Mocha & Walnut cupcakes

I love coffee and cupcakes. So, this mocha and walnut cupcakes represent the two lovers of my life!! I found this recipe from 500 Cupcakes and Cupcake Magic. I highly recommend these two books if you're thinking of starting to bake your own cupcakes from scratch. 

I adjusted the amount of the ingredients to get only 6 cupcakes so that my husband and I will still be able to enjoy the cupcakes without getting sick of eating it. Also, just making 6 of them  at first gives good practice just in case something somewhere went totally wrong. The icing is not from the recipe book. I sort of made it up. From the books, they suggested  the coffee variation of glace and buttercream icing. I am not a big fan of any. So, that's why I used another icing recipe. Anyway, here's the quick recipe:

Mocha & Walnut Cupcakes (makes 6)

Ingredients:
For cupcakes
55g self-raising flour
55g caster sugar
55g unsalted butter or margarine, softened
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoon instant coffee diluted in 1 1/2 tablespoon hot water OR 1/2 cup espresso coffee

For icing
125 ml whipping cream
2 tablespoons icing sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon of espresso coffee from the coffee mixture for cupcakes

•  Preheat oven to 170 degrees Celsius and line muffin pan with 6 baking paper cups
• Sift all the dry ingredients into mixing bowl then add the butter/margarine and egg. Beat with mixer until combined. Add 1 tablespoon of the coffee mixture and beat until smooth.
• Spoon batter into baking cups and bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until firm to touch. Leave to cool on wiring rack.
• For the icing, mix all ingredients together and beat until the cream can hold its shape. Add more or less coffee for a milder or stronger taste. Spread icing on cooled cake or pipe using a piping bag with a large star tip.

This is a truly yummy cake. It definitely has taken the #1 spot on my list of favourite cupcakes. Of course it would, It's the combination of the 2 lovers of my life!!

Happy Baking!!!

Mocha & Walnut Cupcake

Recommended Book Titles:

• 500 cupcakes: The only cupcake compendium you'll ever need by Fergal Connolly
• Cupcake Magic: Little cakes with attitude by Kate Shirazi