Mocha Cupcakes with Espresso Icing

For fans of coffee cake, these cupcakes are seriously good. It's worth using really good coffee for them.


Ingredients:

• 150g butter
• 100g caster sugar
• 50g dark Muscovado sugar
• 3 eggs
• 125g plain flour
• 25g cocoa powder
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp espresso, cooled (or 1 tsp good instant coffee dissolved in 1 tbsp boiling water, then cooled)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 160C
2. Cream the butter with the sugars until smoothly blended. Add in the eggs one at a time, mixing well between additions.
3. Sprinkle in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda and fold in until the dry ingredients are incorporated into the mixture.
4. Add the cooled strong coffee and the vanilla essence and mix until incorporated.
5. Divide the mixture between the 12 cupcake cases and bake for 18 – 20 mins or until risen and golden.
6. Remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack. Leave to cool completely before adding the frosting.

Espresso icing

• 150g butter
• 300g icing sugar
• 1 tbsp coffee as above

 Method:

1. Beat the butter together with one third of the icing sugar.
2. Add the rest of the icing sugar and the cooled coffee and continue beating until light and fluffy.
3. Pipe onto the cupcakes.