These super moist chocolate cupcakes pack TONS of chocolate flavor in each cupcake wrapper! Made from simple everyday ingredients, this easy cupcake recipe will be your new favorite. For best results, use natural cocoa powder and buttermilk. These chocolate cupcakes taste completely over-the-top with chocolate buttercream!
Today we’re diving deep into what I like to call a “foundation recipe.” Basic chocolate cupcakes which are, indefinitely, anything but basic.
This is a solid base recipe that serves as a jumping off point for many others. Like my basic vanilla cupcakes recipe, these chocolate cupcakes hold a sacred spot in my desserts repertoire. There will never be a reason to find a better version—this is THE chocolate cupcake recipe I use time and time again.
I shared this recipe 3 years ago as chocolate cupcakes with vanilla frosting, but I want to walk you through the process (1) with step-by-step pictures, (2) with careful explanations, (3) and I want to emphasize one VERY crucial instruction. If you skip this instruction, your entire batch will be ruined. Trust me, the evidence has landed in my trashcan time and time again. It’s not pretty.
Curious about other foundation recipes?
- Vanilla cupcakes and vanilla cake
- Sugar cookies and chocolate sugar cookies
- Chocolate cake (try this!!)
- Chewy fudgy frosted brownies
- Peanut butter cookies (foundation for 6+ other cookies on my site!)
Today’s chocolate cupcakes are for true chocolate fans. I’m talking about those of you who don’t qualify an item as dessert unless there’s chocolate involved. Strawberry shortcake is a dessert impostor and forget about apple pie. That’s some sort of health food, right?
You need 2 bowls, 1 whisk, and 1 spatula. The base of these chocolate cupcakes, and what is responsible for the texture, is oil—the same powerhouse ingredient we use for a super moist chocolate cake roll. Like double chocolate muffins, we’re not creaming butter here, so there is no need to break out the mixer. Though you can absolutely use a hand or stand mixer if it’s easier for you.
We’re also achieving an incredibly moist texture with buttermilk. Just like in these cream-filled chocolate cupcakes, buttermilk also gives us the best flavor. I don’t typically have buttermilk in the fridge, so I sour whole milk instead. Check out my recipe notes for how to make a buttermilk substitute.
Another tip? Make sure you’re using natural unsweetened cocoa powder, not dutched cocoa, just like when making chocolate frosted cookies. Why? Here’s the difference between dutch-process vs. natural cocoa powder. And if you really want to learn today, here is the difference between baking soda vs. baking powder and why I use both in these chocolate cupcakes.
So there’s 1 bowl for dry ingredients and 1 bowl for wet ingredients. Gently mix the two together. The batter isn’t as thick as you would think. We don’t really want a super thick chocolate batter because that would yield a cupcake similar to brownies. Dense. We don’t want dense! We want spongey, cakey, and rich.
This Will Make or Break Your Recipe
Fill the cupcake liners only halfway full. Not 2/3, not 3/4, not all the way to the top. Half full. You will question yourself as you pour in the batter. Really? This is ALL that I’m using for each cupcake? The answer is yes, that is all you are using for each cupcake.
- If you fill the liners too full, the cupcakes will overflow.
- Too full = crisp mushroom tops
- Too full = sinking in the center
Got that? Halfway full! Halfway full!
Now that the cupcakes are baked and your self control is fading quickly, it’s time to frost them. The frosting flavor is completely up to you. We have a plethora of options on this site from chocolate buttercream and rainbow chip frosting to strawberry frosting, vanilla buttercream, salted caramel frosting, cream cheese frosting, and even a black chocolate buttercream frosting that we developed with these black velvet cupcakes. Keeping things even (though highly indulgent) with chocolate buttercream and a friendly dose of chocolate sprinkles.
And layer that buttercream on nice and tall. (I used Wilton 1M!)
I don’t normally reach for chocolate desserts if there’s a fruity one on the menu, but I would gladly unwrap one of these over any other choice.
By the way, this recipe transfers beautifully into cake pans to make a 6-inch cake.
Print
Super Moist Chocolate Cupcakes
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours, 35 minutes (includes cooling)
- Yield: 12-14 cupcakes
- Category: Cupcakes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Made from simple everyday ingredients, this easy chocolate cupcake recipe will be your new favorite. For best results, use natural cocoa powder and buttermilk. These chocolate cupcakes taste completely over-the-top with chocolate buttercream!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (94g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/2 cup (41g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder*
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder or instant espresso*
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature*
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light brown sugar
- 1/3 cup (80ml) vegetable or canola oil (or melted coconut oil)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (120ml) buttermilk, at room temperature*
- chocolate buttercream and sprinkles for decorating
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 12-count muffin pan with cupcake liners. Line a second pan with 2 liners—this recipe makes about 14 cupcakes. Set aside.
- Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl until thoroughly combined. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil, and vanilla together until completely smooth. Pour half of the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Then half of the buttermilk. Gently whisk for a few seconds. Repeat with the remaining wet ingredients and buttermilk. Stir until *just* combined; do not overmix. The batter will be thin.
- Pour or spoon the batter into the liners. Fill only halfway (this is imperative! only halfway!) to avoid spilling over the sides or sinking. Bake for 18-21 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
- Frost cooled cupcakes with chocolate buttercream. You can swipe the frosting on with an icing knife or use a piping tip such as Wilton 1M. Leftover cupcakes keep well covered tightly in the refrigerator for 3 days. I recommend a cupcake carrier for storing and transporting decorated cupcakes.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: You can bake the cupcakes 1 day in advance. Keep cupcakes covered tightly at room temperature and frost the day of serving. Unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before frosting and serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 12-count Muffin Pan | Cupcake Liners | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Piping Bags (Reusable or Disposable) | Wilton 1M Piping Tip | Icing Knife | Cupcake Carrier (for storage)
- Mini Cupcakes: Fill mini liners only halfway and bake for 10-12 minutes at 350°F (177°C).
- Cake: Here’s my chocolate layer cake recipe.
- Cocoa Powder: Use natural cocoa powder, not Dutch-process. See Dutch-process vs natural cocoa powder for more information.
- Espresso Powder: Espresso powder deepens the chocolate flavor. You can skip it or use 1 teaspoon of instant coffee powder instead.
- Why Room Temperature? All refrigerated items should be at room temperature so the batter mixes together easily and evenly. Read more about the importance of room temperature ingredients.
- 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.
- Be sure to check out my 10 tips for baking the BEST cupcakes before you begin!
Reader Comments and Reviews
I have been making these cupcakes nonstop for the last 3+ weeks. They are perfection: the most glorious combination of the light airy mouth-feel of a cupcake and the chocolatey decadent goodness of a brownie. Many recipes punch you in the gut with sugar but the brown sugar and buttermilk lens itself to the deep complex notes which makes this recipe a hit with both children and adults. I can leave these, unfrosted, cupcakes sitting on the counter for 2-3 days (it never lasts longer) and it doesn’t begin to dry out.
Sally has been my one-stop shop for baking recipes since I found her blog, and this recipe does not disappoint. Buttermilk being the only ingredient that’s not always stocked in my kitchen, which makes this a reliable go-to in my back pocket in the case of emergencies. Speaking of emergencies, when hosting a dinner party recently I realized I didn’t have a dessert, threw this together with some whip cream and fruit, and it was a big hit.
I cannot sing enough praises for this recipe.
Can you double the batch without any issues?
Hi Brooke, For the absolute best results we recommend making one batch at a time.
Hi Sally, I was just wondering about oven temperatures. I’m in the UK with a fan oven so I’m assuming I need to reduce the temp slightly from the one given in the recipe?
Hi Alison, If you use convection settings for baking, lower your temperature by 25 degrees F and keep in mind that things may still take less time to bake.
great cupcakes, but I would recommend instead of buttermilk normal milk and no vinegar, I’ve used this recipe countless time, best cupcakes you’ll ever eat
The cupcakes worked really well for what I was doing (I was making German Chocolate Cake cupcakes). The pecan/coconut frosting that I also used as filling in these cupcakes stole the show (from Sally’s German Chocolate Cake recipe). If the cupcake was standing on its own without this filling/frosting, personally, I would have preferred a richer, more chocolatey flavored cupcake. But a solid recipe–easy to follow, and came out well! Thank you for sharing!
Hi!
If I only have dutch cocoa, how can I modify your recipes? I love all your recipes and congratulations to you for taking the time to share such great recipes.
Hanaelle
Hi Hanaelle, it’s really best to use natural cocoa where specified. We wish we could help with substituting, but if using your dutched cocoa, you would need to switch out the baking soda (or some of the baking soda) for baking powder. Increase the amount of baking powder in the substitution since it isn’t quite as strong as baking soda. We share more on the difference between natural and dutched cocoa here if you’re interested.
