Copycat Starbucks Double Chocolate Chip Frappuccino Cupcakes

Inspired by the Starbucks Double Chocolate Chip Frappuccino, these insanely chocolaty cupcakes are flavored with just a hint of coffee, bursting with chocolate pieces, then crowned with a lusciously whipped frosting.

There are squiggly little red lines all over my computer right now as I try to figure out the correct way to spell Frappu— Frappe—Frappuc (omg… one “c” or two?)… Frappuccino without looking it up.  Well there it is, I finally had to give up and Google it, and good thing I did because evidently my computer doesn’t recognize frappuccino as a real word, anyway (it keeps suggesting cappuccino”), so those squiggly lines aren’t going anywhere.

Spelling (and misspellings) aside, while it’s pretty well-documented that I don’t like coffee, every few weeks I’m struck by an insufferable craving for a frappuccino… but there’s a very particular kind that I crave every time.

I’m absolutely head over heels for  Starbucks Double Chocolate Chip Frappuccinos.  Those ridiculous,  fancily-named drinks are irresistible with their rich chocolate with just the slightest hint of espresso (though of course you can get it without)… and that chocolate drizzled whipped cream just takes the cake.

Every time I sip on one it takes me back to being a kid, sipping on a big glass of highly-coveted cold chocolate milk (before I decided that I hated drinking milk, chocolate or not).

While I could’ve tried my hand at replicating the frappi-howeveryouspellit myself, I fancy myself as a baker rather than a barista, so cupcakes it was.

To make the oh-so-chocolaty cupcake portion of this recipe, I slightly modified my recipe for my favorite, one-bowl chocolate cupcakes.

While the original chocolate cupcake recipe is pretty much perfect as-is, I made a few tweaks to make them copycat-frappuccino-worthy.  Each cupcake is flecked with tiny bits of finely chopped real dark chocolate, and the flavor is further intensified with a few heaping spoonfuls of instant coffee for a subtle hint of espresso flavor in each melt-in-your-mouth bite.  These additions make for  decadent, richly flavored cupcakes that are packed with flavor, but aren’t at all dense.

Even though these cupcakes were extremely well-received by everyone who tried them, it was the frosting that really had everyone buzzing.

This light, mock-whipped cream frosting is made out of homemade, hand-whipped cream (don’t worry, it’s easy to do!) which is then folded in a mixture of cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla.  The cream cheese does an excellent job of keeping the frosting from becoming too sweet (or too bland), while still making it light as a feather and airy.  Unlike regular whipped cream, it also stays nice and stabilized for at least two days after it’s been piped (I can’t vouch for any longer than that, as it was a struggle to get a cupcake to last to the two-days post-baking point without being eaten).

Also, even though they’re called “chocolate chip” frappe–whatchamacall’ems, the chocolate pieces inside a frappeuccino are smaller than your average chocolate chip, so we’re using finely chopped dark chocolate pieces here instead.

Make sure to chop them splinter-fine for flecks of melty chocolate in every bite.

Enjoy!

5 from 6 votes

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Copycat Starbucks Double Chocolate Chip Frappuccino Cupcakes

Cupcakes inspired by Starbucks' double chocolate chip frappuccinos!

Prep Time 45 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Servings 24 ** (see note)

Ingredients

Cupcakes

• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cups natural unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 2/3 cup ⅔ canola oil vegetable oil would also be fine
• 1 cup milk
• 2 eggs lightly beaten (preferably room temperature)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup very hot water
• 2 Tbsp instant coffee
• 6 oz premium dark chocolate chopped into very small pieces.* I use a Ghirardelli baking bar

Frosting

• 8 oz cream cheese softened to room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar divided
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 cups heavy cream
• Chocolate syrup for drizzling
• 2 oz dark chocolate finely chopped or mini chocolate chips . if desired

Instructions

Cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line muffin tin with cupcake liners (or lightly grease and flour).
2. In large bowl, whisk together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. Stir in canola oil and milk, stirring until combined.
4. Add eggs, one at a time, stirring after each addition.
5. Stir in vanilla extract.
6. Measure out your hot water (carefully!) and stir the instant coffee into the hot water.
7. Add the water to the batter and stir until the mixture is evenly combined (it will be a thin batter. When you first add the water/coffee to the batter will separate a bit, so stir until it is even in texture and smooth. Be careful with the hot water as it may splatter as it is stirred, and it will be hot).
8. Fold in finely chopped chocolate pieces.
9. Fill prepared muffin tin cavities just over ⅔ of the way full. Occasionally scrape the bottom of the bowl and stir to evenly-redistribute any chocolate pieces that may have settled on the bottom of the bowl.
10. Bake at 350F for 18-22 minutes (use the toothpick test to check).
11. Allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.

Frosting

1. Stir together cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until well-combined. Set aside.
2. In a clean, dry, separate bowl, combine your heavy cream and the remaining 1/2 cup powdered sugar. Using a mixer with a whisk attachment, beat on high-speed just until stiff peaks form (stiff peaks exist when you can dip a knife or spatula into the mixture and the peaks that form when you remove the utensil hold their shape without the point of the peak significantly folding or receding back into the mixture -- a small amount of folding or receding is OK, don't overbeat the cream!)
3. Fold your cream cheese mixture into the whipping cream mixture. With the mixer on low-speed, stir until well-combined (again, try not to over-whisk).
4. Pipe frosting generously onto cooled cupcakes.
5. Drizzle with chocolate syrup and garnish with chopped chocolate or mini chips, if desired.
6. Serve and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

* Chop the chocolate into teeny tiny pieces--smaller than mini chocolate chips. I used a large knife and "minced" the chocolate as if I were mincing garlic. If you do not make the chocolate small enough, it will sink to the bottom of the cupcakes, you want it to be dispersed throughout the cupcake (though, trust me, a few pieces on the bottom isn't anything to cry over). The heat from the added coffee will also help shrink the pieces a bit.
**This recipe makes enough batter for just over 24 cupcakes. You could either discard the excess batter (blasphemy!) or wait for your pans to cool and bake the extras. In my case, I used the leftover batter to make a few mini cupcakes.

Other Recipes to Try

Dark Chocolate Mini Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Frosting

Petite Vanilla Bean and Almond Scones

Easy One Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes