Best Ever Moist Chocolate Cupcakes
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These really are the best ever super moist chocolate cupcakes. Made from scratch with cocoa powder, they are deeply chocolatey, perfectly fluffy, and with a slightly domed top. And dare I say it? These homemade, moist chocolate cupcakes are way better than any boxed cake mix, with the same super moist crumb and texture that you know you love.
If you also prefer homemade cakes made from scratch over box cake mixes, you will definitely want to check out my Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting, Homemade Funfetti Cake, and Best Red Velvet Cake.
Moist Chocolate Cupcakes Recipe
This is the be all, end all, of chocolate cupcake recipes. Your days of resorting to a cake mix can be a thing of the past.
If you love making desserts from scratch and have been searching for the perfect chocolate cupcake recipe, your search is over.
I know these are big claims, but honestly, I feel like I have tried every chocolate cupcake recipe on the planet.
And while there are many good chocolate cupcake recipes out there, this one is hands down the best chocolate cupcake recipe ever. I’m pretty confident you will agree.
These cupcakes are the perfect thing to pair with homemade rainbow chip frosting recipe. Or the best chocolate buttercream you’ve ever tasted (it’s the chocolate frosting that is pictured in these photos). And I have a salted caramel frosting recipe that is also amazing with these cupcakes.
Heck, I have an entire category of frosting recipes that would pretty much all be amazing with these moist chocolate cupcakes! And honestly, the cake part itself is so amazing that I always eat at least one cupcake sans frosting while I wait for them to cool.
What makes these chocolate cupcakes so moist?
The two biggest players in keeping these chocolate cupcakes moist are using buttermilk and oil in the recipe, as opposed to butter and sour cream, which are both commonly used in chocolate cakes.
If you don’t have any buttermilk on hand, 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 in place of the buttermilk.
And while you technically could replace the oil with butter in this recipe, the cupcakes won’t be as moist for some science-y reason that I can’t explain. Just go with it – if you want to replicate the moist texture and fluffiness of a box cake mix (with way better flavor because these cupcakes are made from scratch), use the oil instead of melted butter.
How to Make Super Moist Chocolate Cupcakes From Scratch
Start by combining flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix just until everything is combined.
There is one more ingredient, which is very hot water. It’s super important to achieving super moist chocolate cupcakes with an intense chocolate flavor.
The hot water doesn’t have to be boiling, but it needs to be really hot because the heat is going to react with the cocoa powder, causing it to “bloom”, which brings out as much chocolate flavor as possible from the cocoa powder. I find that my tap water gets hot enough if I let it run for 10-15 seconds or so, but you could also microwave some water for a minute or boiling some water on the stove.
The hot water is also going to create a pretty thin batter, too. Don’t be alarmed! It really is supposed to be like that.
The thin batter is going to allow the baking powder and baking soda in the batter to really do their magic and the cupcakes will rise and dome beautifully, with a wonderful texture thanks to all the scientific magic going on behind the scenes.
Readers have said you can use hot coffee in place of the water, but I haven’t tried that myself.
How much do you fill cupcakes?
Be sure to only fill the cupcake liners halfway full! Not 3/4 or even 2/3 full, which are common amounts for other cupcake recipes. Just half.
It is going to seem strange and like there is not nearly enough batter in each cupcake liner, but just trust me on this one. There is so much lift to the thin batter that if the cupcake liners are too full, the cupcakes will overflow and you won’t get that beautiful, domed cupcake shape that is the hallmark of perfect cupcakes.
Plus, the top edges will get crisp and stick to the pan and the cupcake centers are probably going to sink. So just halfway full, m’kay?
If you find that your cupcakes aren’t doming on top, try filling your liners a little less next time. Or if you are baking at a high altitude, you might want to use this helpful guide to high-altitude baking and see if that helps, since I’m in California near sea level.
How do you tell if cupcakes are done without a toothpick?
I never use the toothpick test on cupcakes. For one, I hate digging around the back of my spice cupboard to find them. But also, I feel like it isn’t as accurate as simply touching the tops of the cupcakes.
The best way to tell if cupcakes are done is to lightly tap the top of a cupcake. If it bounces right back, they are done. If a little indentation from your finger remains, the cupcakes need to bake a little bit longer.
What kind of cocoa powder do I prefer?
