Coffee Cupcakes With Coffee Buttercream

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These coffee cupcakes are unashamedly simple to make. Soft, moist sponge, bold coffee buttercream, and the kind of result that has you reaching for the mixing bowl again the same week.

Coffee Cupcakes for Coffee Lovers

Yup. That’s the promise of this coffee cupcake recipe. If you drink coffee, there’s a good chance you already have everything you need for this recipe in your kitchen right now. Instant coffee granules are what give both the cupcake and the buttercream their flavor here.

The cupcakes bake up soft and moist with a genuine coffee flavor running through the crumb. The buttercream is smooth and rich, tasting like coffee rather than just sweetened butter with a hint of something brown. Both come from the same jar of instant granules — dissolved in a small amount of hot water before going into the batter or beaten into the frosting.

It’s a straightforward recipe with a result that tastes more considered than the effort involved. If you like coffee, you’ll like these a lot. 

And I guess you are one of those coffee lovers. That’s why you are here, checking this recipe.

Well, I’m a coffee-loving gal. However, my top requirement is that it has to be 100% Arabica coffee. Starting my day with a cup of coffee is a must. Otherwise, I won’t be able to go through my day in content. 

This love of coffee was the reason I created this cupcake recipe. 

Although I brew my coffee from ground coffee most of the time, I always have instant coffee on hand as a backup. Hence, to make things easier, I used this instant coffee for the cupcake.

After having a few attempts, I am happy and settled with this coffee cupcake recipe. 

The cupcakes are moist and fluffy, with enough coffee flavor. And the buttercream takes the cupcake to another level of deliciousness. 

And if you fancy enjoying these sweeties with more coffee flavor, try having them with a glass of this coffee soda by Hilda’s Kitchen Blog. Promise, you’ll be coffee-ey all day.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• The coffee flavor is in every single component. The sponge tastes like coffee. The buttercream tastes like coffee. There’s no plain base here that you have to eat through to get to the flavor — it’s consistent from the first bite to the last.
• Instant coffee granules are all you need — no machine, no pods. This recipe doesn’t ask for a double shot of espresso or cold brew. A good-quality jar of instant granules gives you full control over the intensity and is accessible regardless of what coffee equipment you own, or don’t.
• You can dial the coffee strength up or down. More granules means a bolder, more bitter flavor. Less gives something milder and sweeter. The recipe gives you a starting point that works for most palates, but it’s easy to adjust in either direction depending on how seriously you take your coffee.
• The buttercream is rich without being overly sweet. Coffee has a natural bitterness that cuts through the sugar in the buttercream, preventing it from tasting flat or one-note. The result is a frosting that tastes genuinely grown-up — the kind that coffee drinkers actually want more of rather than scraping to the side.
• These are for people who actually like coffee — not a vague coffee-adjacent sweetness. This isn’t a latte-flavored cupcake with a hint of warmth. The coffee is the point, and the recipe doesn’t shy away from it. If someone at the table doesn’t drink coffee, they’ll probably find these too strong — which is exactly right.
• They look understated and taste better than they look. No bright colors, no elaborate decoration — a swirl of pale brown buttercream and maybe a dusting of coffee granules on top. They don’t announce themselves loudly, but the first bite does.
• A legitimate excuse to eat dessert at breakfast time. They’re made with coffee. Serve them alongside an actual cup of coffee, and the argument for having one at 9 am becomes very easy to make.
• A reliable crowd-pleaser for anyone who isn’t a chocolate person. At any gathering where chocolate cake is the default dessert option, a batch of these is the alternative that coffee drinkers — which is most adults — will genuinely appreciate. They’re the cupcake for people who find most cupcakes too sweet.

Easy Ingredients

Just like most of the recipes I share, this coffee cupcake uses simple ingredients. Most of the items are regular staples in most kitchens.

So, for the cupcakes, you will need instant coffee granules, caster sugar, all-purpose flour, margarine/ baking spread, eggs, and baking powder.

As for the buttercream, you need powdered icing sugar, butter, instant coffee granules, and hot water.

A little note here: you can use espresso powder or instant espresso instead of instant coffee granules. 

And if you prefer, you can use salted butter instead of margarine. The only difference is that butter gives the cupcakes a slightly denser texture. And in cold weather, the butter makes the cupcakes a little bit harder.

While margarine or baking spread creates a soft, fluffy texture in cakes, regardless of room temperature, it keeps your cupcakes moist and soft. 

