Rich Chocolate Cupcakes are a chocolate lovers dream topped with buttercream frosting. The perfect dessert for a birthday party. Try today!
Cupcakes are the perfect way to make your favorite cakes shareable. Instead of slicing a whole cake for all your guests, you can make a batch of awesome Rich Chocolate Cupcakes that are ready-made in serving sizes. You should also try my Red Velvet Cupcakes and White Cupcakes.
Sabrina’s Rich Chocolate Cupcakes Recipe
Fluffy Chocolate Cupcakes are sure to be an all-time favorite with any true chocolate fans. The rich chocolate flavor and the moist chocolate cake base really set these homemade cupcakes apart from any you could buy at a store.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
Chocolate Cupcakes:
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
- 3/4 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Chocolate Frosting:
- 3/4 cups unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1/3 cups whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Chocolate Cupcakes:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a 12-cup muffin tray with liner cups.
- To a stand mixer add the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking soda, salt, melted butter, vegetable oil, water, and turn on the beater until just combined.
- Add in the eggs until just combined, then add in the milk and vanilla beating until smooth.
- Using an ice cream scoop fill the cups 2/3 full and bake for 20-22 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool completely.
Chocolate Frosting:
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan and whisk in the cocoa powder then remove from the heat and let cool.
- Add the cooled chocolate mixer to your stand mixer and whip on medium speed, adding the powdered sugar and milk, alternating them ⅓ at a time and finally add the vanilla in last.
- If the frosting is too thick, add a bit more milk.
- Add frosting to a piping bag and pipe onto completely cooled cupcakes.
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Nutrition
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Note from Sabrina
Use an ice cream scoop to scoop the batter from the bowl into the cupcake liners so they’re each 2/3 full. Bake the recipe for 20-22 minutes. To test if they’re done, insert a toothpick in the center. If it comes out without any batter on it, take the pan out of the heat. Cupcakes from the oven will be too hot to frost so let the muffin temperature cool completely before piping the icing on top.
Table of Contents
About this Recipe
These amazing chocolate chocolate cupcakes are topped off with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting for plenty of chocolate flavor that’s sure to satisfy even the biggest chocolate lovers out there. There’s also espresso powder mixed into the moist cupcakes, which helps bring out a more intense chocolate flavor for the perfect cupcake recipe.
How to Store
- Serve: Cupcakes can stay good at room temperature for up to 2 days. Just make sure to cover them so that they stay moist.
- Store: Seal the cupcakes in an airtight container to keep in the refrigerator for up to one week.
- Freeze: Seal the cupcakes in an airtight container and store in the freezer for up to 3 months
Ideas to Serve
Once you’ve made these perfect cupcakes, you can top the fudgy chocolate frosting off with a variety of decorations. Try adding chocolate shavings and fresh berries for a more grown-up look. If you’re serving them for a Birthday Party, top them off with bright and fun rainbow sprinkles. They’re the perfect dessert for any special occasion!
Variations
- Triple Chocolate: For even more chocolate flavor in your delicious chocolate cupcakes, you can add ½ cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips to the batter.
- Vanilla Icing: For an amazing vanilla with chocolate combination, take the cocoa powder out of the frosting and just use vanilla icing.
- Nutella Chocolate Cupcakes: Another option is instead of using unsweetened cocoa powder, you can mix Nutella into the icing for a creamy Nutella topping.
- Cream Cheese Frosting: If you want cupcakes that are a little less sweet and more tangy, try replacing the buttercream with Cream Cheese Icing.
- Buttermilk: Another way to add a nice tang to the recipe is to make them with buttermilk. Use buttermilk in place of the milk and use baking soda in place of the baking powder, so that they still rise.
- Coffee: There’s already espresso powder in the recipe, which helps make a richer chocolate flavor. But, if you want to add to that you can use freshly brewed coffee to replace the hot water that’s called for.
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Photos used in a previous version of this post.
Delicious!
Do you think I could make the frosting in advance and hold it in the piping bag for a day or two? We are going camping for a birthday party and I want to frost the cupcakes there so they don’t get messed up in transport.
Buttercream frosting would work.
I served these at my son’s birthday party and several people asked for the recipe. Best chocolate cupcakes I’ve ever made!
I served these at my son’s birthday party and several people asked for the recipe. Best chocolate cupcakes I’ve ever made!
These cupcakes are a chocolate lovers dream! So rich and decadent, absolutely delicious!
These are to die for!! The more chocolate, the better!! They are so soft & moist & the frosting is so creamy!