Chocolate Cupcakes – Ultimate recipe for the best chocolate cupcakes that are so moist and fluffy. Frost with butterbeer buttercream frosting for the most decadent dessert!
These chocolate cupcakes really should be called death by chocolate cupcakes because that's how I felt after taking just one bite. They're so light, fluffy, and moist, it's really easy to chow down on 2 or 3 before you even realize it.
Cupcakes are so easy to make, but I'm going to share a few tips with you for how to make a cake moist, fluffy, and soft. In fact, these cupcakes will likely be the softest cupcakes you've ever made.
Top them off with a butterbeer buttercream frosting, and you've got the makings of a most decadent dessert.
I've loved cupcakes since I was a little girl; every year my mom would make a batch of cupcakes for me to take to school and share with my friends on my birthday.
This chocolate cupcake recipe is perfect for a child's birthday, for the holidays, or even for a fun after school treat for your kids. It makes the best Minecraft birthday cupcakes.
I JUST WANT THE RECIPE! TAKE ME TO THE RECIPE FOR CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES!
If you’d rather skip all of my cooking tips, important cooking info for this recipe, and similar recipe ideas – and get straight to the scrumptious chocolate cupcake recipe – just scroll down to the bottom, where you’ll find a printable recipe card.
HOW TO MAKE CAKE MOIST (OR IN THIS CASE CUPCAKES)
I've had a love/hate relationship with homemade cake recipes in the past; sometimes I've gotten them right and sometimes they've been total flops. Thankfully, these cupcakes turned out perfect!
There are a few steps I took to ensure that our chocolate cupcakes would be very light, fluffy, and moist, just like my favorite yellow cake. And the steps I took to make moist chocolate cake actually worked.
- Use a mixture of butter and oil to make a moist cake.
- When you cream the butter and sugar (or mix the butter and sugar), do so for a good 5 to 8 minutes.
- When mixing the other wet ingredients in with your creamed mixture, only add the yolks of the eggs. Wait to fold the egg whites in after all the other ingredients have been added and mixed.
- Use buttermilk instead of regular milk. In fact, you can make your own buttermilk; I'll show you how below. What buttermilk does is break down the gluten, which makes your cake softer.
- Use cake flour to make a lighter, softer cake. It really does make a difference.
- Sift your flour and dry ingredients together at least 3 times. My grandma would've said 7; she was a real stickler about sifting.
- Don't mix the cake batter too long after adding the flour. Mix it just until it's mixed. You can even alternate the flour mixture with the milk to be more aware of how long you're mixing. Over mixing can make a cake more dense.
HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN BUTTERMILK SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO BUY IT
We almost never buy buttermilk. We just never use it because I know I can make my own when I’m baking.
My mom taught me this little trick when I was younger.
Just add about a tablespoon of distilled white vinegar to a cup or two of milk; I usually use a tablespoon for every 1 to 2 cups of milk. Stir and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes.
Before you know it, you have sour milk or buttermilk. Works like a charm!
CAN I MAKE THESE CUPCAKES AHEAD OF TIME AND FREEZE THEM?
You can! In fact, Life as a Strawberry has a really helpful tutorial for How to Store and Freeze Cupcakes.
TIPS FOR HOW TO MAKE CUPCAKES
Start by making your buttermilk and setting it aside so it can do its thing.
Then cream (or mix) the butter, oil, and sugar together for a good 5 to 8 minutes. You can also cream the egg yolks and vanilla extract in with the sugar mixture if you want.
Sift your dry ingredients together at least 3 times.
Then alternate adding the dry ingredients with the buttermilk to your creamed mixture, mixing after each addition.
Finally, when everything is mixed together, fold in the egg whites and mix together just until the batter is mixed.
Add cupcake liners to 2 large muffin tins, and pour or dispense batter into each cup, filling it 3/4 of the way full.
Bake at 350° for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean.
Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack. You can use a table knife to go around the edges of the cupcakes if they stick to the pan at all.
Allow them to fully cool before attempting to ice the cupcakes.
Then top with a cupcake frosting like this deliciously creamy butterbeer buttercream frosting or regular buttercream frosting for the best chocolate cupcake recipe ever. Yum!
MORE CUPCAKE RECIPES YOU WILL LOVE:
Lime Vanilla Poke Cake Cupcakes
Scrumptious Poke Cake Lemon Cupcakes
Strawberry Filled Vanilla Cupcakes
Chocolate Bunny Tail Cupcake Bites
Valentine Snack Cakes Copycat Recipe
KITCHEN TOOLS YOU'LL NEED TO MAKE CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES
Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer – You can definitely mix chocolate cupcakes by hand, but a mixer enables you to get a really smooth cupcake batter.
Measuring Spoons and Measuring Cups
Egg Yolky Separator – Who doesn't love a cute egg yolk separator?
Muffin Pan with Cupcake Liners
Batter Dispenser – This makes it really easy to fill the cupcake liners.
Cake Decorating Kit with Tips and Pastry Bags – If you decide to decorate your cupcakes or even just want to swirl the icing on.
CHOCOLATE CUPCAKE RECIPE
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Moist and Fluffy Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 1 1/2 cups pure cane sugar
- 2 large eggs separated*
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
- 2 cups cake flour
- 1/2 cup dark cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 350°.
- If you're making buttermilk, make it first and set aside.**
- Cream (or mix) the butter, oil, and sugar together for a good 5 to 8 minutes.
- You can also cream the egg yolks and vanilla extract in with the sugar mixture if you want, or you can add them in after the butter and sugar mixture is creamed.
- Meanwhile, sift the dry ingredients together at least 3 times.
- Then alternate adding the dry ingredients with the buttermilk to your creamed mixture, mixing after each addition.
- Finally, when everything is mixed together, fold in the egg whites and mix together just until the batter is blended.
- Add cupcake liners to 2 large muffin tins, and pour or dispense the batter into each cup, filling each cup 3/4 of the way full.
- Bake at 350° for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean.
- Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack.***
- Allow the cupcakes to fully cool before attempting to ice them. Then top with this deliciously creamy butterbeer buttercream frosting.****
I find sometimes cakes don’t rise properly band cause my eggs are too cold or somebody bags the door shut when they come in…lol. When I bake I make sure the eggs are room temperature and nobodies home….except me?
Lesa, good tips!
I followed this recipe completely but my cupcakes were completely flat. They fell apart. They separated from the cupcake liner before I even had time to take them out of the muffin pan. I’m completely frustrated.
Stacie, I’m not sure why they would’ve come out this way. But there are a lot of factors that can play a role, especially with cake. I’m sorry this happened.
Can I make these with white granulated sugar?
Hi Hannah, yes, you can!
Made these last night with the butter cream icing. They turned out fabulous! Love the almond flavor in the icing. Thank you for sharing!
Mary Jo, thank you!! I’m so glad you loved them!
If I wanted to make just white cupcakes, do I omit the cocoa powder only? Would I need to add anything else? (***have not made this recipe yet***)
Darci, you’d likely need to add a bit of flour to make up for the cocoa powder. You might try my yellow cake recipe but make cupcakes out of it instead. I’m working on a white cake recipe but haven’t quite perfected it yet.
Taste good but flat as can be on top. Tried them a couple different times. Followed the recipe to a T. Annoyed.
Lindy, not sure why they turned out flat. I’m sorry you had this experience.
Wow! These cupcakes are delicious!
Thank you so much, Amber!
Thank you for the recipe!
You’re very welcome! Thank you!
How do you get your frosting so high? Are you basically frosting them twice?
Jane, I used a cake bag with large tip. They should be listed in the post above the recipe.
? do you beat/mix egg whites before adding them to cupcake mixture? thanx ?
Petra, no, I just add them in as is.