After tons of testing and tweaking, I've finally discovered the BEST Chocolate Cupcake recipe! Truly! Keep reading for lots of recipe tips, insights into the science of baking, and the full printable recipe.
Yield:
12 to 15 cupcakes
Prep Time:30minutes
Cook:25minutes
Tessa's Recipe Rundown...
Taste: Chocolate overload in the best possible way!
Texture: The cupcakes are incredibly moist and tender without being too delicate or crumbly. And the frosting is just oh so light and creamy.
Ease: The cupcakes themselves are super simple and easy, but the frosting is more involved. It balances out in the end!
Appearance: Gorgeous.
Pros: The BEST, duh!!
Cons: None.
I make this again? Yessss, but maybe not for a while since my kitchen has experienced a cupcake explosion since trying to perfect this recipe, ha!
Oh, were these Chocolate Cupcakes a frustrating recipe to perfect. If you follow me at all, then you know I love to utilize the science of baking to tweak and test recipes until I think they’re the ULTIMATE version of that recipe.
What better to perfect than Chocolate Cupcakes?! It took about 5 straight batches over a couple days, after previous casual tests over the months, to finally nail the recipe.
I hope you love it as much as I do! It’s perfectly moist and tender. Not so moist that is collapses and not so tender that it crumbles. Plus tooooons of chocolate flavor. Like three kinds overall!
How to Make the BEST Chocolate Cupcakes
This recipe underwent extensive testing to perfect. Below is a complete explanation of every major element in case you wanted to learn more about the science and process behind all of it.
I’ve tried to answer any questions you might have below, but feel free to leave a comment with any other questions.
ALSO, I ended up writing an entire post about How to Make Perfect Cupcakes HERE you might enjoy. Otherwise, keep scrolling for the full printable recipe.
Chocolate Cupcake Ingredients
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.
You can find it at many gourmet food stores, like Whole Foods, Sur la Table, and Williams-Sonoma. One of the best 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 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.
The 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!
How to make MOIST Chocolate Cupcakes:
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 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.
Since oil is liquid at room temperature, it gives a better sensation of moistness than butter does.
Be sure to also use full fat ingredients and don’t reduce the sugar in this recipe. Sugar actually helps contribute to moistness if you can believe it!
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 cake or cupcakes a lot, you’ve probably seen quite a few recipes that utilize hot water or even hot coffee. It 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. 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
Oh man, this is where I encountered the most frustration. I went back and forth on this. 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? Well 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 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.
Cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day.
Can you freeze 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 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.
After tons of testing and tweaking, I've finally discovered the BEST Chocolate Cupcake recipe! Truly! Keep reading for lots of recipe tips, insights into the science of baking, and the full printable recipe.
In a medium heatproof bowl add the chocolate, cocoa powder, and espresso powder. Pour hot water over mixture. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Whisk mixture gently until smooth then set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, sugars, salt, and baking soda.
Whisk sour cream, oil, eggs, egg yolk, vinegar, and vanilla into the cooled chocolate mixture until smooth. Stir in the flour mixture until smooth, being careful not to overmix.
Using a spring-loaded scoop, divide the batter evenly among prepared muffin cups until 3/4 full. Bake until cupcakes are set and firm to the touch, about 17 to 18 minutes.
Let cupcakes cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes before removing from pan to cool completely, about 1 hour. Cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day.
Make the frosting:
In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer. Remove from heat and add the chopped chocolate. Let stand for a few minutes before stirring until smooth. Set aside and cool to approximately 75°F or until thickened but still pourable.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter, powdered sugar, cocoa, vanilla, and salt. Mix on low speed until well blended and then increase the speed to medium and beat for another 3 minutes, or until very well blended, scraping down the bowl as needed.
Reduce speed to medium-low and add the cooled chocolate cream mixture. Continue beating until the frosting has lightened in color and texture, about 2 minutes more, scraping down the bowl as needed.
Frosting can be made 1 day ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Warm frosting in the microwave for 5 to 10 seconds and stir until creamy again before frosting cupcakes.
Frosting can also be transferred to a ziptop bag and frozen for up to 1 month. Defrost in the fridge overnight then rewhip in the stand mixer until light and smooth.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
Cupcake yield will depend on the size of your muffin tin cavities. If they’re smaller, you may need two pans to make 15 total cupcakes. You can use 1/2 cup hot strongly brewed coffee in place of the espresso powder + hot water. If using natural cocoa powder, omit the vinegar. For the frosting, opt for organic powdered sugar made with tapioca starch, such as Wholesome, instead of cornstarch for a smoother silkier texture.
