Ingredients:

• For the cupcakes:
  • 2 c. cake flour
  • 2 c. granulated sugar
  • ¾ c. unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 t. cinnamon
  • 2 t. baking soda
  • 1 t. baking powder
  • 1 t. salt
  • 1 c. buttermilk
  • ½ c. canola or vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 t. vanilla extract
  • 1 c. freshly brewed hot coffee
• For the coffee bourbon buttercream:
  • 1 c. unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 4 c. powdered sugar
  • 2 ½ T. Devils River Coffee Bourbon
  • 1 t. vanilla extract
  • Pinch of salt
  • Cinnamon for garnish, if desired

Directions:

To make the chocolate cupcakes*:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Line two muffin tins with cupcake liners.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla.
• With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet and mix until just combined. Then slowly pour in the hot coffee. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure everything is incorporated. (The batter will be pretty runny.)
• Pour the batter into the lined muffin tins, filling each liner only two-thirds full. Be sure not to overfill the tins!
• Bake for 20-22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
• Cool the cupcakes completely in the tins on a cooling rack before frosting.

To make the bourbon coffee buttercream:

• Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-low until it is smooth and creamy. This should only take about a minute.
• Reduce the mixer’s speed to low and add the powdered sugar one cup at a time until combined. Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed to make sure everything is incorporated.
• With the mixer still on low, add the Devils River Coffee Bourbon, vanilla, and salt and mix just until the liquid has been incorporated. Then increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the frosting is creamy and smooth about two minutes.
• Use a piping bag fitted with the piping tip of your choice (or you can always use a gallon-sized plastic storage bag with the corner snipped off) to pipe the buttercream frosting on to your cupcakes. Garnish with cinnamon, if desired.

*This chocolate cupcake recipe is adapted from Ina Garten’s Beatty’s Chocolate Cake recipe.  

Created in partnership with The Whimsical Cook.