These are THE BEST Chocolate Espresso Cupcakes. Rich and moist chocolate cake topped with silky smooth espresso buttercream and optional, but HIGHLY recommended, salted caramel sauce.
*This recipe and images were updated on 5/8/2025.

What Makes these Chocolate Espresso Cupcakes the BEST?
- Epic Flavor Combo. I mean is there anything better than chocolate + coffee + caramel? I think not.
- Moist Chocolate Cake. These chocolate cupcakes are super easy to make (no mixer required!) and bake up perfectly every single time… fool proof if you will.
- Dreamy Espresso Buttercream. This recipe starts off as a classic American Buttercream, and then espresso powder is dissolved into warm cream and mixed into the frosting creating the most creamy and silky frosting.
Ingredients
- Dry Ingredients. The usual cast of characters – flour, baking powder, baking soda, & salt.
- Cocoa Powder. I use Dutch Process Cocoa Powder in this recipe.
- Buttermilk. When baking with dutch process cocoa powder, you need to add something acidic to help the leavening agents (baking powder and baking soda) activate. The buttermilk is perfect for that.
- Vegetable Oil. Truly the secret to a moist cake. Feel free to use Canola or any other neutral oil.
- Coffee. Coffee enhances the flavor of chocolate. We know this. We love this. Just make sure to whisk while you add this so the eggs can temper and they don’t scramble!
- Butter. For the frosting. I typically grab unsalted when making frosting and then add salt myself just so I have full control of the salt content, but if you want to use your favorite salted butter, go for it. Leave it on the counter at least 30 minutes to soften up.
- Espresso Powder. I love this blonde espresso powder from Starbucks, but again, use your favorite. I’d suggest one with a very fine grind so it fully dissolves into the cream.
- Heavy Cream. Don’t even think about using milk.
- Powdered Sugar. No need to sift it or anything crazy.

How to Make Chocolate Espresso Cupcakes
Make the Chocolate Cupcakes
Preheat the oven to 350 and line two cupcake pans with liners. In a large mixing bowl (or your stand mixer with the paddle attachment) add flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine.
In a separate bowl, whisk together oil, eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk. While continuing to whisk, pour the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture. Mix until combined. Batter will be quite thick at this point. Continue to whisk and slowly pour in the hot coffee. If you add the coffee too quickly, you risk scrambling the eggs and we definitely don’t want that so take it nice and slow. Once the coffee is added, the batter should be thin and pourable.
Fill cupcake liners half way full. I like to pour batter into a large glass measuring cup with a pour spout to do this without the mess. Don’t be tempted to fill the liners past half full or the cupcakes could overflow when baking, or rise and then sink in the middle. Bake at 350 for about 18 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs attached.



Make the Espresso Buttercream
Measure out 1/2 C heavy cream into a liquid measuring cup and microwave for about 15-20 seconds. You want it warm, but not hot. Add 2 TBSP instant espresso powder. Mix to combine and let sit. The espresso will dissolve into the cream and this is what we will use to flavor the buttercream.
Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium high speed for 10 minutes. Half way through, scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl so that all of the butter is getting attention. It will lighten in color and become silky smooth. After 10 minutes, add the vanilla and salt and mix to combine.
Add the powdered sugar in 2 additions, mixing on low speed for 3 minutes after each addition. Yes, 3 cups at a time! No need to add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time like a lot of recipes suggest. We aren’t making a wedding cake, it’s not that serious.
Once the powdered sugar is incorporated, start slowly adding the espresso infused cream. You may not need to use the full 1/2 C – that just depends on what consistency you like. I like a pretty fluffy buttercream, so I added about 6 TBSP total. Start by adding 2 TBSP at a time, and continue adding until the buttercream is fluffy, but still holds its shape so that you can pipe it onto the cupcakes.

Assemble the Cupcakes
Fit a piping bag with your favorite tip – I used a classic large round tip for these Chocolate Espresso Cupcakes – and then fill the bag with the espresso buttercream. Swirl the buttercream onto each cupcake. If you want to add the salted caramel sauce like I did, you’ll want to create a little well in the center of the frosting to hold the caramel in place. You can find my recipe for Salted Caramel Sauce here, or feel free to use your favorite store bought variety.
Pipe the frosting onto the cupcake as you normally would, then use a spoon or an offset spatula to create a little indented swirl in the center. This will hold most of the caramel in the center, while allowing some to slowly drip down the sides. Optional, top with some flaky salt.


Chocolate Espresso Cupcakes
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 24 Cupcakes 1x
- Category: Cupcakes, Recipes
Description
Classic chocolate cupcakes topped with espresso infused American buttercream and salted caramel sauce
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Cupcakes
- 1 3/4 C All Purpose Flour
- 2 C Granulated Sugar
- 3/4 C Dark Cocoa Powder
- 2 tsp Baking Soda
- 3/4 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 C Buttermilk, at room temperature
- 1/2 C Vegetable Oil
- 3 Lg Eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1 C HOT Coffee
For the Espresso Buttercream
- 1 1/2 C (3 Sticks) Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
- 1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 6 C Powdered Sugar
- 2 TBSP Instant Espresso Powder
- 1/2 C Heavy Cream, at room temperature
- 1/2 C Salted Caramel Sauce (optional)
Instructions
For Chocolate Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350 and line two cupcake pans with cupcake liners.
- In a large mixing bowl (or stand mixer with paddle attachment) combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla.
- While whisking, slowly pour in the buttermilk mixture. Mix to combine.
- Continue to whisk while slowly streaming in the HOT coffee.
- Then, use a rubber spatula to scrape the bowl and make sure everything is evenly combined.
- Use a large measuring cup with a pour spout to fill the cupcake liners half full. DO NOT overfill.
- Bake at 350 18-20 min. Let cool completely.
For Espresso Buttercream
- Warm the cream in the microwave for a few seconds until warm, NOT hot. Stir in the espresso powder until dissolved. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat the butter for 10 minutes. Scrape the bowl down half way through.
- Add vanilla and salt. Mix to combine.
- Add powdered sugar in 2 additions (3 C at a time) and mix on medium for 3 minutes after each addition.
- Add espresso infused cream 2 TBSP at a time until you reach your desired consistency. For a fluffy, but pipe-able buttercream, I added 6 TBSP of espresso cream total.
- Fit a piping bag with your favorite tip and fill with buttercream.
- Swirl buttercream onto each cupcake. Top with salted caramel.
Notes
*If you dont have buttermilk, you can make your own with 1C minus 1 TBSP regular milk + 1 TBSP white vinegar.
*Piping bags are totally optional, you can just dollop on some frosting on each cupcake and swirl it around with a butter knife or offset spatula. I talk through a technique on this on my Chocolate Nutella Cupcake post, that’ll make them look just as pretty without a piping bag.
If you loved this recipe for my Chocolate Espresso Cupcakes be sure to leave a star rating and review below and tag @buuckfarmsbakery on Tiktok and Instagram. To save this recipe for later, just click on the Pinterest icon on the recipe card above, or on any of the images throughout this post.
More recipes you’ll love
- Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce
- Chocolate Birthday Cupcakes
- Banana Snack Cake with Salted Caramel
- Classic Fudgy Brownies

I just want to thank you for the most amazing recipe!!!! Your tips on making the buttercream has made my baking a true joy now!!!
Thank you and my friends and family thank you because they won’t eat any other cake unless I make it for them!
Hey Stephanie!
I’m so glad that you found my buttercream tips helpful! A proper buttercream can really make or break it!