25 April, 2018
Coffee & Walnut Cupcakes
These are my favourite cupcakes! And not just because they contain coffee! They are a cupcake version of a traditional teatime favourite – Coffee and Walnut Cake. These were one of my most popular bakes when I sold cupcakes at produce markets and the Scarlets Rugby supporters village. I use freshly brewed espresso as the coffee but you can get really good results by using instant coffee. Just add a small amount of boiling water to a few tablespoons of coffee granules, just enough to dissolve the coffee, and use this mixture when adding coffee to the sponge and frosting.
Ingredients (to make 12 cupcakes)
Cupcakes
- 110g self raising flour
- 110g caster sugar
- 110g soft margarine
- 2 medium eggs
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp freshly brewed espresso (or coffee mixture as above)
- 50g chopped walnuts
Frosting
- 50g unsalted butter, softened
- 100g full fat cream cheese
- 300g icing sugar, sifted
- 1-2 tsp freshly brewed espresso (or coffee mixture as above)
Method
- Preheat oven to 180°C and place cupcake cases into a muffin tray.
- Combine the flour, sugar, margarine, eggs, baking powder and coffee in a freestanding mixer and mix until a smooth batter forms.
- Add the chopped walnuts and mix by hand.
- Distribute the cake mixture between the cupcake cases.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out cleanly.
- Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack to cool completely whilst you make the frosting…..
- Combine the butter, cream cheese and sifted icing sugar in a freestanding mixer until smooth, gradually add the coffee (start with 1tsp) until you get the desired flavour.
- Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes in swirls and decorate with walnut halves.
Photo credits: Greg Rees