Buttery Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

Frosting

• 1 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened (3 sticks)

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened

• 10 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted

• 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted

• ¼ cup good quality cocoa powder, sifted

• ¼ cup hot coffee

• 2 tsp vanilla

Cupcakes

• 1 ½ cups + 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 1 1/3 cups brown sugar

• 1 ½ tsp baking soda

• 1 tsp sea salt

• 6 Tablespoons good quality cocoa powder

• 1 cup hot coffee

• ½ cup Lindsay “Buttery” Olive Oil

• 3 Tablespoons white vinegar

• 2 tsp vanilla

• 3 oz dark/semi sweet chocolate, roughly chopped

Cooking Directions

1. Line cupcake pan with 14 paper liners.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking soda and salt. In a large measuring cup combine the hot coffee and chopped chocolate. Stir to melt the chocolate. When the chocolate is melted, mix in the cocoa powder. Add olive oil, vinegar and vanilla to the coffee mixture. Add the wet ingredients to the bowl of dry and stir well to combine. This batter is very loose so it will be easier to put it into a measuring cup with a spout. Pour mixture in prepared cupcake liners about ¾ full.

3. Bake 23-26 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan 10 minutes — remove to rack to cool completely.

4. While the cupcakes are baking, make the frosting: In a stand mixer, combine butter and cream cheese until well blended. Add melted chocolate chips, scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl. Slowly add the powdered sugar to the cream cheese and butter mixture and combine well. In a separate bowl, mix the hot coffee, cocoa powder and vanilla. Add the coffee mixture to the frosting and beat on medium speed until light and airy. Set aside or refrigerate until ready to use. If the frosting hardens too much in the fridge, place the mixing bowl over a pot of simmering water for a few minutes then rebeat in the mixer.