Coffee Cupcakes

Ok, so I wanted a coffee cupcake and I pretty much used Chockylit's recipe just changing a few minor things. 

These were great cupcakes as a standalone cupcake. No frosting, so glaze, just coffee and it's glory. I will make these again using other flavors besdes vanilla for popular coffee flavors (like Irish Cream coffee, or Hazelnut coffee).  Totally yummy.

These were made to be a part of my entry for the Cupcake Project & Scoopalicious'  2010 Ice Cream Cupcake Roundup. (posted separately).

Coffee Cupcakes
yields 24 regular cupcakes

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup strong brewed coffee**
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon pure vanilla
1 teaspoon used coffee grounds

Set oven to 350 degrees

1.  Beat butter on high until soft, about 30 seconds.
2.  Add sugar. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3.  Add eggs one at a time, beat for 30 seconds between each.
4.  Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
5.  Measure out coffee and milk together.
6.  Add Vanilla to liquids.
7.  Add about a fourth of the flour to the butter/sugar mixture and beat to combine.
8.  Add about one third the coffee/milk mixture and beat until combined.
9.  Repeat above, alternating flour and coffee and ending with the flour mixture.
10. Fold in the teaspoon of coffee grounds.
11. Scoop into cupcake papers about half to three-quarters full (depending on whether you want flat or domed cupcakes. Note that these cupcakes will shrink slightly when they cool).
12. Bake for 22-25 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean.

** To make my strong coffee, I used 5 heaping tablespoons. I put about 1/3 cup of hot water on the grounds and let them sit for nearly half an hour. I then ran the coffee maker with a little over 2 cups of water. This yielded nice strong coffee.

** Be cautious when adding the liquid mixture to the batter. If you add it too quickly the mixture will look curdled. Add small amounts and beat well to incorporate.