Coffee Cupcakes with Aero Chocolate Topping

These mini coffee cupcakes could be served any time of year but dress them up in gold wrappers with glittery sprinkles and you’ve got yourself a bitesize dessert for passing around at parties.

Updated 2026 · Post originally commissioned by Aero (2013).

Something I noticed when running my cake stall this summer was that mini cupcakes are now more popular than full size ones.

I believe, that regardless of any latest “cupcakes are over” hoo-har, people are still drawn to them because they’re so visually pleasing, individually portioned and versatile how they’re flavoured and decorated.

With their dash of coffee flavour, these mini coffee cupcakes would be an ideal petit four to serve with coffee at the end of a meal during the Christmas period.

Tips Baking Mini Coffee Cupcakes

• Take care to not overfill the cupcake cases – Around two thirds full is enough, which in mini cases may only be a heaped teaspoonful. Remember the batter will rise and you want to acheive a golden dome rather than an explosion over the top.
• Do not overbake mini cupcakes – As they are smaller, mini cupcakes can dry out quickly. Around 8 minutes is likely to be enough, depending on your oven.
• Be generous with the buttercream frosting! It’s ok with mini cupcakes that the ratio of buttercream to sponge is far greater than full size cupcakes. It’s more like 50/50 than 70/30 sponge base to topping. I still think they’re small enough to munch in two bites!

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Coffee Cupcakes

Festive mini coffee cupcakes ideal for post dinner petit fours. You could reduce the amount of icing by a third and spread it over the cake bases with a small palette knife instead of piping swirls using a piping bag.

Prep Time45 minutes mins

Cook Time10 minutes mins

Total Time55 minutes mins

Servings: 36 mini cupcakes

Author: Sarah Trivuncic

Ingredients

• 125 g butter softened
• 125 g caster sugar (superfine baking sugar)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp ground coffee
• 110 g self raising flour
• 15 g cocoa powder
• <br>
• <em>For the topping</em>
• 120 g softened butter
• 360 g icing sugar (confectioners sugar)
• 30 ml milk
• 1/2 tsp ground coffee powder
• 2 drops coffee extract
• 1 bar of Aero cut into small shards
• Gold sprinkles

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 190c / gas mark 5. In a large mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar together. This can be done by hand or with a handheld electric or stand mixer.
• Beat in the eggs one by one along and then fold in the flour, cocoa powder and ground coffee.
• Using two teaspoons, decant the batter into the paper cases. If you have 3 baking tins you can do them all at the same time otherwise do 12 at a time. You'll barely need a dollop per case.
• Bake the cakes for 8-10 minutes, they're very small so take care not to over bake.
• Allow the cakes to cool in the trays for a few minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Meanwhile beat the softened butter into the icing sugar and add the milk, coffee powder and coffee extract. I blitz mine in the food processor to prevent clouds of icing sugar getting everywhere.
• To pipe the cupcakes, decant the buttercream into the disposable piping bag fitted with a star nozzle. Pipe a small swirl in a circular movement onto each cake before topping with some shards of Aero.

Notes

You will need a 12 hole mini muffin baking tin and paper cases.
To pipe swirls you will need a disposable piping bag with a star nozzle.

Try these Coffee Cakes and Bakes too:

If you enjoy coffee-flavoured cakes and treats then you might also like:

• Chocolate coffee sugar cookies (Maison Cupcake)
• Coffee and walnut mini eclairs (Maison Cupcake)
• Chocolate dipped espresso blondie bites (Maison Cupcake)
• Coffee candied almonds (Fuss Free Flavours)
• Espresso macaroons (Utterly Scrummy)