Ta da!!! Here it is – the first recipe from last weekend’s cupcake-a-thon.
Mayan. Chocolate. Cupcakes. YUM!
These were without a doubt the crowd favorite of the evening. Which of course, came as no surprise — who can resist double chocolate?! But of course, we couldn’t just do plain chocolate. :) Decided to add in a hint of cinnamon, chili powder, and cayenne for a fun extra kick. And thankfully, people loved it!!!!!
As I mentioned in the cupcake-a-thon post, since we were making hundreds of these in one day, I relented and decided to go “semi-homemade”, using a boxed cake mix as the base for the recipe. But we also used the tips from “Hello Cupcake”, adding in an extra egg and a cup of buttermilk to make the cupcakes extra moist. (Which sooooo many people commented on — they truly were perfectly moist!)
As much as I’m humbled to admit, using the cake mix, these were some of my favorite cupcakes ever. So I definitely recommend giving them a try….soon!! :)
Mayan Chocolate Cupcakes with Cocoa-Cinnamon Buttercream
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 24 cupcakes 1x
Description
Chocolate featuring subtle hints of cinnamon and spices this Mayan Chocolate Cupcakes w/ Cocoa-Cinnamon Butter-cream Recipe is a crowd-pleaser.
Ingredients
Cupcake Ingredients:
- 1 (18.25 oz.) box Devil’s Food (or other chocolate variety) cake mix
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. chili powder
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne
- 4 eggs
Frosting Ingredients:
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I prefer dark chocolate cocoa, but any works!)
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar (more or less to achieve desired consistency)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.
- Add the first six cake ingredients (cake mix through cayenne) together in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low to medium speed until moistened, about 30 seconds. Add eggs one at a time, until the batter is well-mixed. Increase speed to high and beat until thick, 2 minutes longer.
- Pour or scoop the batter into the paper liners until they are 2/3 full. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cupcakes cool on a wire rack.
To Make Frosting:
- Cream butter in an electric mixer on medium-speed until smooth and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Then add cocoa powder and cinnamon and mix on low-speed until combined. Gradually add in the milk and powdered sugar, alternately, until combined. Then beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, another 3-5 minutes. (Add in more powdered sugar if consistency is too thin.)
Ali’s Tip:
For an extra kick, try grinding a pinch of ground sea salt on top of these! It truly kicks them up a notch! (And then you can tell your friends that they’re “salted cocoa-cinnamon buttercream”!)
Adorei as dicas e a receita. Obrigada.
These cupcakes sound amazing! I have a request for mexican mocha cupcakes and was wondering if anyone has made these cupcakes and maybe added a little expresso to the mix? Thanks
Thanks Melissa! Hmmm, we bet adding some instant espresso (mixed with a little hot water) would be a delicious addition to the batter (and even to the buttercream), if you wanted! :)
This cupcake is delicious! I love the cinnamon chocolate combo. I altered to it to a chocolate vegan recipe, the spice are amazing! Thanks for sharing :-)
I have made these twice now and they are such a hit. Thank you for sharing the recipe. The 2nd time, I replaced the oil with unsweetened applesauce, and I loved them even more. kp
I just made these and the flavors were awesome!! I am not a baker and have never liked to make anything that requires an exact science. Which for me baking is! lol I was expecting a moist and dense cupcake. Can someone give me some possible reasons why my cupcakes were dry please? Did I over beat the batter possibly? Thanks so much! I am willing to retry it :)
Next time, bake less time. My oven gets HOT, so if it says bake 10 to 15 min, check at 9min, then every 2 min after till toothpick come out clean. Mine are always done in the shorter time. Plus, once out and cooling, there still baking a bit. Good luck!! I made them and there AMAZING!!
These cupcakes are amazing! I have the pickiest eater for a son and he LOVED them, even after hearing that they had cayenne and chili pepper in them. What a wonderful, robust flavor! I added the seasalt to the top of the frosting and it was a wonderful touch. I’m no foodie, but I think these are outstanding!
these were great … i used the dark chocolate in the buttercream and got rave reviews :) all the pics make me want to try to recreate everything i see!
i’m going to make these for a fiesta i have coming up, they look fantastic! :D
I love these – just a little hint of ‘something’ that adds to the chocolate flavor. My new favorite cupcake recipe, thanks!
I just made these and OH MY GOODNESS GRACIOUS! Love ’em! Next up….the Vanilla Almond Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Buttercream..my husband loves vanilla and caramel so these will probably be his favorite! I had to do the chocolate first, because, well I am the chocolate lover! These were SO easy too! :)