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.
These look super yummy! Can’t wait to try them!!
-Ridhima http://sprinkleandglitter.blogspot.in/
Hello! I am from the UK and am unsure when the recipe says sugar (granulated sugar) if I should use UK caster sugar or UK granulated sugar – our granulated sugar has bigger granules that yours but the the caster sugar granules are finer than your granulated sugar. I am worried our granulated sugar will be too grainy in recipes and perhaps not cream properly?, but the caster sugar may then be too sweet. Which should I use when baking these american recipes?
Hi JP – I’m familiar with caster sugar, but I’m not familiar with UK granulated sugar, so without knowing how granule it is, I would say you could go ahead and use caster sugar in this recipe. I would go by weight since it’s finer, and use 3.5 ounces. I hope that helps!
These sound like they will become my husband’s favorite cupcake!
Kari
http://www.sweetteasweetie.com
Hi! These look amazing and I can’t wait to try them. Where do I get espresso powder from? I’ve never seen it or used it.
Hi Lindy, Thank you! You can get espresso powder in Italian grocery stores, on Amazon or from King Arthur Flour.
These look amazing! Can’t wait to bake up a batch.
This was the first recipe I ever made off of your site. To this day, it is still my favorite go-to cupcake recipe. I have never had anyone not like them. I top them with a chocolate covered espresso bean for an added kick :-)
These cupcakes were the BEST I’ve ever had and a huge hit at work! I was wondering if you’ve ever used this to make a double or triple layer cake–or if you have any advice as to what ratios/cooking time would be needed…
Hi Christina, You could double the recipe and make a two-layer cake, I think a number of readers have commented that they have had success doing so. Enjoy!
Hi,
These cupcakes are a real favorite in my house! However, I was wondering if I’m the only one having trouble with the liners separating from the cupcake? This is the only recipe i make that this is happening every time. Any suggestions?
What quantities should I use if I want to bake this as a 2-layer 9″ cake?
Hi Jen, You’ll want to double the recipe.
This was my very first time making cupcakes and they came out perfectly! The recipe and proportions of cake to icing and serving size are on point . Not too coffeey either; the icing has the perfect espresso flavor
Hi
I made these cupcakes because I am a huge fan of chocolate and coffee, so of course mocha is the ideal flavour combination for me. However-these did not work at all. I left them in for the required amount of time, at the correct temperature, but they did not rise, they did not seem to cook in the middle (it was raw looking and tasting, very gooey) and they tasted like flour. I had to throw them away:( Does anyone have ANY idea why this would happen? This has happened to me once before with a Red Velvet Cake recipe that I swear by and have made hundreds of times, but just once this exact same thing happened. I would be so grateful to anyone who has a solution for this problem!
Wow! These are incredible. The frosting was like nothing I’ve ever tasted. Thank you!
I made these a while ago and followed the recipe and directions exactly except using Starbucks VIA instant coffee powder instead of espresso powder. Man oh man did they turn out well – way better than expected for a rookie baker!! Will make these soon for a special occasion and will have just as much fun and with hopefully results as beautiful and delicious as the first time! Definitely recommend this recipe to anyone and everyone!
This recipe is terrible. I have been cooking for years and never had failed to make muffins nor cupcakes. This time I decided to try something new and found this recipe. I did everthing exactly as said. Nevertheless, my cupcakes turned out to be so light that they completely fell apart. I had to waste all my materials for nothing. The cupcakes didnt even taste good. They tasted like nothing. I do not recommend this recipe at all. It looks all pretty and everything, but do not let your eyes fool you.
The cupcakes look absolutely delicious and tempting!
Wow. Just Wow. These are delicious–probably the best cupcake ever. I’ll be making these often! Thanks, Michele!
These are fantastic! I had to bake something for an office meeting and decided to give these a try. My colleagues are hard to please, but they LOVED these! I could not find espresso powder (I live in a rural area) so I used a good instant coffee and the cupcakes tasted wonderful! Also, they are super moist.
These cupcakes are AH-MAY-ZING! Especially for coffee lovers. I have made them several times using various combos of espresso powder or instant coffee (whatever I have on hand or is on sale at the time) and they still come out great every time! Soft, moist, rich, and the frosting is perfectly sweet and fluffy. Thanks for a great recipe I will be keeping in my rotation for years to come!
