Peppermint Mocha Cupcakes: Rich Chocolate, Bold Coffee, Fresh Mint

Peppermint mocha cupcakes bring your favorite winter coffee shop drink into dessert form. I’m giving you deeply chocolatey cupcakes spiked with real coffee and kissed with cool peppermint. No complicated techniques here. Just straightforward mixing that delivers bakery-quality results every single time.

Key Info

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 18 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes (including cooling)
Servings: 12 cupcakes
Difficulty level: Intermediate
Dietary tags: Vegetarian

Equipment Needed

• Stand mixer or electric hand mixer
• 12-cup muffin tin
• Cupcake liners
• Two mixing bowls (medium size)
• Whisk
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Wire cooling rack
• Piping bag with 1M tip (optional but makes gorgeous frosting swirls)
• Toothpick for testing

Simple alternatives:
You can hand-whisk everything if your arm’s up for it. Cool cupcakes on a clean kitchen towel instead of a rack. Spread frosting with a butter knife if you skip the piping bag.

Ingredients

For the Cupcakes:

• 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour – spoon it into your measuring cup, don’t pack it
• ½ cup (50g) unsweetened cocoa powder – the better your cocoa, the better your cupcakes
• 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
• ¼ cup (50g) packed light brown sugar – adds moisture and deeper flavor
• 1 tablespoon instant coffee granules – I use Starbucks VIA packets
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup (120ml) buttermilk – (or regular milk with 1 teaspoon vinegar added, let sit 5 minutes)
• ⅓ cup (80ml) melted butter – still warm when you add it
• 2 large eggs – room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract – don’t go wild here, peppermint’s strong
• ½ cup (120ml) hot brewed coffee – or hot water if you want less coffee punch

For the Peppermint Frosting:

• 1 cup (225g) unsalted butter – softened, not melted
• 3½ cups (420g) confectioners’ sugar – sifted if lumpy
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract
• Pinch of salt

For Garnish:

• Crushed candy canes – about ⅓ cup
• Melted chocolate – optional drizzle

Method

Making the Cupcakes:

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Line your muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners.
3. Grab a large bowl and whisk together flour, cocoa powder, both sugars, instant coffee, baking soda, baking powder, and salt for about one minute until everything looks uniform.
4. In your second bowl, whisk buttermilk, melted butter, eggs, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract until smooth.
5. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir gently with your whisk – don’t beat the hell out of it.
6. Add the hot coffee slowly while whisking – the batter will look alarmingly thin, like chocolate milk, but that’s exactly right.
7. Fill each cupcake liner about ⅔ full – I use a ¼ cup measuring scoop for perfectly even cupcakes.
8. Bake for 16-18 minutes – start checking at 16 minutes with a toothpick inserted in the center.
9. The toothpick should come out clean or with just a tiny crumb or two stuck to it.
10. Cool in the pan for exactly 5 minutes.
11. Transfer cupcakes to your wire rack and let them cool completely – I mean stone cold – before frosting.

Making the Frosting:

1. Beat softened butter in your mixer for 2-3 minutes until it’s pale and fluffy.
2. Add confectioners’ sugar one cup at a time, beating on low speed between additions so you don’t create a sugar snowstorm in your kitchen.
3. Pour in heavy cream, vanilla extract, peppermint extract, and salt.
4. Beat on medium-high speed for 4-5 minutes – the frosting should be light, fluffy, and hold stiff peaks.
5. If it’s too thick, add cream by the teaspoon. If it’s too thin, add more sugar by the tablespoon.

Assembly:

1. Load frosting into your piping bag fitted with the 1M tip.
2. Pipe generous swirls on each completely cooled cupcake – start from the outside and work your way up in a spiral.
3. Sprinkle immediately with crushed candy canes while the frosting’s still fresh.
4. Drizzle with melted chocolate if you’re feeling fancy.

Crucial Tips

• The thin batter freaks people out. Trust it. That liquidy consistency is what makes these cupcakes impossibly moist instead of dry hockey pucks.
• Peppermint extract is not your friend in large quantities. I’ve ruined batches by going heavy-handed. Start with ¼ teaspoon and taste your batter – you can always add one more drop.
• Room temperature eggs matter. Cold eggs don’t incorporate smoothly and can cause your batter to seize up. Forgot to take them out? Submerge them in warm water for 5 minutes.
• Don’t frost warm cupcakes. Ever. Your beautiful frosting will melt into a sad puddle and slide right off.
• The instant coffee is non-negotiable. It doesn’t make these taste like coffee cupcakes – it amplifies the chocolate flavor like turning up the volume.

Storage & Make-Ahead

• Room temperature: These keep for 2-3 days in an airtight container. They actually taste better on day two when the flavors meld.
• Refrigerator: Up to one week covered. Let them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving

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