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moist chocolate cupcakes on a cooking rack
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Moist Chocolate Cupcake Recipe

The ultimate moist chocolate cupcakes with tons of rich chocolate flavor thanks to buttermilk, brown sugar, and a touch of oil. These chocolate cupcakes have a very moist crumb and bake up with a nice little dome that's perfect for a swirl of chocolate buttercream frosting!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 24 cupcakes
Calories 373kcal
Author Elizabeth Marek

Equipment

  • Mixer with whisk and paddle attachment (stand or handheld)

Ingredients

Chocolate Cupcakes

  • 8 ounces all-purpose flour
  • 5 ounces granulated sugar
  • 3 ounces brown sugar
  • 3 ounces cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 large egg room temperature
  • 10 ounces buttermilk hot
  • 4 ounces unsalted butter softened
  • 4 ounces vegetable oil
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 Tablespoon espresso powder (optional)
  • ½ teaspoon salt

For the chocolate frosting

  • 12 ounces soft unsalted butter
  • 12 ounces melted chocolate chips
  • 1 ounces cocoa powder
  • 16 ounces powdered sugar sifted
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 Tablespoons heavy cream
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Chocolate Cupcakes

  • Preheat your oven to 350ºF and prepare your cupcake pan with paper liners.
  • For the best results, warm the buttermilk in the microwave (roughly 100ºF), bring the butter to room temperature, and warm the eggs in hot water for 5 minutes. Warm ingredients will create an emulsion and a smoother batter.
  • Combine the buttermilk, oil, and vanilla together and set it aside.
  • Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and espresso powder in a mixing bowl and set it aside.
  • Cream together the butter, white sugar and sifted brown sugar in your stand mixer with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. If you don't have a stand mixer, you can use the whisk attachment and a hand mixer, but I would mix the rest of the ingredients by hand to avoid overmixing. 
  • Add in the eggs one at a time while mixing on low, letting the first one mix in before adding the second. Scrape the bowl to be sure that everything is mixed well.
  • While mixing on low speed, add ⅓ of the dry ingredients, followed by ⅓ of the wet ingredients. Alternate two more times until just combined.
  • Fill your cupcake liners ½ to ⅔ of the way full. This recipe makes about 24 cupcakes.
  • Bake the cupcakes at 350°F for 18-20 minutes until set. Do not over bake.
  • Cool completely on a cooling rack before frosting.

Easy Chocolate Buttercream

  • Cream the butter until smooth.
  • Add in the melted chocolate, heavy cream, the sifted powdered sugar, vanilla, and the salt. Cream until smooth.
  • Add more heavy cream if needed until the frosting is the consistency you need.

Video

Notes

 
  1. Make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature before mixing your batter (milk, butter, eggs). 
  2. Use good quality vanilla extract, vanilla bean paste, or even a vanilla bean for true vanilla flavor. One vanilla bean = 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. 
  3. Preheat your oven to 350ºF for 30 minutes before baking to give your cupcakes a good rise and set the dome. 
  4. Baked cupcakes can be frozen for up to 6 months.
  5. Buttermilk is essential to this recipe because it adds flavor and moisture. If you have whole milk and white vinegar or lemons, you can make your own buttermilk substitute.
  6. If you don't have a paddle attachment, mix by hand with a spatula to avoid overmixing. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupcake | Calories: 373kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 72mg | Sodium: 196mg | Potassium: 161mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 33g | Vitamin A: 706IU | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 1mg