Mocha Cupcakes

Love chocolate and coffee? Then you’ll love this recipe for moist and fluffy mocha cupcakes with fluffy mocha buttercream frosting.

Love chocolate and coffee? These mocha cupcakes are soft, moist, and packed with rich chocolate flavor, perfectly balanced with a fluffy mocha buttercream frosting. Using freshly brewed coffee enhances the chocolate taste and creates the soft, tender texture of the cupcake, resulting in a truly fluffy chocolate cupcake every time.

Made with simple pantry ingredients and a cupcake pan, these chocolate coffee cupcakes are easy to bake at home. The batter comes together in a large bowl, and after baking, a cooling rack ensures the cupcakes stay soft and ready for frosting. Perfect for birthdays, parties, or a weekend treat, these homemade mocha cupcakes are a surefire crowd-pleaser.

Tips for the Best Chocolate Mocha Cupcakes

This easy chocolate mocha cupcake recipe results in rich mocha flavoured cupcakes with a tender crumb, but you should be aware of some cupcake baking basics.

• Do not overmix the cupcake batter: Keeps the texture light and airy.
• Spoon and level dry ingredients: Avoid dense cupcakes by measuring flour correctly.
• Use room temperature eggs and milk: Blends smoothly for a tender crumb.
• Keep oven closed while baking: Prevents cupcakes from sinking.
• Fill liners 2/3 full: Ensures domed tops and even baking.
• Hot coffee blooms the cocoa: Enhances chocolate flavor and moistness.
• Cool completely before frosting: Buttercream sets better on cooled cupcakes.

Frequently Asked Questions

About the Equipment Needed for Making Cupcakes

• Large mixing bowl and whisk: Easy for combining dry and wet ingredients.
• Cupcake pan and liners: Standard 12-cup pans for 24 cupcakes.
• Stand mixer or hand mixer: Ideal for smooth, fluffy buttercream.
• Piping bag and tip (optional): For bakery-style swirls.
• Cooling rack: Ensures cupcakes stay soft and prevents soggy bottoms.

Ingredients & Substitutions

These homemade chocolate mocha cupcakes only require a few simple ingredients you likely already have on hand.

• Garnish (optional): Brown jimmies, chocolate-covered coffee beans, or other decorative toppings.
• Flour: Spoon and level when measuring to avoid a dense cake.
• Sugar: Plain white granulated sugar adds sweetness and structure.
• Cocoa powder: Use unsweetened cocoa powder for both the cupcakes and buttercream. Do not use hot chocolate mix or baker’s chocolate, which can dry out the cake.
• Baking powder & baking soda: Make sure they are fresh to guarantee a proper rise.
• Salt: Enhances flavour in both cupcakes and buttercream. Adjust if using salted butter.
• Eggs: Room temperature eggs blend more evenly and help create a tender crumb.
• Milk: Room temperature, dairy or non-dairy; whole milk gives the best flavour.
• Oil: Neutral-flavoured oil keeps cupcakes moist. Applesauce can be substituted for a lighter version.
• Vanilla extract: Pure is ideal, but artificial works too; used in both batter and frosting.
• Coffee: Strong, freshly brewed coffee adds rich mocha flavour to both batter and buttercream. Hot when added to batter, cooled for the frosting. Espresso powder can be used in a pinch.
• Butter: Unsalted, room temperature for smooth, creamy buttercream. If using salted, reduce added salt.
• Powdered sugar (confectioners’ sugar): Provides structure and sweetness to the frosting.

Looking for More Cupcake Recipes?

Check out more of my favourite chocolate cupcake ideas!

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These Cherry Pie Cupcakes feature a decadent vanilla cinnamon cupcake filled with cherry pie filling and topped with vanilla cinnamon buttercream and even more cherry filling!

How to Make Mocha Cupcakes

Yields: 24 Cupcakes | Prep time: 20 Minutes | Cook time: 22 Minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups All-purpose flour
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 cup milk, room temperature
• ½ cup Vegetable oil
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• ¾ cup freshly brewed strong coffee

For the Mocha Buttercream Frosting

• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 ½ cups powdered sugar
• ½ Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 Tablespoons strong brewed coffee, cooled
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• optional: brown sprinkles for garnish

Directions

Make the Cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two 12-cup cupcake pans with cupcake liners and place them on a baking tray for easy transfer in and out of the oven.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. Add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla; whisk until just combined.
4. Stir in hot brewed coffee until smooth. Batter will be thin.
5. Portion batter into liners (2/3 full). Bake 20–22 min or until toothpick comes out clean.
6. Transfer cupcakes to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Make the Mocha Buttercream

1. Beat butter in a mixer on medium-high speed until creamy.
2. Add powdered sugar, cocoa, cooled coffee, salt, and vanilla; mix on low speed using the paddle attachment (or beaters) until just combined.
3. Increase speed to medium-high and beat 1 min until light and fluffy.

Assemble

1. Spoon frosting into a piping bag (or spread with spatula).
2. Frost cooled cupcakes and garnish as desired.

Note: Double frosting for tall bakery-style swirls; standard amount works for spreading.

Want a printable version? Use the print recipe button on the recipe card below for easy baking.

Continue to Content

Yield: 24 Cupcakes

Mocha Cupcakes

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 22 minutes

Total Time: 42 minutes

Love chocolate and coffee? Then you'll love this recipe for moist and fluffy mocha cupcakes with fluffy mocha buttercream frosting.

Print

Ingredients

• 2 cups All-purpose flour
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 cup milk, room temperature
• ½ cup Vegetable oil
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• ¾ cup freshly brewed strong coffee

For the Mocha Buttercream Frosting:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 ½ cups powdered sugar
• ½ Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 Tablespoons strong brewed coffee, cooled
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• optional: brown sprinkles for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Add cupcake liners to two 12 serving cupcake pans and set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, add flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk to combine.
3. In that same bowl, add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla extract. Whisk until just combined.
4. Stir in the coffee until just combined.
5. Use a large cookie scoop to equally portion the batter into the liners of the prepared cupcake pans, each
   one should be about 2/3 full. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of a cupcake comes out clean.
6. Remove cupcakes from oven and place on wire cooling rack to come to room temperature.
7. While cupcakes cool, prepare the frosting: Add room temperature butter to the bowl of a mixer fitted with whisk attachment (or large mixing bowl if using hand-held mixer). Mix on high until a creamy consistency is reached.
8. Add powdered sugar, cocoa powder, coffee, salt and vanilla extract. Mix on low for 30 settings. Increase speed to high for 1 minute.
9. Spoon frosting into a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes, garnishing each one with sprinkles if desired.

Notes

If you are decorating your cupcakes bakery style then you will need to double the frosting recipe. If you are just going to spread it on then it makes the perfect amount.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Silicone Pastry Piping Bag
• 
  Cuisinart SM-50BL Stand Mixer
• 
  Non-Stick Bakeware Standard Muffin and Cupcake Pan

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

24

Serving Size:

1 Cupcake
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 281Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 37mgSodium: 221mgCarbohydrates: 39gFiber: 1gSugar: 29gProtein: 3g

This information is provided as a courtesy and for entertainment purposes only. This information comes from online calculators. Although frugalmomeh.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.

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