Mocha Latte Cupcakes with Double Shot Latte Buttercream - February 2, 2011

Mmmmm...doesn't that look really good? This is the "Chosen One." Ha ha, it's the one I chose to taste test and I wasn't disappointed this time. Thanks go out to Cousin Maria, she found this recipe in Southern Living Magazine, February 2010 issue. You can find their website here. Just click on the "The Magazine" tab, then choose Magazine Archive. Lots of good stuff on their site.

The cupcake is simply chocolate but the frosting has the latte flavor to it. The recipe called for 1 1/2 tablespoons of instant espresso and 2 teaspoons of vanilla. I used espresso powder, 1 teaspoon of vanilla and 1 teaspoon of pure coffee extract. Figured if I substituted one of the teaspoons of vanilla with a teaspoon of the coffee extract it would punch up the flavor a bit. Personally, I really like it and it has just the right amount of sweetness to it too. Sprinkle a little cinnamon on top and voila, perfecto! You could also sprinkle any number of toppings that you like on them. Some suggestions were chocolate shavings or cocoa powder, chocolate covered espresso beans or just a coffee bean. For those of you who like a little spicy kick to your chocolate, you could try some cayenne pepper or maybe a sprinkle of mexican chocolate. One of these days I'm gonna have to try that.

I'm not sure why but the recipe made 36 regular size cupcakes. It was only suppose to make 24. The recipe said the batter would be thick. "Thick" didn't come close to properly describing the consistency of the cake batter but they baked up just fine.

Since I had so many cupcakes, I sent some to work with my mom. Her co-workers really liked them. I'm glad she works with a wonderful bunch of people. I mean really, could you not send some if you had THIS MANY?