I have a few chocolate brands that I think make really great cocoa powder, like Rodelle and Ghiradelli, but I don’t have any problems with good old Hershey’s unsweetened cocoa powder, which is available at any grocery store.
Can I Use This Chocolate Cupcake Recipe to Make a Cake?
Yes, you can absolutely use this recipe to make a super moist chocolate cake instead of cupcakes. Just keep the following in mind if that’s the route you decide to go:
- This recipe only makes 14-16 cupcakes which is the same as one square baking dish or 9-inch round cake layer. If you are trying to make a cake in a large rectangular baking dish or create a two layer cake, just double the recipe or use my One-Bowl Chocolate Cake 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 fully bake, but just be sure to test the center of each cake with a toothpick or sharp knife to test for doneness before taking your cake layers out of the oven.
More Cake & Cupcake Recipes You’ll Love
- Key Lime Cupcakes
- The BEST Homemade German Chocolate Cake
- Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting
- Gingerbread Cupcakes with Eggnog Buttercream
- S’mores Cupcakes with Graham Cracker Frosting
- Homemade Funfetti Cake From Scratch
- Best Red Velvet Cake
- Vintage Cherry Chip Layer Cake
You can also FOLLOW ME on INSTAGRAM, PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and TWITTER for more great recipe tips and ideas!
Best Ever Moist Chocolate Cupcakes
These really are the best, super moist chocolate cupcakes ever. Made from scratch with cocoa powder, they are deeply chocolatey, perfectly fluffy, and with a domed top. These homemade chocolate cupcakes are way better than any boxed cake mix, with the same moist crumb and texture that you know and love.
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup very hot water
- Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cupcake pan with paper liners.
- Combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl and whisk together.
- Combine the egg, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla in another bowl and whisk together.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix using a stand mixer until combined.
- Add the hot water to the batter and mix again, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary, until combined. Batter will be thin.
- Fill cupcake liners only 1/2 full, then bake for 18-21 minutes, until the tops bounce back when you touch them with a finger or a toothpick comes out with only a few moist crumbs when used to test a cupcake.
- Cool completely before frosting.
Notes
- This recipe calls for buttermilk, but if you don't have any on hand, 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 in place of the buttermilk.
- Unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen for up to 3 months.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
14Serving Size:
gAmount Per Serving: Calories: 173 Saturated Fat: 6g Cholesterol: 14mg Sodium: 137mg Carbohydrates: 23g Fiber: 1g Sugar: 14g Protein: 2g
So lovely and decadent.
I made these tonight and they were delicious! They were perfectly moist and had a rich, but not overbearing, chocolate flavor, which I loved! I had to stop Jason from eating all of them! 🙂
Awesome! So glad you guys liked them and I really appreciate that you appreciate the balance of richness and chocolate without going too far, lol! It does my foodie soul good to hear such a compliment! 🙂
Hi there! Is there a way to adapt this recipe to a vanilla cake? Thank you!
Not really! I’m sorry! I still haven’t gotten around to perfecting my white cake recipe, although the one I use for strawberry shortcake is pretty wonderful! https://houseofnasheats.com/strawberry-shortcake/
Hi, could we please know what is the equivalent of a cup measurement for English bakers.
I haven’t had a chance to do conversions for my recipes yet, but this site has a helpful chart for you: https://www.sweet2eatbaking.com/uk-us-conversion/
Hi. I’m glad I found this recipe. It tastes great and is easy to make. Also, with how expensive butter is where I live, using an oil based recipe is my preferred option now. The only thing is, my cupcakes didn’t rise nicely like in your picture. I filled it halfway as you’ve instructed but it didn’t rise all the way up. It domed and then cracked, making it look like a volcano. Maybe my oven was too hot. I put it at 175°C. I’ll definitely be baking more with this recipe but I need to figure out how to make sure it doesn’t crack. Any tips?
Hi Moira! I’m glad you like the recipe but that’s too bad about yours cracking on top! My guess is that the oven was too hot and they cooked too fast, creating a crust on top that prevented proper expansion and finally resulted in cracks. Do you use an oven thermometer? They are pretty inexpensive and can really help to make sure the oven is set to the proper temperature during baking.
Your recipe is super success…. I m soo grateful that you shared your recipe with us.
Made these with bob mills gf cup for cup flour and they turned out perfect
Awesome! I love Bob’s Redmill gf cup-for-cup flour! It’s such a great product!
