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how to make coffee cupcakes from scratch
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5 from 10 votes

Coffee Cupcakes With Coffee Buttercream

Moist coffee cupcakes topped with robust coffee buttercream. If you like coffee, you'll love these cupcakes.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 21 minutes
Total Time 36 minutes
Servings 12 Cupcakes
Calories 695kcal
Author Krystle Smith

Ingredients

For the Coffee Cupcakes

  • ½ Cup Canola Oil
  • 1 Cup White Sugar
  • 1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
  • 2 Eggs
  • 2 ½ tablespoons Instant Coffee
  • 3 teaspoons Water
  • ½ Cup Sour Cream
  • 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
  • ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
  • ¼ teaspoon Kosher Salt
  • 1 ½ Cups All Purpose Flour

For the Chocolate Ganache

  • 1 ½ Cups Semisweet Chocolate Chips
  • ¾ Cup Heavy Whipping Cream

For the Coffee Buttercream

  • 1 Cup Butter Softened
  • 3 tablespoons Instant Coffee
  • 3 teaspoons Water
  • 3 Cups Powdered Sugar
  • 2 tablespoons Heavy Whipping Cream
  • 12 Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans For garnish

Instructions

For the Cupcakes

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F ,and line a cupcake pan with paper liners.
  • In a large bowl, combine canola oil, and sugar. Mix in the sour cream, eggs and vanilla, until combined.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the water and instant coffee until the granules are dissolved. Mix in batter.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt until combined. Gradually add to batter a little at a time until just combined. Do not over mix.
  • Fill cupcake liners ¾ full. Bake for 21-23 minutes. Cool completely

For the Chocolate Ganache

  • In a small saucepan, heat up the heavy whipping cream until simmering.
  • Pour the chocolate chips into a heat safe glass dish.Pour the simmering heavy whipping cream over the chocolate chips. Allow to sit for 1 minute.
  • Whisk until smooth. Scoop into piping bag.
  • Core out about ¼ inch of the center of the cupcakes.
  • Pipe ganache into the center of the cupcake.

For the Frosting

  • In a small bowl, whisk together the instant coffee and water until the granules are dissolved.
  • In a large bowl, beat together the butter, powdered sugar, coffee mixture and heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form.
  • Pipe or spread onto cupcakes. I used a disposable piping bag with a star tip.
  • Garnish with a chocolate covered espresso bean if desired. 

Notes

Ingredient Notes
    • Canola Oil: You can use vegetable oil, too.
    • Sour Cream: Avoid fat-free or reduced fat.
    • Instant Coffee: Use a good quality one for the best flavor. I used Starbucks Dark Roast. 
    • Flour: Be sure to measure your flour correctly. Spoon it into your measuring cup and then level with a knife. Avoid dipping your cup into your flour container, as you'll likely overmeasure.
Tips
  1. Use room temperature ingredients to help everything mix together smoothly.
  2. Don't overmix your batter. This can make the cupcakes tough and gummy. Mix just until the flour disappears.
  3. Make sure the water is hot enough to completely dissolve the coffee. We want that flavor, but not the texture of instant coffee.
  4. Fill cupcake pan only ⅔ of the way full so your batter doesn't spill over and make a mess.
  5. Please rice at the bottom of your cupcake pan to soak up excess grease so your wrappers don't get soggy.
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Nutrition

Calories: 695kcal | Carbohydrates: 74g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Cholesterol: 98mg | Sodium: 258mg | Potassium: 303mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 55g | Vitamin A: 840IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 66mg | Iron: 2.5mg