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
Oh my oh my soooooo DELISH!!! I made a batch for my friends babies First birthday party. Of course I had to test one right? I wanted to see how the cupcake tasted without any frosting so I left some “naked” lol ,put in a small bowl and bathed it in organic cream – umumummmm
I made this, but the batter wasn’t thin and they weren’t as moist as the cake recipe. Is there hot water/hot coffee missing from the steps?
Hi, how many mini cupcakes does this recipe make?
Hi Ash, around 30-36 mini cupcakes.
Delicious! I made these for a Super Bowl party and they were gone in a short time. Rave reviews. I’ll definitely make them again.
Would you make any changes to the recipe if using a mini muffin tin?
See recipe Notes!
Complicated and messy. What is the point of a batch of 14 when pans are in 6 and 12.
Yessss queen!
I did add a few chocolate chips mixed into each batter cup and I preferred this to the ones without. Love this. Your bakes are excellent always.
This chocolate cupcake recipe is top tier. I don’t generally like chocolate desserts but these made my house smell sooo good and they were super moist! My new go to chocolate recipe
i love you, but every time I scroll to recipe it jumps to the comments… it literally stops me from using your recipes anymore. You are by far the one I use the most and are loyal too, but my goodness I am so tired and don’t have the time.
Hi! I’m super excited to try this recipe, I was wondering if there was a way to flavor it with Hennessy? I trust you to have good cakes and thought I’d ask before trying other recipes for my friends birthday.
Hi Sylvia, we haven’t tested anything, but you could try replacing a very small amount of the buttermilk with Hennessy. (Not too much, as the buttermilk is required for proper chemical reaction to make the cupcakes rise properly.) It may take a bit of trial and error. Let us know if you do any experimenting!
No it was not darker. Thank you for your feedback
I liked the taste of the muffins.
But as I was not using liners, they stuck to my oiled nonstick cupcake tray. Please suggest why this may have happened. My banana muffins using your recipe do not stick.
I also baked the extra batter in a small oiled pan and it too stuck too the bottom.
Waiting for your feedback.
Hi Faryal, are you using a darker pan by chance? Make sure the individual cups are well greased, and that the cupcakes aren’t over baked. Hope this helps for next time!
Has anyone tried this recipe, but using cake flour (presto) instead? I need to a good recipe to use for an upcoming party, that I can use the presto cake flour in.
Hi Ashley, We don’t recommend using cake flour in this recipe- it’s simply too light for this batter. Cocoa powder is extremely light and takes the place of some all-purpose flour in this recipe, so we already have very light cupcakes. If you’re looking for a cupcake recipe that calls for cake flour, these vanilla cupcakes are a favorite!
I have done this recipe multiple times, and it never fails to amaze! Recently i doubled it, and baked it in a regular cake tin for 50 minutes. It was a hit! (I never put coffee, since i don’t like it, and always add chocolate chips for more chocolate flavour!)
So I had message before here and on your IG profile with no response.. are you able to provide a copy of the recipe before the last edit? That was my go to before you edit and it worked perfectly fine for me.. thanks
Hi Pickymom, I’m so sorry if we missed your DM. There have been no changes to this published recipe. Are you thinking of this cupcake recipe instead?
Sorry, yes! You are correct.. the one you referenced.
Don’t recommend, the coffee taste is overwhelming.
Is it possible to add Raspberries to this recipe?
Hi Scarps, you can certainly try adding some fresh raspberries to the batter. We would avoid frozen raspberries, as they may release too much liquid. Or, you might try filling the cupcakes with this homemade raspberry cake filling!
One word: AMAZING. I have been on the hunt for some good chocolate cupcakes that I can substitute allergy friendly ingredients into. These are literally flawless. They were moist, chocolatey, and they didn’t have that chemical taste that I usually get from allergy friendly chocolate cupcakes. I have been searching for a good recipe for literal years and could not find one that didn’t have that chemical taste. This is finally the recipe I’ve been looking for and I could not be more pleased with it. This is my go-to and the best one I have ever tried. They do sink a little in the middle but that is normal for me with all the substitutions I have to make. Absolutely delicious and fluffy texture. Cannot express how impressed I am after almost 3 years of searching.
What substitutions did you make? I need to make DF and egg free cupcakes and am curious if those are some of the things you subbed?
This recipe made delicious chocolate cupcakes. Definitely will keep this one!
I made these for a friend. The recipe is simple and easy to follow I really appreciate it. I do think the bake time is too long the first batch I Made I only did 15 minutes and it was still to long the second one I did only 13 minutes and it came out much better. I think it could be more chocolate in taste but it was still a good cupcake.
These cupcakes are delicious! My only problem is no matter how much batter I use in the liner the center sinks. I’d love some ideas of how I can keep this from happening as I really love the taste and texture of these cupcakes! Any recommendations?
Hi Lorie, Flat tops are typical for these chocolate cupcakes. If they sink a little, they’re likely under-baked.
Flat tops are fine with me because I’m decorating them. I’ll try to leave them in a bit longer next time. Thank you for replying!
Sadly , the recipe was missing flavor . Not enough cocoa . So sad because I worked so hard and followed the recipe but it lacked flavor
Giving five stars because I have made these full size many times and they’re always great! I also have a question- how many will it make as minis?
Thanks for all your great recipes!!
Hi Sammie! See Notes after the recipe for mini cupcake instructions – happy baking!
This recipe deserves a review ! Made so many times now, honestly the best and most moist cakes ever ! Made my son’s birthday cake with this recipe too! With added salted caramel filling thank you 🙂
Hi, can you tell me which cream you used in batter.. because you add cream in video?
Hi Sara, we buttermilk in the batter—not cream. We do use heavy cream in the chocolate buttercream. Hope this helps!
These are so delicious but mine came out with flat tops. Any suggestions?
Hi Traci! Flat tops are typical for these chocolate cupcakes. If they sink a little, they’re likely under-baked.
Oh, my, that’s a relief! Haha thanks!
I do really love this recipe, been using it for 4 years now!
Just a quick question, if I would like to double or triple the batter, would the quantities change much? Thanks again!
Hi Dominique, we are so glad you love these cupcakes! For the best taste and texture, we highly recommend making the batter in separate batches instead of multiplying all at once. Large batches risk over-mixing or under-mixing the batter. Happy baking!
Could I replace half of the cocoa powder with hot chocolate mix and then reduce the sugar? I am trying to make hot chocolate flavored cupcakes.
Hi Grace, I haven’t tested the recipe that way so I’m uncertain of the final results. Let me know if you try it.
It’s amazing and chocolatey with a hint of coffee. My tip though, make sure you use actual powdered NOT granulated espresso/instant coffee. Getting hit with bitter pieces of crystallized coffee is no good.
Question. I want to make these into icream cone cupcakes. Any tips on to how much I should fill them in??
Hi Cristy, we haven’t tested it so we’re unsure. Keep in mind that this chocolate batter rises a little more than typical cupcake batter. Let us know if you give it a try!