You know those days that just drag on and on? The kind where you need something special, something that feels like a big, warm hug and a shot of caffeine all at once.
I have just the thing. We’re going to make chocolate espresso cupcakes with a salted caramel buttercream that will make you forget all your troubles. I promise, you can totally do this, even if you think you can’t bake.
This recipe looks fancy, but it’s really just a few simple parts put together. Follow along, and you’ll have the best cupcakes you’ve ever tasted.
What You’ll Need
Let’s get all our ingredients lined up first. It makes everything go so much smoother, trust me. I’ve broken it down into three little lists for the cupcakes, the caramel, and that amazing buttercream.
For the Chocolate Espresso Cupcakes
This is where the deep, dark chocolate flavor lives. The coffee doesn’t make them taste like coffee, it just makes the chocolate taste more like chocolate. It’s a neat little trick.
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| All-purpose flour | 1 ¾ cups |
| Granulated sugar | 2 cups |
| Unsweetened cocoa powder | ¾ cup |
| Baking soda | 2 tsp |
| Baking powder | 1 tsp |
| Kosher salt | 1 tsp |
| Large eggs (room temp) | 2 |
| Buttermilk (room temp) | 1 cup |
| Vegetable oil | ½ cup |
| Vanilla extract | 2 tsp |
| Hot brewed coffee | 1 cup |
For the Salted Caramel Sauce
This stuff is liquid gold. You’ll want to put it on everything, not just these cupcakes. Making your own caramel sounds scary, but it’s not. Just watch it closely.
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Granulated sugar | 1 cup |
| Water | ¼ cup |
| Unsalted butter (cubed) | 6 tbsp |
| Heavy cream (warm) | ½ cup |
| Flaky sea salt | 1 tsp |
For the Salted Caramel Buttercream
This is the grand finale. It’s light, fluffy, and has that perfect sweet-and-salty thing going on. Using room temperature butter is the most important part, for real.
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Unsalted butter (room temp) | 1 ½ cups |
| Powdered sugar (sifted) | 4 cups |
| Salted caramel sauce (cooled) | ½ cup |
| Heavy cream | 2-3 tbsp |
| Vanilla extract | 1 tsp |
| Pinch of salt | ¼ tsp |
The Tools for the Job
You don’t need a bunch of fancy stuff. Most of this is probably already in your kitchen.
- Two big mixing bowls
- A whisk
- A sifter or fine-mesh sieve (for the powdered sugar and cocoa)
- A small, heavy-bottomed saucepan for the caramel
- An electric mixer (stand or hand mixer works great)
- A standard 12-cup muffin tin
- Cupcake liners
- An ice cream scoop or large spoon for the batter
- A piping bag and a star tip (or just a knife to spread the frosting)
- Wire cooling rack
My Pro Tips (Don’t Skip These!)
After making thousands of cupcakes, I’ve learned a few things. These little secrets will make a huge difference.
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Room Temperature is a Rule, Not a Suggestion. I know, I know, it’s annoying to wait. But when your eggs, butter, and buttermilk are at room temperature, they mix together to create a smooth, uniform batter. This traps air, and that trapped air expands in the oven, giving you a light and fluffy cupcake instead of a dense, heavy one. Cold ingredients just don’t play nice with each other.
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Don’t Fear the Caramel. People get so nervous about making caramel. The key is to just not walk away. Don’t stir it at the beginning, just let the sugar and water do their thing. Swirl the pan a little if you see one spot getting dark too fast. The moment it turns a nice amber color, like a copper penny, take it off the heat. It can go from perfect to burnt in seconds.
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The Hot Coffee is a Game-Changer. Pouring hot coffee into the batter at the end might seem weird. The batter will look thin, almost watery. Don’t panic! This is what you want. The hot liquid helps “bloom” the cocoa powder, which basically means it releases all its deep, rich flavor. It also adds a ton of moisture, so your cupcakes won’t be dry.
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Sift Your Dry Stuff. It’s an extra step, but it’s worth it. Especially for cocoa powder and powdered sugar, which get super lumpy. Sifting just means pushing them through a fine mesh strainer. It breaks up all the clumps and makes sure everything gets mixed in evenly, so you don’t get a random pocket of bitter cocoa in your cupcake.
How to Make These Amazing Cupcakes
Alright, let’s do this. We’ll take it one part at a time. Put on some good music, take a deep breath, and let’s bake.
Part 1: Making the Chocolate Espresso Cupcakes
Step 1: Get your oven ready. Preheat it to 350°F (175°C). Line a muffin tin with paper liners.
Step 2: In a large bowl, whisk together all your dry ingredients: the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk them for a good 30 seconds to make sure they’re all mixed up.
Step 3: In a separate, medium-sized bowl, mix together the wet ingredients: the eggs, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla. Just give them a light whisk until they’re combined.
Step 4: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix on low speed with your electric mixer (or by hand) just until everything is combined. Don’t go crazy here; over-mixing makes tough cupcakes.
