Easy Chocolate Cupcake Recipe
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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 cookie recipe), 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 recipe. 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
Equipment
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
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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
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.
I’ve used this recipe to make cupcakes afew times and also made a birthday cake with it. It’s lovely and light and is now my go-to chocolate cake recipe. My family love it, thanks!
Can the ingredients translate to other cake types, eg ginger cakes?
I’m so thrilled to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Sheetal!! I’m not sure how this exact recipe would transfer to other cake types, but I do have a gingerbread cupcake recipe and gingerbread recipe, if those might interest you!
Sam, thank you so much for such a deliciously easy recipe!
My cupcakes turned out just as you described yours.
My family sends lots of chocolaty smiles your way.
Shelley, ON. Canada
Thank you so much for the kind comment. ☺️
What a waste of ingredients, effort, dishes and time! While I followed measurements and directions to the T and am by no means an inexperienced baker, these overflowed in my oven and my home is filled with the lovely aroma of burned cupcake batter. This is way too much batter for the 24 cupcakes it specifies, I even threw some out thinking the cups were way too full. I’m also pretty bummed I’m going to have to buy (gasp) grocery store cupcakes because I can’t come to this party tonight empty handed. Argh!
The cupcake liners were definitely over-filled. I can’t stress enough how important it is to NOT over-fill your cupcake liners over the 2/3 specified. If you have leftover batter then discard it or use it to make mini cupcakes etc. but unfortunately your cupcakes overflowed because the tins were overfilled.
Yes, that would be my assessment as well. Seems as though the stated yield of 24 cupcakes is inaccurate.
I made the same recipe, didn’t have over filled cupcakes and made four less cupcakes than called for. You clearly did something wrong. Mine turned out wonderful!
Tried for my kid’s birthday party and came out really moist and fluffy 😀 one of the best and easy most recipes have tried so far.. cheers!!
I am so glad everyone enjoyed them! ☺️
Hi, I’m planning on making these cupcakes but I don’t bake a lot, and I’m confused about the salted butter. Does it affect the flavor of the icing?
Yes the salted butter will affect the flavor. I typically like use unsalted butter and add salt to control the flavor but chose not to in this icing. I have a post on unsalted vs. salted butter if you would like to learn more about it. ☺️
i made these and my Family loved them totally recommend this.
it is easy for teenagers to back it like me. 😃
I am so glad everyone enjoys them! ☺️
Hi, I was wondering if I could use an olive oil instead of the vegetable or canola oil? I don’t have either right now.
I don’t recommend it because olive oil has a pretty strong flavor of its own. The vegetable and canola oil are a little more neutral in flavor.
Ok , thank you! I’m looking forward to making these!
Hi Sam. I made these cupcakes tonight and I thought they were a little on the dry side. I did the recipe exactly. Is there something I can do or add to make them more moist?
Hi Kelly! Hmm, I’ve never had these come out dry. By chance could they have been baked a bit too long? I think that would be the most likely culprit. Is it possible your oven is running a little hot? This could also overbake them. I like to check my cupcakes early and use the toothpick test to see if my they are done, ideally the toothpick should come out with a few fudgy crumbs. I hope this helps but please let me know if I can help troubleshoot more.
If you make them the day prior do you recommend waiting to frost until the day of or can they be refrigerated overnight? Thank you!
Either way will work fine. If you refrigerate them, make sure you keep them in an air tight container.
These were amazing! Thank you!
I am so glad you enjoyed them, Casey! ☺️
Hi. I was wondering if the Cupcakes are crumbly? I am making a s’mores cupcake with a filling in the cupcakes and need a simple chocolate cake recipe for it
No these are a very moist cupcake.
I’m a 13 year old girl with a passion for baking (I want to be a professional baker) and when I made these…I was shocked, they were just amazing! It only took me an hour and a half to do ALL of that! The frosting piped SO well and just a few sprinkles did the trick. Usually I never have the perfect amount of frosting in a recipe but this one? It was exact. There were almost none leftover at my church potluck! And it was so moist! Thank you SO much for sharing this recipe, this is definitely my go to chocolate cupcake now! ♡
Thank you so much Melody!! I wish you the best of luck in accomplishing your dream (it’s a really great dream!) I am so glad everyone enjoyed them! ☺️
I also just noticed you were homeschooled, I am too!
Ah cool! Nice to meet a fellow homeschooler. ☺️
I just made this now and my kids love it. I’m using all my will power right now to keep some for them to take to school tomorrow.
I had to use half the sugar quantity as we don’t have a sweet tooth.
Thanks for sharing
Good luck! 😂 I am so glad everyone enjoyed them! ☺️
Thank you so much for sharing this, Sam! The recipe was amazing– it’s won the approval of everyone who i made try it.
I was wondering if this recipe could be made without eggs? I have made cakes with flax seed as replacement for egg and its worked, but I’m not sure how that would work for this recipe. Thank you!
I am so glad everyone enjoyed them! I have not tried that particular substitution before so I don’t know how it will turn out. If you try it and it works please let me know. ☺️
Hi Sam, we’re excited for these cupcakes for my son’s Mr.ONEderful party!! The party is tomorrow but as I’m not very good at baking I didn’t want to stress the day of, so they’re baking right now as we speak. What is the best way to keep these? Also, I bought store bought frosting because I never get mine right, should I do that tmw morning or can that store well overnight as well? THANK YOU
You can store the cupcakes for a couple of days on the counter in an air tight container. As far as the frosting goes, I would follow any instructions on the container. If you were using the frosting with the cupcakes, they would be fine to leave at room temp.