Kahlua Spiked Mexican Chocolate Cupcakes

My Kitchen Addiction turns 4 years old today… Where has the time gone?

If you had asked me where I thought this blog would be in four years when I started writing and sharing recipes, I probably would have shrugged and smiled…  I had no idea. I started My Kitchen Addiction with no real big plans, no huge ambitions.  It sounded like fun to start sharing my recipes and photographs with a few stories along the way. It grew organically over the years, and now here I am!

Sure, in four years, my site has grown considerably.  But, I’m not here to chat about site impressions, unique visitors and all of that. It has never been my personal measure of success, and I’m not about to change that now.

There have been a lot of other changes over the past four years that are much more important to me. I’d like to think my photography has improved somewhat, though I have been in a bit of a rut lately.  I feel as though I have found my voice as a writer, even though it may not impress my high school English teachers. And, most importantly, I have developed a lot of great friendships.

Since starting my site, I have transitioned from being an IT consultant to being a full-time stay-at-home-mommy. I started decorating cookies along the way, and I have tackled more baking projects in the kitchen than I ever dreamed I would.  I am still working on baking the perfect croissant, though that challenge is temporarily on hold until naptime is a bit more reliable.

Life in my house has changed a few times along the way, and now that I am a new mom with a 3 month old baby, things are changing once again. Since my recipes and everything I write about is a reflection of what’s going on in my life, it’s only natural that things here at My Kitchen Addiction will be changing a bit, too. I don’t have endless hours to spend in the kitchen at the moment, so you’ll be seeing simpler recipes that lend themselves well to being prepped the night before or during that elusive naptime (when it happens at all). I will likely be focusing a bit more on meal planning, since I can’t just run out to the store on a whim to pick up whatever I am in the mood for that night for dinner. As always, my focus will continue to be cooking and baking for those that I love, and my hope is that I can inspire you to do the same!

So, to celebrate four years of blogging and also look forward to many more years ahead, today I thought I would share a cupcake recipe with you.  I intended on making a cake, but cupcakes seemed much more manageable.  Such is life these days! I adapted the recipe for Devil’s Food cake from Baking From My Home to Yours to make a rich Mexican chocolate cupcake.  And, since we’re celebrating, I hit both the cupcakes and the creamy frosting with some Kahlua. Cheers!

Kahlua Spiked Mexican Chocolate Cupcakes
Makes 18 cupcakes
(Adapted from Baking From My Home to Yours)

For the cake:

• 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3 eggs, at room temperature
• 2 ounces dark chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
• 1 tablespoon Kahlua (or other coffee liqueur)
• 1 teaspoon pure Mexican vanilla extract
  (if you don’t have Mexican vanilla, “regular” vanilla extract will do)
• 1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup dark cocoa powder
  (regular cocoa powder would do fine, but I wanted the extra richness from the dark cocoa)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/3 cup milk

For the frosting:

• 1 cup salted butter, softened
  (if you prefer, you can use unsalted and salt to taste)
• 3 tablespoons Kahlua (or other coffee liqueur)
• 1/2 teaspoon Mexican vanilla
  (again, “regular” vanilla will work just fine)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 4 – 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• Half and half (or cream, optional)

Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Line muffin tins with paper cupcake liners and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl (the bowl for your stand mixer, if you are using one), beat the butter, brown sugar, and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, for about 3-4 minutes.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for about 1 minute after each addition.  Add in the melted chocolate, Kahlua, and vanilla.  Beat until well incorporated.

In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  In an additional bowl (or liquid measuring cup, my preference) whisk together the sour cream and milk.  While mixing on the lowest setting, add the dry ingredients and sour cream mixture alternately to the creamed mixture. Be sure to start and end with the dry ingredients, mixing just enough to incorporate them.

Fill each muffin cup with 1/4 cup of batter. Bake the cupcakes for 16 – 18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean (or with just a few moist crumbs). Let the cupcakes cool in the pans for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Once the cupcakes have cooled, prepare the frosting.  Combine the butter, Kahlua, vanilla, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl.  Beat on medium-high speed until the butter is light and fluffy and the other ingredients are well incorporated.  Gradually, add the powdered sugar, mixing on medium-high speed between each addition. Add enough powdered sugar to achieve a spreadable consistency. If the frosting gets too thick, add a teaspoon or two of half and half (or cream) to the frosting to loosen it up a bit.

Spread or pipe the frosting on the cupcakes, and enjoy!

Please Note – The links to Baking From My Home to Yours provided in this post are Amazon affiliate links.  If you purchase this cookbook (or another item) after  clicking on my link, I receive a small percentage of the sale price, which helps to keep My Kitchen Addiction up and running. Thanks!