It’s Ash Wednesday, and officially my first day without coffee, as I’ve given it up for lent. So far, so good (thanks, Diet Coke). I’ll get my cravings with some coffee flavored deliciousness in cake form.
Irish Coffee Cupcakes
These cupcakes possess all the components of a good Irish coffee. A tip: Be sure scrape down your bowl with a spatula after each flour/espresso addition to the batter (see step 5 below). I recommend a good Irish whiskey such as Jameson or Bushmills for your frosting. Also, the espresso powder used to garnish the cupcakes is rather bitter. Go for a light dusting if you’re not a strong coffee fan.
For the cupcakes, you will need:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup boiling water
- 2 tbsp instant espresso powder
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 1 stick unsalted butter; room temp
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
For the frosting:
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tbsp confectioners’ sugar
- 1 ½ tbsp whiskey
- instant espresso powder for the garnish
Directions:
- Preheat oven 350.
- Make cupcakes: whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- Pour boiling water over espresso powder; let cool. Combine espresso with milk.
- Add the butter and sugars to a bowl. Beat until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each.
- Add flour mixture to the batter in three additions, beating after each, alternating with the espresso/milk. (I.e. flour first, then espresso, then flour, then espresso etc.)
- Fill 12 cupcake cups 3/4 full in a muffin tin. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean, 20-22 minutes. Let cool, turn out cupcakes from tin.
- Make the frosting: Whisk together cream and confectioners’ sugar until medium peaks form. Add whiskey, whisk until slightly stiff peaks form.
- Top each cupcake with 2 tbsp frosting, dust with espresso powder.
Yield ~ 12 cupcakes Recipe VIA
