Chocolate lovers will go CRAZY for these super decadent chocolate cupcakes! Topped with big swirls of chocolate buttercream frosting, they’re exploding with chocolate flavor in every bite. One taste and you’ll never try another recipe!
Best Chocolate Cupcakes Recipe
“Can I turn this chocolate cake recipe into chocolate cupcakes?” If you’ve ever wondered this, you’re not alone! It’s by far one of the most frequently asked questions I receive.
The bad news? My answer is typically no. The GOOD news? I have the best chocolate cupcake recipe in the world: right here for you! So next time you want to skip the cake layers and bake up a batch of the best chocolate cupcakes, bust out your muffin pan and bake these up! No need to scour Facebook or Pinterest, I promise you, there’s are truly the best of the best. And if you’re not a fan of chocolate buttercream, you can always top these chocolate cupcakes with chocolate ganache, cream cheese frosting, or white chocolate mocha buttercream.
So… What is the Secret to Super Moist Chocolate Cupcakes?
I have to admit making the perfect chocolate cupcake was a lot harder than I thought it would be. There was a lot of tweaking and I kind of felt like a mad scientist trying to figure out how to make these amazing. What is the secret to good cupcakes? Is cupcake better with oil or butter? Why are my cupcakes so dry?! These are all questions that I worked through while developing this recipe! Here’s what I learned:
- Use a combination of vegetable oil AND butter! This combo creates super moist cupcakes that still have delicious flavor. Butter brings the flavor and oil locks in the moisture. It’s a winning combination! You can use canola oil or refined coconut oil in a pinch.
- Use hot water to bloom the unsweetened natural cocoa powder! You can also use hot coffee, or combine very hot water with espresso powder or instant coffee. Coffee actually enhances the chocolate flavor (so does vanilla extract, fyi!), so it’s a win/win.
- Do not over mix! Once you’ve added the dry ingredients into the batter, you want to mix until just combined. The key to incorporating any loose ingredients? Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, then gently fold any stuck bits into the batter.
- Bake until a toothpick comes out the center of a cupcake clean! But don’t over bake. Over baking can cause very dry cupcakes.
You can top these cupcakes with chocolate sprinkles, rainbow sprinkles, or even some big fat chocolate chips like I did! I’m a “never enough chocolate” kind of girl, so it was an easy choice for decorating 😉 You can also just leave them plain! I found them so dark and beautiful in their natural state that I almost didn’t add anything at all… almost!
More Chocolate Cupcakes Recipes:
- Zucchini Chocolate Cupcakes
- Old-Fashioned Chocolate Buttermilk Cupcakes
- Kahlua Chocolate Cupcakes
- Butterfinger Chocolate Cupcakes
- One-Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes
Super Decadent Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- 3 tablespoons coconut OR canola oil
- 1 stick unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs + 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, not packed
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup full fat sour cream
- 1/2 cup hot coffee OR hot water
For the Fudgy Buttercream:
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 3 cups confectioners sugar
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 3 tablespoons whole milk or half and half
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
For the cupcakes:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F). Line a 12-cup cupcake/muffin tin with cupcake liners and lightly spray the liners with non-stick spray (optional but it does help them peel right off).
- Melt the oil, butter,and chocolate together in the microwave, heating in 30 second increments, and stirring between increments each time. You can also melt the oil, butter, and chocolate over very low heat on the stovetop, but I find the microwave to be much easier. Whisk mixture until completely smooth and set aside to cool.
- In a medium sized bowl combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder, and salt; stir together until thoroughly combined; set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, yolk, sugar and vanilla together; beat until smooth. Add the cooled oil/butter/chocolate mixture and whisk until smooth. Add half of the flour mixture, then half of the sour cream. Repeat the process until everything is added, and be sure to mix until JUST combined - then quickly stir in the hot coffee/water. It's important not to over mix, here! Just stir until evenly combined.
- Divide the batter among the 12 liners in your prepared pan. Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool *completely before frosting.
For the fudge buttercream:
- Sift together the confectioners sugar and cocoa powder, whisking well to ensure it's bump and lump free!
