A PhD in Cupcakes - Vanilla Latte Cupcakes to be Precise

Forget the fruitcake I posted yesterday and let's move on to cakes of another genre.

Graduate student Lyndsay made these fabulous vanilla latte cupcakes in celebration of a friend's  birthday. She brought multiple plates of them to our workplace. Unfortunately, my cellphone camera simply does not do justice to these creamy gems.  All I can tell you is that by 3 p.m., there was not a cupcake to be seen.

She's a great girl this Lyndsay, and a wonderful baker to boot. However, I do think she should consider a slight change in her thesis...perhaps to something like : The rate of endorphin release in a workplace where staff have never seen so many delicious cupcakes.

cUPCAKE INGREDIENTS:

¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1½ cups sugar
3 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
1 tbsp. espresso powder*
½ cup strong brewed coffee
¼ cup buttermilk  (I just added one tbsp. of lemon juice to some regular milk)
2 tbsp. coffee-flavored liqueur (or additional buttermilk)

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Line cupcake pans with paper liners.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar.  Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Blend in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.  In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and espresso powder.  Whisk to blend.  In a liquid measuring cup, combine the coffee, buttermilk, and coffee liqueur.  With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients alternating with the liquids, mixing each addition just until incorporated and beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.

Divide the batter between the prepared cupcake liners, filling each about ¾ full.  Bake 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let cool in the pans 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

*from Annie’s Eats http://www.annies-eats.com/2012/06/01/vanilla-latte-cupcakes/

INGREDIENTS for the Must-do bUTTERCREAM Icing:

2 tbsp instant coffee crystals

1/1/2 tbsp hot water
3 sticks of butter
1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
3-5 tbsp milk
5-6 cups icing sugar

Combine hot water and coffee crystals and mix until dissolved. Beat butter in bowl of an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy,  about 1 minute.  Reduce mixer speed to low and add vanilla, coffee mixture and 3 tbsp of the milk.  Add icing sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating for a few seconds between each addition.  Increase mixer speed to medium and beat for about 3 minutes.  If the icing seems too dry add more milk a tbsp at a time until desired consistency.  *NB if too much milk is added and icing becomes too soft, just add a bit more icing sugar and it will firm back up. 

P.S. : This icing recipe is sufficient for 2 batches of cupcakes, ( or one batch of cupcakes and one big bowl licking event).