Instant Espresso Is the Secret Trick That Makes These Treats So Delicious

This Halloween, skip the candy and go straight for these homemade cupcakes that are sure to satisfy your sweet tooth. The addition of instant espresso to the chocolate base amps up the flavor and makes for a rich-yet-fluffy cake. Topped with a creamy coffee buttercream, these mocha cupcakes prove that sometimes it’s good to be bad.

If you’re prepping for a Halloween get-together (via Zoom or otherwise), these cupcakes are also the perfect choice – both the cake and frosting components can be made several days in advance, making for a quick day-of assembly. Plus, kids will love getting involved with the decoration, making this a perfect holiday activity.

The Swiss Buttercream

There are six traditional types of buttercreams, but three are the most common: American, Italian, and Swiss. We opted for the Swiss version here – its smooth texture makes it perfect for piping – but any version can work. The American Buttercream is the easiest option, and requires only butter, confectioners’ sugar, and a bit of milk or cream. With no heating element involved, this buttercream is quick to whip up, though some may critique it for being overly sweet (but that’s up to you!).

Alternatively, the Swiss and Italian buttercreams each start with egg whites. Just like each version’s respective meringues, the method of whipping the egg whites varies slightly: for the Swiss meringue (or buttercream), you’ll mix egg whites and sugar together while heating them over a double-boiler before beating them in a mixer to form stiff peaks. The Italian meringue is a sturdier but more complicated option. Egg whites are whipped on their own to soft peaks before streaming in a hot sugar syrup to sweeten them, a technique which requires preparation and skillful timing.

For flavoring, we split our buttercream in two. The first received just vanilla (and some orange food coloring) while the second received a splash of espresso for a delicious coffee flavor. For the espresso, we recommend dissolving 1 tablespoons of instant espresso powder in 1 1/2 tablespoons of hot water. Then, add it to your buttercream to taste. We used about 1 tablespoon of coffee in total.

Have some spare coffee buttercream? We think it would be delicious spread on our mocha brownies, too.

Ingredients

For the Cupcakes

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 2 1/4 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

• 1/2 tbsp instant espresso powder

• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/8 tsp salt

• 4 tbsp unsalted butter

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

• 1/2 cup water

• 1 large egg

• 1/4 cup buttermilk

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

For the Buttercream

• 1 1/4 cups sugar

• 1/2 cup egg whites, room temperature

• 1/8 tsp salt

• 32 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature

• 2 tbsp vanilla

• 1 tbsp instant espresso powder

• 1 1/2 tbsp hot water

Directions

For the Cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with liners.

2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

3. In a medium saucepan, heat butter, vegetable oil, and water over low heat until butter is melted. Add to dry ingredients and beat with a handheld mixture at low speed until smooth.

4. Add egg and beat until incorporated. Add buttermilk and vanilla and continue to mix until smooth.

5. Pour batter into the lined tins, filling them to about 3/4 full.

6. Bake cupcakes for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cupcakes cool in the tin slightly, then transfer to a rack to finish cooling.

For the Buttercream

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine egg whites, sugar, and salt.

2. Place bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water, creating a double-boiler. Whisk continuously until mixture reaches 160 F.

3. Transfer mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat with whisk attachment until stiff peaks form, roughly 5 minutes.

4. Add butter gradually, about two or three tablespoons at a time, with mixer running. Allow each addition to be fully incorporated before adding the next.

5. Once half the butter has been added, stop the mixer and scrape the bowl to ensure all of the meringue is being incorporated. Resume mixing and continue adding remaining butter.

6. Add flavoring or food coloring of your choice, to taste.

7. If soft, chill for 15 minutes before piping or spreading.

Cupcake recipe adapted from Food & Wine. Buttercream recipe adapted from King Arthur Baking.