Vanilla-mocha Cream Cupcakes Recipe
A wise man once said, “the first job of a cake is to be vanilla”. Words on marble! You can never go wrong with vanilla. This is why I always, always, always add vanilla to every cake I’m baking. Sometimes too, you just want to keep it simple, especially when you’re using a strong flavoured frosting, which brings us to our cake- good ol’ vanilla cupcakes with mocha frosting. These fluffy, moist, buttery treats filled and frosted with light mocha buttercream frosting with a generous dash of coffee are so delicious you may not want to share.
Ingredients
250g unsalted butter, softened
3 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs (room temperature), lightly beaten
360ml unsweetened yogurt
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
3 tablespoons vanilla essence
1 teaspoon salt
Drizzle
1 cup dissolved instant coffee
Frosting
2 tablespoons, instant coffee powder
220g unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 cups confectioners (icing) sugar, sifted
4 tablespoons, unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup chocolate milk
Crushed peanuts (because I’m extra like that)
Difficulty level: Easy
Total baking/prep time: 1 hour
Preparation
- Heat the oven to 300°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Line your cupcake mold with paper liners.
- Sift together the measured flour, baking powder and salt in a dry bowl; set aside.
- Using your mixer, starting on a high speed, cream the butter, sugar and vanilla essence together for at least 8-10 minutes until pale white and fluffy.
- Gently add the eggs to creamed moisture with mixer still running, allow to mix properly.
- Using a wooden spatula (turny garri) fold in the flour in 3 batches, alternating with the yoghurt, mixing thoroughly after each addition, and ending with flour.
- Using a tablespoon or an ice cream scoop, add 2 heaped spoons of batter to each cup. It will be approximately just over half full.
- Place in the center of your preheated oven.
- Allow to bake for approximately 15-20 minutes. Your cupcakes are done when a clean toothpick inserted comes out dry.
- Leave in mold for 5 minutes. While they are still hot, using a toothpick, poke holes in cupcakes and drizzle one teaspoon of instant coffee over each cupcake. Remove from mold to cool completely.
Frosting
- Dissolve instant coffee in 1 tablespoon of water
- Sift icing together with unsweetened cocoa powder and salt.
- With your mixer at high speed, mix butter with 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar for 2 minutes. Add chocolate milk, instant coffee and vanilla essence to mixture. Allow to mix for 2 minutes, add remaining icing sugar, mix at a high speed for 3 minutes until it gets to a piping/spreading consistency.
- Pipe or spread onto the now cooled cupcakes. Sprinkle crushed peanuts on cupcakes. Serve with coffee, ice cream or anything that suits your taste.
Makes 18 cupcakes.
