Chocolate Cupcake Recipe with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
This chocolate cupcake recipe is a basic recipe every baker needs on hand. These ultimate chocolate cupcakes are moist, fluffy and full of flavor you won’t want to miss!
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Servings: 24 cupcakes
Calories: 299kcal
Equipment
- Large Bowl
- Medium Mixing Bowl
- Whisk
- Muffin Pan
Ingredients
Cupcake Ingredients
- 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs + 2 egg yolks
- ½ cup milk, whole or 2%
- 1 ¾ cup all purpose flour
Chocolate Buttercream Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
Cupcake Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line 24 wells of a muffin pan with paper cupcake liners and set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Carefully add the boiling water and whisk until well blended. Set the mixture aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the granulated sugar, melted butter, vegetable oil, and vanilla.
- Using an electric mixer or a whisk, beat in the eggs and egg yolks just until combined.
- Then beat in the cocoa mixture and the milk until just combined.
- Sift in the flour and stir the batter with a wooden spoon or spatula until the flour is just incorporated.
- Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin pans, filling each well to about 2/3 full.
- Bake the cupcakes for 18-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool the cupcakes in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely to room temperature.
Chocolate Buttercream Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the butter until smooth and creamy.
- Add the unsweetened cocoa powder, milk, and vanilla extract, then beat until well incorporated.
- Mix in the powdered sugar about ½ cup at a time until you reach your desired consistency.
- Spread or pipe the frosting onto the completely cooled cupcakes.
Notes
Recipe copyright The Domestic Spoon. For personal and educational use only.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: Use regular cocoa powder versus dutch-process cocoa powder. Dutched cocoa powder is made through a slightly different process and will add just a bit more weight to your cupcakes.
- Boiling Water: The hot water brings out an extra rich flavor in the cocoa powder. It also adds moist texture to the cake without adding any density to the dough. You could substitute fresh hot coffee for an even richer flavor.
- Butter: I use unsalted butter so that I can control the amount of salt in the cupcake recipe, but you can also use salted butter if that is all you have on hand. Make sure it is melted but cooled a bit!
- Vegetable Oil: Vegetable oil gives the cupcakes moisture. We are also using melted butter but trust me, the vegetable oil is a necessary ingredient
- Vanilla Extract: This recipe uses 1 teaspoon, but measure with your heart ;)
- Milk: I use whole milk or 2%
- Your batter will be thin because of the hot water and that is OK. This allows the cupcakes to rise beautifully and become soft and fluffy rather than thick and dense.
- Fill your cupcake liners about half way to 2/3. Don’t try to overfill them as this will make your batter overflow and create a strange shape on top.
- The cupcakes can be frozen (unfrosted) for up to three months.
- Leftover cupcakes can be kept in an airtight food storage container for up to five days. It’s best to refrigerate them and then bring to room temperature before serving.
- I love this chocolate buttercream recipe but feel free to make a vanilla buttercream or your own favorite frosting for these cupcakes. Their simplicity leads to versatility and they are the best homemade cupcakes!
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 299kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 129mg | Potassium: 92mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 30g | Vitamin A: 394IU | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 1mg
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