Coffee Cupcakes

I made these cute little coffee cupcakes which were delicious and super easy to make. I am obsessed with coffee cake at the minute and the thing I like about it is you can just spontaneously make these as the ingredients are usually in your cupboards already. I borrowed the recipe from Nigella but adapted it as originally it was a coffee and walnut layer cake.

Ingredients

For the sponge:

• 225 grams caster sugar

• 225 grams soft unsalted butter

• 200 grams plain flour

• 2 teaspoons of instant coffee

• 2 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate soda

• 4 large eggs

For the buttercream frosting:

• 75g softened unsalted butter

• 175g icing sugar

• 2 teaspoons instant coffee

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180c. Cream the butter and sugar together, make sure the butter is soft as this process will be much easier. 

     2. Sift in the flour to ensure no lumps get into the mixture, make a little well in the middle and add the eggs. 

3. Add the baking powder and bicarbonate soda. Put two teaspoons of instant coffee into a mug and add a tiny bit of boiling water just enough for the granules to dissolve, too much water will make the mixture too runny.

4. Put some cake cases in to a cupcake tray, I used a silicone one which I find really handy. Spoon the mixture into the cases and bake for approximately 12-18 minutes. Do the cocktail stick in the middle test to make sure they are done then put them on a cooling wrack.

5. While the cakes are cooling, its time to make the buttercream icing. Beat the butter until soft, sift in the icing sugar then as before make up another coffee and boiled water mixture. Again not too much water. Add this to the icing sugar and butter then mix well.   

6. Make sure the cakes have completely cooled down before adding the frosting. You can pipe this on but I just used a teaspoon and used circular swirling motions to create a little bit of texture.