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    Decorated Treats » Recipes » Cupcakes Recipes

    Coffee Cupcakes with Coffee Buttercream

    Published: Feb 3, 2021 · Modified: Jun 19, 2023 by Priya Maha

    Jump to Recipe

    This coffee cupcakes recipe makes deliciously aromatic coffee infused cupcakes that are perfectly complemented with equally aromatic, smooth and creamy coffee flavored buttercream.

    With a moist and fluffy texture and a boast of rich coffee aroma, these cupcakes are not to be missed.

    Coffee cupcakes in white cupcake casings, decorated with buttercream swirl and chocolate coin.
    Moist Coffee Cupcakes with Coffee Buttercream - Perfect Treats for Coffee Lovers

    These cupcakes are all about coffee. There's coffee in the cupcakes and more coffee in the buttercream. And that is not all, there are also coffee-flavored chocolate chips in the cupcakes!

    The recipe adapted from my coffee-flavored cake. They are made with the base of a pound cake recipe and adjusted by including coffee and coffee-flavored chocolate chips in the batter.

    The cupcakes turn out superbly moist and fluffy, just like my coffee-flavored cake, and the aroma of coffee in my kitchen every time I bake these cupcakes is absolutely mouth watering!

    Jump to:
    • ❤️Why you will love this recipe
    • 📋Ingredients
    • 🧾Substitution and variations
    • 👩🏻‍🍳How to make
    • 🍽️Serving & storage
    • 💡Expert tips
    • 💭FAQs
    • ❤️More recipes you will love ❤️
    • 📖Recipe

    ❤️Why you will love this recipe

    • A great recipe for moist coffee flavored cupcakes.
    • It makes delicious coffee cupcakes, a perfect treat for coffee lovers.
    • It is an easy recipe with simple ingredients. The making method is fairly easy too.
    • There is coffee in the cupcakes as well as in the frosting, making these cupcakes a coffee lover's dream cupcakes.

    📋Ingredients

    Cupcakes

    • Self-raising flour + baking powder + salt - mix these together and sift them before adding into the cupcakes batter.
    • Granulated sugar (caster sugar) - fine sugar works best for this cupcakes as it is able to dissolve better compared to coarse sugar. Coarse sugar will leave your cupcakes with tiny specks of sugar on the surface after baking.
    • Butter - I use salted butter. If you are using unsalted butter, add a small pinch of extra salt in the recipe.
    • Eggs - use large eggs.
    • Instant coffee powder (or instant espresso powder / instant espresso granules) + hot water - mix the coffee with water to dissolve it before adding into the batter.
    • Milk - use whole milk for a rich batter.
    • Coffee-flavored chocolate chips - these are optional but adding them gives the cupcakes an extra umph.

    Coffee Buttercream Frosting

    • Powdered sugar (icing sugar) - sift the sugar first to break any lumps.
    • Shortening - shortening stabilizes the buttercream, especially in water temperatures. You can substitute with butter if you like.
    • Butter - I use salted butter. Salt in the buttercream definitely enhances the taste.
    • Instant coffee + hot water - mix coffee with water to dissolve it first before adding into the buttercream to avoid it from remaining undissolved in the buttercream.
    • Milk or heavy cream - These are optional. Use only if the buttercream is stiff.
    • Milk chocolate coins - these are to decorate the cupcakes.

    *Refer to the recipe card below for full list of ingredients and exact quantities. For best results, use a digital kitchen scale where applicable*

    🧾Substitution and variations

    • Self raising flour can be replaced with all purpose flour and baking powder. For every 225g of all purpose flour, add one and half teaspoons of baking powder. Mix well and sift three times before using. To make 180g of self raising flour (as per the recipe card below), mix 180g of all purpose flour with two thirds of a teaspoon of baking powder.
    • Whole milk in the cupcakes batter can be replaced with skimmed milk. Other options include almond milk or oat milk.
    • Instead of cupcake liners, these cupcakes can also be baked in muffin cups (like these triple chocolate cupcakes), however, you may have to adjust the baking time depending on the size of the cups.
    • Coffee buttercream can be replaced with other options like chocolate ganache or cream cheese frosting.
    • Amount of coffee used in the recipe can be adjusted. If you prefer a more subtle coffee flavor, reduce the amount of coffee used in the recipe. This will not alter the texture of the cupcakes or the buttercream.
    • If you do not have coffee flavored chocolate chips, you can always replace them with milk or dark chocolate chips. They can also be omitted from the recipe if you like.
    • Milk chocolate coins can be substituted with chocolate covered coffee beans or espresso beans.

