These Caramel Mocha Cupcakes are made with a coffee flavored cupcake, caramel frosting and caramel drizzled on top! A coffee favorite in dessert form! A new cupcake recipe by our contributor, Lindsay Conchar.
Believe it or not, I wasn’t always a coffee fan. It took years for me to develop a taste for it. I started off drinking Caramel Frappuccino’s at Starbucks because – let’s face it – it’s basically coffee and caramel flavored ice cream. 
After drinking enough of those, I slowly started drinking actual coffee with some creamer. I remember the first time I ordered coffee at a restaurant for breakfast with my mom she was totally shocked. And keep in mind, this was only maybe 6 years ago.
Now I’m a big fan and will even bake it into a cupcake! Now I can have my coffee and eat it too!
The cupcakes are flavored with some instant espresso coffee powder dissolved in a little hot water. Using regular coffee won’t give them a strong enough flavor to really taste it. The espresso mixture is more concentrated and gives just the right amount of coffee flavor.
The frosting is made with caramel sauce to give it some that caramel flavor. You could easily use a store-bought sauce or one that’s homemade. Either will work. You just might need to adjust the amount you add so that the consistency of the frosting is correct. The thinner the caramel, the less you may want to add. The thicker the sauce, the more you could add.
And since the best part of any frappuccino is the drizzle of caramel on top, that’s how I finished off these cupcakes. The final result is a soft, moist cupcake that tastes just like you’re eating your coffee – with a caramel twist!
INGREDIENTS
For the Mocha Cupcakes:
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¾ cup sugar
- 6 tablespoons sour cream, room temperature
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons hot water
- 3 tablespoons instant espresso coffee powder
- 6 tablespoons milk, room temperature
For the Caramel Frosting:
- ½ cup salted butter
- ½ cup shortening
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 5 – 6 tablespoons caramel sauce
- 1 – 2 tablespoons water or milk
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C) and prepare a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light in color and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Do not skimp on the amount of creaming time.
- Add sour cream and vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
- Add egg whites in two batches, mixing until well combined after each. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated.
- Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Combine the hot water and espresso coffee powder in a small measuring cup, then add the milk.
- Add half of the dry ingredients to the batter and mix until well combined. Add the milk mixture and mix until well combined. Add remaining dry ingredients and mix until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated.
- Fill the cupcake liners about halfway. Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out with a few crumbs.
- Remove cupcakes from oven and allow to cool for 2-3 minutes, then remove to cooling rack to finish cooling.
- To make the frosting, beat the butter and shortening together in a large mixer bowl until smooth.
- Add about half of the powdered sugar and mix until smooth and well combined.
- Add 4 tablespoons of caramel sauce and and mix until combined.
- Add the remaining powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
- Add additional caramel sauce and the water or milk, as needed, to get the right consistency frosting and caramel flavor.
- Pipe the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes, then drizzle with additional caramel sauce.
all image and recipec adapted by thecakeblog.com