Description
Inspired by a drink at a popular coffee shop, I made a chocolate cupcake version that’s all about the espresso buttercream. You won’t be able to resist the buttercream!
From Julie Deily of The Little Kitchen.
Ingredients
- FOR THE CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES:
- 1 box (15 1/4 Oz. Size) Devil’s Food Cake Mix
- 1 package (3/4 Oz. Size) Instant Chocolate Pudding Mix
- ½ cups Brewed Coffee, Cooled
- ½ cups Milk
- ¼ cups Vegetable Oil
- 2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
- 4 Large Eggs
- FOR THE ESPRESSO BUTTERCREAM:
- ½ cups Unsalted Butter, Softened
- ½ cups Salted Butter, Softened
- 2 teaspoons Pure Coffee Extract
- 2 pounds Powdered Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Milk, Or More As Needed
- 2 To 3 Squeezes Chocolate Brown Soft Gel Paste Food Color
- 2 To 3 Squeezes Warm Brown Soft Gel Paste Food Color
- Caramel Sauce, For Drizzling On Top
Preparation
For the chocolate cupcakes:
Heat oven to 350ºF. Take a cupcake/muffin tin and place cupcake liners in it. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, add all of the cupcake ingredients. Mix with a hand mixer until combined, and then for a few more seconds. Be careful not to over-mix the batter.
Using a large cookie scoop that is 3 tablespoons in size, scoop batter into each cupcake liner.
Bake cupcakes for about 15 to 17 minutes (take a toothpick and stick it into the center of a couple cupcakes and if it comes out clean, your cupcakes are done). Carefully remove the cupcakes and place them on a cooling rack.
For the espresso buttercream:
In the bowl of a stand mixer, add softened butter and mix. Add coffee extract and mix until well blended. Next, add powdered sugar (in 2 to 3 batches, you don’t want to make a mess) and mix thoroughly.
Once you have mixed all of the powdered sugarr, start adding milk 1 tablespoon at a time and keep mixing. Mix buttercream frosting for a full 5 to 6 minutes.
Add gel paste food color to the frosting and mix again until thoroughly mixed.
I like to make the buttercream frosting a day or two ahead. I store it in the fridge. If it’s been refrigerated, let it sit on the counter for about 30 minutes before trying to decorate your cupcakes. Sometimes, if needed, I will add a little bit of water and mix with a spatula to make it thinner for frosting cupcakes.
Take a piping bag and tip and decorate your cupcakes! Drizzle caramel on top as well!
