Cupcakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12 cup muffin pan with cupcake liners. Set aside.

Whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, sifted cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Whisk together oil and sugars in a medium mixing bowl.

Whisk in one egg at a time. Add in vanilla extract.

Measure out buttermilk in a measuring cup and add the coffee to it.

Alternate mixing in half of the dry ingredients and half of the buttermilk to the wet ingredients until everything is added. Mix until just combined.

Fill each liner two-thirds full of batter.

Place the pan in the oven for 20-22 minutes. The cupcakes are done when a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

Cool completely before frosting.

Chocolate Malt Buttercream

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, mix the butter on medium high speed until light and creamy.

Add the sifted confectioner’s sugar, malt powder, cocoa powder and salt, mixing on low speed until incorporated.

Once the dry ingredients are mixed well, increase speed to medium high and mix for one minute.

Add the heavy cream and vanilla, mixing on high speed until smooth and creamy. If buttercream is too thick, add more heavy cream. If too thin, add more sugar.

Transfer the frosting into a piping bag fitted with a large star tip and pipe swirls of frosting onto the cooled cupcakes.