Warm cinnamon and deep chocolate flavors give these Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcakes a unique, spicy chocolate flavor reminiscent of the Mexican hot chocolate we drink in my area of the country. These airy cupcakes are topped with a thick spiral of Mexican Hot Chocolate buttercream and a smidge of marshmallow buttercream to really give you that hot chocolate experience! Welcome to #Choctoberfest day 3 – hope you’re not tired of chocolate yet! A big thank you to #Choctoberfest sponsors Imperial Sugar, Rodelle Vanilla, and Davis Chocolate for providing the sugar & powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and dark chocolate garnish!
For this recipe you’ll need: unsalted butter, Imperial sugar, Mexican chocolate (I used Ibarra), eggs, oil, vanilla extract, buttermilk, all -purpose flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, Rodelle cocoa powder, espresso coffee, Imperial Confectioner’s sugar, heavy cream, cocoa mix, chocolate instant pudding mix, marshmallow creme, almond extract
Ok… so we don’t get a lot of winter in Texas, I’ll admit, but when the barb wire between the North Pole and Dallas City Limits blows down it gets bone shatteringly cold. There’s something about going from 70 degrees one day to 15 degrees the next day that will jar you to the center of your soul.
Seriously. One time when I was around 14 I decided to go visit a friend that lived down the hill from where I lived. It was Christmas break but a gorgeous 75 degree afternoon so I strolled down the street barefoot and in cut-off shorts and a t-shirt. We retreated to her room to hide from her pesky brothers and listened to Partridge Family, Bobby Sherman, and Three Dog Night albums. Back then you stacked your vinyl records up on the record player and as one finished the next one dropped so that you had uninterrupted listening pleasure.
We were lounging on the thick, pink shag carpet on her bedroom floor and painting our nails while talking about … well you know. Those things 14 year old girls talk about. I didn’t notice that the sky had darkened until she jumped up and flipped on her bedroom light.
As she did she caught sight of what was going on outside her window and she turned to me with a look of horror. “It’s sleeting,” she whispered hoarsely.
And it was.
I walked up that hill barefoot, without a coat, and with most of my skin exposed to a brisk wind that whipped my hair around my face and made my legs go numb in seconds. I was never SO glad to get home in my life!
When it’s that kind of cold my favorite drink is a frothy Mexican hot chocolate.
Mexican chocolate is different than other kinds of chocolate. It’s gritty, for one thing, and has cinnamon and spices added. It comes in a round disc and you break off a couple of wedges and melt it in your milk for hot chocolate. If you really want to warm up, and you’re over 21, you add a couple of gluggs of tequila!
SO good.
These Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcakes taste like my favorite hot chocolate. They won’t warm you up but they ARE a great way to end a meal.
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Mexican chocolate is available in grocery stores here in Texas but you may need to find a Mexican or Latin American market where you are. OR you can do it the easy way and order from Amazon. Ibarra is my favorite brand but there are several. Rodelle Baking Cocoa has a great flavor and you can really smell the chocolaty goodness when you open the package! I used these cute, squiggly Davis Cocktail Sticks for garnish. They are made of Ecuador single bean origin chocolate and I just love how they look. They’re great to serve with an after dinner espresso, too!
Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcakes Recipe
Warm and cozy flavors make these Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcakes especially nice during the cold weather months. The flavor is unique and a little exotic – and who doesn’t need a little more exotic in their lives? This cupcake recipe is so much fun to make with the kids because even the littlest guys can add the garnish to the top!
Although the cupcakes and chocolate frosting are adaptions of my own recipes I did find the marshmallow frosting on one of my favorite blogs, The Gracious Wife.
If you’re looking for a light wedding cake type cupcake check out my white cupcake recipe.
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Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcakes
Print Add to CollectionIngredients
- 1/4 cup butter, unsalted - room temperature
- 1 cup sugar, , I used Imperial
- 3.2 ounces Mexican Chocolate, , I used 1 disc of Ibarra
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 3 egg yolks, room temperature
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract, , I used Rodelle
- 1/3 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder, , I used Rodelle
- 1/2 cup espresso, cooled to room temperature
Hot Chocolate Frosting
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 4 cups Confectioner's sugar, , I used Imperial
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 3.2 ounces Mexican chocolate
- 1 ounce instant hot chocolate mix, , 1 packet
- 1 tablespoon chocolate instant pudding mix
Marshmallow Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 4 cups Confectioner's sugar, , I used Imperial
- 13 ounces marshmallow creme
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Mix the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cocoa - set aside.
- Whisk the oil, buttermilk, and vanilla together - set aside.
- Heat the chocolate in the microwave until it is very soft - it won't get runny because of how Mexican chocolate it made.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer beat the butter and sugar until well combined.
- Beat the chocolate into the butter mixture.
- Add the eggs and egg yolks, one at a time until well blended.
- Add the the oil mixture.
- With the mixer on low add the dry ingredients until just combined.
- Blend in the espresso.
- Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let cupcakes rest in the cupcake tins for a minute or two before removing them to a cooling rack.
- Frost when completely cool.
Hot Chocolate Frosting
- Heat the cream just under a boil in the microwave.
- Add the Mexican chocolate and stir until thick and creamy - no lumps remain. It will be a little grainy because of the Mexican chocolate - it's ok.
- Stir in the hot chocolate mix and set aside.
- In the bowl of your mixer cream the butter.
- With mixer on low beat in half the Confectioner's sugar until crumbly.
- Add the remaining Confectioner's sugar and pudding mix.
- Beat until well mixed.
- With mixer running slowly pour in the cream mixture.
- Blend well and then turn the mixer up to medium high and whip until light and fluffy.
Marshmallow Frosting
- Whip together the butter and half the Confectioner's sugar.
- When crumbly add the almond extract.
- Slowly beat in the remaining Confectioner's sugar.
- Whip for 1 minute.
- Beat in the marshmallow creme
Assembly
- Swirl the hot chocolate frosting on the cupcake.
- Top with a swirl of the marshmallow frosting.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Nutrition
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Perfect cupcakes!!
These cupcakes look divine! I have a huge weakness for chocolate, especially rich, high quality chocolate. I want to just dive into those cupcakes right now!
🙂 thanks! They’re one of my favorite flavors.