Mocha Cupcakes with Espresso Buttercream

Chocolate cupcakes with coffee frosting on a white cake stand.

5 from 10 votes

Mocha Cupcakes with Espresso Buttercream

Chocolate cupcakes studded with chocolate chips and topped with an espresso buttercream. These mocha cupcakes are perfect for coffee lovers and chocolate lovers!

Prep Time18

Cook Time20

Total Time38

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: cupcakes

Calories: 290kcal

Author: Ella Gilbert

Equipment

12 cup muffin tray

Ingredients

Cupcakes

¾ cup all purpose flour
½ cup cocoa powder dutch processed
¾ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 large eggs room temperature
½ cup sugar
½ cup light brown sugar
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup buttermilk room temperature
1 teaspoon espresso powder
2 tablespoon hot water
2 teaspoon white vinegar
½ cup chocolate chips

Frosting

2 sticks unsalted butter room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups confectioners' sugar
¼ cup heavy cream
2 teaspoon espresso powder
2 teaspoon hot water

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Make cupcakes

Preheat your oven to 350°F/175°C and place 12 cupcake liners in your muffin tray. This recipe makes about 14 cupcakes, so you will need to make these in two batches.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, chocolate chips and salt. Set aside.
¾ cup all purpose flour, ½ cup cocoa powder, ¾ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ½ cup chocolate chips
In a mug or cup, mix together the espresso powder and 2 tablespoon hot water.
1 teaspoon espresso powder, 2 tbsp hot water
In a large jug, whisk the eggs, espresso, oil, buttermilk, vanilla, vinegar and two sugars until smooth
2 large eggs, ½ cup sugar, ½ cup light brown sugar, ¼ cup vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ cup buttermilk, 2 teaspoon white vinegar
Pour the wet mixture into the flour, stirring until it is just about smooth - we don't want to over mix the batter!
Fill the cupcake liners ¾ of the way and bake for 18-20 minutes. A toothpick inserted should come out clean.
Allow the cupcakes to cool for 15 minutes in the tray, then take them out and place on a cooling rack. Bake the last two cupcakes.

Make Frosting

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and confectioners' sugar together on low speed until well combined.
2 sticks unsalted butter, 3 cups confectioners' sugar
Increase the speed to medium-high and beat for a 2 minutes until it becomes very thick.
Stop the mixer and add the salt, vanilla, and espresso (mixed with the hot water!) into the bowl. Beat on medium-high speed for another 2 minutes.
1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, 2 teaspoon espresso powder, 2 teaspoon hot water
Turn the mixer to your lowest speed and pour in the heavy cream. Beat until it becomes very creamy and spreadable.
¼ cup heavy cream
I used a Wilton 1M piping tip to frost my cupcakes.

Notes

My recipes have been developed and tested in metric grams. I highly recommend using a weighing scale and measuring out your ingredients the metric way. I have provided a conversion to US cups but please note that I haven't tested the recipe with this method.

I make sure that all of my ingredients are at room temperature before I start the recipe, so pull out all of the ingredients (including the sour cream!) before you start baking.

Butter: I use European style butter, like Kerry Gold, in my recipes. This will make your finished bake much creamier and richer.

Salt: If you don't have kosher salt, halve the amount of salt called for in the recipe. 1 teaspoon kosher salt = ½ teaspoon fine salt.

Buttermilk: If you don't have buttermilk, you can swap it out for an equal amount of sour cream.

Cocoa Powder: I'm using dutch processed cocoa powder (not sure what you have? Check the ingredients. If it says 'acidity regulator' or mentions 'alkali', then it's dutch processed). If you want to use natural cocoa powder, then don't add the vinegar to the batter.

Storage: Store the cupcakes in the fridge for up to 5 days. Let them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before eating.

Nutrition