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Chocolate Cupcake Recipe

The ultimate 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

Equipment

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

Ingredients

Chocolate Cupcakes

  • 5 ounces unsalted butter softened (½ cup + 2 Tbsp)
  • 6 ounces granulated sugar (1 cup)
  • 4 ounces brown sugar sifted (½ cup)
  • 2 large eggs room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 8 ounces all-purpose flour (1 ¾ cup)
  • 2 ounces cocoa powder dutched or natural (½ cup)
  • 1 Tablespoon espresso powder (optional)
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 10 ounces buttermilk warm (1 ¼ cup)
  • 2 ounces vegetable oil (¼ cup)

For the chocolate frosting

  • 4 ounces pasteurized egg whites (½ cup)
  • 16 ounces powdered sugar (2 cups)
  • 3 ounces cocoa powder sifted (⅓ cup)
  • 16 ounces unsalted butter softened (2 cups)
  • 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon salt

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

  • Place the pasteurized egg whites, powdered sugar, and cocoa powder into the bowl of your stand mixer with the whisk attachment and mix on high for 1 to 2 minutes to dissolve the sugar.
  • Add the vanilla, salt, and softened butter in small chunks, then whip on high until light and fluffy, about 8-10 minutes. Once it no longer tastes like butter, it's done.
  • If your buttercream looks curdled, remove about 1 cup of buttercream and melt it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds until it is barely melted. Pour it back into the whipping buttercream to bring it all together.
  • Switch to the paddle attachment and mix on low for about 10 minutes to remove the air bubbles and create super smooth buttercream. This is optional but will make it extra creamy.
  • Frost the cupcakes as desired. I used a 2F piping tip and a piping bag for mine.

Video

Notes

  1. For the best rise, fill your liners ⅔ with cupcake batter or 1 ½ ounces per cupcake
  2. Make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature before mixing your batter (milk, butter, eggs). 
  3. Use clear vanilla extract for that “classic grocery store cake” flavor. Use good quality vanilla extract, vanilla bean paste, or even a vanilla bean for true vanilla flavor. One vanilla bean = 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. 
  4. Preheat your oven to 350ºF for 30 minutes before baking to give your cupcakes a good rise and set the dome. 
  5. Baked cupcakes can be frozen for up to 6 months.
  6. 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.
  7. 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