Enjoy a homemade version of the classic packaged treat! These dreamy cream-filled chocolate cupcakes start with a moist and deeply chocolatey cupcake, which is filled with fluffy whipped vanilla buttercream, and topped with a rich 2-ingredient chocolate ganache. Truly one of the best desserts I’ve ever baked and every single taste tester has RAVED about them.
One reader, Ruth, commented: “Wow! These are definitely the best cupcakes I have ever made. My family ate them and agreed. I can’t recommend this recipe enough, and we will definitely be making them again! It was the first time I’ve filled a cupcake, and I was surprised at how easy it really was. It worked, and everyone fell in love with these delicious cupcakes. Thanks again for another incredible recipe! ★★★★★”
I feel like I’ve said this before, but this is truly my new favorite cupcake recipe. Honestly. I close my eyes in delight every time I bite into one. They are that good.
Why You’ll Love These Cream-Filled Chocolate Cupcakes
- The cupcakes are basically this popular chocolate cake, but halved
- Extra soft & moist, not dense or dry at all
- Extreme chocolate flavor; hot liquid “blooms” the cocoa
- Sweet, fluffy vanilla cream in the center
- Chocolate topping is just 2 ingredients and sets into a soft fudge-like texture
- Like the packaged American treat, but fresh & homemade
Even for an assembled/decorated cupcake, the process is still pretty straightforward. Make the cupcakes, carve a little hole in the center of the cooled cupcakes, fill with an easy whipped buttercream, and spread ganache on top. Use any extra filling to pipe on a squiggly loopy-loop (technical terms). Let me explain some key ingredients and show you this process in photos.
Make the Chocolate Cupcakes First
I decided to use my very favorite (and reader-loved!) chocolate cake as the base for today’s cupcake recipe. I practically halved all of the ingredients. My regular super moist chocolate cupcakes are great, but they can be quite fragile. I love this newer cupcake recipe below, and even use it for these chocolate covered strawberry cupcakes, chocolate cupcakes with vanilla frosting, and these Easter cupcakes.
For the BEST texture and flavor, you need these key ingredients:
- Natural Cocoa Powder: Use unsweetened, natural cocoa powder (not Dutch-process). You can read about the difference in this post: Dutch-process vs. Natural Cocoa Powder. I typically use Hershey’s (the regular kind, not the Special Dark) or Ghirardelli brand cocoa powder. (Not affiliated with these brands, just a fan of the products.)
- Oil: Cocoa powder is a very drying ingredient, so you’ll usually find it paired with oil in cake and cupcake recipes. Oil provides moisture and doesn’t weigh down a baked good. Vegetable oil is ideal, but melted coconut oil or even light olive oil may be used instead.
- Buttermilk: The team and I tested these cupcakes with buttermilk and with sour cream. Made with buttermilk, they have the best flavor, but can be a little soft and sticky, so slightly more difficult to cut and fill. Made with sour cream, they have a sturdier crumb, but the chocolate flavor isn’t as strong. We liked the buttermilk cupcakes best, and a quick chill in the refrigerator after they’ve fully cooled helps make the filling/assembly process easier.
- Hot Coffee or Hot Water: Hot liquid enhances the cocoa powder’s flavor. It also encourages it to bloom and dissolve appropriately. I promise these cupcakes don’t taste like coffee at all! If you don’t drink coffee, you can use hot water. For deeper and richer flavor, though, use coffee. You can either brew it in a coffee maker or make instant coffee. Decaf coffee works!
You also need all-purpose flour (cake flour is too light when paired with cocoa powder), baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, egg, & vanilla extract.
Spoon/pour the thin batter into a 12-count muffin pan lined with cupcake liners—you should have enough batter to make 15 cupcakes, so you will either need 2 muffin pans or you can divide and bake them in 2 batches. Fill the liners about 2/3 full. If you use the batter to make fewer than 15 cupcakes, you are overfilling the lined cups and your cupcakes will spill over the sides.
Optional (but recommended) step: When the cupcakes are completely—or nearly completely—cool, place them in the refrigerator for 20–30 minutes to make them a bit easier to carve into and fill.
The cupcakes bake up nice and flat on top:
And now… is there any topping more rich and indulgent-tasting than chocolate ganache?
Make the Chocolate Ganache
Even though it’s the topping, I recommend making the chocolate ganache before you make the filling and while the cupcakes cool. This is because the ganache also needs to cool and thicken.
