• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the cupcake pans with paper cupcake liners.
• In a separate bowl, add the flour, sifted cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Whisk to blend. Set aside.
• In the bowl of your mixer, beat the softened butter on medium speed until light and creamy. Add the vegetable oil and vanilla. Gradually add the sugar and mix until light and fluffy, approximately 4 to 5 minutes.
• Next, add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each until the yellow of the yolk has blended. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
• Mixing on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and milk to the sugar mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. (3 additions of dry ingredients and 2 additions of milk.) Mix just until combined.
• Slowly add the cup of hot coffee at this time, mixing slowly just until combined. The batter will be very thin. Don't worry this is how it should be.
• Scoop batter into the cupcake liners. You'll use about ¼ cup of batter per cupcake.
• Bake at 350 degrees F for 16-18 minutes or until the tops spring back when lightly touched or an inserted toothpick comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached. Baking times may vary and so peek in as the end time approaches and adjust time as needed.

For the Mint Buttercream

• Cream the softened butter until smooth.
• Blend in the peppermint extract.
• Add half of the powdered sugar and most of the milk. Beat at medium speed until the powdered sugar is incorporated.
• Add remaining powdered sugar and milk and mix at medium speed another 3 to 4 minutes scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. I slow down the mixer to very slow. (#2 on the Kitchenaid) for 1 to 2 minutes. This will help eliminate air pockets in the buttercream. The texture will become very smooth.
• If your buttercream is too thin, add more powdered sugar. If the consistency is too thick, add a bit more milk.

Filling the Cupcakes (optional)

• If you would like to fill your cupcakes as we did, load a disposable piping bag with mint buttercream and snip away the end (about ½ inch opening). Insert the bag halfway into the cupcake and squeeze for about 3 seconds to fill. Repeat for each cupcake. Then frost.
• Before filling the cupcakes, you can do a trial run if you have a cupcake to spare, and then slice it in half. This will show you how much filling you are putting in and you can adjust to your liking. You could also do a trial run on a plate (counting the seconds it takes to reach the desired amount).

Decorating

• Decorate however you'd like! We swirled frosting onto our cupcakes with the same disposable piping bag with the tip snipped away that we used for the filling. (However swirls with large star tips like 2D or 1M are great options too). Top with mini peppermint patties (or regular size, sliced into wedges or halves.)