Hi Sally,
Thank you so much for all these amazing recipes. I have tried this one and it came out sooooo delicious and I received compliments from the whole family. It’s the second time I attempted to make buttercream (the first time was a flop) and this one had a very creamy texture, piped so well and was not too sweet like we like it. Always look up to your site whenever I want to bake something new…and will definitely continue to do so 🙂
I made these cupcakes for my sons birthday and he and my husband loved them! My husband said this recipe is a keeper!
Sally, this super Moist chocolate cupcakes are a bomb. Moist, yummy, crunchy everything I dream of. I am in love . Can’t thank you enough. I have tried the vanilla cupcake with the white eggs, I wasn’t fun of it. I wished you have a super Moist vanilla cupcakes recipe to share, I will appreciate. I definitely love your recipes, and can’t to try more, and more for sure.
This is my new favorite cupcake recipe! So easy, and so delicious.
Hello,
Can I substitute the light brown sugar with more granulated sugar?
Hi Pammy, we like to use brown sugar for a little extra moisture and flavor. That said, you can certainly use all white granulated sugar in a pinch.
Turned out great I didn’t have butter milk or milk so I just put vinegar in cream and it still worked out great. Question has anyone tried substituting hot water with coffee?
Thank you so much for this recipe I tried it for the first time and it was a huge success … thank you for sharing this recipe May God bless your heart
I absolutely love this recipe, nest chocolate cupcakes ive ever tasted. I was wondering could you use this recipe for a vanilla based cupcake omitting the cocoa and adding extra flour in place of the cocoa? I have seen your vanilla cupcake recipe, but wanted to see if this recipe could be tweaked at all?
Hi Kim! We’re so glad you loved these cupcakes. Cocoa powder is a finicky ingredient so unfortunately it wouldn’t be as simple as removing it from this recipe without making additional changes. We’d recommend our vanilla cupcakes instead.
I have to say, I haven’t made a single recipe of yours Sally that all my friends haven’t ABSOLUTELY LOVED!!
I made this cupcake recipe and added the Nutella frosting from your Mocha Nutella cupcake recipe, and it works so well together! That frosting is sooo good!
I make your recipes all the time and more than one of my friends have suggested I start my own baking company, they’re that good!
I love that your recipes (combined with the extra explanations and videos) are all written in such a way that an at home baker with no real experience, can bake like a pro and impress all their friends!
You have inspired my love for baking, thank you so much! Stay awesome and keep the delicious recipes coming!
I made this into a six inch cake and it was the best chocolate cake! All of my family also said it’s the best cake they have ever had! I am making it again but wondering if I can use sour cream instead of buttermilk and if so, how much sour cream to use for a six inch cake? Would bake time remain the same? Thank you for a wonderfully delicious recipe!
Hi Tifany, you can try replacing the buttermilk with the same amount of sour cream for a sturdier cupcake. For a six inch cake, you can follow the bake time and temperature from our 6 inch cakes post. So glad your family enjoyed this one!
I used this recipe to make your chocolate strawberry filled and topped with chocolate ganache cupcakes. I want to make a giant cupcake cake with this recipe but I don’t know what the quantities should be for the pan I have. I am using the Celebrate it giant cupcake pan which is similar to the wilton one it has one for the top and one for the bottom. I was thinking to use a measuring cup with water to see how many cups it takes to fill both sides. is this a good idea? I’m hoping you can help me out with this as I was going to bake this tomorrow for my birthday on Tuesday. Never even thought about the quantity differences. thanks
I have used this recipe twice to make the 6 inch chocolate cake as shown, and it may work well for cupcakes, not so much for chocolate cake, I followed the recipe steps exactly, I bake by weight. the first time: I baked, cooled completely. and tried to frost, that’s where the problem starts, the sides of the cake disintegrate when the chocolate buttercream frosting was applied. I tried thinning the frosting a little. The second time I cooled the cakes, wrapped tightly with multiple layers of plastic wrap, and placed in freezer for a couple of days. Made the buttercream frosting, pulled the cakes out of the freezer. and quickly tried to set layers, and do a quick crumb coat with a slightly thinner frosting let set up for 15min. unfortunately same result, the sides of the cake just disintegrate with the application of the crumb coat and frosting.
The best chocolate cupcake ever! Thanks so much for this recipe, it is delicious.
