Recipe: Mocha Cream Frosting

I’m kind of in love with this frosting. Did you know that? If you follow my instagram, you may have seen my excited post when I first made it. That colour, and the flavour… they’re both incredible.

The funny thing is, this frosting never would have happened if it hadn’t been for another recipe that went wrong. See, my original plan for Gerda’s bridal shower was to make a blueberry cream cheese frosting. It would end up being naturally purple, and would complement the chocolate cupcakes perfectly.

There was a problem, though. The original recipe that I was looking at called for freeze-dried blueberries that you had to pulverize in a blender or food processor. They needed to become a powder.

Well, I found the blueberries. However, I couldn’t manage to get them to even start to turn into a powder. They just stuck to the blades of my blender and food processors (yes, more than one), taunting me. So, I gave up.

You know what? I’m incredibly glad that it did go wrong. Because it led to the creation of this Mocha Cream Frosting. Since I couldn’t manage to pull together a blueberry powder, I needed something else to use as flavouring. Something that would stand out. Something that would take those chocolate cupcakes to a whole new level.

That’s when the instant espresso powder sitting on my counter. It was like a light went off in my head. Espresso would be the perfect complement to the chocolate. It wasn’t exactly a flavour that matched up with the purple colouring I needed to use, but it would do. (If you’re curious, the actual colour is closer to the beige above.)

The frosting was a hit. The people at the bridal shower and my coworkers both loved it, and I can tell you that I definitely did. It’s going to become a new favourite in my frosting rotation.

Mocha Cream Frosting

• Servings: Enough frosting for a double-batch of cupcakes
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Ingredients

• 1 cup butter
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 tsp instant espresso powder (or to taste)
• 4 cups confectioners sugar

Directions

1. Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and cream cheese.
2. Add the vanilla and 1 cup of the powdered sugar, and mix until combined. Continue adding and mixing in the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time.
3. Add the espresso powder 1/4 tsp at a time, until your desired taste is reached.
4. If desired, mix in gel food colouring to achieve the colour you’re hoping for.