Step 5: Now for the magic trick. Slowly pour the hot coffee into the batter while mixing on low. The batter will be very thin. This is normal! Stop mixing as soon as the coffee is incorporated.
Step 6: Fill your cupcake liners about two-thirds full. An ice cream scoop works perfectly for this and makes sure they’re all the same size.
Step 7: Bake for 20-22 minutes. You can check if they’re done by inserting a toothpick into the center of one. If it comes out clean, they’re ready.
Step 8: Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then move them to a wire rack to cool completely. They must be 100% cool before you even think about frosting them.
Part 2: Making the Salted Caramel Sauce
Step 1: In your small, heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Stir it just until the sugar is wet, then stop.
Step 2: Place the pan over medium heat. Let it cook without stirring. You’ll see it start to bubble. Just watch it. It will take about 8-10 minutes.
Step 3: Once the mixture turns a beautiful amber color, immediately remove it from the heat.
Step 4: Carefully whisk in the cubed butter. It will bubble up a lot, so be careful. Once the butter is melted, slowly and carefully pour in the warm heavy cream while whisking. The mixture will seize up and steam a lot—this is normal. Keep whisking until it’s smooth.
Step 5: Stir in the sea salt. Let the caramel cool completely. It will thicken up as it cools.
Part 3: Whipping Up the Salted Caramel Buttercream
Step 1: In the bowl of your stand mixer (or a large bowl with a hand mixer), beat the room temperature butter on medium-high speed for about 5 minutes. You want it to get really light in color and fluffy. (This step is the secret to non-greasy buttercream.)
Step 2: Turn the mixer down to low and slowly add the sifted powdered sugar, one cup at a time. Mix until it’s all incorporated.
Step 3: Pour in ½ cup of your cooled salted caramel sauce, the vanilla extract, and the pinch of salt. Beat on medium-high speed for another 3 minutes until it’s super light and fluffy.
Step 4: If the frosting seems too stiff, add the heavy cream one tablespoon at a time until you get the consistency you like.
Step 5: Once the cupcakes are completely cool, frost them. You can use a piping bag to make them look fancy or just spread it on with a butter knife. Drizzle a little extra caramel sauce on top and sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
Swaps and Fun Variations
Once you have this basic recipe down, you can play with it.
- For a Mocha Kick: Add a teaspoon of instant espresso powder to the buttercream along with the powdered sugar.
- Add Some Crunch: Throw a handful of mini chocolate chips or toffee bits into the cupcake batter right before you scoop it into the liners.
- Decaf Version: If you’re sensitive to caffeine, just use a good strong decaf coffee. You’ll still get all the flavor.
- No Buttermilk? No Problem: Make your own! Pour 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice into a measuring cup, then fill it the rest of the way with regular milk to the 1-cup line. Let it sit for 5 minutes. It’ll look a little curdled, but it works perfectly.
Got Leftovers? Here’s How to Store Them
If you somehow have any of these left, you can store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
If it’s longer than that, put them in the fridge for up to 5 days. Just be sure to let them sit out at room temperature for about 30 minutes before eating, because cold cake is sad cake. The butter in the frosting gets hard in the fridge.
Make-Ahead Plan
You can totally break this up to make it less overwhelming.
- The Cupcakes: You can bake the cupcakes a day ahead. Store them unfrosted in an airtight container at room temperature.
- The Caramel: The caramel sauce can be made up to a week in advance. Just keep it in a jar in the refrigerator. You might need to warm it up for a few seconds in the microwave to make it pourable again.
- The Buttercream: You can also make the frosting a day or two ahead. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge. Before you use it, let it come to room temperature and then re-whip it with your mixer for a minute or two to bring it back to a light, fluffy texture.
Your Questions, Answered (FAQ)
Q1. My caramel got hard as a rock! What did I do wrong?
Ans: You probably just cooked it a little too long. Don’t worry, you can usually save it by putting it back on low heat and adding a tablespoon or two of water or cream and whisking until it smooths out.
Q2. Why is my cupcake batter so thin?
Ans: It’s supposed to be! The thin, watery batter is because of the hot coffee, and it’s the secret to a super moist cupcake. Just trust the process.
Q3. Can I use a different kind of oil?
Ans: Yep. Any neutral-flavored oil will work fine. Canola oil, melted coconut oil, or even a light olive oil would work in a pinch.
Q4. My buttercream feels greasy. How can I fix it?
Ans: This usually happens if your butter wasn’t whipped long enough at the beginning, or if it was too warm. Try chilling the frosting in the fridge for 15-20 minutes, then whip it again on high speed.
Wrapping Up
There you have it. A cupcake that’s a little bit sophisticated but also just pure comfort. The rich chocolate, the kick of coffee, and that dreamy, salty-sweet frosting—it’s just the best combination.
Don’t let the steps scare you off. It’s just mixing and waiting, mixing and waiting. You’ve got this.
When you make these, I’d love to hear about it. Leave a comment below and tell me how they turned out, or if you have any questions. Happy baking