Simple But Delicious Coffee Cupcakes

Whoever came up with the idea to add coffee as an ingredient to baking truly is a genius. I always enjoy a decent cup of coffee, brewed to perfection, but I also enjoy getting my caffeine fix in my desserts too. Coffee flavored desserts are always delicious, as a flavor it provides a great balance to the sweet of a dessert by adding that extra kick of flavor. If you’re a fan of coffee desserts then coffee cupcakes should be next on your list. Delicious to taste and extremely simple to make you’ll be hooked on them, so get the coffee brewing and the scales out and give these sweet coffee cupcakes a try!

Shopping list:

To make 18 cupcakes, you will need:

140g soft butter

140g caster sugar (golden)

140g self raising flour

3 large eggs

2tbsp instant espresso + 1tbsp water (mixed)

 

For the icing, you will need:

200g soft butter

200g icing sugar

2tsp instant espresso + 1tsp of water (mixed)

50g melted milk chocolate

Chocolate drops to decorate (optional)

 

Tip: I’ve used milk chocolate for the icing, but if you prefer icing that is a little less sweet, dark chocolate can work just as well!

 To start your coffee cupcakes, preheat your oven to 330 F, 300 F for a fan oven. Next, line your bun tins with the cupcake cases, this mixture will make roughly 18 cupcakes, depending on how much mixture you eat during the preparation time!

To make the mixture, add the butter and sugar together, and beat until it becomes a light and fluffy texture. If you don’t have softened butter, work the butter first before adding the sugar, this will ensure your mixture is the right texture.

Crack the eggs into a mug or small bowl, and beat. Add the eggs to the butter and sugar mixture a little at a time. Slowly add the flour to the mixture, tablespoon at a time. Make sure you mix well in-between spoonfuls to ensure your mixture doesn’t become lumpy.

Once the the remaining flour has been added, add the espresso and water mixture and mix in well. If you prefer a stronger coffee taste, add more espresso. Remember to increase the amount of water in the coffee mixture if you increase the amount of espresso, otherwise the flavor of the coffee won’t reach the whole mixture, it needs to be slightly diluted.

Spoon the mixture evenly into the cupcake cases and bake in the oven for 17 minutes. For an even bake, switch the trays after 12 minutes. Once baked, allow to cool while you begin the icing preparation.

To prepare the icing, beat the butter until soft, pale and of a fluffy texture. Gradually add the icing sugar to the mixture and keep beating.

Once the butter and icing sugar is of a smooth consistency, add the espresso and water mixture a little at a time while stirring continuously. Again, for a stronger coffee flavor in your icing, add more espresso. Only add extra water if you feel the icing is too stiff, but remember you don’t want it runny either!

Add the melted chocolate gradually while still continuously stirring the mixture, until the mixture is soft and lump free. If the mixture feels too funny, add a more icing sugar. The icing should be soft, but not like a liquid or it will run straight down off the cupcakes.

Once the icing is prepared and the cakes are cooled, add the icing to the top of the cupcakes in a swirl. Good cupcakes always have a generous amount of icing, so go wild with it. Once iced, add the chocolate drops for decoration. You could also use coffee beans for a more savory flavor or even chocolate covered coffee beans if you prefer!

Stand back, admire, and eat.

Note: If you aren’t a fan of cupcakes, you can use this same recipe to bake an average sized coffee cake, just swap the bun tins for cake tins and add a layer of butter cream in the center for a delicious sandwich cake.