How to Make the Best Coffee Cupcakes

The method for making these cupcakes is pretty simple. 

Firstly, you prepare the cupcake tin and line it with cupcake cases. Then preheat the oven to 180℃/ 356℉ or gas mark 4

Then, dissolve the coffee granules in the eggs. You can use either a fork, a hand whisk, a wooden spoon, or a hand mixer to mix. 

When coffee granules have dissolved, add the flour, margarine, baking spread, and baking powder. Use a handheld mixer or a stand mixer to beat the ingredients together until you get a smooth mixture.

Scoop the batter into cupcake cases and bake for about 20 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. And when you press the cake, it will bounce back nicely.

Leave the cupcakes to cool on a cooling rack.

Next, make the buttercream by dissolving coffee granules in a teaspoon of hot water. Let it cool while you get on with the other ingredients.

Place the butter and powdered sugar in a mixing bowl. Once the melted coffee has cooled down, add it to the bowl. And start beating them using a handheld or a stand mixer until you get a fluffy buttercream. 

Once the cupcakes are completely cooled, frost them with the buttercream. 

Tips for Delicious Coffee Cupcakes

• Make sure your instant coffee granules or instant espresso are fresh and not stale. So they will dissolve well.
• Leave the dissolved coffee to cool to room temperature before adding it to the buttercream mixture.

Storage Matter

The good news is that you can freeze your coffee cupcakes. They keep well for up to 6 weeks. 

And they last for about a week at room temperature. Just make sure you store them in a tightly lidded food/ cake container. 

If you want to, you can keep the cupcakes in the refrigerator. However, I don’t really do it because the cupcakes go hard in cold temperatures. 

Take care and all the best.

Coffee cupcake recipe

5 from 1 vote

These moist and delicious coffee cupcakes with coffee buttercream are a definite indulgence for coffee lovers. And they are ridiculously easy to make that you just want to keep baking them.

BY: Devy Dar

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Prep : 10 minutes mins

Cook : 20 minutes mins

Total : 28 minutes mins

Servings: 12 cupcakes

Equipment

• Mixing bowls.
• Wooden spoon
• Handheld mixer
• Cupcake tin
• Cupcake cases

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Ingredients

 

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For the cupcakes

• 1 ½ teaspoons instant coffee granules
• 3 eggs
• 150 grams of baking spread or margarine
• 120 grams caster sugar
• 150 grams of all-purpose flour/ plain flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder

For the frosting

• 50 grams of salted butter softened.
• 100 grams of icing sugar
• 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
• 1 teaspoon hot water

Instructions

For the cupcakes

• Place the eggs and 1 ½ teaspoons of instant coffee granules in a mixing bowl. Using a wooden spoon, a hand whisk, or a fork, lightly beat them until the coffee granules melt in the egg.
• Add the caster sugar to the egg mixture and stir again.
• Then add the baking spread (or margarine), flour, and baking powder into the egg mix. Using a handheld mixer, or a stand mixer, whisk it until you get a smooth batter.
• Preheat the oven to 180℃/ 356℉ or gas mark 4
• Prepare the muffin/ cupcake tin with cupcake cases.
• Scoop the batter into each case and bake in a preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes or until the cupcakes are springy to the touch.
• Put the cupcakes on a cooling wire rack and let them cool to room temperature before frosting them with coffee buttercream.

For the buttercream

• Mix 1 teaspoon of instant coffee granules with 1 teaspoon of hot water in a small mixing bowl.
• Stir well until all the granules have dissolved. Let it cool.
• Place the butter, icing sugar, and coffee mixture in a mixing bowl. Using a handheld, or a stand mixer, beat them and mix them until you get light and fluffy buttercream.

Notes

• Make sure your instant coffee granules are not old and stale. Because the fresh coffee granules will melt easily, and the flavor will definitely be better.
• Check the temperature of the melted coffee mixture before adding it to the butter and sugar. Make sure it has completely cooled down. Else, the butter will melt or go too soft.

Nutrition

Serving: 80grams | Calories: 253kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 50mg | Sodium: 232mg | Potassium: 43mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 611IU | Vitamin C: 0.02mg | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 1mg

Devy Dar

Devy founded So Yummy Recipes and Drizzling Flavor to share her love of food after exploring various cultures and cuisines for more than two decades. Her mission is to help others easily recreate traditional and non-traditional food with readily available ingredients. Her works have been featured in Reader’s Digest, Al Jazeera, MSN, Yahoo, Bon Appétit, and more.