My go to recipe for chocolate cupcakes! Would it work the same if I left out the chocolate to make a vanilla cupcake?
I’m glad you like them! No, I don’t think that they translate perfectly to a vanilla cupcake just by leaving chocolate out. Sorry! I’m working on a vanilla cupcake recipe soon though!
Thanks for the best recipe. I always make these and it gets finished in minutes. The only thing I don’t like is the taste of baking soda and the moist top.
is it okay to use dutch processed cocoa powder for this recipe?
Yes, you can use dutch processed cocoa powder in these.
Most amazing chocolate cake . Super moist very tasty. Thank you for the recipie.
You are welcome!
We do not have coffee. I do have espresso powder. Can I substitute and how?
This recipe does not call for coffee, so there isn’t really a need to substitute espresso powder.
Thank you for getting back so promptly. I must be seeing things. Will try this weekend. They look wonderful.
I can’t stand buttermilk. Can I substitute with regular milk instead?
You won’t be able to taste buttermilk in the cupcakes after they are baked. It makes a very tender, rich crumb. But you could try adding 1 teaspoon of lemon juice or vinegar to a 1/2 cup measuring cup then filling it the rest of the way with whole milk and letting it sit for 5 minutes before adding it to the batter where you would otherwise use buttermilk.
Hi Amy, thank you for sharing your recipe. Quick question, can I use cream instead of buttermilk?
You’re welcome! Cream doesn’t have the acidity that will cause the same reaction as buttermilk, but if you don’t have buttermilk you could combine a little lemon juice with whole milk or half-and-half (about 1 tablespoon lemon juice per cup of liquid, although I’m not sure I would go with cream) and let that sit for 5 minutes before using in place of buttermilk.
Would it make any difference if I use unsalted butter instead of vegetable oil?
Yes, actually, in this case it probably would. Oil actually makes most cupcakes more moist than butter. The recipe would work with butter, but you would be more likely to end up with cupcakes that weren’t quite as moist.
Instead of buttermilk what can I use???
You can substitute 1/2 cup greek yogurt mixed with 1/2 cup of milk, or pour 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar into a 1 cup measuring cup, then fill it to the top with milk and stir. Let it sit for 5 minutes before using. Both are great buttermilk substitutes.
Omg these were the best cupcakes I have ever baked. My family said they were award winning. My only problem is that there were not enough to last more than 1 day. Followed the recipe exactly, paired them with a chocolate cream cheese icing.
I’m glad you enjoyed them! I have never tried them with a chocolate cream cheese icing! Come to think of it, I have never HAD chocolate cream cheese icing! This must be remedied immediately! 🙂
Can you use unsweetened cocoa powder?
Yes! I edited the recipe to be more specific. 🙂
Great, thank you! I will be making them for my sons first birthday!
Made these this morning. the texture and moistness are Perfect. The flavor is good. I was just wondering if there is a way to make them more chocolaty. Like a devils food without changing texture . would the addition of melted chocolate work?
You could certainly try it! I use melted chocolate along with cocoa powder in my Devil’s Food Cake recipe and love it. I still think it’s super moist, but it doesn’t have quite the same texture as this cupcake recipe.
I hate dry cupcakes and this recipe was anything but dry!!! Thank you so much for sharing such a wonderful and easy recipe! I made this for a friend’s son’s birthday airh cream cheese icing and it was a hit!
Made these tonight and I’m highly impressed with the flavor, the texture, and just everything about them. The only thing I messed up on was missing the baking powder because I was dealing with kids and totally skipped right over that ingredient on accident but still came out lovely! I can’t wait to make it again right
Easily the best chocolate cake recipe I have ever made — and trust me, I have made QUITE a few!! I always find it so helpful to read peoples comments in addition to the blog component of recipes to make sure the cake is as good as it sounds/looks. This recipe stands up to all of the good reviews! I love how moist and spongy the cake is (replicating boxed cake) while also having the stability and density of a home-made, made-from-scratch cake.
To make up the 1/2 cup of cocoa powder the recipe calls for, I used 1/4 cup Hershey’s Special Dark 100% Cacao and 1/4 cup Ghiradelli 100% cocoa to make sure the chocolate had a dark, bold flavor. Maybe not the fanciest, most high-end ingredients but it worked very well for me!