    This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you do try, please let me know in the comments section below!

    👩🏻‍🍳How to make

    Mixing the batter

    • The cupcakes are made using the creaming method, which means butter and sugar are creamed until light and fluffy before other ingredients are added in.
    • To begin with, mix instant coffee and hot water in a small bowl. Set it aside to cool to room temperature.
    A poster of 6 images showing how to mix batter.
    1. In a large bowl, add butter and sugar and beat until they turn light and fluffy on medium speed with an electric mixer (stand mixer or hand mixer). This should take about 2 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl at least once.
    2. Next, add the eggs, one at a time. Each time, beat until all traces of the egg are no longer visible.
    3. Sift the flour, salt, and baking powder. Fold these dry ingredients into the creamed wet ingredients mixture in 3 batches. Alternate each batch with milk, starting and ending with flour mixture.
    4. Next, add the dissolved coffee. Give the cake batter a good mix, making sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. This is to make sure the cake batter is evenly colored as coffee changes the color of the batter to a light brown.
    5. Scoop the cupcake batter into prepared cupcake liners or casings placed in a muffin tin. Sprinkle the top of each cupcake with coffee-flavored chocolate chips.
    6. Bake the cupcakes for about 20 minutes until the tops spring back when lightly pressed. Remove the cupcakes from oven and let them cool down completely to room temperature (on a wire rack) before frosting.

    Making the coffee buttercream

    • Dissolve coffee in hot water. Set it aside to cool.
    • In a medium bowl, cream the butter and shortening until creamy (with a paddle attachment on electric mixer). Add in the sifted powdered sugar and continue beating until the mixture turns smooth. Start with low speed and gradually increase to medium-high speed to avoid the sugar from flying all over.
    • Add the dissolved instant coffee granules and continue beating until the buttercream is all smooth and evenly colored.
    • If it is too stiff, add some milk or heavy cream. Start with 1 tablespoon and increase gradually until you achieve your desired consistency. Since the buttercream will be used for piping work, it should not be too soft.

    Frosting the cupcakes

    • Fit your piping bag with star tip 2D. Fill the piping bag with coffee buttercream.
    A piping bag fitted with a large star tip and buttercream.
    • Pipe simple swirls on each cupcake and top with a milk chocolate coin to complete the cupcakes. You can also use chocolate covered coffee beans or espresso beans to decorate these delicious coffee cupcakes.
    Coffee cupcakes with buttercream.
    Coffee cupcakes with coffee buttercream - Perfect to be enjoyed with a cup of coffee

    🍽️Serving & storage

    • Keep the coffee cupcakes in an airtight container once they have cooled down to keep them moist.
    • These coffee cupcakes last at room temperature for a good 4 to 5 days. After that, you will see the cupcake casings pulling off the cupcakes. Hence, it is best to consume them within 3 to 4 days.
    A cupcake with the casing peeled off.
    Coffee Cupcakes with Delicious Coffee Flavor

    💡Expert tips

    • These cupcakes are best made using instant coffee (powdered or granules). It is easier to mix the coffee into a thick solution than the ground filtered coffee (brewed coffee). I used instant coffee powder to flavor my coffee cupcakes. You can also use filtered coffee but the results might vary. And if you do, make sure the coffee solution is not too diluted.
    • The baking time for these cupcakes will vary depending on the size of the cupcakes. I baked mine in cupcake liners measuring 4 cm in diameter at the bottom and 7 cm in diameter at the top, with a height of 2.5cm. If your liners are larger than this, you would need to increase your baking time accordingly.
    • The cupcakes rise well during baking. And so it is important not to overfill the cupcakes batter into the casings to avoid the batter from overflowing when baking. Ideally, fill the cupcake casings to only about two thirds full. This will ensure they have enough room to expand without any unsightly overflows.

    💭FAQs

    Why does the batter curdle and how to avoid it?

    When making these cupcakes, if either the butter or eggs are cold, your batter will tend to curdle when the eggs are added in.

    This happens mostly when either the eggs or butter are cold. If both are cold, this will not happen, but since butter is hard when cold, you would naturally wait for it to warm up a little. Adding cold eggs to the creamed butter and sugar will cause curdling.

    To prevent this, keep the eggs at room temperature. However, if for some reason, the batter still curdles, fold in the flour (in small batches) to the curdled mixture until it is no longer curdled. And then proceed with the milk and coffee solution as stated in the recipe.

