Mocha Cupcakes with Espresso Buttercream Frosting
These mocha cupcakes are coffee and espresso-infused, with a subtle chocolate flavor, and topped with an espresso-spiked buttercream frosting.
These mocha cupcakes are a chocolate and coffee lover’s dream come true. If you can’t get your day going without your favorite cup of coffee, you’re in luck.
I might even go so far as to suggest that you should just skip your morning cup of coffee or trip to Starbucks and have one of these instead. The cake part itself strikes a subtle balance between light chocolate and a hint of creamy coffee. Not overwhelming on either end of the spectrum, and the combination results in a smooth, clean flavor, which is perfect for topping with espresso-spiked buttercream.
I love this recipe because it’s incredibly low maintenance in terms of preparation. I used my hand mixer and had these babies into the oven less than 30 minutes after I got started. I am absolutely infatuated with the texture of the cupcake – it’s so incredibly soft and tender, with not even a hint of dryness. It’s basically the perfect cupcake and I’m dying to think of other recipes to use the same base recipe.
As always, I try to achieve at least a 1:1 ratio of frosting to cake when frosting my cupcakes. Frosting is dreamy, yes? I could eat it with a spoon, straight from the mixing bowl. I pile it way high!
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I’ve mentioned many times that I’m not a big coffee drinker, mostly because I don’t like the flavor of black coffee, so I need to doctor it up with all kinds of cream and sugar to enjoy it, and I figure if I’m going to do that, I might as well just have some dessert… Oh wait.
These mocha cupcakes are pretty much how I like to ingest my coffee. Sugar? Check. Cream? Check.
While I don’t drink coffee, I absolutely, positively LOVE these cupcakes, and I’m willing to bet that many of you will, too!
Four years ago: Cherry Coke Float Cupcakes
Mocha Cupcakes with Espresso Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes:
- ½ cup (118.5 ml) brewed coffee, at room temperature
- 1½ teaspoons (1.5 teaspoons) espresso powder
- ½ cup (122 ml) whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1⅓ cups (166.67 g) all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup (28.67 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) salt
- ½ cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (110 g) light brown sugar
- 1 egg, at room temperature
For the Espresso Buttercream Frosting:
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2½ cups (300 g) powdered sugar
- 1½ teaspoons (1.5 teaspoons) vanilla extract
- 1½ teaspoons (1.5 teaspoons) espresso powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a standard-size muffin tin with paper liners.
- Make the Cupcakes: In a measuring cup, whisk the espresso powder into the brewed coffee until completely dissolved. Add the milk and vanilla extract; set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- With an electric mixer on medium speed, 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, mixing each until just combined. Using a rubber spatula, give the batter a final stir to ensure everything is incorporated.
- Fill each muffin cup about two-thirds full with batter. Bake for 17 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting the cupcakes.
- Make the Frosting: In a small bowl, whisk the espresso powder into the vanilla until dissolved; set aside.
- 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. Once all of 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. Add the espresso and vanilla mixture and continue to mix at medium-high speed until it is completely incorporated, scraping the sides as necessary. Frost the cupcakes as desired (I used the Wilton 1M decorating tip).
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
This recipe was originally published on August 13, 2010.
luks yummy!!
I really like the sound of supersmooth buttercream. I also wonder why I do not own a 1M piping tube. I need to fix that.
Ok I think I have died and gone to heaven. yes, I am floating on a cloud and I have one of these cupcakes in my hand. This is my dream. :)
Also, it looks like you more than bounced back after that epic disaster of baking, sorry to hear that happened but so glad to see I am not the only one with failures sometimes!
That frosting looks perfect!!
I really lovelovelove the icing on that ‘haphazard-y’ one. It looks so much better than a swirl! Am I right to assume that you just held the bag upright, and sort of moved it around a bit while squeezing?
Yum yum yum and man! Do I wish I could pipe like you do! Mine never look that good!
Yum! Can’t wait to try these especially since I have been on a mocha kick lately!
Ok…I’ll take two dozen! These are beautiful and im sure they taste as amazing as they look!
Wow- these are awesome cupcakes :) Yum!!
yum! i’ve always loved the combo of chocolate and coffee!! these are beautiful- love the way they are frosted!!
What perfect cupcake! Just elegant!
I think my daughter and I will be baking these this weekend. They look incredible!
samewith me and my mum
Can I just have one right now?! They look fabulous!
oh my word….mocha cupcakes?! Is this what heaven is made of? Just so yummy! Love the pictures too!!
This looks lovely
These cupcakes look amazing!! Just the other day I was thinking that I need to find a recipe for espresso buttercream – this one looks delicious. Thanks for the recipe!
I love the way you decorated the cupcakes, those ripples of frosting are beautiful! Any words of advice on how to make those with the 1M tip?
