Coffee Cupcakes with Coffee Liqueur Buttercream

Start by making the cupcakes. Heat oven to 350°. Using an electric mixer, beat butter on high until soft, about 30 seconds. Add sugar. Beat on medium high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beat until incorporated.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and coffee grounds in a bowl. Combine coffee, milk, and liqueur together.

Add about a fourth of the flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture and beat to combine. Add about a third of the milk coffee mixture and beat to combine. Repeat, altering flour and coffee, ending with the flour mixture. Be careful when adding the coffee/milk mixture to the batter. If you add it too quickly, the batter will look curdled. Add it slowly and you’ll be just fine!

Scoop into cupcake papers about two thirds to three quarters full. These cupcakes well shrink a bit once they are cooled. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until cake tester comes out clean.

While the cupcakes cool, make the buttercream. In small saucepan, bring cream and coffee to a high simmer. Once simmering, cover, remove from heat and allow to cool.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butters and pudding mix on high until butter is light and fluffy. While the butters are beating, strain the cream/coffee mixture into a glass measuring cup using a fine mesh strainer. Add the coffee liqueur to the cream. Reduce speed on mixer to low and very slowly add the cream/liqueur mixture. Increase speed to medium once the liquid has incorporated and blend 3-4 more minutes.

Reduce speed to low and gradually add powdered sugar, starting with ⅓ cup and adding more to taste. Once all the sugar you want is added, beat on medium high for an additional 3-5 minutes. Pipe onto cooled cupcakes.