Mocha Madness Cupcakes

This week I made Mocha Madness Cupcakes. They consist of a jumbo mocha cupcake topped with cafe au lait buttercream and grated chocolate. If you like coffee you will like these!

I had one cake mix left in the cupboard and I figured I may as well put it to good use. It was another dark chocolate fudge one but I tweaked it this time. Instead of adding the water called for on the box, I used homemade coffee liqueur. I also added a tablespoon of instant coffee. Next time around if I use another mix I think I will substitute the water with milk and dissolve about three tablespoons of instant coffee in it. I liked the flavor but I think the milk would be a nice change.

For the buttercream I made a basic vanilla buttercream and dissolved two tablespoons of instant coffee in the milk before adding it to the icing. I then grated some milk chocolate over the top. Next time might just do a chocolate curl.

Overall I like the way they turned out but I think with the changes I mentioned they will be even better next time! Be sure to check out the competition going on over at Hoosier Homemade! It's week #3 of Cupcake Challenge. What can you do with a cake mix?