Chocolate & Coffee Cream Cupcakes with Swirled Frosting

Vanilla Frosting:

• ½ cup unsalted butter
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp heavy cream

Mocha Frosting:

• ½ cup unsalted butter
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tsp espresso powder (optional)
• 2 tbsp heavy cream

Chocolate Drizzle

• ½ cup (85 g) semi-sweet chocolate
• 2 tbsp heavy cream

Instructions

Chocolate Cupcake Base

1. Preheat & prep: Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a 12‑cup muffin pan with cupcake papers so the cakes release cleanly and cool quickly.
2. Combine dry: In a bowl, whisk flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until evenly blended with no cocoa clumps; this ensures a uniform rise.
3. Cream butter & sugars: In a large bowl, beat butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy, scraping the bowl as needed (the mixture should look paler and slightly aerated).
4. Add eggs, vanilla & chocolate: Beat in eggs one at a time until just combined, then mix in vanilla and the melted, slightly cooled chocolate until the batter looks smooth and glossy.
5. Alternate dry & buttermilk: Mix in the dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk, starting and ending with dry. Blend on low just until incorporated to avoid overworking the gluten.
6. Finish with coffee: Stir in hot, strong coffee until smooth; the batter will be thin and pourable, which helps create a moist, tender crumb.
7. Fill & bake: Fill cupcake liners about ⅔ full. Bake 18–22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake portion comes out clean and the tops spring back lightly. Cool in the pan briefly, then transfer to a rack to cool completely before filling and frosting.

Coffee Cream Filling