Absolutely love this recipe, have made cupcakes a couple of times and have been a huge hit both times! So tastey and moist and the buttercream is so wonderfully light. I have also made two birthday cakes, the first time they sunk in the middle but I did have cake tins that were too big, the second time I used double the amount, sliced the cakes in half and made a huge tastey four layer cake. Now have regular requests for the cupcakes and birthday cakes. Thank you!!
These turned out perfectly. Very moist and flavorful, perfect amount of chocolate! Great recipe!
Hi Sally!
I love your recipes! I have made these chocolate cupcakes a few times now and they taste great but are very airy. I’m wondering if you have a chocolate cupcake recipe that has the same density as your updated vanilla cupcake recipe? Thanks in advance! ❤
Hi Deb, You can try replacing the buttermilk with the same amount of sour cream for a sturdier cupcake. Happy baking!
This has been the best cake recipe I have ever tried and everyone that has tasted it has also told me it is one of the best cupcakes they’ve had! so thank you soooo much for sharing! People like you are amazing. You share put all that time and effort to share your recipes with us. May you always be a success and lots of blessings are showered upon you!
One question- how long will these cupcakes keep in the fridge for?
Thank you so much for this kind review, Saj! Store leftover cupcakes in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
This recipe is amazing. Super moist and very delicious. I followed recipe to the letter, all except cooking instructions. This I did according to my oven. So baked for 18mins at 160degrees fan forced. And they worked out perfectly. No complaints from me. I used vanilla buttercream icing too, and the chocolate flavour still came through very nicely. This is now my go to chocolate cupcake receipe. Yay!
Hello! I made these cupcakes, and they were beautifully moist, but they were not super stable because they were so soft. Do you have any suggestions on how to make these more dense/able to stand well?
Hi Mariah, we’re so glad you loved them! They are super moist but shouldn’t be unstable or fall apart (see the last 3 seconds of the video above!). If you would like, next time you can try reducing the buttermilk to only 1/4 cup and adding a 1/4 cup of sour cream for a sturdier texture.
Love your website and your recipes. They are so easily explained and are almost always perfect when tried. Will
Make these tomorrow. Can the recipe be halved or doubled if needed? Also can I be made eggless
Hi Vanddy! The recipe can be halved if necessary, but for the best taste and texture, we highly recommend making the batter twice (separately) instead of doubling at once. We haven’t tested these cupcakes with any egg substitutions, but let us know if you find something that works for you!
Super moist, but always sunken in the middle. I can fix by filling the cupcakes with a yummy filling, but I am perplexed by the sunken middles. The first time I made these, I followed the recipe and tips completely; the next time I tried with even less mixing (very light and not too much), and the third time I lowered the temperature of the oven to 320F…all 3 times were sunken cupcakes. No idea why.
Hi Chistina! The cupcakes will sink in the center if (1) there’s too much batter in each cupcake liner and/or (2) if the cupcakes are under-baked. If you make them again, keep a careful eye on how high you fill the liners (only halfway) and how long you bake time– even an extra minute or 2 would help.
Thanks – the second and third attempts were not overfilled at all and they hung out in the oven an extra 5 mins on the third attempt (still no luck). I feel like there’s something else I’m missing?! oh well – everyone loved them and the frosting covered the middle 🙂
These cupcakes surprised me, to say the least! I added in 1/2 a teaspoon of instant espresso to enhance the chocolate flavor. This recipe is pretty perfect though! A note to any bakers reading this: Wegman’s sugar tends to have larger crystals, which may have changed these cupcakes slightly, just so you are aware of it.
If in canada it’s the same with redpath vs lantic sugar redpath is a bigger granule than lantic. I use one for coffee simple syrup and caramel or candy and one for baking cakes and pastries.
Hi i tried your recipe and i love the fact the it yields just right for family..but I guess i over baked it a lil bit, b’coz the top turns out a lil bit crisp but soft to touch if pressed while still hot…the inside after refrigerated my cupcakes is a bit dry and crumbly.. is it normal? I use a 1/4 measuring cup for every liner.. thanks i will make this again soon
Hi Michelle, it sounds like your cupcakes may be slightly over baked. We also share more about how to prevent dry and dense cakes in this post, which might be helpful for next time. Glad your family still enjoyed this recipe!
I love love love this recipe!!! I have been baking so many chocolate cupcakes and cakes trying to find a chocolatey yet moist cake. This is it!! I am now wanting a vanilla recipe to make another great cake. I am checking out your website. Thanks for putting this recipe out there for me.