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.
Heather
Great recipe. Light and airy texture. Tasty and not overly sweet. Made a very small mini cake with the extra batter. I used unsweetened vanilla oatmilk instead of whole milk. Will do again!
Ami
I’ve made this recipe three times. The first time, I way overfilled the cupcake liners and had a serious mess in my oven! The mistake was 100% on me, so I’m not going to fault your recipe especially when you gave plenty of warning about it! However, after some artistic carving/cutting/decorating, the first-attempt cupcakes were still salvageable and delicious, so lesson learned! Rounds two and three turned out amazing! I filled the cupcake liners only half-wayish and had perfectly baked, flat-topped cupcakes. The recipe is so simple and quick! It’s definitely my “go-to” chocolate cupcake recipe now! Thanks, Sam!
Sam
I’m so glad you were still able to use them the first time and they were even better the second time. 🙂
Paige
I’ll start that I ONLY use your recipes and have rave reviews for everything you post. I have a binder of printed out recipes that I use of yours which had the old recipe in it, but I was at the store & looked it up on my phone to see that the ingredients changed. So I followed the new one this time.
I always have non-expired products and measure correctly. However I truly like the old recipe. These sunk in the middle so I followed the suggestion of putting less in & once the next batch came out they sunk immediately again. I’d rather use the old recipe and they be flat then completely sunken in. 🙁
I also think the old one tasted better as well (not that these don’t taste good!)
Again, I’ve only been using your recipes for over 4 years now & recommend your page to everyone that asks for the recipe of what I made. This one was just wasn’t a hit. And yes, I have an oven thermometer & things were room temp that needed to be.
Sam
Thank you so much for this honest feedback, Paige! I’m so disappointed to hear they sunk. One of the reasons I adjusted the recipe was actually because some people were having problems with the original overflowing/sinking, so I made a few modifications to prevent that and haven’t (personally) had any issues with these sinking. I’m so bummed to hear that you did. The original recipe is linked in the recipe card so you can still use that one if you prefer. Thank you again for the feedback, and for trying my recipes! ❤︎
Sophia Piper
Can I make the cupcakes themselves 2 days in advance?? If so how do you recommend storing them. Thanks!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Sophia! That will work just fine. You can store them in an airtight container at room temperature. Enjoy!
Lena
My go-to chocolate cupcake recipe- I get so many compliments! They have a beautiful deep chocolate flavor and have a lovely, luscious, moist texture.
Me
ZERO stars! Your recipe ratios are way off! Why would you have 1 and 1/4 TABLESPOONS of baking soda??? They were awful.
Sam
I believe you may have misread the recipe here. The recipe only uses 1 1/4 teaspoons of baking soda. I hope you’ll give them another try. 🙂
Estien Slabbert
I have been making your cupcakes for my learners at school by the dozens for years. I make them as a reward for hard work… these kids are sooo motivated! They constantly beg me to sell them and when I do, I make a killing! Thankyou so much!
Allie
Easy and delicious. Thanks, Sam!
Kayleigh
I turned it into a cake instead, it was delicious. Thank you. Family loved it.
Tammy Gould
The taste is good but I followed recipe to a T and they sunk in the middle. I did not fill them up past 2/3 like instructed. I probably won’t make them again.
Sam
Hi Tammy! I’m so sorry to hear this! Did you make any substitutions or additions? Sinking is typically caused by too much levener. 🙁
megan
For the electric mixer for the batter, do you use a paddle or whisk?
Sam
I use the paddle attachment.
Hope
I have made these cupcakes several times, and they are really good. can you use buttermilk instead if whole milk?
Sam
Hi Hope! I haven’t tried it. It may end up reacting with the leavening agents. If it’s all I had on hand I would probably try it. Let me know how it goes if you do. 🙂
Marisol
The best chocolate cupcakes!! Thank you for the recipe. I would like to know how can I fill them with cream cheese filling?
Sam
Hi Marisol! You would like have to just carve out a cavity in the cupcake after baking and fill with a cream cheese filling.
Marisol
Ok, thank you!
Marisol
Could I use the cream cheese filling used in your blueberry cream cheese muffins?
Sam
I haven’t tried it. The cupcakes may sink in. I do have a chocolate cream cheese filled muffin recipe that’s a little bit different that you could try. I also have a black bottom cupcake recipe that could be a good option. 🙂
Alyson Burns
Can I use coconut oil instead of canola?
Sam
Hi Alyson! I haven’t tried coconut oil, but I think it could work. I have tried avocado oil and that worked well. 🙂
Jennifer Hill-Gonzalez
I really love the taste of this recipe. But I have a problem! The middle of my cupcakes don’t rise. I’ve made the recipe twice now, both times using a scale to weigh. I think my issue is elevation as I live in Wyoming. could I add a couple tablespoons of flour to fix my issue? I even measure out the pours using two tablespoons. the edges end up where they should but the middle sinks 😔 any advice is greatly appreciated!
Sam
Hi Jennifer! I’m so sorry this is happening! Unfortunately I don’t have experience with high altitude baking so I can’t say for sure how to correct the issue. Hopefully someone else will have a better idea. I wish I could be more helpful. 🙁
Mark R.
I’m in Denver and had them sink the first time, so I then “heaping-halved” the leavening agents (i.e., heaping 3/4 tsp instead of 1.5 tsp), added a tablespoon of flour and an extra tablespoon of the milk, and baked at 380 for only 15 minutes and they came out wonderfully!
Sam
I’m so glad they turned out! Thank you for your feedback! 🙂
Rebecca
Only chocolate cupcake recipe I’ll use! My best friend and her daughter HATE chocolate but will eat these and even ask if i can make them again. I only use name brand cocoa powder (the one that starts with an H lol) otherwise it tastes off. Also, make sure to have an appropriate size pan if making into a cake. Became a lava in my oven but it was the best tasting lava there is! Also, i make them all the time for my girls’ classes, i get compliments every single time!
Alison Scurr
I love the look of your recipes, I only wish I could have the ingredients converted into grams. Here in the UK I find it hard working with cups.
Sam
Hi Alison, grams are listed for all of my recipes (you’ll find the measurements listed right after the cup measurement) and are what I use myself when testing the recipes 🙂
Marissa
Would this recipe work for a 6 inch cake with 3 layers? I’m thinking I’d probably just have a bit of extra batter? Also I don’t drink or make coffee but my girlfriend has some kind of fancy espresso machine. Is a shot of espresso plus extra hot water be the same thing as a cup of coffee?
Sam
Hi Marissa! I would recommend using my chocolate cake recipe instead. You will likely have just a little bit of extra batter. I haven’t tried espresso, but it could work. 🙂
Andrew
That would work fine..You could experiment with even more for a stronger coffee flavor.