How to Make the BEST Chocolate Cupcakes

The Best Chocolate to Use for Chocolate Cupcakes

We can’t make stellar homemade chocolate cupcakes without first considering the chocolate! The cupcakes themselves use a whole 5 ounces of bittersweet chocolate AND Dutch-process cocoa powder, for as much chocolate flavor as possible. Make sure to use freshly chopped baking chocolate and not chocolate chips, which don’t melt down as smoothly.

Do I Have to Use Dutch Process Cocoa Powder?

• I do recommend you stick with the Dutch-process cocoa as it actually works differently on a chemical level compared to regular natural cocoa.
• You can find it at many gourmet food stores, like Whole Foods, Sur la Table, and Williams-Sonoma, and also online via Amazon.
• One of the most surprising parts about Dutch Process Cocoa is that it almost always contains more cocoa butter (fat!) than your typical grocery store cocoa powder.
• This means more moisture, richness, and chocolate flavor!
• Learn more about cocoa powder + fat content here.
• If you must use regular unsweetened cocoa powder in this recipe, then omit the vinegar.
• Your cupcakes may be a little more dry if using something like Hershey’s or Nestle.
• You can learn more about the differences between cocoa powders here.

What is the Secret to Super MOIST Chocolate Cupcakes?

1. This recipe calls for vegetable oil instead of melted butter. I went back and forth on this for a bit and wound up choosing the oil because it creates an ultra-moist texture and an open, slightly spongy crumb, which is perfect for chocolate cupcakes. For more details on how these two fats affect tenderness, flavor, and texture, check out my Butter vs. Oil in Baking article.
2. Since oil is liquid at room temperature, it gives a better sensation of moistness than butter does.
3. Be sure to also use full-fat ingredients and don’t reduce the sugar in this recipe. Sugar actually helps contribute to moistness! Learn more about the role sugar plays in baking here. 
4. Lastly, be sure not to accidentally over-measure your flour and cocoa powder. Spoon both ingredients into their measuring cups then level off the excess with a knife. Or better yet, use a digital kitchen scale. Check out my How to Measure Flour article for a step-by-step on how to accurately measure your dry ingredients.

Hot Water and Espresso Powder in Chocolate Cupcakes

• If you bake chocolate cakes or cupcakes a lot, you’ve probably seen quite a few recipes that utilize hot water or even hot coffee.
• This helps to dissolve and ‘bloom’ the cocoa powder to bring out as much flavor with as few cocoa lumps as possible.
• In my Best Chocolate Cupcake recipe, I use a combination of hot water and instant espresso powder.
• The espresso simply enhances the chocolate flavor without actually being perceptible.

Do I Have to Use Espresso Powder?

Alternatively, you could use hot coffee for the same effect. Instant coffee and water will also work. Or you can omit it altogether if you’d prefer.

Sugar(s)

Most of my initial recipe tests used only granulated sugar for the cupcakes. Then, I thought I’d try to add in a bit of brown sugar. The resulting chocolate cupcakes were flavorful, moist, and slightly chewy. Perfect!

Eggs

The more whole eggs a cake recipe has, the richer it’ll be. I repeated one of my favorite baking tricks and added in an egg yolk. It works beautifully for brownies and cookies, so why not chocolate cupcakes? It adds more richness, chewiness, and structure so the cupcake can stand up to a generous or heavy frosting.

Is There an Egg Substitute For Chocolate Cupcakes?

I have yet to find an amazing egg substitute for this recipe. My friend Gemma from Bigger Bolder Baking has an excellent resource on egg substitutes.

Leavener

This is where I encountered the most frustration! When I used both baking soda and baking powder, the cupcakes rose to a beautiful height while baking but then fell and collapsed slightly as they cooled. Bummer. That was too much leavener.

I went back to only baking soda, which is more effective per teaspoon than baking powder, but had to add vinegar to the recipe. Why? Because there wasn’t much acid for the baking soda to react with originally. Dutch-process cocoa powder has been neutralized of its acid, so it was only the sour cream and the small amount of brown sugar. For tall and light cupcakes, we need enough leavening, so baking soda + vinegar did the trick. This is why you omit the vinegar if you’re using natural cocoa powder.

Flour

I tried testing with bread flour after seeing a few ‘ultimate’ recipes elsewhere that used it, but found that all-purpose worked just as well. Since all-purpose flour is more readily available, I stuck with that to make things easiest for you.

Sour Cream

I find that sour cream adds such a lovely richness and balance of flavor to cupcakes, so I just had to include it here. I think it definitely works best, but full-fat plain yogurt also makes a fine alternative in chocolate cupcakes.

The Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

• When I originally published this recipe, it used the more difficult Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream as the frosting.
• Although delicious, it’s more advanced and requires more time and special equipment.
• In the interest of making this recipe easier but equally as delicious, I swapped in an American-style chocolate buttercream that’s made extra special with two additions.
• The frosting contains cooled chocolate ganache for extra chocolate flavor and fudgy richness.
• For an extra smooth and rich frosting, opt for organic powdered sugar and high-fat cocoa powder.
• The full explanation for both is found here.
• This frosting uses melted chocolate for the most intense and pure chocolate flavor possible. I like to use semisweet, but feel free to use milk or bittersweet chocolate instead. It’s totally up to you! 

My Favorite Cupcake Tools:

• Cupcake liners: These ones are my favorite for cupcakes that don’t stick to the liner.
• Piping tip: I used the Ateco #828 piping tip for swirling the chocolate frosting on these cupcakes. Any large open star tip will work!
• Piping bags: I love these ones.

Can I Make a Layer Cake with This Recipe?

I have my Best Chocolate Cake recipe here that I highly recommend you check out! It’s very similar to this recipe. You can also check out my guide for How to Convert Cupcakes Into Cake (and vice versa!).

How to Store Chocolate Cupcakes

Cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day.

Can You Freeze Chocolate Cupcakes?

• If storing for longer than a week, wrap unfrosted cupcakes individually in plastic wrap (this prevents freezer burn and taste transference).
• Place cupcakes inside a freezer bag on a shelf in your freezer where they won’t get smashed.
• Freeze for up to 3 months.
• Unwrap the cupcakes and allow them to defrost at room temperature for about 1 to 2 hours.
• More details on how to freeze and make desserts ahead of time in my *free* Make Ahead Baking Guide.