Kahlua Cupcakes are a perfect dessert idea for chocolate and coffee lovers, featuring rich and decadent chocolate and coffee flavor with a touch of Kahlua.
I think that cupcakes are one of my most favorite desserts as they are easy to make and you can create so many different flavors for any discerning palette. In addition, it is a perfect portion if you control your sweets. If you are a coffee lover like me, you should appreciate my Kahlua Cupcakes that have a rich and decadent chocolate and coffee flavor with a touch of Kahlua.
For real chocolate lovers, do not forget to check my Julia Child’s Chocolate Mousse recipe and Homemade Chocolate Cake. And if you love cupcakes like me, check out my recipe for Blueberry Lemon Cupcakes.
If you have read my previous recipes for chocolate cupcakes, like Chocolate Orange Cupcakes and Chocolate Cupcakes with Caramel, you already know that I like to add melted dark chocolate to them, which gives luscious richness to the dessert. However, this time I used instant espresso coffee and Kahlua coffee liqueur. Believe me, it brings these Kahlua Cupcakes to a whole new level!
I also add Kahlua to my buttercream frosting. Though, you can skip this step if you don’t want too much alcohol in your dessert. I add a little bit of heavy cream and beat it together in the very end for a few minutes, whipped cream helps the frosting to have more of an airy texture.
Did you make this recipe?!? I’d love to know how it turned out! leave a comment and a rating below👇 thank you!
Kahlua Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients
Ingredients for Cupcakes:
- ⅔ cup all purpose flour
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon Espresso coffee powder
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup whole milk
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup Kahlua
Ingredients for Kahlua Chocolate Buttercream Frosting:
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons Kahlua
- ¼ cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a muffin tin with 10 muffin liners inside. Set it aside.
- In a medium size mixing bowl sift all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and espresso coffee powder together and set aside.
- In another large mixing bowl whisk together softened butter and granulated sugar (you can use a mixer or a whisk). Add eggs, sour cream, milk, and vanilla extract, and Kahlua, whisk until smooth consistency.
- Add dry ingredients into the mixture. Using a spatula, fold it together until smooth. Do not over mix.
- Divide this batter between 10 muffin liners. Bake at 350°F for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. When it is ready, take it out and set aside to cool off for about 10 minutes. Place the muffins on a wire rack.
- For the frosting, using a hand or stand mixer, beat softened butter, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, Kahlua, and heavy cream together on a medium/high speed for about 2-3 minutes until softened.
- When the cupcakes are completely cooled off, top them with the Kahlua Chocolate Frosting using a piping tip.
What kind of chocolate is grated and sprinkled on the frosting? Thank you
I tripled the cupcake recipe and made a batch and a half of the icing and made an triple layer cake. Awesome recipe and the cake was a hit! Wish I could attach a pic to this email!
Yaay! Thank you, Debbie! I saw your photo of the cake on Pinterest, it looks AMAZING!
I just made these for my partner’s parents and they were a big hit with both of them! I subbed a caramel,pecan, and coffee flavored liqueur for the kalua and holy cow was it good! This is a wonderfully versatile recipe. I’m probably going to try some orange liquor next time and make it as a layer cake for my dad’s birthday next week. I can’t wait to bake this recipe again!
Thank you so much, Lacey! I love your flavor combo! Need to try it as well 😉
I’m wondering if you can add chocolate chips to the batter? And if you could frost these with icing made from Tequila Rose, it tastes like strawberry milk…to give it the chocolate covered strawberry feel??
Hi Amanda! You definitely can add some chocolate chips to the batter. Tequila Rose sounds also great and I think it will perfectly work with the recipe 😉
Could these be made into an 8×8 cake?
Hi Valerie! I never tried to make a cake with cupcake batter but I think it should work. Make sure you adjust the timing.
We won first place in our cupcake wars in my catering class at college and this was one of our cupcakes! I have made them twice now and Everyone loves them and requests the recipe. Thank you for your amazing delicious recipe! Definitely a 5 star keeper recipe
Thank you so much, Kelly! I am sooo happy to hear that! This is the best reward for me to hear that people love my recipes!
I can’t wait to make these! I need 50 cupcakes for my catering class. Does the frosting recipe frost more than 10 cupcakes? 1 can’t imagine using 5 cups butter in one recipe for 50 cupcakes but they look AMAZING
Hi Kelly! wow, 50 cupcakes is a lot!)))
This amount of frosting should be enough for 10-12 cupcakes. It really depends on how much icing you are using for each cupcake. I think I would use at least 4 cups of butter for frosting and just try to pipe less than on the pics)
If you wanted to make this as a cake rather than cupcakes, what size cake pan would work and how long would you bake it?
The recipe calls for cocoa powder. I assume unsweetened?
Hi Karen! Yes, the cocoa powder is unsweetened!)
Hi. This cupcake recipe sounds delicious and they look amazing. They are my list to try. I will bing them to my workplace and sell them to help a fundraiser or cat rescue. I’m sure these will be a hit!
I love Kahlua chocolate desserts, these look absolutely amazing!
These sound like the cupcakes that dreams are made of! I don’t have kahlua, but I am wanting to buy some now!
Can I use half & half instead of heavy whipping cream?
Hi Robin, Yes, you can use half and half for the frosting. However, I like the consistency better with heavy cream. Let me know how you liked them!)
Can I use half n half instead of heavy whipping cream?
What size muffin cups are you using? Trying to scale these for a party. Thanks!
Hi Katie, I am using a standard size Wilton muffin tin. You can find it on Amazon here: http://amzn.to/2BcO9GG
I have some kahula in my hand, your cupcakes not only delicious but also beautiful, I need to try it who can resist Kahula. Frosting is best part.
Just made these cupcakes for a friends birthday and they were a hit! Everyone loved them =) the inside was super moist and fluffy while the frosting super light and airy. I gradually added only 2ish tbsp of half and half to my icing as well as only about 1.5 tbsp of kahlua, at the very end I had some canned whipped cream and added a few tbsp of that and folded it in, it made the icing super fluffy and airy. Added a sprinkling of coarse sea salt and espresso powder to decorate =) all in all, great recipe and I’ll be making plenty more of these to come!!
Thank you, Talya! I am very happy you loved the cupcakes)
Oh my, love that frosting, looks absolutely mouthwatering, and your pictures are so pretty!
Thank you, Andrea)
These cupcakes look unbelievably delicious! That frosting looks so creamy!
Thank you, Amy!
Oh I LOVE Kalhua or Baileys in my cakes and cupcakes. These look so scrumptious. Perfect for a hen party.
Thank you, Veena)
Kalhua and chocolate yes please sign me up for two! What a scrumptious dessert and so good looking =)
Thank you, Adriana!
These sound so delicious! The frosting with the chocolate on top makes them look so pretty!
Thank you, Marlynn!
Well these would make the perfect party dessert. In fact I think they would be the BEST birthday cupcakes EVER!!
Thank you, Gloria!
These cupcakes look beautiful! So moist and that gorgeous frosting on top is perfection.
Thank you, Catherine!
Beauuuuutiful and the inside of the cupcake looks so moist 🙂
Thank you, Maria)
Yum!! I totally want one of these right now. Chocolate cupcakes/cake is my favorite, and the addition of the kahlua is perfection.
Thank you, Joanna)
These cupcakes taste delicious, especially with the hints of Kahlua in the chocolate. A new favorite!