Let me just start this post by sharing my complete and utter gratitude for the existence of coffee. It is the perfect drink in any form. Black, iced, lattes, cappuccinos, you name it, I love it. The taste is magical and the caffeine effects are miraculous. Until the withdrawal headaches come on. This term has been a little crazy and my coffee drinking has gotten a little bit out of control. Cutting myself off of caffeine cold turkey might have been a hasty decision but I figured it was the easiest way to get my coffee drinking back under control. While I was in the midst of this little caffeine cleanse, I had a little lapse in judgement. I have no idea why I thought it would be a good idea to make mochaccino cupcakes during this dark time. But I did, and I can't say I'm upset about it. Even though I slipped up a little on my coffee detox, I don't regret a thing. They were delightful. I made these cupcakes for a co-worker who so generously helped cover a shift for me and I brought them on our DDS camping trip! Thanks, Jordo! This recipe was adapted from Better Homes and Gardens.
My lovely DDS fam eating cupcakes at tent event!
MOCHACCINO CUPCAKES:
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 t salt
1/4 t baking powder
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 sticks butter
2 eggs
2 cups sugar
Splash of vanilla
1 cup STRONGLY brewed coffee (cooled)
1/2 cup milk
4 Dark chocolate hershey bars broken into pieces (or your favorite dark chocolate)
Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, and cocoa and set aside. In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix until combined. Stir in the vanilla. Alternate adding the flour mixture and the coffee and milk until all of the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Gently fold in the chocolate pieces, being careful to not overwork the batter. Divide the batter among lined cupcake tins and bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting.
CARMEL SYRUP (almost the same recipe as the carmel from my Chocolate Toffee Carmel Crunch Cupcakes:
3/4 cup sugar
5 T water
2/3 cup non-fat milk (I used almond milk because it is my latest obsession but regular milk will be fine)
A sprinkle of sea salt
In a small saucepan heat the water and the sugar on low heat. Using a whisk, stir only until the sugar is dissolved. Once the sugar is dissolved, crank up the heat to high and occasionally stir the mixture by swirling the pot by the handle, but don't stir it directly. The mixture will start to bubble and turn amber in color. This burns quickly so expect the correct amber-y color at about 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the milk. BE SO CAREFUL because this mixture tends to bubble and steam a lot. Keep stirring until you have acheived a smooth sauce. Mix in a baby bit of salt, just for a little kick. ANOTHER WARNING: This is SUPER hot. Don't do any sampling for a few minutes because you will singe your tongue right off. This won't be a thick caramel. I wanted to make it thin so it wouldn't alter the consistency of the frosting but would still have that caramelly flavor. If you want a thicker caramel, replace the milk with 1/2 to 2/3 cup heavy cream.
COFFEE CARAMEL BUTTERCREAM:
1 1/2 sticks butter ( room temperature)
4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup STRONGLY brewed coffee
1/4 cup carmel syrup, or to taste and texture
Beat the butter until fluffy. Carefully add the powdered sugar and mix until combined. Slowly add the coffee and caramel syrup to the buttercream and beat until combined. There is a lot of liquid in this buttercream so you made need to add a little more powdered sugar to achieve a thicker frosting. Spoon or pipe onto your completely cooled cupcakes!
These were the perfect little pick me up. The coffee flavor was delicious and I didn't even feel bad about consuming the coffee. The caffeine was cooked out when I baked them, right? That's what I keep telling myself so I hope it's true! I felt like I should have been sitting in a little European cafe overlooking some beautiful monument while I was eating these. They just felt so regal.
I hope these cupcakes do the justice for coffee it deserves. I certainly thought they did!
Enjoy friends!
xoxo,
KG
