My easy chocolate cupcake recipe yields two-dozen light, fluffy, and chocolatey cupcakes that are better than a box-mix (and just as easy!). Made quickly and easily in one bowl, they can be baked and frosted in less than an hour. Recipe includes a how-to video!
The Perfect Chocolate Cupcakes
You’re going to be so happy you found this recipe. After all, who doesn’t love a perfectly balanced chocolate cupcake (preferably topped with a generous swirl of chocolate buttercream). My recipe is incredibly moist, so soft, and so perfectly fluffy. Taste wise, they’re sweet without being too sweet and have a pronounced chocolate flavor (I’ll share a few tricks to pull this off). Plus, they’re incredibly quick and easy to make in just one bowl!
I first published this recipe six years ago and it’s been a huge hit with my readers and my own faithful go-to chocolate cupcake recipe (I prefer my slightly heavier chocolate cake recipe for cakes). However, the original recipe made a large, awkward number of cupcakes, so I’ve scaled down the recipe to now make a neat 24 cupcakes with subtly domed tops.
What You Need
Making chocolate cupcakes from scratch is just as easy as using a box mix, but they taste so much better. Here are a few of the ingredients you’ll be using today:
- Cocoa powder. I recommend using natural, regular cocoa powder in your chocolate cupcakes. Dutch process will change the flavor and could impact the texture (if the baking soda isn’t fully neutralized), so I’d recommend sticking with the recipe as written.
- Hot water/coffee. It is very important that you use a hot liquid (the hotter the better, but be careful not to splash yourself with it while mixing) as this reacts with the cocoa powder, causing it to “bloom” and fully develop the rich flavor of the cocoa.
- Oil. Don’t be tempted to replace the oil with melted butter, please! Using oil makes these chocolate cupcakes super moist without weighing them down. The cocoa powder (when bloomed by the hot liquid) provides plenty of flavor, so butter is unnecessary (never would have thought I would type those words!) and actually yields a less-desirable cupcake.
- Cornstarch. I’ve updated this recipe to include a tablespoon of cornstarch. One of my favorite secret ingredients (you may recognize it from my best chocolate chip cookies), this simple addition keeps them tender, soft, and fluffy and it also gives these formerly completely flat cupcakes a slight rounded dome.
SAM’S TIP: If you choose to use coffee, your chocolate cupcakes will not taste mocha-esque; rather the coffee helps to enhance the rich chocolate flavors of the cocoa powder. I recommend you use it!
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make My Favorite Chocolate Cupcake Recipe
Make the Batter
- Whisk all of the dry ingredients and sugar together.
- Add the oil, egg, and vanilla and mix to combine. It’ll seem a bit stiff, dry and crumbly, but just keep mixing and go until all of the dry ingredients are moistened. Feel free to use your electric mixer for this step, but I usually just use a spatula.
- Slowly drizzle in the milk and continue stirring until the batter looks uniform.
- Gradually and carefully add the hot liquid and mix until everything is completely combined.
SAM’S TIP: While you might be able to get away with using buttermilk straight from the fridge, room temp eggs are key here! If your eggs are cold, straight from the fridge, they will not incorporate well into your dry ingredients, leaving you with a batter that’s clumpy, clunky, and not uniform. This can lead to sunken or otherwise wonky cupcakes.
Divide the Batter & Bake
It’s very important to not fill your cupcake liners higher than ⅔ full. If you do, the batter will spread out over the tops and the resulting cupcakes will have flat tops that are likely to sink in on themselves. Opt for under-filling rather than over-filling, and if you do happen to have leftover batter, make extra cupcakes or discard it.
- Evenly divide the batter among a lined cupcake pan and bake for 17-19 minutes.
- Let cupcakes cool completely before frosting.
SAM’S TIP: I recommend baking one pan of chocolate cupcakes at a time, just in case your oven bakes unevenly or does something funky while baking, or even just in case you accidentally leave the first batch in too long. The batter will be fine to wait on the counter while the first batch bakes!
