I am taking these for dessert at tonight’s picnic at the sea front watching The Last Night of the Proms.  They have all you might want after a meal in one hit, coffee, chocolate and Liqueur, so in other words the works. The smell coming from the cakes while they were baking was something else and it took a whole lot of self discipline not to have a few already.

Mocha Frappé Cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

For the cakes

120g plain flour

160g caster sugar

85g cocoa powder

½ tsp salt

½ tbsp bicarbonate of soda

1 medium egg

80ml vegetable oil

90ml buttermilk

30 ml Baileys’ Liqueur

120ml black coffee, at room temperature

For the frosting

1 tsp instant espresso powder

60 ml Baileys’ Liqueur

120g butter, at room temperature

½ tsp vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

190g icing sugar, sifted

Chocolate sprinkles to decorate

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan. Line a 12 hole-muffin tin with paper liners.

In a bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda.

In a large separate bowl, with an electric hand mixer, beat together the egg, vegetable oil, buttermilk, Baileys’ liqueur and coffee.

Add the flour mixture and mix in until just incorporated, don’t over mix.

Pour the mixture into the prepared cups and bake for 16 – 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes then place on a wire rack to cool completely.

While the cakes are cooling, slightly warm the Baileys’ and dissolve the espresso powder in the liqueur.

In a bowl, with an electric hand mixer, beat the butter and icing sugar until light and creamy. Add the vanilla extract, salt and Baileys’ and beat until you have a light and smooth frosting.

Spoon the icing into a piping bag with a large star nozzle fitted and pipe the icing onto each cake. Decorate the cakes with the chocolate sprinkles.