Toffee Mocha Cupcakes

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Chocolate, toffee, and espresso combine to make one awesome cupcake. These Toffee Mocha Cupcakes remind me of one of my favorite drinks at Starbucks of the same name, a Toffee Mocha. Mmmmm… 🙂 I made these amazing cupcakes for my friend Laura’s thirty one gifts party that she was throwing.

As I was trying to think of what I could make to take to the party, I remembered seeing these cupcakes in my Taste of Home Fall Baking Magazine and have been waiting for a reason to make them. I mean come on, you can’t go wrong with toffee and chocolate!

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Toffee Mocha Cupcakes

Cook Time: 35

Total Time: 35

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Ingredients

Cupcakes:

2 tablespoons espresso powder
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup butter-flavored shortening
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk chocolate toffee bits

Espresso Buttercream Frosting:

1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons espresso powder

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Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake cups with liners or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
Dissolve espresso granules in boiling water; cool.
In a large bowl, cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with espresso mixture and mix well. Fold in toffee bits.
Fill paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full. Bake in preheated oven for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Move the pan to a cooling rack, and let cool for 10 minutes before removing the cupcakes from the pan and letting them finish cooling on the cooling rack.
To make the frosting: mix the espresso powder into the vanilla until dissolved; set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the butter on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, stopping once to scrape the sides of the bowl. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the powdered sugar a little at a time, waiting until it is mostly incorporated before adding more. Once all of the powdered sugar has been added, scrape the sides of the bowl and increase the speed to medium-high and whip until fluffy, about a minute or two. Add the espresso and vanilla mixture and continue to mix at medium-high until it is completely incorporated, scraping the sides as necessary.
Frost cupcakes; sprinkle with chocolate chips and toffee bits.