Helloooo!

How’s it going?

I’ve got a great recipe to share with you this week which includes two of my favourite things in life – coffee and dark chocolate! ❤

My day always starts with a steaming hot cup of coffee (well, after I roll over, yell profanities at my alarm, scroll through my phone, shower, throw on some clothes and stumble out of the house muttering how late I’ll be once again, before having to double back to ensure I actually locked the door, that is). I’m really not a morning person so I can’t properly function without, oh and I’m probably also in a pretty foul mood until I get my fix too!

I wrap up most days with a couple of cheeky chunks of dark chocolate for dessert – what’s life without a little indulgence?

So naturally, these cupcakes confuse me a little…

Should I wolf one down for breakfast?

Or wait it out and treat myself at the end of the day?

Do you see my dilemma?

Perhaps I should dig in smack bang in the middle of the day as a lunch dessert!

To be honest, thinking about it, the best time to eat these things is like, RIGHT NOW.

Because, seriously, who can resist?

Moist deeply chocolatey cupcakes with a hit of coffee, topped with mocha whipped cream frosting, a drizzle of dark chocolate and a couple of little coffee flavoured chocolate beans!

They’re good any time of day! In fact – they’re good multiple times a day!

Oh and I forgot to mention, I added tonka beans to the batter because the flavour is so complimentary! Such a good move.

I usually take cake leftover cake into work after a weekend of baking – and these little gems got me tonnes of compliments. I suppose they would, considering how much coffee gets guzzled on the premises!

Enjoy,

-Kay

Ingredients

Cupcakes:

• 110g plain flour
• 160g caster sugar
• 50g cocoa powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 120ml buttermilk
• 1 medium egg
• 50g salted butter, melted
• 2 tonka beans, grated finely (optional, can substitute with vanilla extract)
• 100ml boiling water
• 4 heaped tsps instant coffee (I use this brand)

Frosting:

• 500ml double cream
• 75g mascarpone
• 1.5 heaped tsp instant coffee (I use this brand)
• 1.5 tsp cocoa powder
• 50ml boiling water
• 50g icing sugar

Decoration:

• Half pack coffee flavoured chocolate beans
• 50g dark chocolate

Instructions

Cake

1. Preheat your oven to gas mark 5, line your cupcake tin with 12 cases. I unwrapped mine once baked and popped them into these lace ones.
2. Add instant coffee and boiling water to a small cup, stir to combine then set aside to cool slightly.
3. Add flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and tonka beans to a large bowl and whisk to combine.
4. Add buttermilk, egg and cooled butter to another bowl and whisk to combine.
5. Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients, briefly stir together before adding the coffee. Mix well to combine.
6. Divide the cake batter evenly between the cupcake liners and bake for 15-18 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
7. Once done, cool on a wire rack.

Frosting:

1. Add instant coffee and cocoa powder to a small cup before adding boiling water. Stir well to combine and set aside to cool to room temperature.
2. Add double cream, mascarpone and icing sugar to a large bowl and whisk until bubbly.
3. Add coffee and cocoa mixture and whisk until soft whipped, just thick enough to pipe.

Decoration:

1. Using a piping bag and nozzle, pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes.
2. Melt dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a bain marie.
3. Add the melted chocolate to a piping bag, snip off the end and drizzle over the piped cupcakes.
4. Top with a couple of chocolate coffee beans.