Coffee Cupcakes with Coffee Buttercream

❤️Why you will love this recipe

• A great recipe for moist coffee 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.

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.
• Butter - I use salted butter. If you are using unsalted butter, you might need to increase the amount of 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 - use whole milk. Use only if the buttercream is stiff.
• Milk chocolate coins - these are to decorate the cupcakes.

🧾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.
• Milk in the buttercream can be replaced with heavy cream.
• 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.

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.

1. In a large bowl, add butter and sugar and beat until they light and fluffy on medium speed on 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. 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.

🍽️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.

💡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 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.

💭FAQs