Dark Chocolate Mocha Cupcakes

Posted on www.evilshenanigans.com - 4/3/2009

Today is my birthday!!  I won't tell you how old I am ... that would just depress me.  But, I will tell you what does not depress me ...

Cupcakes! 

Especially when they are in fun red liners from acupcakery.com!!  Red is my absolute favorite color, and the liners stayed nice and bright after baking.  I love that!

So, to celebrate my birthday I made a batch of cupcakes to share with you.  Of course, you are not here to eat them ... I guess that means I will have to eat all these dark, moist, lucious, mocha cupcakes for you.  Oh, how I suffer! 

These have a nice hit of coffee which is the perfect compliment to the Dutch-processed cocoa powder.  So, in honor of me, make a batch of these cupcakes.  Consider it my gift to you.   I'm off to celebrate! 

Dark Chocolate Mocha Cupcakes   Yield 12

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 large egg, beaten with
1 egg white
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons strong coffee (I used three tablespoons hot water with 1 tablespoon instant coffee)

Heat the oven to 350 F and line a 12-cup cupcake/muffin tin with liners. 

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder, sugar, and salt.   Mix well.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the melted butter, buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, and coffee.  Blend until there are only a few small lumps left.

Scoop into lined cupcake tins and bake for 20 minutes, or until the centers spring back when lightly pressed.

Cool for three minutes in the pan before removing the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.

Frost as desired.