Mexican Chocolate Cupcakes

Description

This extra-chocolaty recipe for Mexican hot chocolate cupcakes uses coffee to enhance cocoa flavors and cinnamon to accent the warm spices.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup white sugar

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 1/4 cup butter, at room temperature

• 1 egg

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

• 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon instant coffee granules

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1 cup milk

• 1 cup butter, softened

• 5 cups confectioners' sugar

• 2 tablespoons milk

• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.

2 Beat white sugar, brown sugar, and butter together in the bowl of a stand mixer until thoroughly blended and creamy. Add egg; beat well. Mix in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

3 Combine flour, 2/3 cup cocoa powder, baking powder, coffee, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon in a second bowl. Blend with a whisk until fluffy and no clumps appear. Alternate adding the flour mixture and 1 cup milk into the butter mixture, mixing until just combined. Fill muffin cups 2/3-full of batter.

4 Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 15 to 17 minutes. Move to a wire rack to cool completely, at least 25 minutes.

5 Beat butter in the bowl of the stand mixer; add confectioners' sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating until creamy. Add 2 tablespoons milk; mix until frosting is creamy. Mix in 1/2 cup cocoa powder and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

6 Fit a piping bag with a coupler and tip. Drop piping bag into a tall glass and fold edges down around the glass. Spoon frosting into the bag. Gather edges and twist together. Pipe frosting onto the cupcakes.