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.
Mary
This is a great recipe! Would using buttermilk instead of milk be even better?
Sam
Hi Mary! I haven’t tried it but honestly it’s worth a shot! Please let me know how it works out if you try it! ๐
yoonie
Hi, Sam.
Thank you for the recipe. I am a beginner for baking. This recipe is super easy and yummy!
I have a question about the frosting.
Do you think I can reduce the sugar power amount? If I can, how much can I reduce?
Sam
I am sure you could reduce it, it will definitely make the icing thinner, but I cannot safely say how much it will reduce it by.
Sarah
Is it necessary to make the frosting?
Sam
You can use whatever frosting you’d like. If you like cream cheese frosting, you can try this one.
Sarah
Would the cupcakes still taste good even without the frosting?
Sam
Hi Sarah! They are a very good cupcake on their own! ๐
Katie
Hello – I’m keen to try the recipe, however only have Dutch processed cocoa at home. Can that be used as a substitute for the unsweetened cocoa in the recipe?
Many thanks
Sam
Honestly I have never used anything but unsweetened cocoa but I think it will be ok with Dutch cocoa.
Patricia
Will this recipe still work if I use Dutch process cocoa? I’m hoping to make these for my daughter’s second birthday this weekend.
Sam
I really recommend using natural cocoa powder, but in this case it should still turn out.
Patricia
This turned out good with the Dutch process cocoa. Everyone loved them today. This will be my go to chocolate cupcake recipe from now on!
Esther
I made this recipe last week and i must say its the best i have made so far, My brother that doesnt eat cakes almost finished all i made. Thanks a lot
Sam
I’m so happy you enjoyed it! ๐
Sarah Hurlburt
These where so good! I made this recipe as a cake and cupcakes for my sons 6th birthday party we had today and everyone said they where so good! Sadly because of food allergies I can’t eat them but everyone, kid and adult, loved it! Thank you!
Sam
I’m glad everyone enjoyed them!
Maria
Is the batter supposed to be soupy looking
Sam
Yes, please see step 6. The batter is very, very thin and that’s OK. I hope you enjoy the cupcakes!
Maria
Thank you and the did come out good I was just making sure it was right sorry
Kat
You were NOT lying. This is my new go-to for chocolate cake. It cooked perfectly, came out freakin DELISH, and is light and moist. Perfection in a pan. We used coconut oil and sprinkled some toffee pieces on top before baking and just…awesomeness. THANK YOU.
Sam
So glad to hear you enjoyed them, Kat! Thank you for commenting!! ๐
Florence
Hi, I had a question can I just use baking powder instead of both baking powder and baking soda?
Sam
I don’t recommend it, sorry!
Faith
Wow! These are SO good! My go to recipe now!
Sam
Yay! Thanks for letting me know how they turned out for you, Faith!!
Brooklyn
These cupcakes are my favorite recipe! I was wondering if I left out the coco powder and used hot water if these would make good vanilla cupcakes? ๐ Thanks!
Sam
Unfortunately I don’t think they would have the best flavor, for a good vanilla cupcake recipe I recommend using this vanilla cake, filling the cupcake liners 2/3-3/4 full and baking about 17 minutes.
Cindy
These cupcakes are the BOMB!!! Just 1 question…. What tip are you using for the frosting??? I love how they came out ๐๐๐
Sam
Thank you, so glad to hear you enjoyed them, Cindy! I used a Wilton 2D for this recipe
Ilma
Hey Sam, I’ve checked out quite a couple of your recipes and I love them all! However, all of the other recipes have cup/ounce/tablespoon to gram conversions except this one. I know it’s a hassle but I’d really appreciate if I could have the conversions for this. I looked online but there are different measurements every time I look and I’d like to get this recipe right, knowing that if I do it correctly, they’ll turn out just as good as your other recipes. Thank you so much!
Sam
Hi Ilma, I’m slowly going through my older recipes and updating them to include grams, I will work on this one and get back to you but I am away from my home computer and kitchen this week, I’m sorry for the hold-up!