    How to ensure the cupcakes are moist?

    The first tip is to not overbake them. Overbaking will result in dry cupcakes.

    The other tip to ensure your cupcakes remain truly moist is to keep them covered while cooling down. Cover them with a kitchen towel while you leave them out to cool. This will help the cupcakes remain moist and do not dry out.

    ❤️More recipes you will love ❤️

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    Do you like this recipe? Please leave a 5-star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐rating in the recipe card below and consider a review further down this page. I would love to hear from you. Thank you!

    📖Recipe

    Coffee cupcakes in white cupcake casings, decorated with buttercream swirl and chocolate coin.

    Coffee Cupcakes with Coffee Buttercream

    Superbly moist coffee-filled coffee cupcakes with coffee chocolate chips and coffee buttercream. Delectably, the best coffee cupcakes ever!
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Frosting Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes
    Yield: 28 cupcakes
    Author: Priya Maha
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Metric - US Customary

    For best results, use the metrics measurements. US customary measurements have not been tested and are only meant for guide.

    Ingredients

    Cupcakes

    • 180 g self raising flour
    • 180 g butter
    • 180 g granulated sugar
    • 3 eggs
    • ⅓ teaspoon baking powder
    • ⅛ teaspoon salt
    • 2 tablespoon milk (at room temperature)
    • 1 tablespoon instant coffee powder
    • 1 tablespoon hot water
    • 75 g coffee-flavored chocolate chips

    Coffee Buttercream

    • 75 g butter
    • 75 g shortening
    • 300 g powdered sugar (sifted)
    • ½ tablespoon instant coffee powder
    • ½ tablespoon hot water
    • 1 tablespoon milk (optional)

    Decoration

    • 28 milk chocolate coins
    Metric - US Customary

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 175°Celsius.
    • Prepare cupcake liners.
    • In a small cup, dissolve instant coffee powder with hot water. Mix and set aside to cool.
    • In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
    • Add the eggs, one at a time. Beat well after each addition.
    • Sift flour, baking powder and salt. Fold into the creamed mixture alternately with milk. Start and end with flour.
    • Finally, fold in the dissolved coffee and mix until the coffee is well distributed and the batter is evenly colored.
    • Scoop the batter into prepared cupcake casings and bake for approximately 20 minutes. The top of the cupcakes should spring back when lightly pressed.
    • Remove cupcakes from oven and let them cool down completely before frosting.
    • To make the coffee buttercream, dissolve the coffee in hot water. Set aside to cool.
    • In a medium-sized bowl, beat butter and shortening until soft and creamy.
    • Add in the sifted powdered sugar and beat until smooth.
    • Pour the coffee solution and continue to beat the buttercream until the coffee is evenly distributed in the buttercream. Add some milk or cream if the consistency is too stiff.
    • Fill the coffee buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a large star tip and pipe simple swirls on each cupcake. Top with a milk chocolate button.

    Notes

    • These cupcakes are best made using instant coffee (powdered or granules). It is easier to mix the coffee into a thick solution than the ground filtered coffee (brewed coffee). I used instant coffee powder to flavor my coffee cupcakes. You can also use filtered coffee but the results might vary. And if you do, make sure the coffee is not too diluted.
    • The baking time for these cupcakes will vary depending on the size of the cupcakes. I baked mine in cupcake liners measuring 4 cm in diameter at the bottom and 7 cm in diameter at the top, with a height of 2.5cm. If your liners are larger than this, you would need to increase your baking time accordingly.
    • The cupcakes rise well during baking. And so it is important not to overfill the cupcakes batter into the casings to avoid the batter from overflowing when baking. Ideally, fill the cupcake casings to only about two thirds full. This will ensure they have enough room to expand without unsightly overflows.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 329.4kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 2.6g | Fat: 20.2g | Saturated Fat: 11.2g | Trans Fat: 0.7g | Cholesterol: 37.3mg | Sodium: 93mg | Potassium: 108.3mg | Fiber: 1.7g | Sugar: 31.4g | Vitamin A: 255.8IU | Calcium: 17.7mg | Iron: 0.9mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @decorated_treats or tag #decoratedtreats!

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    I'm Priya, and I'm so excited that you dropped by 🙂 Welcome to DECORATED TREATS, a place where I share all my cake decorating ideas & true and tried recipes for all things sweet.

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    A cupcake with the casing peeled off, decorated with coffee buttercream and chocolate coin.