My easy Chocolate Cupcakes recipe yields cupcakes that are light, fluffy, and so much better than a box mix! Made quickly and easily in just 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. Plus, they’re incredibly quick and easy to make in just one bowl! To put it simply, these chocolate cupcakes are just wonderful.
I first published this recipe six years ago and itโs 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.
The original recipe also produced cupcakes with completely flat tops, and I’ve since remedied that so the cupcakes come out with subtle domed tops. They look lovely with a swirl of frosting, and speaking of frosting, these cupcakes go great with any kind!
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 worst 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 Chocolate Cupcakes
- Whisk all of the dry ingredients and sugar together.
- Add the oil, egg, and vanilla and mix to combine (mixture will seem crumbly, just make sure the dry ingredients have all been moistened).
- 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.
Itโs very important to not fill your cupcake liners higher than โ 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.
While you can always stick with the easy frosting I’ve linked to in the recipe, my chocolate cupcake recipe tastes lovely with just about any topping. Some of my top recommendations are brown butter frosting, marshmallow frosting, cream cheese frosting, peanut butter frosting, 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. Itโll seem almost watery/soupy. This is normal and means youโve done everything right!ย
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. 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!
Letโs bake together! Iโll 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 Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1 โ cups (333 g) granulated sugar
- 1 ยฝ cups (188 g) all-purpose flour
- โ cup (65 g) natural cocoa powder see note 1
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch see note 2
- 1 ยฝ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ยผ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- ยฝ cup (118 ml) canola or vegetable oil
- 1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk room temperature preferred
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- โ 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 โ cups (333 g) granulated sugar, 1 ยฝ cups (188 g) all-purpose flour, โ cup (65 g) natural cocoa powder, 1 Tablespoon cornstarch, 1 ยฝ teaspoons baking powder, 1 ยผ 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).ยฝ cup (118 ml) 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.โ 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 ยฝ and not more than โ 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 donโt 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 donโt need to and a more modest amount (half the amount shown) works great and allows the cupcake flavor to really shine, it just didnโt look quite as nice in the pictures!Baking chocolate cupcake batter in different sized pans
You may bake these cupcakes in two 8โ pans for 35-37 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean with a few moist crumbs. In two 9โ pans the cakes will take a bit less time, start checking at 30-32 minutes. This recipe should also work just fine in a 13×9โ pan, but I would keep an eye on it as I havenโt 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.ยNutrition
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.
Angelika
Iโve made this recipe several times now and it is absolutely insane. These are the best cupcakes I have ever made or ever eaten and I was never a cupcake person to begin with because I find all cupcakes sub par EXCEPT for these. One subordinate I do is instead of regular oil I use coconut oil. I find the coconut adds an extra bit of flavour that compliments the richness of the chocolate superbly.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoy them so much, Angelika! ๐
Lori
These turned out absolutely perfect! My family loved them. This is my new go-to recipe for cupcakes. Thanks so much for sharing it!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Lori! ๐
Josh
This recipee is on point. I followed this reicpee to a T, except I substituted a cup of flour for a cup and 2 tablespoons of cake flour because I wanted to use some.
These came out perfect. They didn’t sink, I didn’t over mix. I just folded everything together the whole time. Taste was delicious. I would just recommend to follow the instructions on only filling the cups to just over 2/3s. I used all of the batter and over filled some or the cupcakes.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Josh! ๐
BREANNA
Can I make this in a 9×13 pan?
Sam
Hi Breanna! I haven’t tried it! I usually use my chocolate cake for a 9 x 13, but I don’t see any reason it wouldn’t work. ๐
Ashley
Made these last week for my nieces birthday. Followed the recipe exactly adding the coffee instead of water, and filling with a homemade strawberry filling, OMG did they come out FANTASTIC!!!! Brought the remaining cupcakes in for my coworkers and received nothing but great compliments. Making them again on Friday. Thank you for sharing this awesome recipe!!
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed them so much, Ashley! ๐
Luca and Kendalk
After adding the hot water, we put them as told into the oven. We waited 18 minutes and went to check on our baking cupcakes disappointed to see that the batter was overflowing and there was a lot of raw batter remaining. We followed the recipe exactly and triple checked but we believe and at the time found it odd that we were asked to put hot water in our batter. We believe that is why we had this happen. They did say it was going to be liquid and not to panic if seen as said. But yet, our cupcakes were raw even after 22 minutes. We also made the chocolate buttercream. It was very thick and not even pip-able. Over all, we do NOT recommend using this for safety and obvious reasons.
Sam
Hi Luca and Kendalk, the recipe is correct as written and the hot water is a definite must. Both the cupcakes themselves and frosting have been tested hundreds of times without issue and have over 100 five star reviews, while I’m happy to help troubleshoot, since neither the cupcakes nor the frosting turned out properly I think there may be a measuring error ๐
Patuchay
Hi! Can I use caster sugar on this?
Sam
Caster sugar will work in these cupcakes. ๐
Ebony Michelle Wolles
I made these this evening and I was super impressed with how they turned out. I incorporated each ingredient until just mixed; careful not to overbeat the batter. They turned out very light, with a great texture and flavor! Be careful not to overfill the the tins. Filling them about 2/3 was still a little too much. One the second batch, I didn’t put as much in and they rose to the perfect height, without coming over the sides of the tin.
This recipe is a keeper! I will definitely be saving it for my next baking project.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much! ๐
Robyn S
Thank you for a delicious recipe. I made them this afternoon for my daughter and her cross country team they loved them! I really appreciate the advice about not overfilling, over-mixing or panicking (guilty of all 3!) This recipe is foolproof.
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed them so much, Robyn! ๐
Andy V
The best chocolate cupcakes I’ve ever made! I used an espresso buttercream to give it a kick. Also. I got 30 cupcakes out of this recipe. Thanks for sharing!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Andy! ๐
Kami
Could use cake flour in these? I have some Iโm trying to use up.
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Kami! I personally have not substituted cake flour in this recipe, but it shouldn’t be a problem. To substitute cake flour for all-purpose flour use 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons cake flour for every cup of all-purpose flour. Keep me posted on how they turn out. ๐
Nic
The cupcakes all collapsed and I was very careful on how I filled them. I’m in CO, would adding more flour help avoid this mishap?
Sugar Spun Run
Oh no, Nic! I am so sorry that this happened. Adding more flour will not prevent them from sinking. This is usually caused by overbeating your batter. By doing so, it can cause too much air to get into the batter. The air then collapses, along with your cupcakes. Regardless, I hope that they still tasted delicious. ๐
Elizabeth
I tried this recipe twice and the second batch sank like sinkholes. Still taste the same though and being that I made them for a guysโ hunting trip I doubt anyone will notice the extra high icing.๐
I added a couple tablespoons of Kahlua to the icing and it compliments in the same way the coffee does the batter.
Sam
A little extra icing is never a bad thing. ๐ If they sink, you may have over-mixed the batter a little bit, but your solution was a good one. ๐
Patt
Best chocolate cupcake ever! The coffee really does make it tastier.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Patt! ๐
Slovestobake
Can you use this recipe for cake too?
Sam
It will work but I would recommend my chocolate cake instead. ๐
Garnetshimmy
I made this exactly as described and it is the best cupcake Iโve made or had! Love the richness the coffee adds, love that it doesnโt call for buttermilk, which I never have on hand. The frosting is professional quality. Would also love to make the frosting as vanilla or another flavor since the texture is amazing. How could I alter it? Big hit with my kids and husband!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much! My buttercream frosting is a vanilla version of this frosting. ๐