Chocolate Cupcake with Mocha Swiss Merengue Buttercream

What can be better than chocolate cupcake with yummy mocha buttercream frosting? Well nothing. For those days when you are craving chocolate.

What I did different (Cupcake):
*I don't like really sweet anything so only used 1/2 cup of brown sugar and about 3/4 cup of regular sugar. If you are not sure, make original recipe (half it first, experimentation needs lesser quantity and the original recipe makes about 2 dozen cupcakes) and adjust accordingly next time.
*Used instant coffee because I did not want to make fresh coffee so I put a cup of water in the micro and then coffee powder to hot water.
*I also didn't have cocoa powder so I just used 1/2 cup of Starbucks dark hot chocolate (I just added that with coffee to the hot water). If you use regular hot chocolate reduce the amount of sugar even further.
*Note: This really is very yummy and easy chocolate cake recipe. You just mix everything in, pour and bake. It might become my staple choc cake recipe :)

Cupcake recipe: http://www.diddlesanddumplings.com/2012/05/marshmallow-filled-buttermilk-mocha.html?m=1

Buttercream recipe: http://sweetapolita.com/2011/04/swiss-meringue-buttercream-demystified/

What I did differently: Only used 2.5 cups of butter. Melted chocolate and instant coffee and folded that to the buttercream after its done (about 5-6 chalets of dark chocolate melted in a double boiler)