Skip to Content
This Chocolate Mocha Cupcakes recipe combines chocolate and coffee to make the best chocolate cupcakes topped with buttercream.
Have a special occasion coming up and looking for the perfect chocolate cupcake recipe? These Chocolate Mocha Cupcakes are a delicious way to celebrate every special occasion.
I adapted the Food Network’s Basic Chocolate Cake recipe and added a little instant espresso. Because chocolate and coffee go together like peanut butter and jelly. True story. The espresso helps to intensify the chocolate flavor. And what’s not to love about more chocolate-y goodness? Nothing. That’s what.
How To Make Chocolate Mocha Cupcakes
To make these incredibly delicious chocolate cupcakes, you need the following ingredients:
- 1cup Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa
- ¼cup espresso powder
- 1 ½cups boiling water
- 3 large eggs
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 ½teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- buttercream icing
I bet you probably already have most, if not all, of those ingredients, don’t you?
To make them, you start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. You can either spray a muffin tin with non-stick spray or use paper or silicone liners. My favorite liners are parchment paper.
Next, whisk together the cocoa and espresso powder in a medium-sized bowl. Add boiling water to the cocoa mixture and set aside.
Using a mixer, combine eggs, oil, sour cream, and vanilla at low speed.
Meanwhile, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
Turn off the mixer and add the dry ingredients and cocoa mixture to the mixing bowl. Turn the mixer back on low speed and incorporate all ingredients together. Turn mixer onto high speed and beat for 2 minutes.
Using a large cookie scoop, add two scoops of batter to each cupcake liner.
Bake for 22-24 minutes or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean.
Cool and decorate with buttercream icing.
Mocha Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa
- ¼ cup espresso powder
- 1 ½ cups boiling water
- 3 large eggs
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- buttercream icing
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin pan with cupcake liners and set aside.
- Whisk together cocoa and espresso powder in medium sized bowl. Add boiling water and set aside.
- Combine eggs, oil, sour cream and vanilla in using a mixer on low speed.
- Meanwhile, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl.
- Turn off mixer and add dry ingredients and cocoa mixture to mixing bowl. Turn mixer back on low speed and incorporate all ingredients together. Turn mixer onto high speed and mix for 2 minutes.
- Using large cookie scoop, add two scoops of batter to each cupcake liner.
- Bake for 22-24 minutes or until wooden toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool and decorate with buttercream icing.
Video
Nutrition
Topping Chocolate Cupcakes
A simple buttercream icing is the perfect topping for chocolate cupcakes because buttercream + chocolate = love.
I decorated the cupcakes in a couple of different ways: with a simple swirl of buttercream, with a few chocolate chips, and with an Andes mint perched on top. You could add jimmies, sprinkles, premade cupcake toppers, or just leave them with plain, luscious buttercream.
Cupcakes are a fun way to celebrate any special occasion, or just because.
Aren’t they cute?
What is your favorite cupcake?
Colleen
Monday 25th of March 2013
Yum I could eat one right now.
Anne - Mommy Has to Work
Monday 25th of March 2013
Mocha cupcakes sound wonderful!
Lolo
Sunday 24th of March 2013
These sound so yummy!
courtney
Saturday 23rd of March 2013
yum and I love the liners!
Kathleen
Saturday 23rd of March 2013
Yum! Those look amazing.