Coffee Cupcakes with Coffee Caramel

A coffee cupcake on a wire rack with caramel dripping off a knife alongside it.

5 from 2 votes

Coffee Cupcakes with Coffee Caramel

These decadent coffee cupcakes come topped with smooth coffee buttercream and a luscious coffee caramel drizzle. They are a special treat for all coffee lovers.

Prep Time30

Cook Time20

Total Time50

Course: Baking

Cuisine: Worldwide

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings:

Calories: 574kcal

Author: Jane Coupland

Equipment

Cupcake tin with standard-sized holes

Ingredients

For the Cupcakes

120 g Butter unsalted, softened
60 g Caster sugar
60 g Dark muscovado sugar
120 g Plain flour (all-purpose)
1 tablespoon Cocoa powder
1 teaspoon Baking powder
2 tablespoons Plain yoghurt full fat
2 egg large, free-range
1 tablespoon Instant coffee granules

For the Coffee Caramel

50 g Caster sugar
20 ml Double cream (heavy)
¾ teaspoon Instant coffee granules
15 g Butter
⅛ teaspoon Salt

For the Coffee Buttercream

180 g Butter unsalted, softened
360 g Icing sugar
2 teaspoons Instant coffee granules
3 tablespoons Double cream (heavy)

Optional Extras for decoration

1 tablespoon Dark chocolate - roughly chopped
1 tablespoon Sprinkles

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make the Cupcakes

Preheat oven to 170C/ 325F/ GM3 and line a cupcake tin with paper cupcake cases
Dissolve the coffee granules in 1 tablespoon of freshly boiled water - stir until fully dissolved
Use electric beater to cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes)
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition. Don't worry if the mixture looks curdled, the cakes will still bake nicely
Beat in the coffee and yoghurt
Sieve the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder into the bowl and mix in (it's best to use a large metal spoon to fold the ingredients together until just combined)
Divide the cake batter between the cupcake cases (filling each one around ⅔ full) then bake for approximately 20 minutes (a cocktail stick poked into the centre should come out clean)
Transfer to a wire rack and let the cakes cool completely

Make the Coffee Caramel

Dissolve the coffee granules in 10ml freshly boiled water
Spread the sugar out in a small, heavy-based saucepan in an even layer. Set the pan over a low heat and allow the sugar to gradually melt. As it melts you can gently swirl the pan a couple of times to ensure the caramel cooks evenly, but do not stir it
Once the sugar has melted, the caramel will begin to darken. Continue to let it cook until it reaches a lovely amber colour (but keep a close eye on the caramel as it can burn easily)
Next add the butter, cream, coffee and salt (the mixture may splutter slightly, so be careful)
Heat gently until the caramel returns to a smooth consistency then pour into a heatproof jug or bowl and allow to cool. There is no need to boil it to a certain temperature as we do not want the caramel to get too thick to pour when cold

Make the buttercream

Dissolve the coffee in 1 tablespoon freshly boiled water
Use electric beaters to beat the butter until smooth
Add the icing sugar, a little at a time, and beat until smooth
Beat in the coffee and double cream and keep on mixing until all ingredients are well blended and the icing looks smooth and thick

Assemble Cupcakes

Put the buttercream into an icing bag fitted with a suitable nozzle and pipe a generous amount onto each cupcake
Drizzle the (cold) caramel sauce over each cupcake
Optional: scatter chocolate or sprinkles over the top

Notes

Always use digital scales for this recipe as they are so much more accurate than the cup system. Cups are notoriously inaccurate because they can vary in size and one person's method of filling a cup can be quite different to another person's
It's fine to use self-raising flour instead of plain (all-purpose) flour but remember to omit the baking powder as self-rasing flour already contains this
Cupcake tin sizes may vary. I easily made 9 cupcakes from the recipe specified below in standard sized cupcake cases in my standard-sized tin. If your tin/ cases are larger or smaller than typical, expect this recipe to make less/ more than the amount specified
Preheat the oven and prepare the baking tins before baking commences. Cake batter should always go into the oven as soon as it is ready as the raising agents are already active at this point
Only make ingredient substitutions if you are an experienced baker and are confident the alternative will work. If in doubt send me a message, I may be able to advise
If you do not own a small (milk) pan for making the caramel consider doubling the recipe to avoid running into issue of the caramel burning as it cooks in a larger pan. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for a week and used to top ice cream
Never put buttercream onto cupcakes while they are still warm as the icing will melt
Similarly, do not pour the coffee caramel over the top while it is still warm as it will also result in melted buttercream
The quantity of coffee buttercream specified in the recipe is enough to generously top each cupcake as shown in the pictures. Feel free to adjust the recipe up/ down depending on how much frosting you enjoy on your cupcakes

Freezing Instructions

Although these coffee cupcakes will stay fresh for up to 3 days when stored in an airtight container at room temperature, they are also suitable for freezing. They can be frozen before or after decorating.

If intending to freeze fully decorated cupcakes, it's best to do this by freezing them in an airtight container or on a plate. Once frozen, wrap each one individually in clingfilm. When ready to defrost, remove the cling film as soon as the cupcakes are taken out of the freezer. This method causes the least damage to the decoration during the freezing and defrosting processes.

Nutrition