Cappuccino Chip Cupcakes

By carvalhohm

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup water
• 4 teaspoons instant coffee granules
• 1 package (18.25 ounces) plain yellow cake mix
• 1 package (3.4 ounces ) vanilla instant pudding mix
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips, plus Mocha Buttercream (recipe follows)
• 1/3 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips or cracked roasted cocoa beans, for garnish

Details

Servings 22
Preparation time 20mins
Cooking time 20mins
Adapted from lynnescountrykitchen.net

Preparation

Step 1

Place rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 cupcake cups with paper liners. Set pans aside.

Place water and instant coffee in small glass liquid measuring cup and microwave on high power for 40 seconds. Remove and stir until coffee is dissolved. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes.

Place cake mix, pudding mix, milk, oil, eggs, and coffee in large mixing bowl. Blend with electric mixer on low for 30 seconds. Stop machine and scrape down sides of bow with rubber spatula. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping down sides again if needed. Batter should look thick and well combined. Fold in 1 cup of chocolate chips. Spoon or scoop 1/3 cup batter into each lined cupcake cup, filling it three quarters full. (You will get between 22-24 cupcakes; remove the empty liners, if any.) Place pans into oven.

Bake cupcakes until they spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove pan from oven and place them on wire racks to cook 5 minutes. Run dinner knife around edges of cupcake liner, Lift cupcakes up from bottom of cups using end of knife, and pick them out of cups carefully with fingertips. Place them wire rack to cool for 15 minutes before frosting.

Meanwhile, prepare Mocha Buttercream Frosting.

Place heaping tablespoon frosting on each cupcake and swirl to spread out with short metal spatula or back of spoon, taking care to cover tops completely. Garnish with remaining 1/3 cup chocolate chips or roasted cracked cocoa beans. The cupcakes are ready to serve.

_Store cupcakes in cake saver or under glass dome, at room temperature for up to 3 days or in refrigerator for up to 1 week. Or freeze them, wrapped in foil or in a cake saver, for up to 6 months. Thaw cupcakes overnight in refrigerator before serving._

*Mocha Buttercream Frosting:*
1/4 cup milk
1 heaping teaspoon instant coffee granules
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
2 ounces (1/2 bar) German sweet chocolate, grated
3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon water, if needed

Place milk and instant coffee in small glass liquid measuring cup.

Place in microwave oven on high power until milk is hot enough to dissolve instant coff33, 30 to 40 seconds. Remove and stir until coffee is dissolved. Set aside to cool.

Place butter in large mixing bowl and add coffee and grated chocolate. Blend with electric mixer on low speed until mixture has softened, 30 seconds. Stop machine and add confectioner's sugar. Blend with mixer on low speed until sugar is incorporated, 1 minute. Increase speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, 1 minute more. Blend up to 1 tablespoon water if frosting seems too stiff.