These espresso cupcakes are rich, moist and loaded with espresso flavor. Topped with a gorgeous espresso buttercream frosting. A treat for coffee lovers everywhere!
These espresso cupcakes have so much delicious espresso flavor that you could pretty much skip your morning coffee and have one of these instead!
Although having one of these WITH your morning coffee, well that is even better.
The cupcakes are light, fluffy, moist and delicious and the buttercream? Well, the buttercream is the silkiest espresso buttercream frosting. The perfect combination.
Ingredients You’ll Need:
Ingredient Notes
- Instant espresso powder – this creates the perfect espresso flavor for these cupcakes, however instant coffee powder also works great.
- Canola oil – can be replaced with any vegetable oil.
- Buttermilk – we used a homemade buttermilk substitute made up by mixing lemon juice (or vinegar) with room temperature milk. You can do the same or you can use real buttermilk if you happen to have it on hand.
How To Make Espresso Cupcakes
Full instructions and measurements can always be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
- Sift all purpose flour into a mixing bowl and add white granulated sugar, baking soda, salt and instant espresso powder. Mix together.
- Prepare your homemade buttermilk by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice (or distilled white vinegar) to a measuring jug and adding room temperature milk up to the 1 cup (240ml) line. Leave it for a few minutes to curdle.
- Add buttermilk, oil, egg and vanilla extract to the mixing bowl and mix into a batter. Don’t overmix.
- Divide the batter evenly between 12 cupcake liners in a cupcake tray.
- Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into one of the cupcakes comes out clean.
- Let the cupcakes cool for a few minutes in the cupcake tray before transferring them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
- When the cupcakes are completely cool, frost them with espresso buttercream frosting.
Chef’s Tips
Be careful with your flour measurement. The most accurate way to measure flour is actually to weigh it out on a food scale. If you have a food scale then this is always a great way to go about it. If you don’t have a food scale though then the next best way to measure it is to use the spoon and level method. Spoon the flour into your measuring cup and then level off the top with a knife. Don’t scoop the flour and don’t pack it into the cup.
Don’t overmix the batter. Overmixing can cause your cupcakes to be dense. Mix the batter until just mixed and then stop mixing. This is also the reason I tend not to use a stand mixer for cake batters, it makes it too easy to overmix. Mix the batter by hand and be very careful not to overdo it.
Recipe FAQ
You can make a three layer 6-inch cake from this recipe. Bake for 20 minutes.
If you use soy milk or almond milk to make homemade buttermilk then you can make these cupcakes dairy-free.
Store them covered at room temperature for 2-3 days or covered in the fridge for up to a week.
You can freeze these cupcakes frosted or unfrosted for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge and bring to room temperature before serving.
More Delicious Cupcakes
- Chocolate Orange Cupcakes
- Biscoff Cupcakes
- Red Velvet Cupcakes
- Carrot Cake Cupcakes
- Vanilla Cupcakes
- Chocolate Cupcakes
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below.
Espresso Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 2 cups All Purpose Flour Measured Correctly*
- 1 cup White Granulated Sugar
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- ½ tsp Salt
- 2 Tbsp Instant Espresso Powder
- 1 cup Homemade Buttermilk or Real Buttermilk
- ½ cup Canola Oil or Vegetable Oil
- 1 Large Egg
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
Espresso Buttercream Frosting
- 1 Recipe Espresso Buttercream Frosting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a cupcake tray with 12 cupcake liners.
- Sift all purpose flour into a mixing bowl and add white granulated sugar, baking soda, salt and instant espresso powder. Mix together.
- Prepare your homemade buttermilk by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice (or distilled white vinegar) to a measuring jug and adding room temperature milk up to the 1 cup (240ml) line. Leave it for a few minutes to curdle.
- Add buttermilk, oil, egg and vanilla extract to the mixing bowl and mix into a batter. Don't overmix.
- Divide the batter evenly between the 12 cupcake liners.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into one of the cupcakes comes out clean.
- Let the cupcakes cool for a few minutes in the cupcake tray before transferring them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
- When the cupcakes are completely cool, frost them with espresso buttercream frosting.
Notes
- Flour. The most accurate way to measure flour is actually to weigh it out on a food scale. If you have a food scale then click ‘metric’ below the list of ingredients to get the weight in grams. If you don’t have a food scale then the next best way to measure it is to use the spoon and level method. Spoon the flour into your measuring cup and then level off the top with a knife. Don’t scoop the flour and don’t pack it into the cup.
- Instant espresso powder. This creates the perfect espresso flavor for these cupcakes, however instant coffee powder also works great.
- Buttermilk. We used a homemade buttermilk substitute made up by mixing lemon juice (or vinegar) with room temperature milk. You can do the same or you can use real buttermilk if you happen to have it on hand. Either option will work great in this recipe.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Mix the batter until just mixed and then stop mixing.
- Storing and Freezing. Store them covered at room temperature for 2-3 days or covered in the fridge for up to a week. You can freeze these cupcakes frosted or unfrosted for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge and bring to room temperature before serving.
- Nutritional information includes both the cupcakes and the frosting.
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