Coffee & Hot Fudge Cupcakes with Espresso Buttercream Frosting

When I looked in the pantry this morning I saw a cake mix and a jar of hot fudge. So naturally I had to resist the urge to just grab a spoon and eat the hot fudge straight out of the jar and think about what I could make with it. I am a coffee junkie. It's really bad. Most people who know me might think that my coffee cup is crazy glued to my hand. So the decision to add coffee to my dessert was an easy one.

Coffee & Hot Fudge Cupcakes with Espresso Buttercream Frosting

• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/4 cup hot coffee
• hot fudge sauce

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a stand mixer (or with your hand mixer) beat the cake mix, eggs and oil. Slowly add the coffee until everything is combined. Turn the speed up to medium and beat for 2 minutes.

Normally one cake mix makes 24 cupcakes, but I just don't like little puny cupcakes. I like big giant cupcakes. Maybe it's tricking myself into thinking that a bigger cupcake is worth the same amount of calories as a little one?

Place baking cups in the muffin tin. I found it easiest to measure the batter to keep the cupcakes consistent in size. Scoop 2 tablespoons of batter in each tin.

Then go back and add 1/2 teaspoon of hot fudge on top of the batter.

Take a break here and lick your fingers :) Once all the cupcakes have fudge, go back and put another 2 tablespoons of batter over the fudge to cover it. They should look nice and full!

Of course if you prefer the smaller cupcakes you can make 24 and just use 1 tablespoon batter, then the fudge and then 1 more tablespoon of batter. Your choice.

Bake them in the oven for 18-22 minutes or until cooked through (mine took 20 minutes). Set aside and allow them to cool completely. You might have to plug your nose though because they are going to smell insanely delicious.

Espresso Buttercream Frosting

• 2 sticks of butter, at room temperature
• 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons espresso powder

In a stand mixer (or with a hand mixer) beat the butter until soft and creamy, 5 minutes. This is a long time, but beating it this long does make a difference in the texture.

Once the butter is creamed, slowly add the powdered sugar (unless you want to be covered in it). Mix until incorporated.

I did not have any espresso powder, but I did have whole espresso beans. I put about 2 teaspoons of the whole beans in a coffee grinder and got the beans to the finest grind I could. In a small bowl combine the vanilla and the 1 1/2 tsp of ground espresso. Add the vanilla/espresso to the frosting and beat until thoroughly combined.

Frost your cupcakes and then eat up!!

Source: Espresso Buttercream Frosting