Thai Iced Coffee Cupcakes

Let's cut to the chase here. These cupcakes are all about the icing. Well, maybe all is a bit of a harsh statement, but the icing is really the star of the show here. Don't get me wrong, the cake itself is good, but the icing? Out of this world. And this comes from a self-confessed icing shunner.

But let's back up for a bit. Earlier this week I got an idea into my head for condensed milk cupcakes. Don't know how or why it popped into my head (no actually I do, it was while I was busy sneaking some condensed milk straight from the tin - shhhh don't tell), but once it was there, it refused to budge. I daydreamed about it, googled "condensed milk cupcakes" and even tweeted about it. One of my fellow South African bloggers, Jessica (from Tiny Oven Adventures) quickly jumped on the condensed milk bandwagon with her Sticky Condensed Milk & Vanilla Seed Icing Cupcakes. Yeah, I'm a trendsetter that way.

But while I was trendsetting, I still had not come up with any cupcakes of my own. Bad bad blogger. That's when I remembered the Thai Iced Coffee I made (and fell in love with) a few months ago in the heat of summer. Condensed milk was a prime ingredient and it didn't take long for me to put two and two together and end up with these magnificent Thai Iced Coffee Cupcakes. Which did a pretty good job of spoiling me for any other cupcake.

sEspecially icing-wise. I think it's safe to say that I probably won't be veering too far from this icing recipe in future. It is rich, but not too rich (you can thank the coffee for that), sweet, but not too sweet (that's the handiwork of my cream-cheesy friend), and texture-wise (the source of my usual icing-issues) it is a pleasure odyssey.* 

I'm not ashamed  to admit that I ate an inordinate amount of the icing scooped straight from the bowl. Whether you make the cupcakes, well, that is your choice. But this icing? You are practically obliged to make it. Make it, devour half and send me the other half. Why? Um... because your thighs will thank me later. Yeah, that's the reason...

*Corny phrases are not a usual result of these cupcakes, however results may vary. 

======<() And on a sidenote: The Soccer World Cup starts today - wooooot!   If you're not watching, you're missing out.

Thai Iced Coffee Cupcakes

Adapted from Eat My Cupcake

Makes 12

For the cupcakes:

125g (1/2 cup) butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar

1 large egg

1 1/3 cups cake flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup stong freshly brewed coffee mixed with 2 tbsp condensed milk

For the icing:

240g (8 oz) full-fat cream cheese

100g butter, softened

1 cup icing (confectioner's) sugar

2 tbsp strongly brewed coffee

2 tbsp condensed milk

1. Preheat oven to 180C (350F). Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.

2. Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat well.

3. Sift the dry ingredients together and add bit by bit to the butter/sugar mixture, alternating with the coffee mixture, beating to combine.

4. Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake liners and bake for 16 - 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

5. Remove cupcakes from the pan and allow to cool on a wire rack.

6. When the cupcakes have cooled, mix all the icing ingredients in a bowl and beat well until smooth. Fill a icing bag and pipe onto the cupcakes.