Coffee is a rather important staple in our household. It’s enjoyed by my husband and I most every morning and many afternoons as well. Up until recently, I purchased my usual bag of “big brand” coffee on each grocery trip without giving it a second thought. That is until my dear friend, Kimberly at The Little Plantation, reached out to me about joining other bloggers across the world to bring awareness to the poverty-stricken country of Malawi in Africa.
You see, Malawi has many coffee farmers who produce quality beans, similar to some other well known coffee producing countries, like Colombia, Brazil, and other parts of Africa. The problem is that Malawi isn’t as well known or as popular as some of the other countries, so they are often overlooked. Believe it or not, each product we choose to purchase drives demand and where the demand is, that’s where the money goes—whether it’s to the big-name corporations or the small, fair-trade farmers and artisans around the world.
My fellow blogging friends and I are here to hopefully show that there are other options out there besides what we see in the stores. Buying fairtrade when possible from struggling countries, like Malawi, can really help to make a difference in the lives of those poor, hard-working farmers.
We’ve all come up with a delicious recipe using coffee as the star and we hope you will be encouraged to try Malawi coffee for yourself soon!
The recipe I’m sharing with you today is for these Salted Chocolate Mocha Cupcakes! The moist, chocolate cake contains freshly brewed coffee, which really enhances the flavor of the dark chocolate. I also add a pinch of flaked sea salt on top of the whipped chocolate ganache which really balances all of the flavors nicely. Seriously, so, so good! It’s also gluten and dairy free, as well as vegan friendly!
Check out some of the other delicious coffee-inspired recipes coming to you from all around the world!
Twigg Studios—Winter Spices Coffee Cake
Bettina’s Kitchen—Coffee Crunch Chocolate Mousse
The Little Plantation—Vegan Malawi Coffee Ice Cream with Salted Caramel Swirl
Marrbell—Christmas Coffee and Vanilla Eggnog
Jenny Mustard—Tofu Skewers with Chocolate Coffee Sauce
Mademoiselle Poirot—Coffee and Hazelnut Buns with Orange Icing
Plants on your plate—Cream of Celeriac with Coffee Drizzle
Life Love Food—Zabaione al Caffé
The Green Life—Coffee Blondies With Homemade Nutella (vegan, gf)
The Full Helping—Coffee Brownies
At The Immigrant’s Table—Gluten-Free Jewish Doughnuts With Cardamom Coffee Cream
If you’re on Instagram, be sure to use the hashtag #loveMALAWIcoffee to tag any of your coffee creations! Looking forward to seeing your delicious treats!
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- ⅓-1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk from the can (if your can separates, use the thick hard cream and not the clear liquid)
- 10-12 oz bag of quality semi-sweet or dark chocolate, chips or chopped up bar** (For dairy-free, I like Enjoy Life brand)
- 1¼ cup coconut sugar
- ⅓ cup dutch-processed cocoa powder (I used Hershey's Special Dark)
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unbleached all-purpose or gluten-free all purpose flour (I used Bobs Red Mill 1 To 1 Baking Flour
)
- 1 cup strongly brewed Malawi coffee, cooled (can also use half milk, if lesser coffee flavor is preferred)
- ¼ cup melted coconut oil or olive oil
- 1 flax egg (1 tablespoon flaxseed meal mixed with 3 tablespoons water)
- Whipped Chocolate Ganache
- flaked or coarse sea salt, for sprinkling (optional)
- *To pipe frosting tall, double the ganache recipe
- **Milk or white chocolate will work as well.
- There is no added sweetener, so use the chocolate that has the amount of sweetness that suits your taste.While the cakes are baking, you can begin making the ganache. This frosting takes a little over an hour overall, so keep that in mind if you're pressed for time. Heat the coconut milk and chocolate over a double boiler until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. If your coconut milk has the thick cream and liquid separated, I like to use the hardened coconut cream to create a thick and fluffy frosting. You can still use regular coconut milk from the can, but I would start with the lesser amount of ⅓ cup and add more while mixing, if necessary. If using a 10 oz. bag of chocolate chips begin with the lesser amount of ⅓ cup coconut milk as well. You can use the full ⅔ milk if you want frosting that is a little more loose and easy to spread. Cover and place mixture into the fridge or freezer for 1 hour or until chilled and firm.
- When firm, use a mixer to beat the chocolate mixture for several minutes until light and fluffy. You can mix in a little more coconut milk to thin the frosting, if needed.
