Mocha Frappuccino Cupcakes

I have a habit of picking up random things at the supermarket that may or may not work well in cupcakes. A few weeks ago, I picked up some Starbucks Mocha Frappuccino drinks! Well they turned out great! Loved Em!

I started out trying to replace the eggnog from my eggnog cupcakes with the frappuccino, but they turned out very sunken in and gooey, so I used Martha Stewart's Yellow Cupcakes as my starting point, which turned out much better!

Since I don't have an event to bring these to, I didn't need a whole bunch, so I halved the recipes (edits shown below) to make about 6-8 cupcakes. The perfect amount!

The only glitch with these, (other than the horrendous first batch I made), was the fact that I am terrible at math!! So terrible! Especially when I am trying to mentally halve a recipe as I go. I thought I had gotten it right, and was wondering why the batter was so thick, but I brushed it off because they still tasted great. Well, as I was typing up the recipe, i realized that I did not halve the flour and baking powder right.

1 1/2 cups divided by 2 does not equal 1 1/4 cups.......I repeat, I suck at math! But they turned out delicious, so I guess it doesn't really matter.

Mocha Frappuccino Cupcakes:

• 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
• 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 cup milk
• 1/8 cup Mocha Frappuccino Drink
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 large eggs

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees; line the cups of a standard (12-cup) muffin tin with paper or foil liners. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a liquid-measuring cup, mix milk, frappuccino, and vanilla; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. With mixer on low speed, add half of dry ingredients, followed by milk-vanilla mixture, then remaining dry ingredients. Do not overmix.
3. Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups (a 2-ounce or 1/4-cup ice-cream scoop is good for this).
4. Place tin on a rimmed baking sheet; bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a cupcake comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool cupcakes 5 minutes in tin, then remove and cool completely on a rack before frosting.
5. Prepare frosting: In a medium bowl, with an electric mixer, beat butter, confectioners' sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth. Mix in up to 1/2 cup more sugar or a few more teaspoons of milk as necessary to achieve a spreadable consistency. Makes enough for 6-8 cupcakes.

Mocha Frappuccino Frosting:

• 1/4 cup butter, softened 
• 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar 
• 2 T frappuccino 
• 1/4 tsp instant espresso power (plus more to sprinkle on frosted cupcakes)

1. To make the frosting, beat the butter until smooth
2. Add the powdered sugar, half a cup at a time. 
3. Add the espresso powder, then add the frappuccino one Tablespoon at a time until the frosting is smooth. 
4. Pipe onto cooled cupcakes and sprinkle with espresso powder.