You are going to love this Mocha Coffee Cupcakes recipe. What could be better than mocha and coffee together, in a cupcake?
This is the perfect dessert to serve your book club or friends at the end of a party. The cake is just slightly sweet, and the little bit of coffee flavor in the frosting is the perfect compliment.
Topping the cupcakes with an espresso bean makes them so pretty, and I love the crunch of the bean with the chocolate. Heavenly!
Though these delicious cupcakes do have coffee in the frosting, it's only three tablespoons in the whole bowl, so I don't think it will be enough to keep anyone up all night!
My girls don't like drinking coffee, but when it comes to mocha and coffee together, they can't resist!
Ingredients for this Mocha Coffee Cupcakes Recipe
You always want to gather your ingredients first so you don't realize at the last minute that you're missing something. I've done it too many times!
For these cupcakes, you will need flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and baking powder, salt, sugar, pure vanilla extract, unsalted butter, an egg, whole milk, and a half cup of cooled coffee.
To make the frosting, you'll need powdered sugar, cocoa powder, regular salted butter, heavy whipping cream, and a bit more coffee.
For frosting cupcakes, this Dessert Decorating kit is amazing and it's only about $10!
How to Make Mocha Coffee Cupcakes
Preheat your oven to 350º.
Line cupcake pan with 12 paper cupcake liners.
Cream sugar with butter until light and creamy.
Add egg and vanilla extract.
In a separate bowl, add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cocoa, and stir until thoroughly combined.
Begin adding the dry mixture to the butter and sugar combination.
Alternate adding the dry ingredients with the milk.
Gently stir in the brewed coffee.
Beat well until all is combined.
Scoop the batter into the paper liners until each cup is ¾ filled.
Bake at 350 for 21 minutes.
Remove from baking pan and allow to cool.
Frosting the Cupcakes
Place softened butter in the mixing bowl.
Add powdered sugar and cocoa.
Beat until the combination looks like little pebbles.
Add whipping cream and mix on medium.
Continue to mix and add brewed coffee.
Mix until peaks appear.
If the mixture doesn't peak, add ¼ cup more of powdered sugar.
Continue to mix until the frosting forms peaks.
Using a pastry bag add, your favorite tip and frost. You also can use a zip lock bag, cutting a corner adding a tip to frost your cupcakes.
Top each cupcake with a chocolate-covered espresso bean (or two!)
Can I Use a Different Flavor of Frosting?
You can absolutely use a different flavor of frosting. One of our wonderful readers shared that she had used peanut butter frosting!
You can make peanut butter frosting with unsalted butter, creamy peanut butter, powdered sugar, and heavy cream. Check out these Peanut Butter Cupcake recipe for directions on how to make the peanut butter frosting.
More Cupcake Recipes
For more deliciousness, you've got to try these Hot Chocolate Cupcakes. Don't let the hot fool you, they are perfect any time of year!
Lemon Cupcakes are always popular, and these have such a bright citrusy flavor.
For something with a kick, try these cupcakes from this list of Best Alcohol Cupcakes. This Crown Royal Butter Pecan Cupcakes Recipe is one of the most popular recipes on this site.
These Blue Moon Cupcakes and Guinness Cupcakes are also wonderful for beer lovers. (The beer flavor is there but not overpowering at all.)
For more cupcake recipes, simply search it in the search bar of this site. Enjoy and let me know which cupcakes you make!
Mocha Coffee Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 1 ⅓ C flour
- ½ C cocoa
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 C granulated sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 C unsalted butter softened
- 1 eggs
- ½ C whole milk
- ½ C brewed coffee fresh, cooled
Frosting
- 3 C Powdered sugar
- ½ C cocoa powder
- 1 C sweet cream butter
- 5 TBSP heavy whipping cream
- 3 TBSP brewed coffee fresh, cooled
Instructions
- Cupcakes:
- Preheat oven at 350.
- Line cupcake pan with paper cupcake liners.
- Cream sugar with butter until light and creamy.
- Add egg
- Add vanilla extract.
- In a separate bowl add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cocoa .
- Mix until thoroughly combined.
- Begin adding the dry mixture in with the butter and sugar combination.
- Alternate the dry ingredients with the milk.
- Gently stir in the fresh brewed coffee.
- Beat well until all combined.
- Scoop the batter into the paper liners until each cup is ¾ filled.
- Bake at 350 for 21 minutes.
- Remove from baking pan and allow to cool.
- Frosting:
- Put soften butter in the mixing bowl.
- Add powdered sugar and cocoa.
- Beat until the combination looks like little pebbles.
- Add whipping cream and mix.
- Continuing to mix, add brewed coffee.
- Mix until peaks appear.
- If this doesn't peak then add ¼ cup more of powdered sugar.
- Continue to mix until the frosting forms peaks.
- Using a pastry bag add, your favorite tip and frost. You also can use a zip lock bag, cutting a corner adding a tip to frost your cupcakes.
- Top each cupcake with a chocolate-covered espresso bean (or two!)
Jen
Took these cupcakes to work. Couldn’t taste the coffee but they were really good chocolate cupcakes. Topped mine with a chocolate covered espresso bean. Everyone LOVED them. Will definitely make them again. I could eat that frosting with a shovel. ?
Put this recipe on my favorites board. Thanks for sharing it
Kelly Stilwell
SO glad you enjoyed them, Jen! And I agree, I will add a little more coffee the next time, too. Some people don't like a stronger coffee flavor, but I definitely do! Would so appreciate it if you would give the recipe 5 stars when you get a chance. That's how more people will see it. Thank you so much!
Abbi
This is the best recipe ever!!!! We were making the batter and we noticed that we did not have Cupcake trays so we just made a thin sheet cake, but it turend out to be a amazing and one of the best brownie recipes!! 100% recomend as a brownie recipe, (Also we followed the frosting recipe and it was extremly good!)
Kelly Stilwell
Oh my gosh, Abbi, that's such a great idea! And easier! I can't wait to try it. Thanks for sharing!
Kelly Stilwell
It does say 3 Tbsp Haley. Sorry if it wasn't easy to see! Let me know how they turn out!
Lisa
The amount was only written for the frosting, not the cupcakes.
Vicki
It does not say how much coffee for the cupcakes, but 3 tbsp for the frosting. Is it the same for both cake and frosting?
Sue
This calls for cocoa and cocoa powder. This may be a silly question but what is cocoa as opposed to cocoa powder? Thanks.
Kelly Stilwell
Sorry about that Sue. Both are cocoa powder, in cupcakes and frosting. Thanks for catching that!