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.
Onyinye
Hello Sam, thanks for this amazing recipe. I baked this yesterday and the taste was extremely amazing. The cake is not overly sweet like other recipes I have tried.
This is the best chocolate cupcakes Iโve baked. Very moist and fluffy vanilla chocolatey.
I halved the recipe and got about 15 cupcakes.
This should be the only chocolate recipe one should ever have.
Sam
Thank you so much! I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much. ๐
Shelley
The cupcakes are delicious and soft. But they dont really stay together. I donโt know if I did something wrong.
Sam
Hi Shelley! Unfortunately it sounds like they were under-mixed, under-baked, or just perhaps they were still warm when you took them out of the wrapper?
Sue
Awesome recipe! I haven’t been much of a baker over the years but it has become my new hobby. Finding the best recipes have been a struggle, so much work and maybe not so happy with end result. I made your cupcake recipe with mocha buttercream frosting and it was a huge hit. The cake was like air, unfortunately I did over fill my pans but got two dozen full size cupcakes and a dozen mini ones. It’s my anniversary today and I saw that you can use two 8′ pans so I think I will do that. Thanks so much and keep them coming!
Sam
Happy anniversary Sue! I’m so glad you enjoyed the cupcakes so much. ๐
Jilna
Hi how much time should i bake if I’m doing in a 20*20*5cm square cake pan?
please do reply. I did try it as cupcakes and I must say they were absolutely delicioues.
Sam
Hi Jilna! I’m not sure of a bake time, but I would recommend using my chocolate cake recipe for a cake. The cake will make a little more batter than will fit in your pan so make sure to not overfill the pan. ๐
Amy
Hi Sam, would almond milk be an acceptable substitute for milk here? I’ve made these before but can’t remember what I used – whatever I did, they were delicious! Also, does the caffeine bake out? Making these for my daughter’s daycare and I’m not sure a handful of toddlers need more energy!! Thank you!
Sam
Hi Amy! I haven’t tried the almond milk here, but I think it could work. You can just use hot water instead of coffee to avoid the caffeine. ๐
Maeva
Thank you for this recipe . This is really easy to make ๐โค
Sam
You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed them. ๐
Sarah Bell
How much salt should I add if I only have unsalted butter?
Sam
Hi Sarah! You’ll want to use 1/2 teaspoon. ๐
Sherlyn
Thank you for sharing this recipe. The best chocolate cupcake ever. So yummy!. Really like your videos, easy to follow. I am excited to bake your cookie recipes.
Sam
Thank you so much, Sherlyn! I hope you love all of the cookies! ๐
Christine Cooper
I used organic Dutch cocoa in this recipe, which for me, just makes them taste even better. Also, instead of cupcakes I use a mini bundt pan tray (8 mini bundts) and in total this recipe made 16 mini cakes and they were so pretty! I glazed them with a chocolate ganache and they were stunning! I’ve also frozen these little cakes and pulled them out when I needed a quick dessert. I just simply dusted them with powdered sugar, again, making them look so pretty. This recipe is a keeper.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Christine! ๐
Shannon
hi! I wonder how long to cook if I wanted to make a two layer chocolate cake with 9 inch pans? Would the quantity here still work? Thanks Shannon
Sam
Hi Shannon! I would recommend using my chocolate cake instead. ๐
Ayesha Tariq
Hi there, could you freeze any spare cupcake mixture if you want to bake at a later date.
Sam
Hi Ayesha! I’m not sure how freezing the batter would go. I’m not sure the cupcakes would bake up nicely. You can freeze the baked cupcakes. ๐
Bruce
I started to make a half recipe of these, but my phone had skipped back to the Best Choc Cake recipe, so I had already used brown sugar and granulated. I realized the mistake when I got to the butter. Anyway, I continued with this recipe, and 12 beautifully domed cupcakes just came out of the oven. For frosting Iโm going to use the rich Chico pudding that is the frosting for Chocolate Blackout Cake from Americaโs Test Kitchen.
Sam
I’m glad they still turned out! ๐
Bruce
I just ate one. Amazing chocolate flavor, enhanced by the coffee. Great texture. This will definitely be my standard choc cupcake recipe from now on. One bowl with a whisk just amplifies the attractiveness of this recipe.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! I’m impressed you were able to stop at just one. ๐
Megan
Could I use cake flour instead of.all purpose?
Sam
Hi Megan! That should be fine if you use the proper substitution. If using weight you will use the same weight measurement. If using cups you will need 1C + 2TBSP of cake flour for every 1C of all purpose flour. ๐
Cindy
Love these cupcakes!! I didn’t notice the comment about not overfilling until they were in the oven. I got 24 cupcakes, and I filled to almost the top of the large sized papers. I baked them 5 minutes longer than the allotted time and they were perfect. No issues at all.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Cindy! ๐
Betty Shereni
Hello I want to make 12cupcakes can you help me with recipe
Sam
Hi Betty! Just cut the recipe in half. ๐
CinBin
This recipe changed my life!!! Since the first time I made it, I have made no other. It’s the most moist, delicious chocolate cake EVER! I use half the recipe to make my heart shaped cake.
Thank you!!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoy it so much! ๐
Sprinkles
Hi! can I use melted butter instead of oil because we don’t have canola oil and not that great vegetable oil here? if i do use melted butter how many cups would that be? Thanks:)
Sam
Melted butter will work here but you will lose a little bit of moisture. You will want to use the same amount. (2/3 cup) ๐
Tera
Wondering your thoughts on replacing the canola oil with coconut oil? Either way, excited to try these out for my daughters bday on Saturday!
Thank you!
Sam
Hi Tera! I haven’t tried it but I think it should work here. ๐
Natalia
This is the best chocolate cupcake recipe out there! I made them so many times already and they are always so light, rich and delicious! Works great even cutting in half the ingredients for only 12 cupcakes. Thank you for sharing this recipe. It’s one for the cooking book!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoy them so much, Natalia! ๐
La
Hello! Any tips for high altitude? Mine did not rise (stayed at โ level inside cupcake liner.) Also very bland, I would love to try these again. Thanks in advance!
Sam
Unfortunately I don’t have any suggestions for high altitude baking as I am not familiar with it. ๐
Jessica
Hello, this has been my go to chocolate cupcake for a while. It is so hard to find a moist and delicate chocolate cupcake recipe, so thank you! This time I wanted to bake it with a cheesecake filling. Wondering if you have tried it with this recipe? Since this cake is so light and moist, I was concerned it might not hold up with a denser cheesecake baked in it. Thoughts about that and suggested baking alterations?
Sam
Hi Jessica! These cupcakes may be a little delicate for a cheesecake filling. You could probably carve the cupcakes after baking and then fill with a cheesecake filling. Alternatively I have a black bottom cupcake that incorporates a little more cheesecake but they are also not as delicate. ๐
Leslie
Hello! Thanks for the recipe! I’m hoping to make these on a Thursday evening for my daughter’s birthday. We won’t celebrate until Saturday. Do you think they will still be good 2 days later? Thanks again!
Sam
Oh yes! Just store in an airtight container until ready to serve. Enjoy, and happy birthday to your daughter! ๐