Coffee Cupcakes (Mocha Cupcakes)

Quick and easy gourmet chocolate coffee cupcakes recipe with espresso buttercream frosting that are very soft and moist. These mocha cupcakes are filled with ooey gooey caramel.

*Thank you Starbucks for sponsoring today's post so that I can share this recipe with all of you. As always, all opinions are mine.*

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Every Christmas, all our family and friends meet for breakfast at our house and we spend the entire day together. It's a fun and lively day and a great way to reconnect with everyone. There are tables set up for kids and adults with everything imaginable: cakes, cupcakes, cookies, Homemade Gingerbread Latte, Best Crockpot Hot Chocolate and so much more. This year, I have added these cupcakes to our Christmas menu too. They are filled with ooey gooey caramel sauce and topped off with a swirl of rich and creamy espresso coffee frosting. I swear that mocha frosting is to die for and tastes just like my Homemade Mocha Latte.

Key ingredients for mocha cupcakes

• Flour- Simple all-purpose will work best for this recipe.
• Cocoa powder- The more high quality, the better your dessert will be.
• Sugar- Both powdered sugar and granulated sugar will be used in this recipe.
• Oil- Helps bring a moist consistency.
• Buttermilk- Adds a tangy flavor that you won't get from regular milk.
• Espresso powder- This cannot be substituted for coffee granules
• Brewed coffee- A popular morning favorite now put into a new favorite treat.
• Baking powder and baking soda- You will need both rising agents to make these cupcakes successfully.
• Eggs- Be sure they are large and at room temperature.
• Vanilla extract- Adds to the warm flavors and aroma of this recipe.
• Butter- Use unsalted at room temperature.
• Shortening- This adds stability to the frosting for easier piping.

Variations for espresso cupcakes

• Mocha cupcakes with cake mix- Use a chocolate cake mix and add 1-2 tablespoon espresso powder. Once baked and cooled to room temperature, top off with my coffee frosting below in the recipe card.
• White chocolate vanilla version- Use White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting to top them off.
• Salted caramel flavor- You can either frost each cupcake with salted caramel frosting or fill each cupcake with salted caramel. You can also drizzle regular Caramel Sauce over the top or decorate with Caramel Frosting.
• Peppermint flavor- You can toss some crushed candy canes on top of the icing swirls or use peppermint icing. This is great for Christmas time!
• Use different extracts- Including maple, coffee, peppermint, or almond extracts.
• Cheesecake cupcakes- Stuff them with a no bake cheesecake filling. Do this after frosting them once they are cooled.
• Try other frostings- Such as Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting, American Buttercream Frosting, Marshmallow Frosting or Chocolate Ganache Frosting.
• Fill them with other options- Including Whipped Cream, Chocolate Whipped Cream, Edible Eggless Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles, Pumpkin Butter, or Chocolate Ganache.
• Use a mini cupcake pan- To make mini versions. These ones would be harder to fill, but you can omit the filling and save it for a tasty decoration on top.
• To serve these at birthday parties- Toss some colorful sprinkles on the swirls of icing.

How to make easy chocolate coffee cupcakes recipe from scratch?

1. Mix together- Eggs, oil, buttermilk, brewed coffee and vanilla.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk- Flour, sugar, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder and baking soda
3. Dump dry mixture- In with the wet milk mixture and stir until combined.
4. Pour this batter into cupcake liners- Then bake until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
5. Prepare the frosting- By mixing the butter and shortening together followed by the cocoa powder, espresso powder, and brewed coffee.
6. Add powdered sugar- A little at a time while mixing until frosting reaches desired consistency.

Tips and techniques

• Don't over-mix batter- Because it changes the texture of your cupcakes and makes them tough and chewy.
• Make sure buttermilk and eggs are at room temperature- Because they will blend together smoothly.
• This cupcake batter will be fairly thin- That’s the way it’s supposed to be. Don’t worry and don’t try to thicken it by adding more flour.
• Watch these cupcakes like a hawk after 20 minutes- They tend to look like they are ready but the centers may be soft and under-baked. Touch the center lightly and if it jiggles, let the cupcakes bake for a bit longer.
• The flavor of this frosting deepens- And the coffee flavor gets stronger after 24 hours. I suggest making the frosting a day before you are planning on serving these cupcakes.
• Filling cupcakes with caramel sauce too far in advance will make them soggy- Only fill the cupcakes about 1 hour prior to serving. If you use thick caramel sauce, this should not be an issue though.
• Adding coffee to chocolate cupcakes doesn't make them taste like coffee- It actually intensifies the chocolate flavor and adds only a hint of coffee flavor! However, once you pair these cupcakes with my espresso frosting, everything works out perfectly and you get a taste of both, chocolate and coffee, in every single bite.
• If you've never done filled cupcakes before- I have done a post on How to Make Filled Cupcakes that would be helpful.
• If you'd like some tips on decorating- Check out my post on How to Decorate Cupcakes.
• Use unsalted butter- To prevent this dessert from becoming too salty.
• You must use a combination of both, butter and shortening- In the icing for stability. 
• Troubleshooting icing consistency- If icing is too thin, mix in more powdered sugar. If icing is too thick, mix in some more brewed coffee or water. 
• Espresso is not the same as coffee granules- And cannot be used interchangeably.

