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.
Servings: 14 cupcakes
Calories: 381kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (141g)
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200g)
- ½ cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder (50g)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- ½ cup buttermilk, room temperature
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup very hot water
Frosting
- 1 cup salted butter, softened
- ⅔ cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 4-6 Tablespoons heavy cream or whole milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Heat oven to 350°F. 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 ½ 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 with chocolate frosting or your favorite frosting.
Frosting
- Cream butter and cocoa powder together until smooth in the bowl of a stand mixer using the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer.
- Add half of the powdered sugar mixing on medium speed until combined. Add remaining powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt, mixing well, and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add heavy cream or milk, 1-2 tablespoons at a time, mixing between each addition until you reach the desired consistency that is easily spreadable or pipeable, but will still hold its shape.
- Transfer to a decorative piping bag and pipe swirls onto cooled cupcakes.
Video
Notes
- This recipe calls for buttermilk, but if you don't have any on hand, you can make an easy substitute by adding ½ tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to a ½ 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.
- You can use the chocolate buttercream frosting recipe listed above or another frosting recipe.
Nutrition
Calories: 381kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 275mg | Potassium: 145mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 49g | Vitamin A: 502IU | Vitamin C: 0.03mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 2mg