Using this recipe, I made 3-layers of 8″ round cake for a baby shower with only 12 people. The entire cake was gone by the end of the party. If that doesn’t tell you how good it is….
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! There is no doubt that this is my go-to cake now, let alone chocolate cake recipe. I’m excited to try out more of your stuff!
You are so welcome! And thank you so much for the glowing, thoughtful review!
Thanks for the recipe! I love the cupcake but when I make these they dont dome at the top like yours do. Any suggestions on why that might be?
Try not filling them quite as full next time. I have found that when I fill them a little too much they don’t dome as nicely. The only other thing I can think of would be to replace your baking soda and baking powder. But really I would think it’s probably how they were filled. It seems nuts to only fill the cupcake liners halfway but it totally works with these cupcakes.
Mine didn’t rise as much as the picture but they were moist and everybody loved them! Will be my go to recipe from now on.
Have you found a white cupcake recipe yet?? These are wonderful I also use this for my cakes!!
I haven’t found one that is just perfect yet! I’m sorry! I was working on one but I think I got cupcaked out for a while, but I need to get back to it soon! Try the white cupcake from Sally’s Baking Addiction though – she is one of my favorite bloggers and her recipes are always reliable.
It’s a winner both as cake and cupcake. Thank you for sharing this super easy and superb recipe. My family, friends and co-workers luv it. Even replaced the sugar once with sweetner for my dad to enjoy as he is diabetic, minus the frosting and it is now one of his favorite treats.
I’ve used this recipe to wow my coworkers several times for cupcakes. Can this recipe also work for a layered cake covered in fondant?
I would think so, but I have never worked with fondant, so I don’t know for sure.
Do you have to sift the dry ingredients or just combine it with a wodden spoon? Approximately how long should you mix all the ingredients together?
Honestly, I know a lot of bakers swear by sifting the drying ingredients, but I never do. Maybe just a quick whisk to evenly disperse them. As for a mixing time, it doesn’t take long. Just a minute or so until it’s all combined.
Hi there, I heard coffee can boost the flavor in chocolate cake/cupcake batters. Would it affect it too much by replacing the hot water with hot coffee? Thank you!
No, this would not affect the cake by replacing the hot water with hot coffee, and it’s something a lot of people do. I don’t drink coffee, so I never take this approach, but you are welcome to!
VERY moist and FLUFFY! Can’t wait to decorate them for my son’s 4th birthday. I must say i put a little less sugar as frosting will add the sweetness. Taste was good i put 4 stars as it wasn’t awesome.
Thank you so much for this recipe!! I added instant coffee to the hot water, cinnamon, a mix of coconut oil and butter instead of oil, and Truvia instead of sugar and i absolutely loved this cake. It was soooo moist. Mine didn’t rise as much though, so filling them half full gave me 3/4 filled cupcakes, maybe due to my subs. But DELICIOUS nonetheless!
I have tried many (many!) chocolate cake recipes but; as soon as I took my first bite of this cupcake, I immediately wrote on the top of the page, (because I prefer to print them in case I keep them …) “This is a keeper!!” I tripled the recipe due to several events I was serving or volunteering cupcakes for. Some I froze and some I frosted right away. I have never … ever … received so many compliments on cupcakes in my life! Yes, this is a keeper recipe for sure!
Thank you for such a wonderful review! I’m so glad you love it! I always aim to provide recipes that are keepers!
These were so simple and are insanely soft and moist. I always dread baking, but this was a dream to make. Thank you for sharing!
What type of frosting did you use? Was it homemade?
Yes, it was homemade chocolate buttercream frosting. It’s the same frosting I use with my yellow cake recipe.
Is it possible to make this dairyfree? What can I replace buttermilk with?
Hmm, I don’t do dairy free baking much, but I think these might work with coconut milk. I haven’t tried it, but that’s where I would start.
Or you might try almond milk or rice dream, but I believe you’ll still need either the vinegar or lemon juice as described in other comments to ensure you have the necessary acidity to get these to rise as expected.
Great point!
will this make 15 cupcakes
I always get 14 cupcakes from this recipe, but you could fill each liner just a tiny bit less and stretch it to 15 probably.
Can you please share a recipe for chocolate frosting for the cupcakes 🙂 thanks
Absolutely! It’s this chocolate buttercream frosting. I’ve also linked to it in the post since it’s such a popular choice! I got asked for it so often I made a post entirely dedicated to it!