While you can always stick with chocolate buttercream (shown here), my chocolate cupcake recipe tastes lovely with just about any topping. Some of my top recommendations are brown butter frosting (my husband’s favorite pairing), marshmallow frosting, cream cheese frosting, peanut butter frosting (perfect for peanut butter & chocolate lovers!), Swiss meringue buttercream, or vanilla frosting.
Frequently Asked Questions
This chocolate cupcake batter will be very, very thin–much different from the thick batter of my vanilla cake. It’ll seem almost watery/soupy. This is normal and means you’ve done everything right!
While I do have a great chocolate cake recipe, you can use this recipe to make a two layer 8″ or 9″ cake. I provide instructions on how to do this in the recipe notes.
I don’t recommend it. This batter was carefully developed and the inclusion of the cocoa is critical for the proper texture. Even if you swapped an equal amount of flour, it’s not likely to turn out nearly as well as a recipe that was actually designed to be a vanilla cupcake. I suggest you make my easy vanilla cupcake recipe instead!
With only 15 minutes to prep and only one bowl to dirty, what are you waiting for!?
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
Truly the Best Chocolate Cupcake Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ⅔ cups (333 g) granulated sugar
- 1 ½ cups (188 g) all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup (65 g) natural cocoa powder see note 1
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch see note 2
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- ½ cup (118 ml) avocado, canola or vegetable oil
- 1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk room temperature preferred
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup (157 ml) whole milk room temperature preferred
- 1 cup (236 ml) hot coffee see note 3, may substitute hot water
- 1 batch chocolate buttercream or preferred frosting
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Arrange rack to center of oven and preheat oven to 350F (175C). Line two 12-count muffin tins with paper liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt (I make this recipe with an electric mixer but it can be done by hand using a whisk and spatula instead).1 ⅔ cups (333 g) granulated sugar, 1 ½ cups (188 g) all-purpose flour, ⅔ cup (65 g) natural cocoa powder, 1 Tablespoon cornstarch, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, 1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon table salt
- Add canola oil, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and stir until batter is combined (it will be a bit dry and crumbly but all of the flour mixture should be moistened before proceeding).½ cup (118 ml) avocado, canola or vegetable oil, 1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Drizzle in milk while stirring and stir until batter is uniform and completely combined.⅔ cup (157 ml) whole milk
- Gradually add hot coffee or hot water (take care not to burn yourself!) and stir until liquid is completely incorporated into the batter and you have a smooth chocolate batter. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure everything is well-combined. The batter will be very thin, this is normal!1 cup (236 ml) hot coffee
- Evenly divide batter into prepared muffin tin, but take care to fill liners between ½ and not more than ⅔ of the way full, this is typically about 3 Tablespoons of batter or less per cupcake liner. Over-filled liners will result in cupcakes with flat tops and they may cave in on themselves. If you have excess batter, discard it (or make extra cupcakes!).
- Transfer one pan of cupcakes to 350F (175C) preheated oven and bake for 17-19 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs (or clean). Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes in baking pan before carefully removing to cooling rack to cool completely before frosting (I like to use a knife to gently pry up the cupcake from the bottom and then carefully lift it out to a cooling rack). Repeat with second pan of cupcakes
- Once cupcakes have cooled, frost with my chocolate frosting or your favorite frosting recipe.1 batch chocolate buttercream
Notes
Cocoa powder
I recommend using natural unsweetened cocoa powder for best results. However, in a pinch Dutch process cocoa powder can be used instead, but note that the flavor will be slightly different and the cupcakes will be darker.Cornstarch
Cornstarch is my secret ingredient, it makes the cupcakes tender and fluffy and gives them the perfect, slight domed tops. However, if you do not have it on hand you may omit it, note that your cupcakes will likely be flatter though.Hot coffee/hot water