I used Starbucks Holiday Blend coffee along with Starbucks VIA espresso powder to really take this dessert over the top. The holiday blend is perfect for this recipe because when you brew it for a while, it becomes very rich and flavorful.

Recipe FAQs

Storage

• Room temperature- These can be left in a container on the counter for 2-3 days.
• Refrigerate- Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days
• Freeze- Cupcakes and frosting can be stored in separate sealed containers for up to 1 month. When ready, thaw and decorate per instructions.
• Make ahead- You can make this up to 3 days ahead and keep in a sealed container in the fridge. You can also freeze the cupcakes and frosting in separate sealed containers for up to 1 month. Then thaw and decorate when ready.

More coffee desserts

• Easy Coffee Pancakes (With Mocha Sauce/Syrup)
• Easy Coffee Truffles (Mocha Espresso Truffles)
• Coffee Fudge (Espresso Fudge)
• Coffee Cookies (Espresso Mocha Cookies)
• Chocolate Coffee Cake
• No Bake Coffee Cheesecake (Mocha Cheesecake)
• Coffee Popsicles (With Iced Coffee)

Recipe

Chocolate Coffee Cupcakes (Mocha Cupcakes)

Abeer Rizvi

Easy, soft, moist chocolate coffee cupcakes recipe with espresso buttercream frosting. These mocha cupcakes are filled with ooey gooey caramel.

5 from 1 rating

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Decorating time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Course Cupcakes, Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 24 Cupcakes

Calories 371 kcal

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Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Cupcakes

• 2 cups All-purpose flour
• ¾ cup Cocoa powder
• 2 cups Granulated sugar
• ½ cup Oil
• 1 cup Buttermilk
• 1 cup Coffee Freshly brewed, Strong, Room temperature
• 1½ teaspoon Baking powder
• 1½ teaspoon Baking soda
• 2 Eggs Large
• 1 tablespoon Espresso powder
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract

Mocha Espresso Frosting

• ½ cup Butter Unsalted
• 1 cup Shortening
• ¼ cup Cocoa powder
• ½ tablespoon Espresso powder
• ¼ cup Coffee Freshly brewed, Strong
• 5-6 cups Powdered sugar

Filling and Decoration

• Yellow Sixlets or small candy balls
• Caramel sauce Can use store-bought version too.

Instructions

 

• In a mixing bowl, add eggs, oil, buttermilk, brewed coffee and vanilla extract. Mix on medium speed until everything is bubbly.
• In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder and baking soda together. Then, dump this dry mixture into the wet milk mixture.
• Mix everything until just combined. DO NOT overmix!
• Pour this batter into cupcake liners. Bake at 350 degrees F for 18-20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
• While the cupcakes are baking, start preparing the frosting. In a mixing bowl, add butter and shortening. Mix until they are thoroughly combined.
• Add cocoa powder, espresso powder and brewed coffee.
• Mix until everything is smooth and creamy.
• Add powdered sugar (1 cup at a time) and keep mixing.
• Continue mixing until you end up with smooth and creamy icing.

Assembling

• Use a big piping tip (e.g.

  Tip 1M) to make a hollow center in each cupcake.
• Fill it with melted caramel. You can use store bought caramel sauce or melt some caramels in the microwave with some heavy cream.
• Cover the top with the small cupcake piece you removed earlier.
• Fill a piping bag with mocha frosting and attach Tip 1M. Pipe a swirly frosting design on top of the cupcake.
• Finally, place a small yellow candy on the top. Enjoy!

Notes

• Use unsalted butter to prevent this dessert from becoming too salty.
• You must use a combination of both, butter and shortening, in the icing for stability. 
• If icing is too thin, mix in more powdered sugar. If it's too thick, mix in some more brewed coffee or water. 
• All ingredients should be at room temperature to allow even mixing. 
• Espresso is not the same as coffee granules and cannot be used interchangeably. 
• Read additional variations and tips above.
• Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days. 

Nutrition

Calories: 371kcalCarbohydrates: 52gProtein: 2gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 130mgPotassium: 131mgFiber: 1gSugar: 41gVitamin A: 155IUCalcium: 34mgIron: 1.1mg

An automated tool is used to calculate the nutritional information. As such, I cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information provided for any recipe on this site.

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