- Preheat oven to 350F. Place paper cupcake holders into 12 cups of a muffin pan and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and flour. Stir well before adding the coffee and melted coconut oil. Mix until combined. Add egg and continue to mix until the batter is smooth. Use a rubber scrapper to scrape the sides and bottom of bowl to make sure all ingredients are evenly incorporated.
- Use a ¼ cup to scoop batter into each paper liner, filling two-thirds full. You should have enough for about a dozen cupcakes, give or take.
- Place pan into the preheated oven and bake for 15-18 minutes, or until cupcakes are puffed and center is set (should spring back when gently pressed.) Remove from oven and allow to cool on a cooling rack. Carefully remove cupcakes from the pan and continue to let cool thoroughly before frosting.
- To frost like in the photos above, I used a Wilton 1M tip and pastry bag. Place tip into the bag and cut a small opening at the bottom so that the top of the tip fits through. Don't cut too big of an opening or the tip can pop out. Fold down the sides of the bag and use an offset spatula or rubber scraper to scoop frosting into the piping bag. Bring the sides of the bag up over the buttercream and twist the end of the bag so that the buttercream can't fall out.
- You are going to begin piping a continuous stream, starting in the center and then pipe a full circle around the outer edge of the cupcake, near the liner. Once you pipe along the entire outer edge, continue piping in a circular motion, making smaller concentric circles as you pipe your way up, almost like making a soft-serve ice cream cone. When you get to the very top, release pressure on the piping bag and pull up to end. Top with a small pinch of salt. Continue until all cupcakes are frosted.
This is not a sponsored post and I was not compensated for sharing my opinion.
Hershey’s isn’t Dutch-processed. I wonder if since publishing this have you experimented with both kinds of cocoa? Where is the original recipe this was based off from? Looks really similar to one of my all time favs . Looking forward to trying the healthy(ish) version!
Hi Livvie, Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa is Dutch-processed, but since then I have used both with good results. This recipe is a little older and I’ve published another similar recipe since then here (https://www.wifemamafoodie.com/vegan-chocolate-cupcakes/) if you’d like to give it a try. I found the flaxseed wasn’t a necessary addition and I also used regular cocoa in this new recipe. This recipe was based off the Hershey’s chocolate cake recipe I used to make a long time ago. Let me know if you give it a try!
Have to try these, too. Those photos are a thing of beauty!
Thank you Lorna!
Making these today for Bri’s birthday celebration! She made me the Earl Grey cake for my birthday! Started today with some of your (easiest recipe ever) polenta made in the oven! We are official wifemamafoodie groupies!!
Aww, thank you so much, Kahri! I’m so glad you’re enjoying some of these recipes too! The chocolate cakes are my fave!! I truly appreciate all of you’re support and your kind words 🙂 Have a wonderful day celebrating! Tell Bri I said happy birthday!
Your photography is spot on and the cupcakes look good too. =)
Awww delicious and soft.. Can’t take my eyes out from the pic.. Amazing clicks
Loved it. Might try it soon as my husband loves coffee and cakes. Just right for the holiday season.
These look absolutely amazing! And I’m in love with your photography as well!
That is a wonderful looking cupcakes and the best part is, it has coffee. Simply beautiful piping work and the close ups are amazing.
I agree, there are lot of ways we can help farmers. Thanks for sharing some insight into it.
xx
Stunning photography as always! I can’t wait to try these cupcakes. It’s great that you’re helping out a great cause as well!
Holy cats! These look amazing! Your photography is outstanding as well! This is great that the coffee is for a great cause as well.
oh my! Craving for it right now. Looks amazing and super delicious !
These are beyond yummy looking!!
These look AMAZING <3 and your photography is BEAUTIFUL! Do you mind me asking… do you use a light box with a black BG to get the darker food photos? Just brilliant!
I love anything with coffee in it, it’s the best flavor! I had no idea Tom’s sold coffee with the same concept as their shoes. I buy their shoes because I love that they give away one pair for every pair bought, now this gives me one more reason to buy more coffee! Yes! I’ll definitely grab a few bags as stocking stuffer for Christmas this year. Thank you Joscelyn for opening my eyes to this!
Absolutely delicious looking!
Joscelyn, there are no words for how good these look. So great to “meet” you through the party!
Now that’s what I can PERFECT icing. Please teach me?
I can’t really express coherently how much I ADORE what you did with the brief. These are just so scrumptious.
Thank you again Joscelyn for agreeing to be a part of this.
Sending you lots of love
Kimberly
These dark mocha cupcakes look so sinful – they’re absolutely calling out to me!
Oh. My. Goodness. I am dying over this chocolate goodness. Can I have 2, 3, 4, 5 or may be a dozen! Yummylicious. 🙂