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Coffee cupcakes (no butter, no eggs no milk)

PREP TIME 10 minutes
COOK TIME 20 minutes
TOTAL TIME 30 minutes
servings12 cupcakes
Decadent, soft and light, these Coffee cupcakes are made without butter, eggs or milk. The ingredients are simply mixed in one bowl, baked, then topped with a fudgy coffee frosting. And yes, the fudgy coffee frosting is free from butter and milk too :)
Ingredients
US Customary - Metric

For the cupcakes

  • 2 Tablespoons instant coffee powder see notes
  • 1 cup water regular tap or bottled water at room temperature is fine
  • 1 cup white or brown sugar see notes
  • ⅓ cup neutral flavored oil like canola, sunflower or vegetable
  • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ teaspoon lemon juice
  • 2 ¼ cups cake OR all-purpose flour
  • 2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda bicarbonate of soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt

For the glaze

  • 1 ¾ cups powdered sugar
  • ¼ cup liquid coconut oil measure after melting (see recipe notes)
  • 3 Tablespoons hot water
  • 1 Tablespoon instant coffee powder or use according to taste

See notes for glaze WITHOUT coconut oil

Instructions

To make the cupcakes

  • Whisk the coffee and water together a large bowl just until the coffee has dissolved.
  • Add the sugar, oil and vanilla extract and lemon juice and whisk for about 30 seconds to combine.
  • Add sifted flour, baking powder, baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) and salt. Whisk until just combined (about 30 seconds) Do not overmix. Overmixing can produce dense textured cupcakes.
  • Line a muffin pan with 12 paper liners.
  • Spray the inside of the paper liners with non-stick cooking spray or brush lightly with melted butter. This is optional, but is really helpful in preventing the cupcakes from sticking to the inside of the liners once baked.
  • Fill the cupcake liners up to ⅔ full.
  • Bake in a preheated oven of 356° F / 180° C (160° C fan) for 15 to 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
  • Do not overbake as this can also result in dense textured cupcakes.

To make the frosting.

  • Combine the powdered sugar, liquid coconut oil, instant coffee powder and hot water in a bowl.
  • Mix well with a rubber spatula to form a thick and smooth glaze.
  • Use a spoon or spatula to spread the glaze over the cooled baked cupcakes.
Recipe Notes
Instant coffee powder:
  • I recommend instant powdered coffee (not coffee beans) for this recipe. It blends easier into the batter as well as the frosting.
  • If your instant coffee consists of large granules then I suggest you grind it into a powdered form before incorporating into your batter and frosting.
  • You can use an electric coffee grinder or mortar and pestle to get your coffee granules to a powdered form.
  • Or simply place the granules in a thick plastic bag and pound it with a rolling pin until it is finely powdered.
Sugar:
For the batter, either white or brown sugar is fine to use. I personally prefer brown sugar in these cupcakes because of the slight hint of caramel flavor it adds to the cupcakes.
However, if you only have white sugar, then go ahead and just use white. Your cupcakes will still be perfectly delicious 😊
Liquid coconut oil:
Melt your coconut oil:
  • To do this, simply scoop the coconut oil into a microwave safe bowl. Melt it for about 1 minute or until there are no solid pieces in the oil. Or you could melt the coconut oil in a small pot on low heat on the stove.
  • Measure AFTER melting: Measure your coconut oil for the recipe after it has been melted. If you have melted too much of coconut oil simply, pour back the excess into your coconut oil container. It will solidify again once cooled. It is spread onto the cupcakes in this form.
  • As the coconut oil cools in the frosting it solidifies producing a fudgy texture. The coconut oil does not affect the taste of the frosting, it just creates that amazing fudgy texture.
Glaze/Frosting without coconut oil:
  • If you do not have coconut oil, simply leave it out of the frosting. Your frosting will still be smooth, rich and delicious, I promise.
  • The only difference will be the texture. Without coconut oil, your frosting will remain as is when mixed, but will not have a fudgy texture.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cupcake | Calories: 322kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 229mg | Potassium: 94mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 35g | Calcium: 66mg | Iron: 1mg
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