I haven’t tried the cake portion of the recipe (yet), but the frosting is unbelievably amazing! I frosted pumpkin cupcakes with it for a coworker’s birthday, and while everyone liked the cupcakes, they went absolutely crazy for the frosting, calling it the best frosting ever. I loved the texture that the butter-whipping process created; I hadn’t made frosting that way before, but I will from now on!
I’ve made these a couple of times and each time they have been fantastic! No problems. If you are having a problem perhaps it is the baking time, the mixing order of ingredients, oven temperature setting, ingredients not at room temperature………..?
can u taste the coffee in the cake without the frosting?
Yes, but it’s more subtle than in the frosting.
Is it okay to double on the espresso powder if I want a stronger coffee flavor?
Hi Sam, Definitely!
I really want to make these from scratch, but I have a box of white cake mix that I really need to use. I don’t want it to end up going to waste How can I turn my white cake mix into mocha cake mix?
Unfortunately, I don’t think that would work, as the mocha cupcakes have a chocolate base. I’d probably use your cake mix for something else and make the mocha cupcakes from scratch.
Your recipe does not list eggs but the directions have you adding eggs am I missing something???
Hi Star, The egg is there, it is the last ingredient in the list.
I absolutely love these cupcakes! The first couple times making them were difficult trying to get everything right and so it was the right consistency (I’ll admit, the first time I had a sludgey cupcake tin) but after the first 5 times it’s become a breeze to make these. They’re not too overpowering with the coffe which is good considering I don’t like coffee and the cupcake with the frosting is absolutely divine! Tip for anyone making these: don’t eat just the frosting by itself. It’s very strong and will probably make you feel a little ill. D:
Thank you for this heavenly recipe!!
Hi! I just wanted to say that the icing recipe is delicious! I made it for my birthday (I made a three-layered vanilla cake with the espresso icing and my cousin made these cute little fondant flowers to decorate it) and it tasted incredible! Thank you very much for posting it.
Made these as one of three flavors for my nephew’s wedding July 5. They were beautiful and tasted heavenly…at least that’s what the guests told me. ; ) I also topped each one with a candy I found at a local shoppe: a chocolate covered chocolate in the shape of a coffee bean. TO. DIE. FOR. I doubled the recipe and it turned out just fine…I loved the way they tasted: chocolate at first then a few seconds later than wonderful coffee taste. Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
I tried this recipe a few days ago, and they came out super moist, but fell apart. I also overfilled the cupcake tins, trying to use all the batter. I also dumped all the coffee/milk mixture into the butter/sugar, then mixed all the flour mixture. I also sifted my flour–I think this is where my mistake was. I was unable to find espresso powder at my local grocery store, so I just brewed espresso and mixed that with the coffee, and added the liquid espresso to the frosting.
Fast forward to today…I did not sift the flour, and I alternated the coffee/milk mixture with the flour mixture. I found the espresso powder at a large grocery store today, I also had 16 cupcakes vs. 12, so they were the perfect size and no overflowing! The cupcakes were awesome, moist, but not falling apart and the perfect blend of coffee and chocolate.
Well, it was our fifth time making these tonight. My son wanted to learn how to bake, and asked me to show him. When I asked him what he wanted to bake, he asked if we could do the mocha cupcakes he loves so well. He then grabbed my iPhone to find the recipe online! He remembered what the website looked like from last time.
Anyway, we doubled it to make 24. They are amazing. Especially if you love that coffee flavour.
Thanks again for this yummy recipe. It’s our family favourite by far!
Hi Michelle….. these are wonderful! I made them into minis. People enjoyed them. I need your opinion on cupcake liners. Growing up all my Mom used was the light yellow, blue and pink ones. Now there are so many choices, I cannot find one that works all the way around. There are plain papers, waxed papers, some that say “no fade”, some with foil —– Do you have a favorite? Either they do bleed grease, the colors of the paper fade, the cake sticks to some, etc. I am hoping that you have made enough to have a favorite. Thanks again for this recipe. It is special!!!
Hi Sue, I play around with some different colors/patterns sometime, but my “tried and true” favorites are just the plain white paper liners I get from the grocery store. Can’t beat ’em!