Cuban Coffee Cupcakes Recipes

COFFEE CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 16 to 18 muffin cups with paper liners and set pans aside.
• Whisk the flour, espresso powder, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
• Place the butter in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until creamy. With mixer on medium speed, gradually beat in the sugar. Once the sugar is all added, scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and beat for a couple of minutes, until very light.
• Beat in the eggs and the vanilla.
• Turn mixer to low and beat in half of the dry ingredients until just combined, then beat in half of the sour cream and all of the milk.
• Beat in the remaining dry ingredients, again just until incorporated, then the remaining sour cream. The batter will be thick.
• Divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups, filling each about 2/3 full. Bake 18 to 24 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean.
• Cool the cupcakes in the pans for 5 minutes, then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
• Place the butter in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until very smooth.
• Add 4 tablespoons of milk, the espresso powder, vanilla, and salt and beat to combine.
• With mixer on low, gradually beat in 4 cups of the powdered sugar.
• Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, then turn mixer to medium and beat until smooth. Add additional powdered sugar if frosting is too thin and additional milk if frosting is too thick.
• Pipe or spread frosting onto the cooled cupcakes and decorate with espresso beans (if desired). Serve.
• Uneaten cupcakes can be stored at room temperature, covered, for two or three days or in the fridge, covered, for 3 or 4 days. (I think the cupcakes taste best at room temp though.)
• You can also store them in the freezer, tightly wrapped, for up to 2 months.

COFFEE CAKE CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with 10 liners.
• For the streusel: Stir together the oats, flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl to combine. Add the cold cubed butter and use your hands or a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles a clumpy streusel. Set aside.
• For the cupcakes: In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, melted butter and brown sugar until well combined, 1 minute. Add the eggs one at a time, and whisk until well combined. Whisk in the vanilla.
• Add the flour, baking powder and cinnamon. Stir to combine with a spatula or spoon. Add the buttermilk and mix until the batter is smooth (do not overmix).
• Use an ice cream scoop to divide the batter evenly between the cavities of the prepared pan. Top each generously with streusel.
• Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• For the glaze: Whisk together the confectioners' sugar, cream and vanilla in a small bowl until smooth -- add more cream if necessary to reach a drizzle-able consistency. Use a spoon to drizzle the glaze over the cooled cupcakes.

COFFEE CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 170C/150C fan/gas 3. Line 18 holes in 2 bun tins with fairy cake cases. Beat the sugar with the butter until light and creamy. Beat in the eggs, one by one, adding 1 tbsp flour at the same time. Beat in the rest of the flour along with the espresso. Spoon into the cake cases and bake for 17 mins, swapping the trays after 12 mins. Cool on a wire rack.
• To make the icing, beat the butter until pale, then gradually beat in the icing sugar, followed by the espresso and the melted chocolate. When the cakes are completely cool, swirl the icing generously on top and decorate with coffee beans, if you like.

CUBAN COFFEE (CAFECITO)

Steps:

• Fill a 6-cup stovetop espresso maker with water and coffee according to the manufacturer's instructions, making sure to pack down the coffee. Place the espresso maker over moderate heat.
• While the coffee is brewing, place the sugar in a tall container with a spout, such as a liquid measuring cup. As soon as the coffee starts to fill the reservoir, pour about 1/2 tablespoon of coffee over the sugar and return the espresso maker to the heat.
• Using a spoon, beat the sugar and espresso until the mixture turns a pale beige color and most of the sugar granules begin to dissolve, about 1 minute. The mixture may seem a bit dry at first, but keep beating, and it will come together.
• Once all the coffee has been brewed, slowly pour the coffee over the creamed sugar, stirring to make sure all the sugar dissolves. A thin layer of sugar foam (crema) should float on top of the coffee. Pour the coffee into espresso cups and serve immediately.
• SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:.
• Stovetop espresso makers come in several sizes. This recipe is written for the 6-cup version, yet you can substitute any other size simply by adjusting the amount of coffee and sugar used. Ultimately, the coffee's sweetness is up to you.
• TECHNIQUES:.
• Making the sugar crema is the technique that defines Cuban coffee. You cannot overbeat the sugar, so err on the side of beating too much. If you accidentally pour too much coffee into the sugar, continue with the beating process, as you will still achieve sugar foam.