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.
Geetika Bhandari
My 12-year-old found this recipe online and made 24 cupcakes and a cake from it and they turned out absolutely delicious. Everyone asked her for the recipe! So much so that I’ve abandoned my usual recipe and am now using this one as my go-to! Am making it again today, this time with the frosting, and I’m sure it will look even prettier! Thanks. Will post and tag you on Instagram.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them! ☺️
Olivia
This recipe did not work for me. Even though I only filled the cups halfway up, the batter consistently went up and out of the cups. The middles of the cupcakes were all but hollow and they were too flimsy to get out of the pan. Not sure what I did wrong – I used the right amount of all ingredients, coffee, and mixed in the order shown in the recipe.
Sam
I’m disappointed to hear this, Olivia! I’ve never had this happen, I’m wondering if there wasn’t an ingredient accidentally mis-measured somewhere, particularly with the baking powder or baking soda. I’ve never had this outcome 🙁
Meredith M
This exact problem happened to me. I double checked the measurements for the baking soda and powder before putting them in. Tastes good but not substantial enough for icing.
Sam
This is so odd, I haven’t been able to recreate this I’m really not sure what might be happening here. They’re light and fluffy cupcakes but I’ve never had a problem frosting them, I am sorry to hear you are having trouble with this, Meredith!
Ashleigh says
Amazing Amazing Recipe!!! Five Stars my whole family loved them and hardly saved any for me. Will definitely be visiting for future recipes
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them! I hope you love everything you try! ☺️
Tesa Pearson
Hi I made bigger cupcakes but they did not rise, they actually fell in! Should I add more baking powder? They taste great though!
Sam
This can happen if the batter is over-mixed, under-mixed, or if the cupcake liners are filled with too much batter.
anita
I made these for a friend’s birthday and we all agreed that they were the best cupcakes ever! And yes the recipe was super easy! The only change I made was that I felt like the frosting was not chocolate-y enough for us so I added anothe 1/4-1/3 cup cocoa powder, a dash of salt, 1/2tspmore vanilla, and and more milk to compensate for the extra dryness from the extra cocoa. this was perfect for us but might not be for everyone’s taste. But even though I made those changes I felt like the frosting was the perfect texture and not greasy like some butter creams I’ve had. Thank you so much for this great recipe!!!
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed them Anita! Thanks for letting me know. ☺️
Araceli Aguilera
I did this recipe twice already and I end up with crunchy balls of I don’t know flour? Baking powder? Baking soda? I don’t know what it is! The flavor is so good I just don’t know what I’m doing wrong. 🙁
Sam
So there are crunchy balls inside the cupcake after they’re baked? I’d bet it’s clumps of baking powder, especially if it’s bitter. This used to happen to me when I bought generic baking powder so I switched to a different brand and have never had the problem again.
Araceli Aguilera
What brand did you switch to?
Sam
Clabber Girl and Rumford both work well for me
Priyanka Almeida
I tried this. It was my first time trying chocolate cupcakes as well as frosting. It turned out wonderful. Everyone loved it! Super moist and flavorful. So glad I found you Sam. I’ve never reviewed any recipes so you know how genuinely I loved this. Can’t wait to try the vanilla frosting with some vibrant colors for my son’s 1st birthday. Thank you so much ❤️❤️
Sam
Thank you so much! I am so glad you enjoyed them. ☺️
Priyaka Almeida
Hi Sam,
Can I add rum to this batter for chocolate rum cupcakes. If yes, please let me know the quantity and type of rum. I’m keen on making a nice rum chocolate cake or cupcakes but haven’t found a decent recipe yet. I don’t think I trust the recipes I’ve seen so far to try then out. Counting on you for help.
Priyanka
Sam
I am really not sure how it would turn out as I have not tried adding rum to these cupcakes. If you do try it out let me know how it goes. ☺️
Amanda
These were delicious. My almost three-year-old son helped me make them. It was easy and they turned out delicious. I will say I was worried at first that they might be dry because, as a was trying to remove them from the pan, a couple were stuck pretty good to the pan and tore. However, I think they just needed more time to cool. By the end of the night, they were perfect.
Sam
I am glad they worked out for you in the end. My best guess is to what happened would be the cupcake liners could have been slightly over filled causing the cupcakes to spill over and stick to the pan.
Lovely Anne
Hi! if i do make the buttercream frosting instead of chocolate, can i just remove the cocoa powder from the recipe, or should there be any changes?
Sam
I have a great vanilla frosting you could use instead. ☺️
Hajra
Hey. I did this recipe and it worked out great. The only problem I had was with the chocolate frosting. My frosting became to liquidy. It was not as textured as yours and did not have a grip. Do you have any idea why. And could you help me get the perfect frosting. I need it for my friends birthday party. I want to make a frosting as good as your. Thank you.
Sam
There are a couple of things you can check here: the butter may have been too soft, there may have been just a little bit too much milk. Either way, the best way to remedy the situation is to add a little more powdered sugar or cocoa powder. 😃
JANI BABU ANSARI
Its really an amazing as well as very simple recipe. Thanks for sharing it.
Samantha
I used this recipe and filled them with cookie dough! They came out great!
Sam
Sounds like an excellent addition! 😃
Tess
I apologize if I overlooked this but… do you use 1 & 3/4 cups + 2tbs of spoon and leveled flour? Or packed flour? I know some recipes specify which method to use and some don’t. I just didn’t know if it should be assumed or not. Thank you in advance!
Sam
Hi Tess. For all of my recipes I spoon and level my flour. 😃
Jessica R
Hi! I made this as directed for my sons birthday and they came out amazing! But now I need to make (4) 9×13 cakes for a church dinner. Could you give me advice on bake time and should I just use the same amount of batter as your recipe?
Thank you so much!
(Your white cake recipe was amazing also!)
Sam
Hi Jessica, I am not sure how long it would take as I have never made these in anything but a cupcake tin. Sorry…
Abby
Hi! can i ask you something? can i use melted butter instead of canola oil? THANK YOU!
Sam
Hi Abby! You can, but the cupcakes could be a little dry. 😃