MOCHA FRAPPE CUPCAKES

Three letters for you coffee lovers out there: O.M.G!! Haha! I know one thing, these guys are YUMMY!! 

Opening a box of these babies smells just like walking into Starbucks!! 

And the best part is that they are filled with yummy, gooey chocolate ganache!

Ingredients:

For the cupcakes:

(Depending on how pressed for time you are, you can either use Devil's Food boxed cake for this, or you can use an extra yummy chocolate cake recipe which I'll list below. I adapted this one from FoodNetwork.com  :) 

•  1/4 pound unsalted, at room temperature.
•  1 cup sugar 
• 4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 16 fluid ounces chocolate syrup 
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons ground coffee

For the frosting:

• 1 cup butter, softened 
• 3 teaspoons ground coffee, or espresso 
• 1 pinch salt
• 2/3 cup milk
• 3+ cups confectioners' sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

For the ganache:

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 8oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

For the cupcakes:

Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer using the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time. Mix in the chocolate, vanilla and coffee. Add the flour and mix until just combined. (Don't overbeat, or the cupcakes will be tough.) 

Using an icecream scoop, fill your cupcake liners just a little over halfway. 

Bake at 325°F for 25-30 min. 

For the frosting:

If you're using instant coffee, mash it in a bowl with the bottom of a spoon until it becomes powdery. 

Beat butter until smooth. Mix in vanilla and coffee. Beat in confectioners' sugar and milk alternating until desired consistency is reached.

For the ganache:

Pour all 8oz of the chocolate chips into a med bowl. Heat heavy cream in a small saucepan over med heat. Bring just to a boil (be careful not to boil over) and pour boiled cream over your chocolate. Whisk mixture until smooth. 

Once your cupcakes have cooled, hollow out the centers using an icing tip. Fill cupcakes with slightly cooled ganache using a piping bag. The last step is to ice with the YUMMY frosting!!