You need just 2 ingredients to make chocolate ganache:
- Pure Chocolate: Make sure you use real, quality chocolate. I typically use the 4-ounce baking bars found in the grocery store baking aisle, by Ghirardelli or Baker’s. You can use quality chocolate chips instead, but the ganache won’t be as smooth, as chocolate chips have stabilizers in them. You need 6 ounces, which is 1.5 bars (170g). 8 ounces proved to be too much and 4 ounces wasn’t enough.
- Heavy Cream: This may be called by another name where you are, like heavy whipping cream or double cream. Just make sure it has a minimum of 36% fat content, otherwise it won’t set up as well. Usually you should use 6 ounces of cream per 6 ounces of chocolate, but I recently reduced it down to 2/3 cup (just over 5 ounces), so the ganache is a little thicker.
Heat the cream on the stovetop, pour over finely chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl, let sit for a few minutes, and then slowly stir until the chocolate has all melted. The ganache will be very thin at first, but since chocolate is solid at room temperature, the ganache will thicken as it cools:
Whipped Vanilla Buttercream
For the cream portion of these cream-filled chocolate cupcakes, use fluffy whipped vanilla buttercream. This is the same whipped buttercream frosting I use for vanilla sheet cake, but with the ingredient ratios adjusted to yield less. You need just enough to fill 15 cupcakes, with a little leftover to pipe the squiggly loops on top. LOL.
You’re basically making a regular vanilla buttercream frosting, but whipping it on high speed for a few minutes to make it extra light, fluffy, and almost marshmallow-tasting. Many homemade Hostess-style cupcake recipes use shortening or store-bought marshmallow creme (fluff) in the filling, but this one uses just 5 simple ingredients: butter, confectioners’ sugar, heavy cream, vanilla, and salt. Feel free to use this marshmallow meringue as the filling instead, if you’d like. Some readers have also filled them with raspberry cake filling or pastry cream—YUM!
Fill & Assemble the Cream-Filled Chocolate Cupcakes
Alright, let’s do this! The process is just like filling my strawberry shortcake cupcakes and lemon raspberry jam cupcakes. With a sharp knife, cut a circle in the cupcake, and remove the center, which will be roughly the shape of a cone. Using a small spoon, fill the middle of the cupcake with as much whipped buttercream as you can. (Usually between 1–2 teaspoons.) Slice/tear off the pointed tip of the cone-shaped piece of cupcake, and gently press the round piece back on top of the filling. If you need any extra help with this step, see my How to Fill Cupcakes tutorial and video.
This can get messy because the cupcakes are oh-so-soft and moist. That’s fine, you’re covering up the mess with ganache.
With a knife or small icing spatula, spread the thickened chocolate ganache on top of the cupcakes.
Let’s see all of that come together:
Optional: Pipe the Squiggly Loopy Loops
For the finishing touch, fit a small round piping tip (I use Wilton #6) to a piping bag and fill with the remaining whipped buttercream. I went for the signature Hostess cupcake look by piping the loopy loops across the top of each cupcake, but feel free to get creative with your design. An initial, a heart, smiley face, birthday age/number, etc. You could even decorate them as Halloween cupcakes. Or skip this decorating step entirely.
How about a cake version? I thought some might ask! See recipe Note below.
And if you love trying this nostalgic treat, be sure to try my chocolate cake roll recipe, too! Or check out these copycat desserts to make at home for more ideas!
Cream-Filled Chocolate Cupcakes
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 22 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours (includes cooling)
- Yield: 15 cupcakes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Fill these deeply chocolatey cupcakes with fluffy whipped vanilla buttercream and top with a rich 2-ingredient chocolate ganache. See the step-by-step photos above or use the video tutorial below as your guide.
Ingredients
Chocolate Cupcakes
- 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/2 cup (42g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup (80ml) vegetable oil
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (120ml) buttermilk*, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (120ml) hot coffee or hot water
Chocolate Ganache Topping
- 6 ounces (170g) semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 2/3 cup (160ml or 5.3 ounces) heavy cream
Whipped Vanilla Buttercream Filling
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 cups (240g) confectioners’ sugar
- 3 Tablespoons (45ml) heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- salt, to taste
Instructions
- Make the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 12-count muffin pan with cupcake liners. This recipe yields about 15 cupcakes, so line a second muffin pan with 3 cupcake liners or bake in batches.
- Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside. Whisk the oil, sugar, egg, vanilla, and buttermilk together until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, add the hot coffee/water, and whisk until the batter is completely combined. Batter is thin.
- Pour/spoon the batter into the liners, filling only 2/3 full to avoid spilling over the sides. You should have enough batter for 15 cupcakes.
- Bake for 20–22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow cupcakes to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Cupcakes must be completely cooled—and even chilled for 20–30 minutes in the refrigerator if they’re particularly sticky on top—before assembling.