Course :
Dessert
Cuisine :
American
Keyword :
chocolate cupcakes
This recipe was originally published in 2016 and updated in 2021 to make the cupcakes more moist and tender with an easier frosting. New photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
February Baking Challenge
This recipe was the selection for the February 2021 monthly baking challenge! Every month you can join a challenge by baking the recipe and snapping a photo for a chance to win PRIZES. Click here for full details. Check out everyone’s cupcakes:
I share trusted baking recipes your friends will LOVE alongside insights into the science of sweets. I'm a professionally trained chef, cookbook author, and cookie queen. I love to write about all things sweet, carb-y, and homemade. I live in Phoenix, Arizona (hence the blog name!)
About Tessa...
I share trusted baking recipes your friends will LOVE alongside insights into the science of sweets. I'm a professionally trained chef, cookbook author, and cookie queen. I love to write about all things sweet, carb-y, and homemade. I live in Phoenix, Arizona (hence the blog name!)
These really were the best chocolate cupcakes. I really could tell a difference in the Dutch cocoa powder and the store brand that I usually use. I must not have put enough icing on because I had a good bit left.
These were very good, super rich, but tasty. Cupcake was really moist, some of the ingredients are not common I would use like the Dutch cocoa so I just used regular cocoa.
So yummy! Usually I prefer vanilla buttercream with chocolate cupcakes, but I wanted to stay true to the recipe so I made the chocolate frosting and I’m so glad I did! It was delicious!
Looking for the PERFECT chocolate cupcake recipe? Look no further! I never need to try any other recipe – these cupcakes are DELICIOUS and I get excited every time I make them!
These are a game changer! Cupcakes are so moist and flavorful. Frosting is fluffy and simply wonderful. I happily licked my mixer paddle clean. These will be a winner with everyone!
Although I had to use my nonfat Greek yogurt because I didn’t have full fat sour cream or yogurt, my cupcakes still came out moist and delicious! And I learned that organic confectionery sugar (16x) is the only way to go. It made a huge difference. These will be my new go-to cupcakes!
Your previous chocolate cupcake recipe was my go to, I guess I now need to bookmark this one. 🙂 The cupcake itself is just that little bit extra, but that frosting … Ah-Maz-ing!!!!
5 stars for the cupcake, 3 stars for the frosting. The cupcakes are delicious and full of chocolate flavor. The frosting was not difficult to make, but I didn’t feel like the addition of the ganache really added much. Also, I like stiffer frosting and this frosting is quite mousse-y.
Perfectly moist and rich in chocolate taste! And the frosting was perfect. I tried staying away from buttercreams since I usually find them too sweet but this was good and the melted chocolate made all the difference. Definitely making this again and sharing the goodness to friends
Yeah she’s not kidding these bad boys are the BEST chocolate cupcake out there! You will not be sorry that you made them or be desiring more chocolate flavor. BAKE IMMEDIATELY!!
This cupcake ruined all other cupcakes for me! The cake is so moist and the frosting is to die for. I don’t even like frosting and I was licking the spatula clean after filling my piping bag. The whole batch was gone in two days. I can’t wait to make them again.
Alice Gallagher-Noce
— February 26, 2021 at 2:16 pm
The cupcakes were extraordinary. Each bite enabled me to taste the different chocolates used. Each bite melted in your mouth with an explosion of outstanding chocolate flavors. The cupcakes disappeared quickly. Will be making again.
I’m pretty sure my tastebuds went into shock when I bit into this cupcake. Possibly the best chocolate cupcake I’ve ever had!! Definitely the best that I’ve made. So moist and rich and delicious!!
They were extremely rich, decadent and overall delicious. My sister had some friends over and I gave some to them, they were finished in a few minutes. These are definitely the best chocolate cupcakes I have ever made – And I have made a lot 🙂
These cupcakes were so moist and perfectly chocolatety. I am not a huge fan of chocolate cake but oh my goodness these were insanely delicious and easy to make! Highly recommended you give them a try. And that buttercream woah! I absolutely hate buttercream and this is unlike any buttercream I have had. Could sit and just spoon it into my mouth ha ha!
These cupcakes were easy to make and tasted so good! This will definitely be my “go to” cupcake recipe! The frosting was just as delicious! It was creamy and not too sweet…just perfect!
I have made a lot of chocolate cake and buttercream recipes, but this is truly the best I have ever made! The recipe was super easy to follow. I’m not normally a big frosting fan, but this buttercream I could eat straight from the bowl! Not too buttery, not to sweet, super light and creamy – amazing recipe!
Easy to make and with quality ingredients you get chocolate indulgence that every true chocoholic seeks for. This were indeed my best cupcakes and frosting was gorgeous! Thank you Tessa for this recipe!
