Name: Mocha Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 1/2 cup Cocoa powder; 1 cup Boiling hot coffee (Mix 1.5 tbsp coffee in boiling hot water); 1 1/3 cup Buckwheat flour (You can use all purpose flour too); 1 tsp Baking powder; 1/4 tsp Baking soda; 1/8 tsp Salt; 1/2 cup Oil; 1/2 cup Sugar; 2 Eggs (room temperature); 1 tsp Vanilla extract; 1/2 cup Cream cheese, slightly softened; 1/3 cup Icing sugar; 1/3 cup 70% dark chocolate; 2 Tbsp Baileys, more if you like (optional)

By Natasha MinochaUpdated May 2, 2024 Jump to recipe

Mocha cupcakes is the homemade cupcake recipe every chocolate, coffee, or mocha lover needs and needs now! Simple, easy, and addictive, these coffee chocolate cupcakes have an Irish touch with frosting spiked with Baileys.

I have been dodging umpteen requests for homemade cupcakes with exciting new flavors for a very long time. So, when we got stuck indoors on a hail-stormy evening, I decided to bake some mocha cupcakes and make them happy.

I went all out and gave them a chocolate frosting. Seriously, the one thing that can make coffee even better is chocolate. That’s why I call mocha, a marriage made in heaven between the two.

To give the deep earthy taste of the mocha chocolate cupcakes some balance, I whipped up chocolate cream cheese frosting, infusing it with Baileys! The mocha flavor of the Irish coffee cupcake and the silky, smooth, luscious frosting blend together beautifully.

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WHY TRY THE COFFEE CUPCAKES RECIPE?

For true mocha lovers, these cupcakes are a dream come true.

The cream cheese gives the homemade cupcake recipe a lovely, light texture and balances the sweetness really well.

And hello, don’t forget the Baileys! I mean, can it get better than this? I don't think so!

HOW TO MAKE MOCHA CUPCAKES?

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 180 °C. Line a muffin tray with paper liners.

Step 2: Mix instant coffee powder with boiling water. Add cocoa powder to it, and then set it aside to cool a bit.

Step 3: In another bowl, sift and mix buckwheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Step 4: In a separate bowl, beat eggs and sugar till thick and creamy. Add vanilla extract and oil.

Step 5: Add part of the cocoa coffee mixture to the dry ingredients and mix gently.

Step 6: Add the beaten egg mixture to this. Mix until just combined.

Step 7: Fill each cavity of the prepared muffin tray with mocha cupcake batter 3/4 of the way.

Step 8: Bake for 18–20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean with just a few moist crumbs attached.

Step 9: Let the coffee chocolate cupcakes cool while you make the frosting.

Final step: Frost, serve, and savor!

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING WITH BAILEYS AND COFFEE CUPCAKES

The thick, luxurious topping of whipped cream cheese frosting with dark chocolate and Baileys Irish cream was divine. I swear, I can eat it straight from the mixing bowl by the spoonful! The chocolate frosting is very stable, and pipping it in beautiful swirls is easy-peasy, almost therapeutic. To make:

I melted 70% dark chocolate.
While the chocolate cools slightly, beat the cream cheese and icing sugar until light and fluffy.
Pour in Baileys and mix well.
Now add in the cooled chocolate. Beat everything together until you have a shiny, smooth chocolate frosting.

You want a thick, piping consistency. If needed, add more sugar, chocolate, or Baileys to reach the taste you like. Transfer to a piping bag or Ziplock bag to make swirls of mocha cupcake frosting.

NOTES FOR THE BEST MOCHA CUPCAKES

Eggs must be at room temperature. It makes all the difference to the cupcake crumb.
Don’t lose patience when beating eggs, or you’ll end up with dense mocha cupcakes. Give it time. It has to lighten in color and increase in volume for a fluffy crumb.
The cream cheese for the cupcake frosting has to be slightly softened.
Don’t have a piping bag? Use a knife to thickly smear the chocolate frosting on the mocha cupcakes.

MOCHA CUPCAKE RECIPE INGREDIENTS & SWAPS

Flour: My homemade cupcake recipe uses buckwheat flour. It is gluten-free, extremely nutritious, and gives an interesting twist to the cupcake texture. It is well known in most northern and western states of India and is consumed on particular fasting days.

It's a great favorite of mine for baking, and the kids have taken to it exceptionally well. That said, all-purpose flour works fantastically in this cupcake recipe too.

Eggs: You can easily replace eggs with flax eggs in this recipe.

1 tbsp of flaxseed powder + 3 tbsp water is equivalent to 1 egg.

Sugar: I used granulated sugar. You can use raw or cane sugar. Brown sugar works well in this recipe.

Oil: Any neutral-tasting oil will work here.

Coffee: Regular instant coffee is what I used in these mocha cupcakes. Freshly brewed coffee will be wonderful too.

Cocoa powder: Natural unsweetened cocoa powder is what is used in this recipe. Any brand you prefer is good here.

Frosting: Baileys Irish cream is entirely optional. I just wanted to give these coffee chocolate cupcakes a little boozy kick. Don’t love dark chocolate? Use any you love, 55% or even lighter. Make the mocha cupcake recipe your OWN!

SERVE COFFEE AND CUPCAKES

These mocha cupcakes with chocolate cream cheese frosting were an art. A treat for all the senses! The homemade cupcakes went perfectly with after-dinner coffee and were wiped out faster than you could even say their full name.

MORE HOMEMADE CUPCAKE & MUFFIN RECIPES

Lemon Cupcakes

Nutella Banana Muffins

Easy Orange Muffins

Plum & Cardamom Muffins

Mocha Cupcakes With Chocolate Frosting