- Make the chocolate ganache: Place finely chopped chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until it begins to gently simmer. (Do not let it come to a rapid boil—that’s too hot!) Pour over chocolate, then let it sit for 2–3 minutes to gently soften the chocolate. With a metal spoon or small rubber spatula, very slowly stir until chocolate has melted and mixture is smooth. Ganache is thin. The finer you chopped the chocolate, the quicker it will melt with the cream. If it’s not melting, do not microwave it. If needed, see Troubleshooting Chocolate Ganache. Once ganache mixture is smooth, transfer it to the refrigerator and let it chill for at least 30 minutes to thicken before spreading on cooled and filled cupcakes.
- Make the whipped vanilla buttercream filling: With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add confectioners’ sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to medium-high speed and beat for 3 full minutes. Add up to 1/4 cup (30g) more confectioners’ sugar if frosting is too thin or another 1 Tablespoon (15ml) of cream if frosting is too thick. Add a pinch of salt if frosting is too sweet. (I add a very tiny pinch of salt.) Frosting should be extra fluffy.
- Fill the cupcakes: Using a sharp knife, cut a circle into the center of the cooled cupcakes to create a little pocket about 1 inch deep. The piece you removed will be sort of cone-shaped. Spoon or pipe whipped buttercream inside each carved-out cupcake—use however much frosting will fit. (I use either a teaspoon measuring spoon or Wilton piping tip #12 to fill cupcakes. Usually you can fit between 1–2 teaspoons of frosting in each.) Slice/tear off the pointy end of the “cone” piece of cupcake you removed, and gently press the round piece back on top of the filling. See my How to Fill Cupcakes post if you need extra visuals or help with this step.
- Top with ganache: With a knife or small icing spatula, spread the thickened chocolate ganache on top of each cupcake. Spread on a thick layer, so it sets as a thick fudge-like topping.
- (Optional) Pipe icing swirl/loops on top: Fill a piping bag with the remaining vanilla buttercream. Pipe a looping swirl, or any design you prefer, on top of the ganache-covered cupcake. (No need to chill ganache-topped cupcakes before doing this.) I use Wilton piping tip #6 for piping.
- Serve immediately or store covered at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 1 day before serving. Cover and store leftover cupcakes in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. I recommend a cupcake carrier for storing and transporting decorated cupcakes.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Bake the cupcakes 1 day in advance. Keep cupcakes covered tightly at room temperature and fill/frost the day of serving. Whipped buttercream and chocolate ganache can be prepared the day before too. Cover each and refrigerate overnight. The ganache will be nice and thick. If needed to thin out, spoon ganache into heatproof bowl and place over a pot of simmering water. Stir constantly until thinned out. Unfrosted, unfilled cupcakes can be frozen up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before assembling and serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 12-count Muffin Pan | Cupcake Liners | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand Mixer) | Small Icing Spatula | Piping Bag (Reusable or Disposable) | Wilton Piping Tip #6 | Wilton Piping Tip #12 | Cupcake Carrier
- Cupcakes Sinking: The cupcakes may look like they’re sinking in the center while they’re baking, but they should pop back up by the time baking is finished. It doesn’t matter all that much if they sink a bit in the center, though, because you’re cutting out the middles and filling them with cream.
- Buttermilk vs. Sour Cream: I tested these cupcakes both ways. Made with buttermilk, they have the best flavor, but can be a little soft and sticky, so slightly more difficult to cut and fill (I recommend a quick chill in the refrigerator before cutting and filling, to make them a bit easier to work with). Made with sour cream, they have a sturdier crumb, but the chocolate flavor isn’t as strong. You can also try using half of each, if you happen to have both!
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk is required for this recipe. You can make your own DIY buttermilk substitute if needed. Add 1 teaspoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to a liquid measuring cup. Then add enough whole milk to the same measuring cup until it reaches 1/2 cup. (In a pinch, lower fat or nondairy milks work for this soured milk, but the cupcakes won’t taste as moist or rich.) Stir it around and let sit for 5 minutes. The homemade “buttermilk” will be somewhat curdled and ready to use in the recipe.
- Hot Coffee or Hot Water: Hot liquid enhances the cocoa powder’s flavor. It also encourages it to bloom and dissolve appropriately. I promise these cupcakes don’t taste like coffee at all! If you don’t drink coffee, you can use hot water. For deeper and richer flavor, though, use coffee (regular or decaf, but make sure it’s black with no sugar or cream). You can either brew it in a coffee maker or make instant coffee.
