Over the top rich and easy to make, Perfect Chocolate Espresso Cupcakes (mocha cupcakes) are for any occasion. Tender chocolate cake is infused with espresso or strong coffee and topped with a rich and chocolatey easy buttercream. This recipe is vegetarian and easily dairy free. [ watch recipe VIDEO on recipe card below ]
For Any Occasion: Chocolate Coffee Cupcakes
Espresso takes these little cakes to a new level of richness while creating a bolder tasting cupcake. It’s the best chocolate cupcake recipe I have in my repertoire and one I return to again and again for birthdays, celebrations or just to say I love you. If you love chocolate and coffee, you’re going to love these mocha cupcakes!
This Recipe Is
- rich and chocolatey
- fun and easy to make
- freezer friendly
About the Key Ingredients
- Cane Sugar: less refined than granulated sugar and made from 100% sugar cane, this can be purchased in the bulk bins or in big bags at Costco.
- Unbleached All Purpose Flour OR Whole Wheat White Flour: both produce a light and tender crumb in this recipe.
- Unsweetened Dutch Process Cocoa: this is an ultra rich and dark cocoa to bake with. Its notes are smoother and a little less bitter than regular cocoa powder.
- Vegetable Oil: use coconut oil, refined or unrefined here, melted and lightly warm to the touch. If you prefer, you can use canola oil.
- Milk of Choice: you can use whole dairy milk or plant milk. I use unsweetened Homemade Cashew Milk, at room temperature.
- Espresso or Strong Coffee: you need one cup of espresso, strong brewed coffee or instant coffee. If you prefer a little less coffee flavored cupcakes, you can sub 1/2 cup or hot water.
At a Glance: How to Make Chocolate Espresso Cupcakes
While the mocha cupcakes can be made with a bowl and spoon, I use a Kitchen Aid stand mixer because the bowl is deep, and mixing is a snap.
- First, add sugar to a large mixing bowl of a stand mixer. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt into the sugar. Whisk, and set aside.
- Second, in a medium bowl, beat the eggs, oil, milk and vanilla. Add this mixture to the sugar/flour mixture. Mix the ingredients just until incorporated.
- Third, with mixer off, pour in the hot espresso. Mix by hand until ingredients are incorporated.
- Next, portion into cupcake liners and bake.
- Last, make the buttercream using a whisk attachment, mix the icing ingredients, adjusting the consistency with a touch of vanilla and milk.
Once the cupcakes are cool, have fun with the icing! Or at this point, the cupcakes can be frozen for up to two weeks, iced or uniced.
How to Decorate Cupcakes
This is the joy of cupcakes including these coffee cupcakes! I use a large open star tip (affiliate) to make rosettes. Or, for a more rustic cupcake, dollop and spread the icing over each cupcake.
Cupcakes can be garnished with many different things. For this recipe, I like to add cocoa nibs which offer a nice crunch and interest. But I’ve also used, mini chocolate chips, chocolate covered espresso beans, shaved chocolate, chocolate jimmies, sprinkles, edible wafer paper or nothing at all! Whatever you top your mocha cupcakes with, have fun!
Mocha Cake Variation!
If a two layer cake is more of what you’re after, you can bake the cupcake batter in two 9″ cake pans, filling the cake pans 3/4 full each. Simply bake the cake for 30-35 minutes instead of the 25 minutes the cupcakes require. Be sure to spray your pan, line with parchment and spray with oil again. This will ensure an easy release.
Traci’s Tips
- Yield: This recipes makes 27 cupcakes. If needed, the batter can rest while one or two pans of cupcakes are baking. Once the first or second batch is out of the oven, the remaining batter can be baked, in a cooled cupcake pan.
- Flour Options: For this recipe, I use unbleached all purpose flour or whole wheat unbleached white flour. The texture of the cake is similar!
- About the Coffee: This recipe calls for 1 cup of espresso or strong brewed coffee. You can use decaf or regular. For a lighter coffee flavor, use 1/2 cup boiling water and 1/2 cup espresso.
- Espresso Buttercream Frosting: For over the top chocolate espresso cupcakes, add a little espresso powder to the icing by dissolving 1/2 – 1 teaspoon of instant espresso powder into the milk.
Maker’s Notes
- Isa said: “For the icing, I dissolved 2 teaspoons of instant coffee into the milk, which made the icing deliciously coffee-ish, and it tastes almost more like a ganache than a sweet icing.”
