Peppermint Mocha Mini Cakes

I spent Thanksgiving up in Buffalo with my mom, my sisters, and my adorable niece and nephew. It was suuuper fun, but I got into the habit of tiptoeing around quietly when the kiddos went to sleep and now I'm on a 5-year-old's sleeping schedule. It's 9PM right now and I can barely keep my eyes open. Maybe this will mean that I can wake up in time to get to the gym tomorrow morning, though--fingers crossed!

We drove back yesterday (Well, Candice and Rich drove. I sat in the back seat with the dogs screaming Adele and Justin Bieber songs.) and though I took on turkey duty, I was pretty pumped to get home and get started with cooking/baking holiday goodies. 

First on my list was something GREEN and minty, to usher in the holiday cheer. My new favorite thing are mini cakes. They're just upside-down cupcakes, which somehow are way more chic than regular cupcakes. Cook some cakes in a muffin tin, flip them upside down and pour on some colorful icing--and sprinkles--for something perfectly personal-sized. 

These cakes are slightly bitter on their own thanks to the espresso powder, but the super sugary glaze balances it out perfectly for a not-cupcake that's not too sweet. I tried to find red sprinkles for something a little more Christmassy, but the grocery store only had green. But that means these can do double duty for St. Paddy's! ;)

Peppermint Mocha Mini Cakes

For the Cakes

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 3 tsp espresso powder
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup milk
• 4 tsp olive oil
• 1 tsp peppermint extract

For the Icing

• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• pinch salt
• 2 drops green food coloring
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 4-5 Tbsp half and half
• 2 tsp green sanding sugar

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease the wells of a 12-piece muffin tin.
2. Whisk together dry ingredients. Add in remaining cake ingredients and beat for about 2 minutes using an electric mixer.
3. Using an ice cream scoop, spoon batter into muffin tin to achieve uniform cakes. Bake cakes for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
4. Let cakes cool in muffin tin for about 10 minutes and then flip cakes out using an offset spatula and let cool completely on a drying rack.
5. Combine frosting ingredients in a bowl and whisk together until smooth. Add in more food coloring if desired; add in more milk if you desire a thinner batter, add in more powdered sugar for a thicker one.
6. Place a sheet of wax paper beneath your cooling rack to catch excess icing.
7. Spoon icing over cakes and spread slightly so that the icing drips down the sides of the cakes. Sprinkle each with sanding sugar and serve!