I am not fond of baking cake things so it took me a while to get around to doing this challenge. The cupcakes by them selves are to die for. Since I’m not a cake person piping icing is a major challenge for me. I think this is the best I have ever done. Tessa, keep doing what you are doing because you are REALLY GOOD at it.
Truly wonderful cupcakes. Everyone who tried these loved how rich they were, without being too sweet. But the buttercream was the real show stopper! Hands down the BEST chocolate frosting I have ever made or eaten!
Okay…these are delicious!!! I don’t usually make cupcakes so I was nervous, but this recipe did not disappoint. If you haven’t already tried it, YOU NEED TO
This recipe is mind blowingly amazing!!!!! The taste is so perfect. Truly sinful and decadent,everyone loved it at home.Thank you so much Tessa, this is as sweet and pretty as you are! Love from India
These cupcakes are very good. I omitted the espresso because caffeine wires me— even in baked goods! My favorite part of this recipe is actually the frosting. It is smooth and so chocolatey!!
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Very addictive and easy to make
Is very addictive and easy to make
These cupcakes turned out great! The icing was super smooth and the cupcakes were very rich.
These really were the best chocolate cupcakes. I really could tell a difference in the Dutch cocoa powder and the store brand that I usually use. I must not have put enough icing on because I had a good bit left.
These were the best chocolate cupcakes! I don’t usually like chocolate cake and I loved these!
YAY!
These were very good, super rich, but tasty. Cupcake was really moist, some of the ingredients are not common I would use like the Dutch cocoa so I just used regular cocoa.
So glad you loved these cupcakes!
This recipe is awesome! The cupcakes were rich and moist. It’s also not overly sweet so it’s something that my entire family enjoyed.
Very chocolatey!
Such a rich & flavorful recipe! Light, fluffy & super moist cupcakes for any occasion.
A very moist and light chocolate cupcake! This was one of the best chocolate cakes I have tasted in a while!
So yummy! Usually I prefer vanilla buttercream with chocolate cupcakes, but I wanted to stay true to the recipe so I made the chocolate frosting and I’m so glad I did! It was delicious!
Yay! So glad you enjoyed!
Awesome cupcakes. Easy to make and very flavorful. The frosting is creamy and smooth without being overly sweet.
Even during a pandemic, and a butter shortage (!!) we managed to make these beauties. They were delicious and brought joy to another day stuck inside!
So glad you were able to enjoy these cupcakes!
My go-to chocolate cupcake recipe! So tasty!
Looking for the PERFECT chocolate cupcake recipe? Look no further! I never need to try any other recipe – these cupcakes are DELICIOUS and I get excited every time I make them!
Amazing! Delicious cupcakes, everybody loves them!
Excelente receta me ha encantado
Simplemente deliciosos repetiré seguro
These are a game changer! Cupcakes are so moist and flavorful. Frosting is fluffy and simply wonderful. I happily licked my mixer paddle clean. These will be a winner with everyone!
Absolutely amazing cupcakes! We were so sad when they were gone. This recipe is definitely a keeper and we’ll be making this over and over!
Although I had to use my nonfat Greek yogurt because I didn’t have full fat sour cream or yogurt, my cupcakes still came out moist and delicious! And I learned that organic confectionery sugar (16x) is the only way to go. It made a huge difference. These will be my new go-to cupcakes!
The recipe made the most delicious cupcakes. They were a total hit! and were gone within 6 hours lol! Highly recommended
So great to hear this!
super moist and delicious!!
Your previous chocolate cupcake recipe was my go to, I guess I now need to bookmark this one. 🙂 The cupcake itself is just that little bit extra, but that frosting … Ah-Maz-ing!!!!
These are legit, the best. My MIL loved them so much I made the recipe for the 8” cake two weeks later for her birthday. THE. BEST.
5 stars for the cupcake, 3 stars for the frosting. The cupcakes are delicious and full of chocolate flavor. The frosting was not difficult to make, but I didn’t feel like the addition of the ganache really added much. Also, I like stiffer frosting and this frosting is quite mousse-y.
Perfectly moist and rich in chocolate taste! And the frosting was perfect. I tried staying away from buttercreams since I usually find them too sweet but this was good and the melted chocolate made all the difference. Definitely making this again and sharing the goodness to friends
best chocolate cupcake indeed! will definitely make this again.
best chocolate cupcake indeed! will definitely do this again.
Yeah she’s not kidding these bad boys are the BEST chocolate cupcake out there! You will not be sorry that you made them or be desiring more chocolate flavor. BAKE IMMEDIATELY!!
Yay! So glad to hear this!!
This cupcake ruined all other cupcakes for me! The cake is so moist and the frosting is to die for. I don’t even like frosting and I was licking the spatula clean after filling my piping bag. The whole batch was gone in two days. I can’t wait to make them again.