A hot liquid is essential to properly blooming the cocoa powder (which gives the cake a pronounced, rich chocolate flavor). I like to use hot coffee because the coffee flavor enhances the chocolate, making the flavor even richer and deeper. However, you can just use hot water instead. The hotter the liquid the better; boiling is fine, just be careful! Please note I don’t recommend using other hot liquids such as hot chocolate which often have other additives and sugar added and could adversely affect the final outcome.Frosting
I used my Ateco 848 tip to pipe the frosting on the cupcakes in the photos above and in the video. If you wish to frost all of your cupcakes this generously you will want to double the frosting called for in the recipe that I linked to, but honestly you don’t need to and a more modest amount (half the amount shown) works great and allows the cupcake flavor to really shine, it just didn’t look quite as nice in the pictures!Baking chocolate cupcake batter in different sized pans
You may bake these cupcakes in two 8” pans for 35-37 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean with a few moist crumbs. In two 9” pans the cakes will take a bit less time, start checking at 30-32 minutes. This recipe should also work just fine in a 13×9” pan, but I would keep an eye on it as I haven’t tested it in this size pan yet.Original recipe
I’ve received a lot of requests for the original recipe. As I mentioned in my post, this current recipe is the one I recommend, it’s simply scaled down from that one to make an even 24 cupcakes, to prevent the overflowing issue many people were having, and a bit of cornstarch has been added to improve structure. It’s a slightly better cupcake recipe for the changes and I recommend using the recipe as seen here. However, since so many of you have asked, here is the original recipe. Please note that I am not accepting comments or questions on the original and recommend you use the recipe I have published here currently.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Related Recipes
My chocolate cupcake recipe was originally published in March of 2016. A few small modifications were made to scale the recipe down to 24 even cupcakes without changing the texture, and the post has been updated to be more informative and a how-to video has been added.
Jade
Omg! I once tried a recipe online for vanilla cupcakes and they turned out so gross! And at first I was scared to try these, but then I was like “Oh what the heck, Why not?” And I am so glad I ended up making these! I ended up making 30 instead of 24, but that is fine! Thanks for this recipe, really.
Sam
I’m so glad to hear these were such a hit for you, Jade! Thank you so much for commenting 🙂
Angela
I love this recipe!! Would I be able to use almond milk instead of regular milk? We recently switched my one son to no dairy…I usually make these for his birthday and hoping the almond milk will be a good substitute!
Sam
Hi Angela! I’m so glad you enjoyed the cupcakes! I think almond milk would work, the problem with dairy substitutes such as almond milk is that sometimes the baked good won’t be as moist as it would be with milk (this is usually because of the fat content). I’d love to hear how they turn out for you if you do try them this way!
Casey
I plan on making these cupcakes today! However, I need the frosting to be blue for a diaper party. If I omit the cocoa, will it be the same as a vanilla buttercream?
Sam
Hi Casey! You can leave out the cocoa, but you will probably need to add more sugar if you do that. I actually have a vanilla frosting you could dye blue. 🙂
Kate
This is the best recipe I have ever made!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed the cupcakes, Kate! 🙂
Nad
They are the best I ever tasted. They are better than store bought. Great & easy.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed the cupcakes! 🙂
Keesha
Hello
How long will these keep fresh. I’m making them today Thursday for a party Saturday
Sam
Hi Keesha! They should be fine Saturday as long as you keep them in an air tight container after you make them and let them cool. 🙂
Haleigh
Hi there! I made these in Colorado (high altitude) and I’m wondering if I did something wrong?? They sunk in the middle 😰 They we’re delicious as I still ate them, but do you have any suggestions as to what I can do next time? Thanks!
Sam
Hi Haleigh! Unfortunately, I am not very familiar with high altitude baking. Typically when the cupcakes sink, it is a product of under-mixing or under-baking. I’m sorry I can’t provide any more help. 🙁
Sami
Typically, for high altitudes, you have to bake longer. My oven is spot on, but I always have to bake longer than any of the recipes. There are a lot of resources out there to help adjust for high altitude depending on how high you are (Colorado pun not intended 😂) , just go to the google machine 🙂 This will also help you in all future baking endeavors.
Also, try filling the cups only half full or less. These rise more than other recipes I have used, and if they rise too much, they fall in the middle.
Good luck!
