This shop {Homemade Mocha Cupcakes: Two Ways} has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #DelightfulMoments #CollectiveBias

When October is over and the costumes have been stowed away until next year, we only have one thing on our mind over here: the holiday season. The most wonderful time of the year! Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day is just a whirlwind of joy, family gatherings, and delicious foods. Thanksgiving is a dedicated feasting holiday, and Christmas and cookies are practically synonymous this time of year.
Today I’m sharing a recipe that will travel from Thanksgiving to Christmas, and is just a tad different from your usual pumpkin pie or Christmas cookie. Cupcakes are totally underappreciated during the holiday season, and I’m here to change that! I mean, who can really resist the allure of a moist chocolate cupcake frosted with a decadent mocha frosting? And if we’re being honest, I have met a few cookies on a holiday platter that have been less than lovely. Chocolate cupcakes have always been lovely.

This chocolate mocha cupcake is made from scratch, from cake to frosting. The cake part is a simple chocolate cake batter. If you aren’t into the idea of making cupcakes from scratch, it’s acceptable to make them from a boxed mix. I won’t tell 🙂
Now comes the fun part - the buttercream frosting! I used my future mother-in-law’s super secret formula to make her famous homemade chocolate frosting and made a few key updates to the recipe. Instead of adding milk, I used International Delight® Peppermint Mocha Coffee Creamer and International Delight® Salted Caramel Mocha Coffee Creamer to add some serious flavor to the frosting. We picked up these creamers at our local Walmart while I was doing some other miscellaneous shopping.
I also added a bit of espresso powder to the frosting as well. The creamer subs in really well in place of milk and adds such a nice flavor to the frosting that I think I actually prefer these versions to the plain chocolate frosting!

Each chocolate cupcake was piped with its respective mocha frosting and then garnished with crushed peppermint candies or miniature chewy caramel candies. I appreciate a good garnish because it lets me know what I’ll be biting into. Nothing is worse than expecting one flavor and getting something totally different. Garnishes (and clear labeling) are key to making sure everyone knows what they’ll be biting into. This recipe lets everyone enjoy their favorite mocha flavor when it’s time to have dessert after holiday dinners.


The holidays always make me feel so warm and nostalgic, even though I no longer live with my parents and sisters. Waking up early to watch the Thanksgiving Day Parade wouldn’t be complete without a hot cup of coffee topped off with that day’s splash of International Delight® Coffee Creamer. I would always watch my mom make her morning coffee, and now I understand why she loves it so much. We would always wake up way too early and have to wait in anticipation for the parade to start. Looking back now, I remember her sipping on the perfect cup of coffee during the holidays in sheer contentment. I saw how she would start her days, and now it’s exactly how I start mine.

Even now as I’m approaching the end of my mid-20s, I love being with my family Christmas morning - even if I’m bleary eyed and so incredibly tired from stretching myself too thin trying to be with all of my family and friends on Christmas Eve. A good dash of Peppermint Mocha creamer in my morning coffee never fails to wake me up and get me in the gift-exchanging mood. I’m already so excited for the holiday season to start!
All the ladies in my family love our morning cup of coffee and really enjoy that extra bit of flavor from the International Delight® creamers. If I’m lucky, maybe I’ll even get to sneak one of these cupcakes with my morning coffee for breakfast. It’s the start of the holiday season, so you may as well enjoy yourself!
Which one of these homemade mocha cupcakes would you make first? What’s your favorite thing about the holidays?

