Chocolate Cupcake Recipe
This chocolate cupcake recipe is a perfectly moist, light, fluffy cupcake with a super chocolatey buttercream frosting! How can you go wrong?
Moist Chocolate Cupcake Recipe
Made from scratch cupcakes are always the best! They are just as easy to make and are great for any occasion.
You will never use a box mix again. I promise these cupcakes will deliver the moist, deep chocolate flavor and perfect texture everyone craves!
Ingredients Needed for the Cupcakes
- All-purpose flour
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Granulated sugar
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Large egg
- Buttermilk
- Vegetable oil
- Pure vanilla extract
- Hot strong coffee (or hot water)
If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make an easy substitute by adding 1/2 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to a 1/2 cup measuring cup, then filling the rest of the way with milk. Stir, then let sit for 5 minutes before adding to the recipe.
How to Make Chocolate Cupcakes from Scratch
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cupcake pan with paper liners, set aside.
In a medium-size bowl add the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine.
In a large bowl add the room temperature egg, buttermilk, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. Whisk to combine.
Add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients and mix with an electric mixer until combined. Add the hot coffee and mix together until combined. This batter will be thin, don’t panic.
Fill the paper cupcake liners only 1/2 full ( I use a 1/4 cup measuring cup). Be sure to only fill the cupcake liners halfway full not 3/4 or even 2/3 full like most recipes.
Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
Cool completely before frosting.
Ingredients Needed for the Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- Unsalted butter
- Confectioners’ sugar
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Heavy cream or milk
- Salt
- Pure vanilla extract
How to Make Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Using a handheld electric mixer or stand mixer beat the softened butter on medium speed until creamy and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
Add the cocoa powder, salt, and vanilla. Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time, as well as the heavy cream 1 tablespoon at a time until the desired consistency is achieved.
Frost the cupcakes as desired and top with chocolate sprinkles or pearled sugar.
You will love this recipe so much it will be a go-to from now on!
Can I Use This Chocolate Cupcake Recipe to Make a Cake?
You can use this recipe to make a super moist chocolate cake instead of cupcakes. Just keep in mind this recipe only makes 14-16 cupcakes which is the same as one square baking dish or one 9-inch round cake layer. If you are trying to make a cake in a 9×13 baking dish or create a two-layer cake, just double the recipe.
The oven temperature stays the same, but the baking time will change since individual cupcakes cook faster than cakes cooked in larger pans. Cakes cooked in 9-inch baking pans should take about 30-35 minutes to bake, but just be sure to test the center of each cake with a toothpick to test for doneness.
More Chocolate Dessert Recipes
- Dark Chocolate Espresso Cake
- Italian Love Cake
- Chocolate Tiramisu
- Salted Butterscotch Pretzel Brookies
- Aunt Ree’s Chocolate Sheet Cake
- Dark Chocolate Biscotti
- The Perfect Brownies
Chocolate Cupcake Recipe
Ingredients
Chocolate Cupcakes
- 1 cup All-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup Unsweetened cocoa powder I used Hershey's Special Dark
- 1 cup Granulated sugar
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- 1/2 tsp Baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup hot strong coffee
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup Unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup Unsweetened cocoa powder I used Hershey's Special Dark
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp Pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups Powdered sugar or more or less
- 4 Tbsp Heavy cream or milk or more or less
Instructions
Chocolate Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cupcake pan with paper liners, set aside.
- In a medium-size bowl add the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine.
- In a large bowl add the room temperature egg, buttermilk, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. Whisk to combine.
- Add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients and mix with an electric mixer until combined. Add the hot coffee and mix together until combined. This batter will be thin, don’t panic.
- Fill the paper cupcake liners only 1/2 full ( I use a 1/4 cup measuring cup).
- Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick or wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Cool completely before frosting.
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- Using an electric mixer beat the softened butter on medium speed until creamy and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the cocoa powder, salt, and vanilla. Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time, as well as the heavy cream 1 tablespoon at a time until the desired consistency is achieved.
- Frost the cupcakes as desired and top with chocolate sprinkles or pearled sugar.