PS this is one of the best recipes I have tried on Pinterest. 👏🏻 ❤️
Heather Davies
These were SO good! Best cupcakes I’ve ever made and even better than some I’ve bought at some shops! Mine were a little bit crumbly, but so tasty! The batter made enough for probably 2 1/2 dozen. Also, the frosting was really delicious! I would recommend this recipe.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed the cupcakes, Heather! 🙂
Lauren
So im baking with friends later but i only need 12 how can i reduce it would i just divide all the ingredients?
Sam
Yup, just divide the ingredients in half. You may still have a bit more batter than needed to make 12, so just discard any extra batter. If you fill the cupcake liners higher than recommended then the cupcakes will overflow.
Abby h
This is the worst cup cupcake recipe ever. I made it and ended up having to clean my oven after wards. When it says the batter will be very thin don’t panic. PANIC!!!! I fill the cupcake a little under 2/3 full and it spilled over on my oven. DO NOT MAKE this cupcake recipe!!!
Sam
Hi Abby! The batter is supposed to be very thin and over 100 other people have rated this recipe over 5 stars. You can watch me make this recipe exactly as written in the video with no problem so forgive me but I’m wondering if something might have been measured incorrectly? I’m happy to help troubleshoot as needed! I’m also curious, were you baking with a convection oven?
JO
This is the best chocolate cupcake recipe. They are a hit and I even enjoy one or two. I cut back on the coffee or hot water amount. They are moist and delicious. The frosting is always too sweet for me, but the kids love it. Don’t give up on it.
Alyssa
Delicious and overall easy! I am a huge mess in the kitchen and am not the best baker, but these were simple to make. Even though I didn’t have any regular sugar or canola oil on hand, I used coconut sugar and coconut oil instead which seemed to work just fine! I love this recipe has a cup of hot coffee… I felt this really brought out the chocolate flavor 🙂 I even added a dash of ground cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger for a chocolatey chai variation which I think went well with the coconut oil and coconut sugar. Thanks for much for his recipe, will definitely make it again!!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed the cupcakes Alyssa! I ALWAYS have a mess of a kitchen. You need someone to follow you around and clean up all the time. My husband can’t stand the mess so he cleans it all up for me! 😂
Josee
I really liked your recipe, the cupcakes are moist and really good. My only problem was that they sinked. I did not overfill my cupcakes but I am wondering it it is because I used seal salt cocoa powder and added the salt you had in recipe. Is it because of too much salt?
Sam
Hi Josee! I’m sorry they sunk back down on you. There are typically a few reasons for cupcakes sinking: the batter was under-mixed, the cupcakes were under-baked, or the third thing (which you already eliminated) is they were over-filled when baking. Hope that helps. 🙂
josee
thank you Sam, my présentation failed but the cupcakes were amazingly good!
Thank you-
Rachel
These were amazing. And I loved that they were not too stressful to make with 5 year and 3 year old sous chefs!
I used your cream cheese frosting and I think they are even better than the local cupcake shop!
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed them, Rachel! 🙂
Dimitra
I made these last weekend for my kids and two of their friends. They each had two!!! These turned out super fluffy and sooo chocolatey!!! I used store bought vanilla frosting, though. I’m going to make this recipe again this weekend, but in a cake form, not as cupcakes. I’m also going to make cream cheese frosting!
Thanks so much for this yummy and oh so easy recipe!
Sam
Hi Dimitra! The cupcakes are pretty light to make into a cake. You may want to check out my Chocolate Cake instead. Everyone will love this one too! I am so glad everyone enjoyed the cupcakes and incredibly impressed that they were able to stop at 2. 😂
Dimitra
Hi! So, I went ahead and made the Chocolate Cake instead of the cupcakes this time, and it was GREAT! Everyone loved it! I made it with a cream cheese frosting. The cake was moist and held together wonderfully! I will definitely keep this recipe as well as the cupcake recipe! It’s seriously difficult to get this wrong! Thank you so much!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed the cake as well! 🙂
Chaza
Thank you so much for an easy, yet delicious and super moist cupcake.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed the cupcakes, Chaza! 🙂
Lucy
Easy to prepare.
Sam
Thank you so much, Lucy!:)