Espresso Fudge Cupcakes with Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing

Here I am, as I promised, with the first cupcake recipe from the 33 to do list.
It's sounds delicious and it's truly a very delicious cupcake. Cafe lovers will fall instantly for it. 

It has a very creamy and puffy texture. 

I am not a coffee drinker, so for this recipe I replaced the amount of espresso needed with cappuccino.
Smart, right? Even if you're not a coffee drinker, I think that you enjoy from time to time a nice cup of cappuccino. So you can try this recipe with it. It's really worth trying :)

Now, I have a confession to make. Every cupcake recipe that I make seems to have a high amount of sugar in it  (in my opinion) and every time I post the original recipe, but I never use that amount. And some of them still seem very sweet. 
Now it's up to you if you want to cut the sugar or not. I will tell you later, in the directions, the amount that I used and I guaranty you it will be perfect.
I also adapted the icing, more cream cheese and less sugar :D

The recipe is for 12 cupcakes, more or less, depending on what kind of tin you use. 
For example, I wanted to make only 6 cupcakes, so I used only half of the ingredients and I ended up with 8.


Ingredients: 

For the cupcakes:
1 cup - 125 g flour 
1/2 cup - 59 g cocoa
2 tsp espresso powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup - 114 g butter
1 cup - 225 g sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
3/4 cup - 24 tsp milk
1/2 cup - 60 g chocolate chips

For the icing:

4 oz. cream cheese
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar
3 tsp cocoa
splash of milk

Prepare the cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F/ 180 degrees C
In a bowl mix flour, cocoa, espresso, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugar on medium, until light and fluffy. I used only half quantity of the sugar.Reduce speed to low and add vanilla and egg. 
Add milk and flour mixture alternately while still mixing.
Stir in chocolate chips.

Pour into lined cupcake pan and bake for 20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out almost clean.

Let them cool completely.

Prepare the icingIn a bowl mix cream cheese and vanilla at medium speed until creamy. I added 2 extra tsp of cream cheese. 
While beating, add sugar, cocoa, and milk gradually. Here I used less than half of the sugar quantity. I also reduced the cocoa to 1,5 tsp, because I wanted to have a lighter color.
Spread on cooled cupcakes with icing spatula.
Top with chocolate chips or coffee beans.

I named my cupcakes '' the naked cupcakes'' because I haven't put them in any paper after I baked them in the silicon forms. They looked so nice like that :)

Photos by Emi Trasnitu