Homemade Mocha Cupcakes: Two Ways
Homemade Mocha Cupcakes are the perfect chocolaty treat for any time of year!
Ingredients
- **Cupcakes:
- 1 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 1 ½ cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ⅔ cup vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup sour milk, 1 cup milk + 1 teaspoon vinegar or lemon juice
- Caramel candies, optional
- Crushed peppermint candies, optional
- ***Buttercream:
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- ½ cup of your favorite flavor of International Delight® Coffee Creamer, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons espresso powder
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Combine cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, granulated sugar and brown sugar in a bowl. Whisk to combine the dry ingredients.
- In a separate bowl, combine eggs, oil, vanilla and sour milk and whisk to combine.
- Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and whisk until lumps disappear.
- Line a cupcake pan with 24 cupcake liners and spray the bottoms with nonstick cooking spray, if desired.
- Fill cupcake liners ½ full with batter.
- Bake for 5 minutes at 375°F and lower the temperature to 350°F for the remaining 10 minutes.
- Allow cupcakes to fully cool before frosting.
- **For the buttercream:
- Fit a stand mixer or hand mixer with a whisk attachment. On a medium-high speed, beat butter for 45 seconds.
- Reduce speed to low. While whipping, add powdered sugar to bowl, one cup at a time. Mixture will be thick.
- Increase mixer speed to medium-high. Add your favorite flavor of International Delight® Coffee Creamer, cocoa powder and espresso powder. If mixture seems to be too thick, add more creamer, one tablespoon at a time. If the mixture is too thin, add additional powdered sugar, one tablespoon at a time. Beat until mixture is combined and buttercream is thick.
- Add prepared buttercream to a piping bag, fitted with your favorite piping bag tip. Pipe frosting onto cupcakes in your desired shape and garnish with candies, if desired.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1 gramsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 214Unsaturated Fat: 0g
Cupcake recipe adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction’s Classic Chocolate Cupcakes.
Check out this video to see other ways you can use International Delight® Coffee Creamer!

Megan - The Emotional Baker
What a delicious cupcake flavor! I'm getting excited for peppermint season - these will be perfect once it gets here 🙂
Jessica
Thanks, Megan! I can't wait to make ALL the peppermint mochas once December rolls around. I might even have one later this week!
Nicole @ Foodie Loves Fitness
Yum, these cupcakes look delicious! And I'm with you, I love love LOVE the holiday season. I just told my hubby yesterday that I want to decorate our house for Christmas during the weekend after Thanksgiving 🙂
Jessica
Thanks, Nicole! We always decorate the weekend after Thanksgiving 😀 as far as I'm concerned, once the radio starts playing Christmas music, I'm okay to put up all the decorations!
Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary
Why is it that you don't see more cupcakes at holiday spreads?! I LOVE that you are changing that with these mocha cupcakes - TWO ways! I mean, cupcakes LOOK like a holiday in a wrapper, so I'm thinking EVERYONE needs to include these at their holiday party! They look absolutely fabulous, both ways! Cheers!
Jessica
Haha, exactly what I've been thinking! My cousin brought some cupcakes to last Thanksgiving and they were so unexpected but welcomed because everyone always has pie at Thanksgiving. Move over, other holiday desserts - cupcakes are making a comeback! Thanks for popping by, Cheyanne 🙂
Amanda
I've never used coffee creamer in frosting before. This is such a great idea!
Jessica
I had never either, but when I tested the recipe it worked just as well as the milk usually does! Thank you!
Nicole @ Young, Broke and Hungry
I would not mind one or two of these cupcakes!
Jessica
Thanks, Nicole! One of each 🙂
Kate Hackworthy
Mocha... cupcakes... oh you have me swooning for a big bite! They look lovely!
Jessica
Thanks, Kate!! You should totally try them one day!
Platter Talk
What a nice idea for a "holiday" time cupcake. Very nice.
Jessica
Thank you! I thought it was a good way to celebrate upcoming holidays without being too overstated 🙂
Cricket Plunkett
Love the two different frosting options, so fun!
Jessica
Thanks so much! I couldn't help myself and love options 🙂
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
I think I'm ready for a cupcake (at 5am!)
Jessica
I may or may not have had one for breakfast... 😉
Jemma
These looks delicious! Perfect for those coffee lovers.
Jessica
Thanks, Jemma! I felt so bad that I loaded the frosting with espresso powder when my fiance loathes all things coffee. More for the rest of us!!
Elizabeth
Mmmm now those sound rather fantastic! Love a proper home made cupcake, me!
Jessica
Thank you so much! A homemade cupcake is like no other!
Lacey Bean
Mmm those sound delicious!
Jessica
Thank you, Lacey!!
Kimi
Yum and yum! Now to get someone to actually make these for me, LOL! Love your photography too, nicely done!
Jessica
Thanks, Kimi!! I don't mind the baking part so much - it's the putting of the frosting into the piping bag that I could do without 🙂 but they make such a pretty cupcake that I can't resist!
Stacey | The Sugar Coated Cottage
These are just what I needed this morning to get me going!! Now if only I could reach through the screen 🙂 ... I love that the flavor of the buttercream is changed with just one ingredient (creamer). Delicious. Take care.
Jessica
Thanks so much, Stacey! These were so fun to make and even more fun to eat!