Mocha cupcakes are the perfect treat for coffee lovers. Moist mocha cupcakes swirled with coffee buttercream frosting and a sprinkle of cocoa powder.
Ingredients for Mocha Cupcakes
Chocolate Cupcakes
- Chocolate chips – Use semisweet or dark chocolate chips for a deep chocolate flavor.
- Dark cocoa powder – You can also use regular cocoa powder, but I love using dark cocoa powder for a deep chocolate flavor and color.
- Instant espresso powder – Instant espresso powder helps enhance the flavor of the chocolate.
- Water – Boiling water helps melt the chocolate and hydrates the cocoa powder.
- All-purpose flour – Be sure to measure the flour correctly and level the measuring cups.
- Granulated sugar – For sweetness.
- Baking soda – A leavening agent to help the cupcakes rise.
- Salt – Enhances the flavor of the cupcakes and contrasts the sweetness.
- Vegetable oil – You can also use canola oil or another neutral baking oil.
- Eggs – Room temperature.
- Vanilla extract – Believe it or not, a bit of vanilla extract enhances the flavor of the chocolate.
Coffee Buttercream Frosting
- Unsalted butter – Room temperature.
- Powdered sugar – No need to sift unless it is lumpy.
- Instant espresso powder – Be sure you get instant espresso powder and opposed to ground espresso coffee.
- Vanilla extract – Vanilla extract adds a subtle underlying vanilla flavor to the frosting.
- Salt – A pinch of salt contrasts the sweetness of the buttercream.
- Heavy cream – A splash of heavy cream helps the buttercream whip up and be silky smooth.
Tools & Supplies for Making Mocha Cupcakes
How to Make Mocha Cupcakes
Mocha cupcakes are easy to make! The batter only requires a mixing bowl and a whisk!
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F & line cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
- Combine chocolate chips, dark cocoa powder, instant espresso powder, and boiling water. Allow to stand for a few minutes. Mix until chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, and salt.
- Add melted chocolate mixture and whisk until smooth.
- Add in vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract. Whisk to combine but do not overmix.
- Portion the cupcake batter into cupcake liners using a large cookie scoop, about 3/4 full.
- Bake for approximately 20 minutes until the cupcakes bounce back when gently touched.
- Cool the cupcakes in the cupcake pan for 5 minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
How to Make Coffee Buttercream Frosting
Coffee buttercream frosting is incredibly easy to make. I recommend using a stand mixer. You can use a whisk or paddle attachment depending upon your preferences. You can also use an electric hand mixer.
- Whip the room temperature butter until light, fluffy, and pale in color.
- Add powdered sugar in two batches, mixing on low in between each addition.
- Add in instant espresso powder, vanilla extract, and salt, mixing on low speed.
- Drizzle in the heavy cream and continue to mix on low until combined.
- Turn the mixer to medium-high speed and whip the buttercream for about 3 minutes.
Mocha Cupcakes Recipe Tips
Bake perfect cupcakes
Check out my baking tips blog post on 10 Tips for Baking Perfect Cupcakes to learn some simple tips and tricks to bake the best mocha cupcakes.
Boil water in the microwave
Use a heat-safe liquid measuring cup to microwave the water. It will typically start to boil in 1 1/2 minutes. Pour the chocolate chips, cocoa powder, and instant espresso powder directly into the measuring cup with the boiling water.
Portioning the cupcake batter
I typically use a large cookie scoop to portion the batter into cupcake liners. The batter for these cupcakes is very thin so you can also pour the batter into the cupcake liners using a bowl with a spout or a liquid measuring cup.
Instant espresso powder
Be sure to use instant espresso powder as opposed to espresso coffee grounds for both the mocha cupcakes and coffee buttercream frosting! At first, after adding the espresso powder to the buttercream, it will appear spotty with granules of espresso powder. No need to worry – just ‘whip it good’! Whipping the buttercream will help the espresso granules dissolve. I do not recommend using instant coffee for this recipe.
How to frost the cupcakes
To frost the cupcakes as I did in the photos, you will need a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 1M piping tip. For these cupcakes, I used a basic buttercream swirl. Check out this video to see how to pipe this swirl. Dust the cupcakes with a little bit of cocoa powder to add a little flair!
Storing and serving
Store the cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. To serve, bring the cupcakes to room temperature. I recommend removing the cupcakes from the refrigerator about an hour before serving.
Click here to see a quick video on how to make mocha cupcakes! Follow Cake Me Home Tonight on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube for more recipe videos and baking tutorials!
Mocha Cupcakes
Equipment
- Stand mixer or electric hand mixer
Ingredients
Mocha Cupcakes
- ¼ cup semisweet or dark chocolate chips
- ¼ cup dark cocoa powder
- 2 tsp instant espresso powder
- ¾ cup boiling water
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Coffee Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 2½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp instant espresso powder
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
- Additional dark cocoa powder for garnish
Instructions
Mocha Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a cupcake pan with 12 cupcake liners.
- In a small bowl or a glass liquid measuring cup, stir together chocolate chips, cocoa powder, instant espresso powder, and boiling water until the cocoa powder is dissolved. Set aside to cool slightly.
- In a mixing bowl, combine all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine.
- Pour the chocolate mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk until combined.
- Add vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract. Whisk until combined and smooth.
- Use a large cookie scoop to portion the cupcake batter into the cupcake liners, approximately ¾ full.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until the tops of the cupcakes bounce back slightly when touched.
- Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Transfer the cupcakes to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Coffee Buttercream Frosting
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add in room temperature butter. Whip the butter for 5 minutes on medium-high speed, scraping down the sides occasionally.
- Add the powdered sugar and mix on the lowest speed setting until fully combined.
- Add in instant espresso powder, vanilla extract and salt. Drizzle in heavy cream and mix on low speed until well combined.
- Turn the mixer on high and whip for an additional 2-3 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally to ensure the frosting is well mixed.
- Pipe the coffee buttercream frosting onto the cooled mocha cupcakes using your favorite piping tip! Add on a dusting of dark cocoa powder.
Notes
Made This Recipe?
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Comments & Reviews
from a caffeine addict here- I LOVE this recipe, came out great- thank you! your page has helped me so much as I continue to learn and get better at baking. thank you!
I am so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe and my content! I appreciate your positive review and comment! 🙂