Coffee Cupcakes w/ Espresso Frosting Recipe

Nothing, and I mean nothing beats coffee.  I’m a huge coffee lover.  I drink it all day, and enjoy it in several forms.  Give it to me black, in a latte, Frappuccino, with yummy creamer, straight espresso or Americano…you get the idea.  I just love coffee!  <3  Making something with coffee is easy.  But I wanted to make something that really could be JUST for hardcore coffee lovers like me. And here it is.  Coffee cupcakes with espresso buttercream frosting.  If you love coffee like I do, your mouth is drooling right about now.  It’s also customizable to nail the perfect amount of coffee and espresso flavor that you want.

Coffee and espresso singles packets are super easy to find. Check the coffee aisle at your grocery store.  They come in packs of 6-7 singles.  I use the Cafe Bustelo Espresso Singles and Folgers Classic Roast Singles.  You need these, as opposed to just ground espresso or ground coffee, because they will dissolve.  You’ll use a couple without dissolving ONLY for a stronger flavor.  Don’t worry about wasting them – you’ll use all of them when you remake this recipe again….and again… and again….

What you need:

• 1/2 cup butter (room temperature)
• 1 cup  sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup strong brewed coffee (room temperature)
• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 1-2 coffee singles packets

FROSTING:

• 1 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
• 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 espresso packet

Make them:

Preheat oven to 350. Spray mini muffin pan with nonstick spray or line regular muffin pan with cupcake liners.

In your mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until super light and fluffy.  Add the eggs, one at a time until well incorporated.  Beat well in between each egg.

In a small cup, empty a coffee singles packet into the room temperature coffee to dissolve.  Add to butter mixture.

In a smaller bowl, use a whisk (or sifter if you have one) to mix the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt.  Add it, 1/2 cup at a time to the creamed mixture.

Taste your batter.  If it’s not “coffee” enough for you, add in another singles packet by sprinkling it into the dough and mixing it in.  I used 2 packets because I wanted to really taste the coffee! 🙂

Fill muffin pan 3/4 full of batter and bake for 12-15 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

MAKE THE FROSTING:

In a small bowl, mix the espresso single packet into the vanilla until it’s dissolved.  Set it aside.

Whip the butter on medium-high speed for a solid 5 minutes, scraping the bowl a couple of times during the process.  Slow it down and add powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, making sure it’s totally incorporated before adding more of it.  Once you’re done, whip that frosting again for another 2 minutes.  Add the espresso/vanilla combo and keep mixing until it’s totally incorporated.  Taste the frosting.  If it’s not “espresso” enough for you – add another packet!

Prepare to indulge! 🙂  These are definitely for coffee lovers only!

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Jeni’s Disclaimer: I’m just a regular girl.  I love to drink wine while I bake.  I’m by no means a professional baker or pro photographer. My creations aren’t staged, they just are what they are, and that’s probably obvious. If you’re a normal person that loves to bake or cook and your food ends up looking like REAL food, and not like something you’ll see on Instagram, you’re in the right place.