Moka Cupcakes

I was in a mood to make cupcakes again, which is pretty much any time I actually have the time to bake. I made these cute moka cupcakes from my book Cupcakes (Collection Cuistot). I gave a go at new icing techniques and this is what I obtained. I was pretty happy with myself and found them really cute, but my friends and coworkers seemed to think it was a bit too much frosting. Too much frosting! I didn't even know that was possible. In my mind, I don't eat a cupcake to be healthy, so when I do eat one I want to enjoy it. Either way, I liked the way they tasted.

Ingredients for moka cupcakes:

80 g butter, RT

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

1/3 cup milk

1 teaspoon instant coffee

Ingredients for buttercream frosting:

2 cups icing sugar

160 g butter, RT

2 teaspoons instant coffee

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Place muffin liners in cupcake pan.

2. Lightly beat the egg, and add in the butter and sugar. Mix until mixture is light and fluffy.

3. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, cocoa powder and coffee. Whisk together ingredients to combine.

4. Add the dry ingredients to the butter preparation. Mix well.

5. Add the milk and combine until an homogeneous mixture is obtained.

6. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full and bake for 20-23 minutes.

7. For the frosting, beat together the butter, icing sugar and instant coffee until mixture is unctuous. If the frosting is too liquid or too difficult to manage, gradually add some more icing sugar or milk, respectively. Add in gel food coloring at this point, if so desired.

Yield: 9 cupcakes