture is best straight after making it when the butter is at the right temperature (room temperature), and the mixture is freshly whipped. I like to use the frosting immediately or store it at room temperature in a piping bag for a few hours. If stored in the refrigerator, you will need to bring it back to room temperature before using it and might need to give it another minute or two to whip in the stand mixer to increase the volume again.

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