- Chocolate for Ganache: Real, quality chocolate is ideal for ganache to set properly. I use the 4-ounce baking bars found in the grocery store baking aisle, such as Ghirardelli or Baker’s brands. You’ll need 1.5 of the 4-ounce bars to yield 6 ounces. If you can’t find those, you can use 170g (about 1 cup) of high-quality semi-sweet chocolate chips.
- Can I Make This Into a Cake? Absolutely. Use my chocolate cake recipe for 2 cake layers, spread the whipped buttercream on one cooled cake, top with 2nd cake, and top entire cake with ganache.
- More Success Tips: Be sure to check out my How to Use Piping Tips post for instructions on how to fill a piping bag, and my How to Make Chocolate Ganache post for any ganache questions. And you can also read my 10 Tips for Baking the BEST Cupcakes.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Awesome! Substituted non-dairy heavy cream and it worked fine.
Hi love these cupcakes. My husband actually wants me to make one giant cupcake cake out of it do u think it would work out
Hi Helen! We don’t recommend making one giant cupcake – it would likely result in burnt edges and an under-baked middle. You could try using our chocolate cake recipe, filling the middle of the cake with cream, and adding chocolate ganache on top to make a large cake version of these cupcakes. Let us know if you give it a try!
Intending to make this recipe based on the rave reviews…
2 questions; can I assemble day before but use a chocolate frosting rather than the ganache?
Can i color the stuffing?
Hi Laura, absolutely! You can use chocolate buttercream on top and feel free to color the filling with a gel food coloring. Hope you enjoy the cupcakes!
Hi, I was wondering if you know where to find a non-dairy heavy cream or could offer a substitute suggestion. Thanks.
Hi John! For a non-dairy alternative in chocolate ganache, you can use full fat canned coconut milk.
Can you use this recipe to make mini cupcakes
Hi Barbara, The batter should work just fine as mini cupcakes, although it may be tricky to fill mini cupcakes. Bake time should be about 11-13 minutes.
Hi Sally, I appreciate your recipes. Do you think the buttercream inside a cupcake would hold and not melt if I shipped cupcakes by mail? I am wanting to send chocolate cupcakes however with something a little extra rather than just plain. Thanks!
Hi Michelle! It is hard to say, as you never know exactly the conditions a package will go through on the way to a destination. We would try to freeze the cupcakes, and keep them cold with some sort of a cooler box.
I recently made these for a family get together & they were a hit with everyone! I did use Sally’s Not too Sweet whipped frosting for the filling & everyone commented on how much the filling reminded them of the commercial cupcakes they often ate as kids, only better!! Another no fail fantastic recipe from Sally!! Thank you!!
Fantastic! Delicious! Amazing!
In the end, there was enough ganache, but my ganache became hard around the edges in the refrigerator in under 30 minutes. I think I will do 15 next time. I would have liked to have had more buttercream frosting, I will double it next time. I did use a wide star tip and piped it in the cupcakes, which was super easy. I love this site and bake from it often. Thank you so much!
Hi! I’m wondering, can I pipe the filling into the cupcakes instead of cutting, scooping and filling? Anyone try this? We want to make these for a kid’s bday party and I want to make it as easy as possible. Thank you!
Hi Andrea, some readers have reported success using this method—feel free to give it a try if you wish!
Hi Sally,
Could I use your Not So Sweet Whipped Frosting for the filling vs the buttercream? I just love that frosting!! Thank you for your help!
Absolutely, though, the cupcakes won’t last as long as they would with buttercream – best to be enjoyed after assembling!
I need more than 15 cupcakes so I was going to double the whole recipe. Will that affect the chocolate ganache? As long as the ratio is the same it should be alright, yes? Thank you:)
Exactly. For the ganache, you would use 12 oz chocolate and 1 and 1/3 cups heavy cream. (Double the grams/ounces.)
Hello, can I freeze them after they are filled? Then when I’m ready to use them just thaw and pipe frosting on?
Hi Olivia! The cupcakes could get a little soggy if frozen and thawed after being filled. We recommend freezing un-filled cupcakes and assembling just before serving for best results.
Can I use muffin liners instead of cupcake liners? If yes, what would the baking time be?
Hi Marcy, muffin liners and cupcake liners are typically one in the same, so same baking time and temperature. Hope you enjoy the cupcakes!
Truly the best chocolate cupcake ever. They are moist with the most delicious chocolate flavor. Don’t skip the coffee! It brings out the chocolate flavor. Love how easy the ganache was and it really made them special. The cream filling was absolutely yummy, but if you are busy and don’t have time to make the filling, the cupcakes are still out of this world. I have also frosted with the white choc strawberry frosting. Soooo good!! Another 5 star Sally recipe, but then they all are !!!
