Coffee doesn't make chocolate taste like coffee, it makes chocolate taste more like chocolate. Here it does both jobs, deepening the sponge and flavouring the buttercream outright. Use hot coffee to bloom the cocoa and the difference is obvious.
Everything you need
- 1¼ cups (156 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (43 g) cocoa powder
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (118 g) hot brewed coffee
- ⅓ cup (73 g) vegetable oil
- ½ cup (123 g) buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp fine salt
- ¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 2½ cups (300 g) powdered sugar
- 2 tsp espresso powder
Weigh, don't scoop. Measuring flour by cups can overpack it and dry out your bake. Tap any ingredient to open its converter.
Method
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Heat the oven to 175°C / 350°F and line a 12-hole tin. Whisk the cocoa with the hot coffee until it's a smooth paste and leave it to cool for 5 minutes.
For this step
- ½ cup (43 g) cocoa powder
- ½ cup (118 g) hot brewed coffee
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Whisk in the sugar, oil, eggs and buttermilk. The batter will be very loose, more like a pourable sauce than a cake mix.
For this step
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (123 g) buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter
- 2½ cups (300 g) powdered sugar
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Fold in the flour, baking soda and salt until just combined. A few lumps are better than an overworked batter.
For this step
- 1¼ cups (156 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp fine salt
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Pour into the cases, no more than two thirds full since this one rises a lot, and bake for 18 to 20 minutes.
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Cool completely. Beat the butter for 4 minutes until pale, then add the powdered sugar in two goes.
For this step
- ½ cup (43 g) cocoa powder
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter
- 2½ cups (300 g) powdered sugar
- 2 tsp espresso powder
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Dissolve the espresso powder in 2 teaspoons of hot water, cool it slightly, and beat it into the buttercream. Pipe onto the cold cupcakes.
For this step
- ½ cup (43 g) cocoa powder
- ¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter
- 2 tsp espresso powder
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Worth knowing
- Dissolve espresso powder before it goes in. Dry granules stay gritty in buttercream and you'll feel every one.
- The batter is meant to be thin. Adding flour to thicken it gives you a dry, tight sponge.
Make it your own
- Push a chocolate-covered coffee bean into each frosting swirl, or dust with cocoa for a tiramisu look.
- Use decaf coffee if you're baking for the evening. The flavour is the same, since it's the roast you taste, not the caffeine.
Storing & freezing
Airtight at room temperature for 3 days. The sponge stays moist because of the oil, so these keep better than butter-based cupcakes.
Frequently asked
How many grams is a cup of brewed coffee?
About 237 g per US cup, essentially the same as water. So the ½ cup here is roughly 118 g, or 120 ml.
Can I taste the coffee in the sponge?
Barely. Half a cup in the whole batch mostly reads as a deeper, darker chocolate. The buttercream is where the actual coffee flavour lives.
Cooking in a different unit? Use the cups ↔ grams converter or the recipe scaler to halve or double this recipe.
More to cook
A note on cooking safely. Recipes are provided for informational purposes only and are not medical or nutritional advice. Cooking times, temperatures and quantities are suggestions: use your own judgement, and check that meat, poultry, fish and eggs are properly cooked before serving.
Consult a qualified healthcare professional before making dietary changes, particularly if you have allergies, a medical condition or specific nutritional requirements.