This is amazing to hear!
The cupcakes were extraordinary. Each bite enabled me to taste the different chocolates used. Each bite melted in your mouth with an explosion of outstanding chocolate flavors. The cupcakes disappeared quickly. Will be making again.
I’ve made this many times before along with best chocolate cake so it was very interesting to try a slightly different version. Thanks Tessa!
So glad to hear that!
I’m pretty sure my tastebuds went into shock when I bit into this cupcake. Possibly the best chocolate cupcake I’ve ever had!! Definitely the best that I’ve made. So moist and rich and delicious!!
They were extremely rich, decadent and overall delicious. My sister had some friends over and I gave some to them, they were finished in a few minutes. These are definitely the best chocolate cupcakes I have ever made – And I have made a lot 🙂
Yay! I’m so happy to hear this.
These cupcakes were so moist and perfectly chocolatety. I am not a huge fan of chocolate cake but oh my goodness these were insanely delicious and easy to make! Highly recommended you give them a try. And that buttercream woah! I absolutely hate buttercream and this is unlike any buttercream I have had. Could sit and just spoon it into my mouth ha ha!
This is so amazing to hear!
This recipe is superb! Instead of cupcakes, I baked it as a whole cake and used the super yummy frosting generously! Was a hit at home!
This is amazing to hear!
These cupcakes were easy to make and tasted so good! This will definitely be my “go to” cupcake recipe! The frosting was just as delicious! It was creamy and not too sweet…just perfect!
Thrilled to hear this!
Rich & delicious! I may have scraped the bowl to make mini cupcakes so I wouldn’t have to wait for the big ones
Hahaha that’s wonderful to hear!
and I will never go box made again. so good. So creamy and moist.
YAY!
Delicous!
I have made a lot of chocolate cake and buttercream recipes, but this is truly the best I have ever made! The recipe was super easy to follow. I’m not normally a big frosting fan, but this buttercream I could eat straight from the bowl! Not too buttery, not to sweet, super light and creamy – amazing recipe!
I’m so thrilled you enjoyed these cupcakes!
The absolute most moist and chocolaty cupcakes ever!! And that frosting!!!
SO glad you loved these cupcakes!
Easy to make and with quality ingredients you get chocolate indulgence that every true chocoholic seeks for. This were indeed my best cupcakes and frosting was gorgeous! Thank you Tessa for this recipe!
This is wonderful to hear!
I am not fond of baking cake things so it took me a while to get around to doing this challenge. The cupcakes by them selves are to die for. Since I’m not a cake person piping icing is a major challenge for me. I think this is the best I have ever done. Tessa, keep doing what you are doing because you are REALLY GOOD at it.
I’m so thrilled you loved these cupcakes!!
Amazing recipe!! Loved the intense chocolaty flavour!
Yay!!
Truly wonderful cupcakes. Everyone who tried these loved how rich they were, without being too sweet. But the buttercream was the real show stopper! Hands down the BEST chocolate frosting I have ever made or eaten!
So great to hear this!
Loved the flavor but I think you can reduce the frosting to half.
These were absolutely delicious! Will be my chocolate cupcake go to recipe from now on. Thank you Tessa for ANOTHER winning recipe❣️
Amazing to hear this!
Okay…these are delicious!!! I don’t usually make cupcakes so I was nervous, but this recipe did not disappoint. If you haven’t already tried it, YOU NEED TO
So happy to hear this, Lanie!
This recipe is mind blowingly amazing!!!!! The taste is so perfect. Truly sinful and decadent,everyone loved it at home.Thank you so much Tessa, this is as sweet and pretty as you are! Love from India
Thank you so much for this sweet comment! So glad you enjoyed the cupcakes.
These cupcakes were amazing, and so easy to make. I will definitely make these again.
YAY!
These were awesome!!!
These cupcakes are very good. I omitted the espresso because caffeine wires me— even in baked goods! My favorite part of this recipe is actually the frosting. It is smooth and so chocolatey!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed these cupcakes!
The frosting is so smooth and perfect. The cake is the perfect texture. Definitely will be making again.
Hooray!!
One of the best cupcakes that I’ve ever had/made! The buttercream was especially amazing and I will definitely make it again soon!
This is wonderful to hear!
So very delicious and a bit challenging. I will make again.
Glad you loved these cupcakes!
The name of this cupcake says it all. The Best Chicikate Cupcake.
Amazing cupcake – soft, moist and full of chocolate 🙂
So glad you loved these cupcakes!
Very delicious recipe! Cupcakes were delightfully moist and chocolatey. The frosting was the perfect texture.
So glad you loved these cupcakes, Megan!