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Home » Cupcakes

Halloween Chocolate Mocha Cupcakes

Modified: Apr 29, 2025 · Published: Oct 24, 2008 by Anna · This post may contain affiliate links · 15 Comments

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Fuzz’s class is having their monthly play date/Halloween party this afternoon, so I decided to bake some cupcakes. The first batch was vanilla and the second batch was based on this prize winning Taste of Home recipe submitted by Mary Bilyeu. The original title is Special Mocha Cupcakes, but if you are a real mocha fan, you should know that the mocha flavor is subtle enough for a bunch of 7 year olds. I recommend decaf.

The original recipe includes a very sweet chocolate frosting. I prefer frosting with less sugar and more chocolate, so I used the recipe below. Depending on your schedule or what’s in the pantry, here are two other great chocolate frosting:

Silky Chocolate Butter Frosting – an old Good Housekeeping recipe I use over and over

Amy’s Chocolate Frosting which is easy and delicious. Swap out the stout for coffee to keep the coffee theme going.

Mary's Special Chocolate Mocha Cupcakes decorated for Halloween.

Chocolate Mocha Cupcakes with Rich Chocolate Frosting

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
⅓ cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup hot coffee
½ cup vegetable oil
3 teaspoons cider vinegar
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs

Rich Chocolate Frosting:
4 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
½ cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
⅔ cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons cooled coffee
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt. In a small bowl, whisk the coffee, oil, vinegar and vanilla. Make a well in the dry mixture and add the coffee mixture to the dry mixture. Stir just until moistened, then using a spoon, beat in the eggs. Beat with a spoon until mixture is smooth.

Divide mixture evenly among 12 paper liners and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool.

Get started on the frosting because it requires chill time.

Place the semi-sweet chocolate in a mixing bowl. In a microwave-safe measuring cup, microwave the cream until it boils. Pour the hot cream slowly over the chocolate and stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Place bowl in the refrigerator and chill for 45 minutes or until it is very cold – it shouldn’t take more than an hour. Don’t chill too long or mixture will get too stiff.

When ready to frost, pull melted chocolate/cream mixture from refrigerator and using a hand held electric mixer, beat it until it fluffs up and becomes a bit paler. Beat in the butter, then slowly beat in the sugar. Beat in the coffee and vanilla. If mixture seems to stiff, add a little more coffee.

Ice the cupcakes.

I like to put the iced cupcakes in the refrigerator and let the icing set.

Recipe

Mary's Special Chocolate Mocha Cupcakes recipe

Chocolate Mocha Cupcakes with Rich Chocolate Frosting

Anna
A Taste of Home contest winner. Great cupcakes with an excellent chocolate frosting.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 20 minutes mins
Cooling Time 1 hour hr
Total Time 1 hour hr 35 minutes mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine American

Ingredients
 

  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ⅓ cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup hot coffee
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 3 teaspoons cider vinegar
  • 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs

Rich Chocolate Frosting

  • 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate chopped
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
  • ⅔ cup confectioners' sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cooled coffee
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt. In a small bowl, whisk the coffee, oil, vinegar and vanilla. Make a well in the dry mixture and add the coffee mixture to the dry mixture. Stir just until moistened, then using a spoon, beat in the eggs. Beat with a spoon until mixture is smooth.
  • Divide mixture evenly among 12 paper liners and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool.
  • Get started on the frosting because it requires chill time.
  • Place the semi-sweet chocolate in a mixing bowl. In a microwave-safe measuring cup, microwave the cream until it boils. Pour the hot cream slowly over the chocolate and stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Place bowl in the refrigerator and chill for 45 minutes or until it is very cold – it shouldn’t take more than an hour. Don’t chill too long or mixture will get too stiff.
  • When ready to frost, pull melted chocolate/cream mixture from refrigerator and using a hand held electric mixer, beat it until it fluffs up and becomes a bit paler. Beat in the butter, then slowly beat in the sugar. Beat in the coffee and vanilla. If mixture seems to stiff, add a little more coffee.
  • Ice the cupcakes.
  • I like to put the iced cupcakes in the refrigerator and let the icing set.
Keyword Chocolate Cupcakes
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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Comments

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  1. snookydoodle says

    October 26, 2008 at 12:08 pm

    these look so so yumm. chocolate !!!!!!!!