TLDR – the best and only chocolate cupcake recipe you’ll ever need.
Honestly y’all, I am a home baker and love cooking and baking. I’ve tried so many different chocolate cake/cupcake recipes and this is by far the BEST recipe I have ever tried. No kidding! I’ve been home baking for over 5 years and always make chocolate cakes/cupcakes so I’ve tried a BUNCH of recipes & even tried doing some of my own but this right here, ABSOLUTELY PHENOMENAL AND DELICIOUS! The flavor balance is great, very moist, not greasy/oily, it’s light and not dense & it’s not crazy sweet, it’s just the right amount!
I did mess up the chocolate ganache so I can’t comment on that part and the buttercream was tasty, you can never go wrong with a simple vanilla buttercream IMO
What kind of vegetable oil is best?
Hi Mary, you can use any brand you prefer.
Hi Sally! Me and my family absolutely Loved these cupcakes! I was thinking of making this recipe into a sheet cake, and I wanted to use a 9 x 13 inch pan. Would you change anything in the recipe/bake time for this size of pan? Thank you!
Hi Taylor! You’ll need more batter for a 9×13 cake. We recommend using our favorite triple chocolate cake recipe – see recipe notes for 9×13 baking directions.
Hi Sally – I chilled the ganache as stated for 30 min and when I removed it from the fridge it was glossy and hard and I noticed it was liquidy in your video so I had to heat it up numerous time to spread it better but then it dried matte on top. Also my icing I added an extra three tablespoons of cream and I still felt that it was quite thick and not as marshmallowy in texture as I remember so Im not sure what went wrong there? I followed the instructions and I am using a hand mixer if that matters. Thanks in advance
Hi Colleen, what type of chocolate were you using? I wonder if that had something to do with it. (And did you accidentally use more than 6 ounces?) I’ve never had ganache thicken/harden so quickly. Was it pretty liquid after mixing together? For the filling, did you scoop the confectioners’ sugar into the cup? I wonder if you accidentally added a little more, which would produce a pretty thick filling. Happy to help troubleshoot more!
Can I put coconut in the filling?
I can’t see why not!
Best cupcakes I’ve ever made! Way better than the store bought kind, and I used the coffee option instead of water which made it taste even richer. I will be making these again!!
I love these cupcakes!! They are perfect
This is an amazing chocolate cupcake! My husband can’t stop eating them
So glad they’re a hit, Janine!
I want to make white cupcakes with a chocolate filling. Do you have something that works for this ? I will also use white frosting. Thank you
Hi Marianne! You can use our vanilla cupcakes recipe and fill with chocolate buttercream or chocolate ganache. Yum!
Hi Sally and team, do you think I could use your white chocolate buttercream as the filling? I love the idea of the white chocolate with the chocolate cupcakes.
Absolutely!
Awesome cupcakes!
Can this particular cupcake recipe be made into a single layer cake?? 8 or 9 inche pan? Thx!
Hi Kim, it should be just about right for 1 9-inch round pan. Fill the pan half way and use any leftovers for a cupcake or two on the side.
I have made this recipe many times and it is a perfect chocolate cake/cupcake recipe. Every time anyone wants a chocolate cake I start with Sally’s cake recipe.
* Instead of using so much oil, which I find gives a cake a greasy texture, I substitute about 60ml unsweetened applesauce and use 20 ml of oil. The cake is light and fluffy and stays moist for days.
I would like to use chocolate buttercream instead of vanilla (for a chocolate lover’s birthday). Can I use your Favorite Chocolate Buttercream? Should I whip it longer or make any other changes? Thanks!
Hi Jess, absolutely! You can use our chocolate buttercream recipe and follow the same whipping instructions as this recipe. Hope they’re a hit!
Wow! These definitely are the best cupcakes I have ever made. My family ate them and everyone said the same. I can’t recommend this recipe enough and we will definitely be making them again! It was the first time I’ve filled a cupcake and I was surprised how easy it really was. Maybe I’ll splurge and get a piping tool to fill them in the future but for now we just cut into them and placed the top back on as instructed. It worked, and everyone fell in love with these delicious cupcakes. Thanks again for another incredible recipe!
Hi Sally, I haven’t tried these yest, but can you tell me can the cupcake be frozen thawed and then filled and iced?
Hi Joan, sure can! Unfrosted, unfilled cupcakes can be frozen up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before assembling and serving.
My favorite red headed baker and I made these, and they are moist, creamy, and deliciously chocolate!