Vietnamese Coffee Cupcakes
We first had Vietnamese coffee at a small, hole-in-the-wall Vietnamese café in Pennsylvania and after that first sip, we were addicted. It’s made with brewed Vietnamese coffee and sweetened condensed milk which is just so, so good. This cupcake was inspired by this amazing flavor combination. We couldn’t get our hands on some Vietnamese coffee grounds so we substituted instant espresso powder, but the flavor is still spot on.
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 4 tbsp whole milk
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
- 3 tsp instant espresso powder (we recommend Medaglia D’Oro Espresso Instant Coffee)
- 1 ½ tsp warm water
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temperature
- 1 cup dark brown sugar packed
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup sweetened condensed milk
- ½ cup whole milk
Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar sifted
- 1 tbsp heavy whipping cream
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350 F with a rack placed in the center of the oven. Line a 12 muffin pan with cupcake liners and set aside. You can also use a mini muffin pan.
- Mix the 4 tbsp of whole milk with the vinegar and set aside for at least 5 minutes. This sour milk will make the cupcakes soft and moist.
- Mix the espresso powder with the warm water and set aside.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl and set aside.
- In a stand mixer or a large bowl, beat the butter until it’s soft (about 1-2 minutes) and then add the sugar and beat until it’s light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes).
- Add the eggs and beat until they are incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, as needed.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the condensed milk and the ½ cup of whole milk together.
- In the stand mixer bowl, add the sour milk, the condensed milk, and the coffee and the dry ingredients alternately until all the ingredients are incorporated. Each time, mix on low speed, just until all the ingredients are incorporated. Do not overmix the batter.
- Fill the lined tin with the batter until each liner is about 2/3 of the way full.
- Bake mini cupcakes for 10-15 minutes and regular cupcakes for 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Another quick test is to check if the cupcake springs back when gently pressed. If it springs back, the cupcake is done. If a dent remains, then place the cupcakes back in the oven a little longer.
- Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for about 10 minutes and then cool the cupcakes on a rack completely before frosting.
- Use either a knife or an offset spatula or a piping tip to frost the cupcakes.
Frosting
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or using a hand mixer, beat the butter until smooth. Add the powdered sugar and whip until smooth and creamy.
- Add the heavy cream a little bit at a time while whipping the frosting. Whip until the frosting is stiff enough to pipe.