  2. Anna says

    October 26, 2008 at 9:04 am

    Karen, all it takes is the tip -- this definitely not require talent. I used a Wilton 1M but I also sometimes use a 2D.

    I was looking for a link to the 1M tip and found that Wilton has a whole page on making swirls. I plan on trying this next time!

    http://www.wilton.com/technique/1M-Swirl

  3. Karen says

    October 26, 2008 at 8:39 am

    Anna,what size tip do you use? They look professional!

  4. Jennifer says

    October 25, 2008 at 11:15 am

    Those cupcakes look amazing! I have to make cupcakes for my daughters birthday coming up, I think I might try to make those!

  5. Sue says

    October 25, 2008 at 5:20 am

    Great looking cupcakes! I'm glad they were a hit with the kids!

  6. Anna says

    October 24, 2008 at 9:35 pm

    Kathy, I use a pastry bag and a very fat star tip. Rolling parchment paper into a tube and inserting a tip is a common method, but unless you buy pre-cut parchment paper or have been rolling parchment bags for a long time and are good at it, it's kind of a hassle. It's easiest just to use a pastry bag. Michael's sells reusable bags and disposables.

    Katrina, the recipe you made sounds similar to mine. I could have stopped at the whipped ganache (chocolate/cream mixture), but at that point I felt the mixture wasn't sweet enough and didn't have quite the texture I wanted. Adding the butter and powdered sugar made it more like a butter cream. I guess it's a ganache/buttercream hybrid.

    LisAway, I guess it wasn't too rich because everyone loved it! The kids chose the chocolate cupcakes over the vanilla ones which were made with a cake-mix based recipe. This was a major victor, as young kids have been known to pick the box version over scratch.

    Randi, this recipe was good, but in my opinion it could have been more chocolaty. I will check out the other recipe.

    Lisa, that silky frosting is very good. The technique used in making it is a little odd, but it's worth it.

    Anj, good to see you! Get yourself a big fat start tip. I'm not a decorator either, but the start tip helps me turn out acceptable looking cupcakes.

  7. Anj says

    October 24, 2008 at 8:49 pm

    I've been wanting to make cupcakes. I have never been able to frost them very pretty though. You did a great job.

  8. Lisa magicsprinkles says

    October 24, 2008 at 6:39 pm

    You had me at silky chocolate butter frosting.

  9. Randi says

    October 24, 2008 at 2:53 pm

    I have this issue of TOH w/ this cupcake. There is another cupcake in the issue that I love and make over and over again( the choc. cupcakes w/ cream cheese filling). I'm not sure why this mocha cupcake has vinegar and eggs. The other one doesnt. That one freaking ROCKS. Try it!!

  10. LisAway says

    October 24, 2008 at 2:40 pm

    YUM! I need me some of these! How can icing be too rich? 🙂

  11. Katrina says

    October 24, 2008 at 2:03 pm

    Your icing doesn't look like the TWD one. It was dippable, almost like a ganache. Only had 1 T. pwd. sugar. I frosted some like the recipe, then added a lot more sugar and some butter and made it more of a buttercream for the kids. It was good, but yours look better.

  12. Kathy says

    October 24, 2008 at 1:49 pm

    Goofy question here. I was wondering what you used to frost the cupcakes - do you have a pastry bag and a tip? I am looking to jazz up my decorating but I don't have a pastry bag. I am hoping that maybe you have a trick that does not involve a bag. Thanks! Kathy

  13. VeggieGirl says

    October 24, 2008 at 1:38 pm

    Those look festive and delicious to me!

  14. Anna says

    October 24, 2008 at 1:22 pm

    I'm hoping the kids won't think this icing is too rich. We'll see.

  15. Katrina says

    October 24, 2008 at 1:19 pm

    The next TWD is chocolate cupcakes. I made them a few weeks ago--they were just okay, but the icing, which was more chocolatey than sugary was good, but I thought it was more for adults than kids.

Peanut Butter Fudge Jumbles recipe baked in a 9-inch square Pampered Chef stoneware pan.

Hello!

I'm Anna, and welcome to Cookie Madness. To learn more about me, check the About page.

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