COFFEE CUPCAKES

It was the month of May- a lazy Friday afternoon, in the setting of a GLOBAL PANDEMIC. I was at home, and had been for the last couple of months. Everything seemed so dull. 

I then craved for something caffeinated. I wanted a jolt that would bring me back to life. 

I'm a tea person. Tannins and theophylline run through my veins. However, I craved for a different methylxanthine. Ugh, I haven't a taste for Coffee with milk, and black just seemed so unexciting (it's a part of my daily routine now, it's what wakes me up every morning xD) .

It was then the idea of COFFEE CUPCAKES brewed in the beauty that is my mind. I had been baking and devouring cakes the whole time I had been at home, and this was going to be another delight to my list. Little did I know then that they would turn out perfect- so fluffly and spongy, and just incredibly delicious. 

Before I go onto another rant about everything and nothing, I want you to see the photo of how they turned out and get in the COF"FEELS". ;)

I'm gonna spare y'all from a 1000-worded essay that will probably take a solid hour to read and get straight onto what you came here for - MY RECIPE FOR THE COFFEE CUPCAKES. 

I'll be dividing the recipe into 2 parts.

Part I: The recipe of the cupcakes

Part II: The topping/frosting

RECIPE CARD

THE RECIPE BELOW YIELDS 6 CUPCAKES.

INGREDIENTS:

Keep ready the following equipment:

1. 2 mixing bowls: one for the wet, and other for the dry ingredients
2. A measuring cup (My cup = 200g)
3. A whisk 
4. A sieve
5. A teaspoon 
6. A tablespoon
7. A large spatula or spoon to fold the ingredients into a delicious batter
8. Cupcake moulds or a mould to make a small cake (I used silicone cupcake moulds)

PART I: INGREDIENTS FOR THE CUPCAKES

1. Coffee powder (whatever kind you prefer) - 2 tablespoons 
2. Sugar (granulated) - 3/4th cup or 150g + 2 teaspoons
3. Flour (All purpose flour yields a superior taste to the cupcakes. However, whole-wheat flour can also be used for health reasons. It is to be noted that wheat flour often yields a nutty taste.) - 1 1/2 cup or 300g
4. Baking powder - 1 1/2 teaspoons or as per package instructions 
5. Baking soda - 1/4th teaspoon (optional)
6. Salt - 1/4th teaspoon
7. Oil (Taste-neutral oils are preferred. I used olive oil. However, a refined oil or even molten butter can be used for a superior taste) - 1/3rd cup or around 70 ml 
8. Milk - 2 tablespoons (Or replace water entirely with milk)
9. Water - 1 cup or 200 ml
10. Vinegar / Lemon juice - 1 tablespoon
11. Vanilla Essence - 1/4th teaspoon (optional)   

PART II: INGREDIENTS FOR THE FROSTING/TOPPING

1. Coffee powder - 1 teaspoon
2. Sugar - 2 tablespoons (preferably, icing sugar or powdered sugar)
3. Water - 1/2 teaspoon (or just a sprinkle) 

PROCEDURE:

