Espresso Cupcakes- the best recipe for a sweet treat

This post is all about how to make Espresso Cupcakes from scratch.

Published February 27, 2023
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Making dessert from scratch is the best way to have 100% control over the ingredients. Knowing what you are eating is important, if you have extensive allergies. These Espresso cupcakes are moist, delicious and the perfect pairing with homemade vanilla ice cream.

Cupcake Cost

Lately, the cost of buying baked goods has been so high, as the cost of materials has increased as well.
In addition to the cost of the materials, finding cupcakes that fulfill an allergy requirement is also difficult, and then dramatically increases the price.

Having many allergies is the main reason why I have a scratch kitchen. My allergies are numerous and complicated, that making desserts from scratch is really the only way for me to enjoy desserts.

On my list of allergies is almond, strawberry, apple, peach, pear, plumb, apricot, celery, carrot, lemon, lime, kiwi, blueberry, raspberry, pineapple, and dust mites. Almond and strawberry are a severe allergy, and I need to avoid them so the EpiPen I have never needed to be used. So, making desserts from scratch is necessary to avoided.

Below is a cost breakdown for each ingredient that is in this Espresso Cupcake recipe.

1 3/4 cup flour $0.20
1 tablespoon baking powder $0.10
1/4 tsp salt $0.01
1/2 cup softened butter $0.80
2 tablespoons espresso $0.25
1 cup sugar $0.30
2 eggs $0.82
1/2 cup PLUS 2 tablespoons milk $0.02
1 Tbsp Homemade Vanilla Extract $0.30
1/4 cup cocoa powder $0.50

The cost to make this recipe for Espresso Cupcakes is $3.30.
This recipe made eighteen cupcakes, making each cupcake cost $0.18.

A local grocery store has a fantastic bakery selection. Festival Foods is a large grocery store that is family owned and has one of the best varieties of bakery items, meat selection and produce in the area. Festival Foods sells jumbo cupcakes for $2.50 each, and these are the same size as the cupcakes that were made for Elliana’s birthday.

Had we bought the same amount of cupcakes that were made from scratch, it would have cost $90.00, without tax. Additionally, to the cost, I would not have been able to eat them as they “may contain tree nuts”, of which includes almond.

At COSTCO, 6-count Red Velvet Cupcakes costs $12.43, with each costing $2.07.
If we were to buy 36 cupcakes from COSTCO, it would cost $74.52.
Making 18 Espresso cupcakes cost $3.30, and additionally we had 18 more Vanilla Cupcakes.
$0.18 for a cupcake, made from scratch, allergy safe, is a much better deal than $2.07 with allergy-unfriendly ingredients.

Espresso Cupcakes Recipe

Espresso Cupcakes Ingredients

1 3/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup softened butter
2 tablespoons espresso
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup PLUS 2 tablespoons milk
1 Tbsp Homemade Vanilla Extract
1/4 cup cocoa powder

Espresso Cupcakes Directions

1. Firstly, preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Using a coffee grinder, grind two tablespoons coffee beans into a fine powder, then set aside.
Not all coffee grinders are the same. We were gifted a coffee grinder many years ago, however this one from Cuisinart is exactly what we would love to have. It is lightweight, stainless steel, and priced amazing at under $65.00. Check it out on Amazon by clicking the link below, and don’t tell my husband as it may be a gift for him this year!

*Edited 9/28/2023: My husband received this as a birthday gift back in April. This Cuisinart Coffee Grinder has been the BEST gift I could have given him. He uses it daily to have fresh ground coffee, instead of using ground coffee. The multi-setting functions allow you to set the coarseness and amount to whichever you need. 10/10 would recommend! *

3. Then, in a medium bowl, sift together the 1 3/4 cup Flour, 1 Tbsp Baking powder, 1/4 tsp Salt, 2 Tbsp Espresso and 1/4 cup Cocoa powder.

Sifting the dry ingredients together helps to reduce any clumps and larger bits, which causes the cupcakes to not be smooth.
I love these bowls! The silicone bottom helps them to be non-slip while you add ingredients. Check them out by clicking the link below. These bowls, from Wolfgang Puck, are nesting bowls and fit nicely together. They have lids and one size has an insert with various shredding blades to catch the food into the bowl.

4. In the bowl of a KitchenAid mixer, measure and then add 1 Tbsp Homemade Vanilla Extract, 2 Eggs, 1/2 cup PLUS 2 Tbsp Milk, 1/2 cup Butter and 1 cup Sugar, then blend well to combine on low.
Let the milk sit out as long as the butter, allowing them to both come to room temperature before using.
If the butter is soft, and the milk is cold, it will then cause the butter to seize up and not cream smooth.

5. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and then beat on low until smooth.
There may be lumps left, so make sure to not overmix but still incorporate all of the flour.
You may need to use a spatula to scrape the ingredients on the edge of the bowl down to make sure all of the ingredients mix well together.

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6. Place cupcake liners onto a rimmed baking sheet or use parchment paper into the silicone cupcake liners, pressing them into the metal pan. Then, spray the liners with nonstick spray and set the pan aside.
Elliana wanted to try to make heart cupcakes, so we added marbles in the pan before baking them.

7. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop the cupcake mixture into the prepared cupcake liners, filling them to half full.
A large ice cream scoop is the perfect size to measure the right amount of cupcake mixture into these silicone cupcake liners.

8. Bake the Espresso cupcakes for 12-14 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Finally, remove the cupcakes from the oven and let them rest to completely cool before frosting them.

To frost the cupcakes, you can do it two different ways.
The first is to use an offset spatula to then spread the Perfect Vanilla Frosting onto the cupcakes.
The second is to use a piping bag to then pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes.
This Perfect Vanilla Frosting is quite thick, so it is more difficult to pipe on, which is why I chose to use an offset spatula.
If desired, you can spread sprinkles onto the frosting, then serve and enjoy!

Perfect Vanilla Frosting- how to make it with only 4 ingredients

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For Elliana’s 4th birthday, our baby girl, she wanted rainbow ice cream and cupcakes. It was so much fun spending time with her in the kitchen, making ice cream and these cupcakes.

The rainbow ice cream was easy to make and only five ingredients.
Check out my blog with the recipe for Rainbow Vanilla Ice Cream by clicking the link below.

Vanilla Rainbow Ice Cream Recipe and how to make it with ONLY five ingredients

This post was all about how to make Espresso Cupcakes from scratch.
~Monica

1. Firstly, preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Using a coffee grinder, grind two tablespoons coffee beans into a fine powder, then set aside.
3. Then, in a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, espresso and cocoa.
4. In the bowl of a KitchenAid mixer, measure and then add Homemade Vanilla Extract, eggs, milk, butter and sugar, then blend well to combine on low.
5. Slowly add the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and then beat on low until smooth.
6. Place the silicone cupcake liners onto a rimmed baking sheet or use parchment paper into the cupcake liners, pressing them into the metal pan, then, spray the liners with nonstick spray and set the pan aside.
7. Using a large ice cream scoop, scoop the cupcake mixture into the prepared liners, filling them to half full.
8. Bake the Espresso cupcakes for 12-14 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Finally, remove the cupcakes from the oven and let them rest to completely cool before frosting them.
~Monica

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