- Using a handheld mixer OR a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until creamy; about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low and slowly add the sifted sugar/cocoa powder, alternating with the sour cream and milk, then add the vanilla and salt. Once all of the ingredients have been added, beat on high speed until light and creamy and combined; beat for at least 1 minute on high.
- Frost cooled cupcakes and top with any decorations if desired.
- Cupcakes stay fresh at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Mommy T says
I don’t usually leave comments, but I am compelled to say publicly how delicious these cupcakes are! I made some for my daughter’s birthday party, along with the frosting, this past weekend and they were a huge hit!
Just made another batch per request of a parent who was at the party. We can’t get enough of them!
The recipe is perfection as is!! Thank you for such a perfect chocolate cupcake and frosting!
bakerbynature says
Yay!!! And Happy (Belated) Birthday, to your daughter 🙂
Frances says
Wow, I just baked these and I have to say they are the best chocolate cupcakes I have ever made! The cupcakes are so chocolatey and they came out of the oven looking perfect. I had to leave mine in for 30 min though for it to completely set. I will try to bake the pumpkin & carrot cake next! Thanks! 😀
bakerbynature says
That’s awesome, Frances! I’m so happy you enjoyed them and I can’t wait to hear how the pumpkin carrot cake turns out 🙂 That’s one of my favorites!
Alexis says
Look great! Question: could I use heavy cream instead of milk for frosting?
bakerbynature says
Hi Alexis. That should work! The frosting will just be a little richer 😉
Alexis says
Thanks!
kiki says
mine flopped! No idea what went wrong, I just thought there was too little flour for all the oil?butter?liquid. Theres always got to be that annoying party pooper someone and it seems that it is me! I love to bake and dont often have this happen. They taste great but are really oily and they sunk in the middle. I upped the oven temp to 200 C and that worked a little better. Im at sea level so its not that. Maybe the gram for the stick of butter is not accurate (113g) or a tablespoon is not 15ml … I gave up.
Paige says
Made them twice already. They are so amazing. Wouldn’t change a thing.
Alix says
I absolutely LOVE this recipe, the cupcakes are the best chocolate cupcakes I’ve ever made/tasted!! I am wondering though if you’ve ever made these in a mini cupcake pan with liners? I was thinking about trying it for little bite sized deliciousness but I don’t know how they’ll do. Any thoughts? Thank you and Merry Christmas!
bakerbynature says
Hi Alix. SO happy you’re enjoying this recipe! It’s my favorite 🙂 I haven’t tried making them into minis, but it could work! You’d definitely want to decrease the bake time as they’ll bake much quicker.
Alix says
Just tried minis and they are just as good! 😀 I doubled the recipe and made 18 full size cupcakes and 48 minis. The minis took about 11-12 minutes to bake.
Rachael Cartmell says
Hi, these look uttetly delicious and I would love to make them, but I live in the UK, we don’t have ‘sticks’ of butter could you provide weights for the ingredients instead please? I” always a little unsure of how much to put in the cup 😉
Jessica Brotherton says
Hi! I made these cupcakes last night… While the flavor is delicious, during the last 5 minutes of baking they all sank in the middle! I live in Guatemala and we have high elevation. Could that have caused the problem? I’m sure that I followed the recipe exactly, I checked and double checked. Could you recommend any alterations for altitude?
Thank you!
bakerbynature says
Hi Jessica. High elevation definitely effects baking, but unfortunately I don’t have any experience with it myself. However here is an article I hope will help you: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
Jan says
I live in the states and mine sunk too.
Mya says
Hi, I’m a beginner baker and was wondering if in Step 5 of the recipe, should I use a Kitchen Aide stand mixer, or a hand whisk, or a spatula, etc, to mix the ingredients together? Does it make a difference? Also, is there an approximate time I should mix for? (I’m worried I might over-mix it!)
Thanks so much for the recipe. I can’t wait to try it!
Paige says
I made these cupcakes twice and used a wisk the entire time. And when you are mixing, just mix until you see that everything is incorporated.
Stephanie says
Just made these cupcakes and LOVED them! Excited to try out some of your other recipes, thank you for all of the help!
bakerbynature says
So happy to read this, Stephanie!!!