Treat of the Week: Kahlua Cupcakes

Cupcakes are the perfect little treat. They offer up just the right amount of cake and icing in an easy to carry package… and no dishes afterward!  Box mixes make it easy to make cupcakes just about any time, but the truth is making them from scratch doesn’t take much longer. With a few simple ingredients you can be on your way to cupcake bliss.

Today we have a very easy recipe for you that is not your usual cupcake flavor.  Our Kahlua cupcake is flavored with Kahlua liqueur and just a bit of chocolate to take it over the top. We topped this coffee-flavored cupcake with Kahlua Buttercream. The result is a handful of chocolate coffee goodness.

savour…the perfect serving

KAHLUA CUPCAKE

Before you start:

For best results use all ingredients at room temperature.

Two tablespoons of Kahlua is a good middle ground for the icing. You could add or subtract a little without much impact on the consistency of the finished product.

For our cupcakes, we cut out a circle from the top, added some icing to the newly created hole plus some for the top, and then placed the ‘hole’ we cut out on top.

We dusted our cakes with powdered sugar for visual effect. This is completely optional.

The ingredients:

For the cupcake:

• 1 stick (1/2 cup) plus 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped
• 1 1/3 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup strong brewed coffee
• 2 ounces Kahlua liqueur
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons self-rising flour
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1 egg

For the buttercream:

• 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ½ cup non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening
• 3 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar
• 2 tablespoons Kahlua liqueur

The method:

For the cupcake:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
2. Line baking pan with 12 cupcake papers.
3. Sift together both flours and cocoa powder. Whisk to fully incorporate.
4. Cut butter into medium size pieces.
5. Place butter, sugar, coffee, Kahlua, and chocolate in a medium-sized saucepan. Heat over medium-low heat and stir until smooth and fully blended.
6. Remove from heat pour into a medium bowl. Cool for 10 minutes before proceeding.
7. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients in a bowl. Whisk together until fully incorporated.
8. Add the egg and whisk until fully incorporated.
9. Divide the batter among the twelve cupcake papers equally.
10. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until cupcakes pass the clean toothpick test.
11. Remove from the oven and cool completely before icing.

For the buttercream:

1. Add butter and shortening to a medium mixing bowl.
2. Beat on medium speed until well combined.
3. Add sugar and mix on low for 30 seconds.
4. Add liqueur and mix on medium-high for 2-3 minutes.