These chocolate cupcakes are soft, and moist, chocolatey cupcakes topped with a simple and delicious chocolate buttercream! They’re a great cupcake for so many occasions!
These chocolate cupcakes are made with a few simple ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry. You’ll be able to whip them up in only a few minutes time, then you just have to wait for them to bake, and cool.
Then you can top them with your choice of frosting, though I definitely love a rich chocolate frosting on top of a sweet chocolate cupcake. They’d also be fantastic with this raspberry buttercream!
I originally got the cupcake part of the recipe for these chocolate cupcakes from the Big Book of Cupcakes. I’m usually not a great cupcake maker because I’m not great at decorating, but this cupcake recipe is practically fail proof, and a recipe that everyone can make!
Why are these Chocolate Cupcakes the Best?
- made with simple pantry ingredients
- rich, moist, and chocolatey
- simple and easy to make
- perfect for every occasion
How to make Chocolate Cupcakes?
First start by combining all the dry ingredients in a large bowl, and whisking them together. Then in another bowl add the milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla and whisk them together. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until they’re nice and smooth. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add in the hot water and mix until it’s all combined, the batter will be really thin.
Pour the batter into a muffin tin lined with paper liners, filling them each about 2/3 full. Bake the cupcakes until they are done and a toothpick comes out clean (or with a few soft crumbs). Let the cupcakes cool completely.
When you’re ready to serve the cupcakes, make the frosting. In a large bowl mix your butter till it’s nice and smooth. Then add in the powdered sugar and cocoa powder until they’re well mixed into the butter.
Then add in the cream, vanilla, and salt and mix until combined. Then keep mixing, and raise the speed to medium high until the frosting is nice and fluffy.
Scoop your frosting into a piping bag (or ziplock bag) with a piping tip and pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes. Top with sprinkles if you want, and enjoy!
Tips to make the best Chocolate Cupcakes?
- Bring the butter and eggs to room temperature first before making the cupcakes. This helps the ingredients combine really well together.
- Don’t fill the cupcake liners too full. Fill them each 2/3 full or the cupcakes will look more like muffins with tops that hang over the sides.
- Wait for the cupcakes to cool completely before topping them with the frosting to prevent the frosting from sliding off.
- Sift the cocoa powder and powdered sugar to get rid of any big lumps to keep the frosting extra smooth.
- You can substitute store bought frosting for the homemade chocolate buttercream if desired.
- You can substitute a vanilla buttercream, cream cheese frosting, or other frosting flavors instead of chocolate, if desired.
These chocolate cupcakes are so rich, chocolatey, and delicious! You won’t be able to stop at just one.
More chocolate desserts:
- Chocolate Pudding
- Triple Chocolate Cake
- How to Make Chocolate Bombs
- Chocolate Cupcakes for Two
- Chocolate Ice Cream
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Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Cupcakes:
- 2 cups flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup hot water
For the Chocolate Buttercream:
- 1 cup butter (room temperature)
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 3-5 TBS heavy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 dash salt
Equipment
- Large Mixing Bowl
Instructions
For the Chocolate Cupcakes:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a muffin tin with paper liners.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugars, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, soda, and salt. Whisk them together, and set aside.
- In another bowl add the milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract and whisk them together till smooth.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until they are well combined. Make sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
- Add the hot water and mix until everything is just blended. (It will be very thin)
- Pour the batter evenly into the prepared muffin tins, about 2/3 full each.
- Bake for about 18-22 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out with a few soft crumbs.
- Remove the pan from the oven and allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan for a few minutes. Then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
For the Chocolate Buttercream:
- In a large bowl mix the butter until it's smooth. Beat for about 2 minutes.
- Add in the powdered sugar, and cocoa powder. Beat until they're well mixed.
- Add in the heavy cream, vanilla extract, and salt and mix until smooth.
- Once combined, raise the speed to medium high, and beat until the frosting is nice and fluffy.
- Scoop the frosting into a piping bag with a piping tip (I like the 1M tip) and pipe onto the cooled cupcakes.
Nutrition
These chocolate cupcakes were first posted on August 29, 2014. The photos and text were updated for clarity on September 22, 2021.
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