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This Easy Chocolate Cupcakes recipe makes cupcakes that are crazy moist, decadently chocolatey, and ready to devour in under an hour!
Sometimes, you need dessert in a hurry, and this Easy Chocolate Cupcakes recipe is your secret weapon! In just 35 minutes, you can whip up a batch of cupcakes from scratch that are easier than ever. No fancy equipment or exotic ingredients are needed—just your trusty kitchen staples will transform into these delightful mini masterpieces.
Delicious By Design
For deeper chocolate flavor, we use cocoa powder and melted chocolate. This distributes real chocolate throughout the batter for a richer, more luxurious taste in every bite.
We chose butter over oil for moisture and flavor. Butter adds richness and simplifies melting the chocolate, resulting in a smooth, flavorful base.
Buttermilk adds a tang for complexity and keeps these cupcakes moist and tender.
Ingredients Spotlight
Chocolate: We use chocolate with less than 60% cocoa because it melts smoother and faster than higher cocoa varieties. Here’s a tip: Most semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips fall into this range.
Buttermilk: Buttermilk moistens the cupcakes and produces a soft and tender crumb. You can use whole or low-fat buttermilk in this recipe.
No buttermilk on hand? No problem! Here’s a quick substitute:
- In a measuring cup, combine 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice with enough milk to measure 1 cup.
- Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes, allowing it to curdle slightly. This curdling mimics the acidity of buttermilk and will work perfectly in your recipe.
For The Frosting
We chose our whipped cream frosting because it comes together quickly and easily, but you can use whatever frosting you like best. We have many options, like easy buttercream or chocolate whipped cream frosting.
Decorating Ideas
We chose a simple dusting of cocoa powder for our images, but for Valentine’s Day (when we made the video), we chose red cupcake papers and added mini roses.
You can use anything from sprinkles to chocolate shavings to decorate your cupcakes. The choice is your’s
Recipe Tips
- Go easy on the heat! Overheating chocolate can make it grainy. Melt the butter gently so it’s not too hot or bubbling when you add it to the chocolate.
- Be careful not to overmix the batter. To ensure proper mixing, beat the cake batter on low until the ingredients are combined and finish with a wooden spoon. Overmixing will result in a dense, heavy cupcake.
- Always use room-temperature ingredients. Chilled eggs or buttermilk will not combine easily with room-temperature dry ingredients.
- Avoid opening the oven door. Opening the door allows heat to escape, causing uneven baking.
Bake cupcakes in the middle of the oven for the baking to be the most even. - When making the whipped cream, be careful not to overwhip it. Otherwise, the cream can quickly turn to butter.
Storage & Freezing Instructions ❄
Storage:
- Once the cupcakes have cooled completely, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
- Frosted cupcakes will stay fresher for a shorter time than unfrosted cupcakes.
Freezing:
- For longer storage, you can freeze your unfrosted cupcakes. Allow them to cool completely, then place them in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze for 1-2 hours.
- Once frozen solid, transfer the cupcakes to an airtight container or freezer bag. Properly frozen cupcakes will keep for up to 3 months.
Thawing:
- Remove frozen cupcakes from the freezer and place them on a counter at room temperature to thaw frozen cupcakes. They should thaw within a few hours.
Rate This Recipe
Recipe
Easy Homemade Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- ¾ cup butter
- 8 oz bittersweet chocolate chips (or dark chocolate chips)
- 1 ¼ cups flour
- ¾ cups unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 4 large eggs (at room temperature)
- 1 cup buttermilk (at room temperature)
For the Whipped Cream Frosting:
- 1¼ cups Heavy Cream (chilled)
- 6 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon skimmed milk powder
Instructions
For the Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350F/175C. Prepare a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
- Add the butter to a microwaveable bowl. Melt the butter in the microwave on high in 30-second intervals until completely melted (be careful the bowl might be hot). Then set it aside to cool slightly. You don’t want it to be bubbling.
- Add the chocolate chips to the hot butter and mix until melted and fluid. Set aside.
- Sift the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda into a separate mixing bowl. Add the sugar, chocolate mixture, vanilla, eggs, and buttermilk and mix until fully combined.
- Add the batter evenly to the cupcake pan.
- Bake 20 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
- Allow to cool completely on a cooling rack before frosting.
For the Whipped Cream Frosting:
- Place the heavy cream, powdered sugar, vanilla and skimmed milk powder to a mixing bowl.
- Whip until thick (You’ll know it’s ready to use when you run a spoon through it and it doesn’t collapse into the crevice).
- Pipe the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes and decorate as desired.
Tips
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