Espresso cupcakes are rich, moist, and filled with lots of flavor. Topped with homemade espresso buttercream, these cupcakes are insanely good!
Espresso Cupcakes are a chocolate lovers dream! (and if you’re a coffee lover, you’re about to be in dessert heaven!) This easy cupcake recipe is loaded with so much chocolate flavor that you’re going to dream about the next time that you make this fudgy cupcake recipe. Seriously – it’s the best.
If you’ve always dreamed of being a cake tester, now is your time to shine. These chocolate espresso cupcakes are sure to be one of your favorite things. While the original recipe below is made using dissolved espresso powder, you could always change things up a bit and grind up fresh espresso beans to use as well!
If you love chocolate cupcakes as much as I do, be sure to check out my Double Peanut Butter Cupcakes as well! More cupcakes equal more fun!
Why You’ll Love These Chocolate Mocha Cupcakes
- You’ll love making your own espresso buttercream frosting to go on top
- The fluffy texture is addictive
- These chocolate coffee cupcakes pair perfectly with a cup of coffee (seriously – the perk of being an adult is eating a dark chocolate cupcake for breakfast!)
Espresso Cupcakes Ingredients
For the Cupcakes
- Whole milk
- Vegetable oil
- Eggs
- Pure vanilla extract
- Granulated sugar
- All-purpose flour
- Instant espresso powder
- Baking powder
For the Espresso Buttercream
- Butter
- Powdered sugar
- Espresso
- Pure vanilla extract
How to make Chocolate Cupcakes with Creamy Espresso Buttercream
For the Cupcakes
Step 1: Preheat the oven
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
Step 2: Mix the ingredients
Add the milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla to a bowl and whisk together.
Step 3: Whisk the sugar
Add the sugar to the bowl and whisk.
Step 4: Add the dry ingredients
Add the baking powder, espresso powder, and flour and mix until there are no lumps.
Step 5: Add the batter
Pour the batter into the liners evenly. Make sure that you’re only added about 1/4 cup of the batter into each liner.
Step 6: Bake
Put the tins in the oven and bake for 15-17 minutes of time.
Step 7: Cool
Remove the cupcakes from the oven and let them cool on a wire rack.
Step 8: Beat the butter
Make sure that the butter is softened, and then beat it with a mixer on medium speed for about 30 seconds.
Step 9: Add the sugar
Once the butter is smooth, slowly pour in and mix in the powdered sugar.
Step 10: Add the vanilla
Add the vanilla extract and the espresso.
Step 11: Mix
Mix the ingredients on high for 1-3 minutes. It should be fluffy and light in texture.
Step 12: Add to a piping bag
Once the frosting is mixed well, add it to a piping bag and frost the cupcakes. Be sure that they’re cooled all the way.
Expert Tips
- Leftovers of these cupcakes will last for 2-3 days as long as you store them in an airtight container and keep them in the fridge.
- If you don’t have instant espresso powder, you can use cold brewed coffee in place of the espresso mixture. This is still a great way to add that coffee flavor.
- To make a good cupcake into a great cupcake, you can add a little bit of unsweetened cocoa powder to have an even bigger chocolate flavor.
- If you don’t want to add frosting, you can drizzle a bit of caramel sauce over the top of the cupcake as well.
- A tiny scoop of sour cream or Greek yogurt is a simple way to make a moist and perfect cupcake.
- Don’t try and mix the ingredients by hand. Using an electric mixer/hand mixer is key for the creamed butter mixture and cupcake batter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can. Just be sure that you pay attention to the baking time, as it will be less for smaller cupcakes.
You can! If you want to prep the frosting in advance, just keep it stored in the fridge in an airtight container. Then, when you’re ready to use it, set it out of the fridge to come to room temperature before adding it to the top of the cooled cupcakes.
There are so many variations that you can do! The best cupcake is the one that you make for yourself. Adding a pinch of salt can add a sweet and salty taste, or you can even add a little bit of Irish cream to these cupcakes if you want to kick up the fun!
Espresso Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the espresso cupcakes
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 2 tablespoons instant espresso powder or cold brew coffee
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
For the espresso buttercream
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
- 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1-2 shots espresso cooled
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
- Add the milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla to a bowl and whisk together.
- Add the sugar to the bowl and whisk.
- Add the baking powder, espresso powder, and flour and mix until there are no lumps.
- Pour the batter into the liners evenly. Make sure that you’re only added about 1/4 cup of the batter into each liner.
- Put the tins in the oven and bake for 15-17 minutes of time.
- Remove the cupcakes from the oven and let them cool on a wire rack.
- Make sure that the butter is softened, and then beat it with a mixer on medium speed for about 30 seconds.
- Once the butter is smooth, slowly pour in and mix in the powdered sugar.
- Add the vanilla extract and the espresso.
- Mix the ingredients on high for 1-3 minutes. It should be fluffy and light in texture.
- Once the frosting is mixed well, add it to a piping bag and frost the cupcakes. Be sure that they’re cooled all the way.