Mocha Cupcakes

Starbucks is getting ready to launch their new product, VIA Ready Brew Coffee all across North America, so I took it as the perfect opportunity to make some coffee-based treats.

Mocha Cupcakes and Coffee Buttercream. They are really delicious, a little too much coffee flavor for my liking, so I didn't eat a whole one. But coffee lovers will love them!

Again, used my little cups, which I'm really starting to love. I saw another blog that has a step by step on how to get the cupcake out of the cup, by pulling open all the pleats and they just pop right out. Easy.

My first complaint about a MS recipe: this is not the moistest cake, and all I did to alter it was change regular espresso to Starbucks VIA. No offense Martha.

Mocha Cupcakes

Adapted From Martha Stewart Cupcakes

2 1/4 cups cake flour, sifted

2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/2 cups packed light-brown sugar

2 eggs, room temperature

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup sour cream

4 packets Starbucks Italian Roast VIA Ready Brew dissolved in 3/4 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Whisk together cake flour and cocoa. Cream butter until smooth. Add the brown sugar and eggs; beat until fluffy. Add vanilla, baking soda, and salt; beat to combine thoroughly.

Add flour mixture to wet ingredients in three batches, alternating with sour cream, and beating until just combined after each. Add coffee to batter and beat until smooth.

Divide batter evenly among regular cupcake paper-lined muffin tins, or paper cups.

Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted comes out clean, about 22 minutes. Cool completely.

Coffee Buttercream

By Dulce Doll

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup heavy cream

4 packets Starbucks Columbia VIA Ready Brew dissolved in 2 tbsp. boiling water

4 to 6 cups confectioners sugar

Cream butter and 2 cups sugar together. Add cream, coffee, and 2 more cups sugar. Keep stirring and adding sugar until you have a workable consistency.