These look amazing!! I cannot wait to try these this weekend!!
Wow, these are beautiful. Your frosting looks like satiny ribbons. I’m gonna try making these soon!
I can’t believe how beautiful the frosting looks! As always, wish I had your talent. These look DELICIOUS!
Nice recovery! :-) These cupcakes look so pretty!
Your cupcakes always look perfect. I love the frosting!
LOVE the 1:1 ratio! I too am a frosting fan, and anything with a coffee flavor is even better. Thanks for the food blog link, I wasn’t aware of that either, but I can definitely see me using it for just the reasons you listed.
I didn’t know about the food blog search. I bookmarked it. Wow. Thanks so much.
I am glad you finally had success with the cupcakes. Can you pass me one? Oh how yummy they look. I haven’t eaten breakfast yet and could use a sugar rush.
The look so tasty and elegant! Chocolate and coffee are a match made in heaven :) I love it!
These look absolutely beautiful!
Soooooo Good! Im salivating. I could defintely do with one right now….
I agree about food blog search; it’s so nice to read someone else’s feedback about a recipe before you make it. Your cupcakes are making me drool here!
Yummy!!!!!
I have to try!!
xxx
Marta.
These are just wonderful. They look so tempting that I wish I could just pull them out from the screen!
Those are scrumptious! The frosting looks perfect- light and fluffy. I totally agree with your cake to frosting ratio. It seems more civilized to eat frosting on cake rather than right from the bowl, but I’d be surely tempted. Thanks for the recipe. I think my co-workers deserve these on the first day back to school!
I want to try these cupcakes, but I live in Colorado at 7,000 feet above sea level. Does anyone have a suggestion as to how I can modify this recipe so the cupcakes don’t sink in the middle?
I used to live in Leadville and that was 11,000 ft. above sea level. I called the County extention office to get help. I also called a few bakeries to pick their brain of all their secret tips. I know I had to adjust the leavening, liquid and flour and time of baking. My worst nightmare was trying to boil potatoes and pasta. It took 45-60 min. Crazy!! It is hard cooking with such craziness. Good luck!
change the baking soda ammount
I also live in CO and have found that adding a heaping Tablespoon of plain yogurt and a 1-2 Tablespoons of AP flour to cake recipes works really well. The yogurt tames the leavening and the flour makes it less wet and adds more gluten.
I also live in CO and have had no problems baking. The only adjustments i usually make concern sugar, salt, and vanilla. I also do bake weekly at a minimum (usually more) and have tried hundreds of recipes.
I live at the base of Manitou Springs, Colorado and I work at the Chefs Catalog Store in Colorado Springs. I assist Cooking Classes and help customers and questions of altitude adjustments are something I’m good at- lots of practice! So I often use The Cake Doctor Cookbook and while it’s about cheating with a cake mix she also has some really good cake mix Adjustments- so for that basically a 1/4 cp of flour is added to any mix you come across- an extra egg if rich and beat a bit more. For homemade goods from scratch it gets a bit tricky- but in general I cut down the sugar by 2 -4 Tbls. per cup of sugar and I decrease the leaven (baking soda, B powder, etc.) by 1/4 tsp per each tsp. Basically we are high up and the baked goods need less to make it rise. there are other things you can do, but essentially these 2 steps- lowering the sugar and leaven is enough. Happy having a Baking High!
Did your cupcakes turn out super light? I tried them twice, cut down the baking time and mine are still so light and crumbly
hi, I just made the cupcakes and they turned out super moist. the only thing that comes to mind is that perhaps you’re mixing the flour and the espresso mixes in too big of portions or not mixing it well enough before pouring in the next portion of either mix….?????
the cupcakes are so so delicious definitely a keeper!!!!!!! thanx so much for the recipe….!!!!
I had the same problem, my cupcakes turned out very light and crumbly. Idk what I did wrong but at least the flavor is great. Does anybody know how to avoid this? Do I have to add more flour or something like that? I live in a high place, maybe that’s the problem :S
Hi Tania, If you’re baking at high altitude and not making any adjustments, then that could definitely be the issue.
Hi, just a question, what are the adjustmets that have to be done, i have no clue and allways have the same problem because of the hight altitude. Do we need to add more flour? less liquid? thanks
Hi Yanina, I don’t bake at a high altitude, but I’ve heard it can be a lot of trial and error. Here is a page with some suggestions to get you started:
https://www.browneyedbaker.com/high-altitude-baking/
You might look at how big your eggs are. Eggs cause it to bond better so if you’re not using the large eggs especially if you get “large eggs” in the store and they’re just as small as the mediums. So sometimes I add an extra egg or an extra yolk and it gives a little more stability to the cake.
It is godđ