- Lyndsey said: “I made the icing into chocolate coffee buttercream by subbing the 2 tablespoons of milk for iced coffee.”
- Hayu said: “Made half recipe for my kiddos today just before my lunch break. I reduced the sugar to 3/4c for half recipe since I used regular cocoa powder.”
Perfect Chocolate Espresso Cupcakes Recipe
Servings:27 Cupcakes
Calories:252kcal
[ recipe VIDEO below ] Over the top rich and easy to make, Perfect Chocolate Espresso Cupcakes (mocha cupcakes) are for any occasion. Tender chocolate cake is infused with espresso or strong coffee and topped with a rich and chocolatey easy buttercream. This recipe is vegetarian and easily dairy free.
Ingredients
For The Cake:
- 2 cups (400 grams) Organic Cane Sugar
- 1 3/4 cups + 1 tablespoon (250 grams) Unbleached All Purpose Flour or White Whole Wheat Flour
- 3/4 cups (80 grams) Unsweetened Dutch Process Cocoa
- 1 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 cup (105 grams) Coconut Oil melted and warm to the touch, or canola oil
- 2 Large Eggs at room temperature
- 1 cup (245 grams) Milk at room temperature, whole or plant milk
- 3 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- 1 cup (226 grams) Espresso or Strong Coffee, fresh brewed, HOT
For The Icing:
- 2 sticks (226 grams) Unsalted Butter at room temperature, dairy or plant*
- 2/3 cup (70 grams) Unsweetened Dutch Process Cocoa
- 2 1/2 cups (285 grams) Powdered Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (75 grams) Milk dairy or plant milk
Instructions
For The Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange an oven rack in the center of the oven.
- Add sugar to a mixing bowl of a stand mixer. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt into the sugar bowl. Use the paddle attachment to mix for about 30 seconds. Set aside
- In a small bowl, whisk the eggs, oil, milk and vanilla until an emulsion is formed. Add this mixture to the sugar/flour mixture of the stand mixer bowl. Using the paddle attachment, mix the ingredients on low just until incorporated, about 30 seconds.
- With mixer off, pour in the espresso/hot coffee. Mix by hand, scraping down the bottom of the bowl to get all the batter incorporated. A few lumps are ok. The batter will be runny. Let the batter rest for 5 minutes.
- ***Line a standard muffin tin or cupcake pan with cupcake cups. Fill each cup to about 3/4 full, 3 tablespoons each. Or, use a #20 or large ice cream scoop to make portioning a snap! One scoop per cup. Bake cupcakes for 22-25 minutes. The cupcakes are done when they pass the toothpick test, and the cake springs back when lightly pressed in the center.
- Once out of the oven cool cupcakes in the pan on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Then remove the cupcakes from the pan, place on a cooling rack and let cool completely before icing.
For The Icing
- In a stand mixer, using a paddle attachment, cream the butter until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Stop the mixer to scrape down the bowl several times during this process.
- While the butter is creaming, sift together the powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Once the butter is creamed, add the sifted cocoa and sugar alternatively first with all of the vanilla extract, then with 2-3 tablespoons of milk at a time reserving the last two tablespoons for consistency adjustment. Mix the icing until creamy and light, about 30-40 seconds. The icing should be spreadable, not too stiff or loose.
- Once the cupcakes are completely cool, pipe a rosette with a large open star tip (I use Ateco 825) or schmear the icing on each cupcake, about 2-3 tablespoons each (they don't need much because they're so rich!).
- To Store: Store in a covered container at room temperature for up to three days, or in the freezer for up to two weeks. Thaw at room temperature for at least an hour before sharing.
Video
Notes
*Dairy Free: Use plant milk and butter. I use Homemade Cashew Milk and Earth Balance Buttery Sticks.
**Coffee Flavor: For a little less coffee flavor, you can use 1/2 cup strong coffee/espresso and 1/2 cup hot water.
***Cupcake Pans: If you only have one or two cupcake pans, you can allow the remaining batter to rest at room temperature while one pan is in the oven. Once the cupcakes are out of the pan, pop the warm/hot pan in the fridge until it cools down before adding another batch of batter to the pan.
I recommend an oven thermometer and weighing your ingredients using a digital kitchen scale for best outcome.
This recipe is adapted from Hershey’s Chocolate Cake.
Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.
Serving: 1 cupcake | Calories: 252kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 32mg | Sodium: 160mg | Potassium: 153mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 246IU | Vitamin C: 0.02mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 1mg
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