Mocha Cupcakes Recipe

1. First thing’s first. Make yourself a pot of delicious coffee. If you’re using our Smoked Coffee, a semi-coarse grind and a coffee press or Bialetti are ideal to get the best flavor.
2. Sift the flour, cocoa, sugar, salt, and baking soda together into the bowl of a stand mixer. You can also use a plain bowl and hand mixer for this.
3. In a large measuring cup, combine the eggs, butter, and vanilla, before adding to your dry ingredients. Beat on medium speed for one minute.
4. Pour the hot coffee into the batter and stir until it’s combined.
5. Preheat your grill to 350°F and prepare for indirect grilling. You should only need one burner on low for this.
6. Fill prepared muffin cups until ¾ full (about ¼ cup of batter, each) and bake over indirect heat for 33 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean, (maybe with a couple crumbs). Remove the cupcakes from the grill and allow to completely cool on wire racks while you prepare the frosting.
7. For the Chocolate Buttercream Frosting, using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat the butter for a minute, until it’s slightly fluffy. Sift in the powdered sugar and cocoa, then start the mixer on low, working up to a medium speed – so you don’t get powdered sugar and cocoa everywhere like I did. While the machine is running, add the vanilla and 1 tbsp. of heavy cream or coffee. Add 1 more tbsp., up to 3 tbsp. if the icing is too stiff. Add up to 1 cup of powdered sugar, a little at a time, if the icing is too runny.
8. Once cool, pipe your icing onto the cupcakes and sprinkle with the crushed candy bar, then freeze for 10 minutes while you make the ganache.
9. Heat the cream and coffee together in a bowl or saucepan until steaming. Remove the mixture from heat and add the chopped chocolate stirring until smooth. Drizzle the chocolate over the iced cupcakes.
10. Serve to the general delight of everyone who gets to eat one.

These Mocha Cupcakes with Smoked Coffee & Toffee were perfect for dessert after a big family dinner. We were so full of roast turkey, mashed potatoes, and veggies with gravy that the thought of eating a huge slice of pie was just a little too much. Instead, we all enjoyed the perfectly sized bites of cake topped with nothing but the best in icing and ganache. The little hits of smoky coffee flavor throughout added the nicest touch, and it meant we didn’t need to fire up the coffee maker either. What’s your favorite flavor to pair with chocolate?