Begin by preheating the oven to 350°F. Place cupcake liners in baking pans.

Add 3/4 cup of (VERY) hot water into a large bowl. Mix in 1 1/2 tsp of coffee or espresso powder, and stir lightly until dissolved.

Carefully pour in 1/3 cup chocolate chips and 1/3 cup of sifted black cocoa powder. Let this sit for 2 minutes to melt the chocolate, then stir until smooth.

Pour the dry ingredients (3/4 cup flour, 3/4 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp baking soda and 1/2 tsp salt) into chocolate espresso mixture, and stir until just combined. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed with a spatula.

Mix in the eggs one at a time.

Then add 1/3 cup vegetable oil, 1 tsp vinegar, and 1 tsp vanilla, and mix until the batter is smooth - it will be thin!

Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full, and bake for about 18 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean (or with minimal crumbs).

Allow cupcakes to cool in pans for 10 minutes, then remove and place in the freezer for 15 minutes (to accelerate the cooling process).

Beat the butter on a medium speed for 30 seconds with a paddle attachment, until smooth. 

Slowly add in the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time. Alternate with small splashes of cream.

Once fully mixed, add in the salt.

Beat on low until the ingredients are fully incorporated, and the desired consistency is reached.

If the frosting is too thick, add an extra Tbsp of heavy cream. If it's too thin, add in another 1/2 cup of powdered sugar.

Stir by hand with a rubber spatula to get the frosting SUPER smooth.

Place 2 cup of vanilla buttercream into a small piping bag, and seal with a rubber band. Cut a small, 1 cm opening at the end and set aside.

Color 1/4 cup of frosting orange with gel food coloring, and a 1/4 cup pink with gel food coloring. Place each color in its own, small piping bag. Snip a small opening that is about 1/3 cm wide.

Add in the sifted cocoa to the remaining buttercream, and mix on low until the cocoa is fully incorporated.

Mix in the cooled, melted chocolate, and a squirt of black gel food coloring. Stir until the frosting is evenly colored.

Place 1/4 cup in a small piping bag fitted with a small round piping tip.

Place the remaining frosting in a large piping bag, and seal the top with a rubber band. Cut the tip of the bag to have a 1.5 cm opening.

Stack two fully cooled cupcakes on top of each other, with a generous layer of vanilla buttercream between them.

Secure the stack with a wooden skewer, to make it easier to frost.

Cover in a thin layer of vanilla frosting, to act as the crumb coat.

Chill for 10 minutes in the freezer or fridge, until the frosting is firm to the touch.

Carefully remove the wooden skewer.

Add a second, thicker layer of black chocolate frosting, and smooth using an offset spatula and acetate sheet.

Pipe on two wings with the black buttercream.

Chill for an additional 10 minutes to help the chocolate frosting set.

Pipe a heart shape on front of the cupcake stack, and fill it in. Smooth using an offset spatula.

Use the orange frosting to pipe on a beak and feed.

Pipe on the eyes with the black buttercream in the small piping bag.

Use the pink frosting to add two tiny little cheeks.

Repeat with remaining cupcakes and frosting.