PART I: PROCEDURE FOR THE CUPCAKES

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees for 15 minutes. Alternatively, you can set the microwave on the convection mode and pre-heat it at 180 degrees for 15 minutes.
2. While the oven pre-heats, follow the steps below.
3. First, grease your molds with butter/oil and sprinkle some flour on all its sides. This will prevent the cake/cupcake from sticking to the edges and facilitate its easy removal from the moulds. (Since, I used silicone moulds, they didn't require greasing.)
4. Take a bowl. Add in the coffee powder, sugar, milk and water. Whisk the contents until the sugar is dissolved, and the mixture is light and frothy. 
5. Now, add in the vinegar/lemon juice, vanilla essence and oil. Mix all the contents well. 
6. Keep the bowl aside.
7. Take another mixing bowl: the one for the dry ingredients. To this bowl, sift in your flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. 
8. If you're using wholewheat flour, sift the flour multiple times to make it airy.
9. Now, make a small pit in your bowl of dry ingredients and add in the wet ingredients. Slowly, fold your batter using a spatula /mixing spoon.
10. DON'T OVERMIX. 
11. The acid (vinegar/lemon juice) reacts with the baking soda / baking powder to create bubbles.
12. At this point, you must take caution and try to get the cupcakes in as soon as possible. 
13. Gently, pour the batter into your greased moulds. If using a cake mould, slightly hit it against your kitchen counter to help trapper air escape.
14. Put your cupcakes/ cake into the pre-heated oven, at 180 degrees for about 25 minutes. 
15. At the end of 25 minutes, slide in a tester or a fork/toothpick in the centre of your cupcake/ cake. It should come out clean. If the batter sticks onto it, it needs more time inside. Keep it in for 3-5 more minutes. 
16. Once your cupcakes are ready, keep them aside to cool down a bit.
17. Once they cool down, you can frost them using a frosting pipe or just smear them on the top.
18. Sprinkle some coffee powder over the frosting.
19. VOILA, YOU'VE DONE IT! 

CAUTION: Take extreme care when near the oven. Use an oven towel and mitts to prevent heat injury/ burns.

PART II: PROCEDURE FOR THE FROSTING/TOPPING

Okay, this part of the recipe is super easy. It's basically just a Dolgona mixture. You can prep for this while your cupcakes are in the oven, or can skip the whole frosting altogether and enjoy the cupcakes just the way they are (Cue song 'Just the way you are' by Bruno Mars!)

As I put it before, I had a very strong craving for something caffeinated. This gave it an extra zing I so badly wanted. 

The procedure is as follows:

1. Take a mixing bowl. Add in the coffee powder, sugar and a very small amount of water. 
2. Whisk them really well, until it turns creamy and light in colour. 
3. If it feels too thick, sprinkle some water (just a few drops: otherwise the frosting will turn runny).
4. Alternatively, if you're using a hand-held blender, you can add in equal amounts of coffee, sugar and water - 1/4th cup each would be sufficient. Blend them until smooth and thick.
5. Your frosting is now ready.

YAY! YOU'VE MADE IT TILL HERE! (I applaud your focus because if anything, this lockdown has made me lose all my abilities of concentrating on things at hand :( )

Devour your cupcakes before someone else eats them all up. Why? Because they are THAT delicious!

BONUS RANTS:

• I kind of like this picture too, so I'm going to leave this here. 

• I wanted to fancy-frost my cupcakes so bad. Unfortunately, I used granulated sugar in my frosting mixture and it didn't dissolve- the end result being it not getting through my frosting pipe. My frosting pipe: 

• If you substitute the coffee powder (in the cupcake) with half a cup of cocoa or a bar of molten chocolate and reduce the sugar to 1/2 cup, you have for yourself - a CHOCOLATE CUPCAKE / CAKE. And it's fool-proof. I've made it several times now, and it turns out delicious and spongy every single time.

• Did this recipe satiate my hunger for caffeine? YES! You can add/subtract a teaspoonful more of coffee powder as per your taste or requirement. But if you have anxiety, please avoid too much caffeine - it can exaggerate your symptoms. 
• Same goes to the calorie conscious, the diet-watchers and the diabetics. Eat in moderation.

• At this point, you've realized this was a VEGETARIAN (EGGLESS) recipe. I've been vegetarian since the latter half of the month of March (things the lockdown has brought down on me lmao). 
• So, anyway, instead of the cup of water, you can crack in 2 eggs (which have been beaten until frothy and airy), and you're good to go. 

• There's this tip I found online, and it is to test your baking powder/ baking soda before actually using it in the recipe. Since, it's an important component and a lot relies on the efficiency of it, it's worthwhile to do it before incorporating it into the dish. You just take a pinch of it and dissolve it into a few drops of lemon juice / vinegar (any acid really). If it fuzzes out, it's still patent and you're good to go. Else, replace your baking powder/ soda. 

Thank you for reading this blog post, and if you've tried it, let me know how they turn out. 

HAPPPPPY BAKING!