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
Yet another recipe that makes me look like a baking championship winner to all my friends! Thank you Sally! These are PERFECTION.
Just one question – I’m just unsure of how much batter to put in the liner. Do I fill it all the way to the top? How about 3/4 full? For real though, you saved the day again with your insistence on filling them only half-way-full and not even a *little bit* more. I had one cupcake that was a little over half, and you know what I was? Sad. It was too big for the big frosting finish. But, not too sad since I had to eat that one before it got packed up with the others!
I absolutely love this recipe. I need to make chocolate cupcakes for for grandkids birthdays. My daughter in law is lactose intolerant. Is there anything I can substitute for the buttermilk?
Hi Yvonne, you could use the DIY buttermilk outlined in the recipe Notes, using a dairy-free milk instead. Hope this helps!
Great recipe, my cupcakes cooked with a high dome I used 14 patty pans in muffin tin, should I just perhaps try 16 pans?
Hi Julie, you can try spreading the batter out among 16 liners for shorter cupcakes.
This is such an easy recipe to make and tastes so good with the Chocolate Buttercream! and I skipped the esspresso but it still tastes great!
Thank you Sally! 🙂
How much time do you subtract if you do mini cupcakes?
See recipe Notes for mini cupcake instructions!
I love your recipes and would like to make the chocoalte cupcakes for Passover. I can only use Almond flour during the holiday and would like to know if it’s possible to substitute A/P flour with the almond flour and what other adjustments I would need to make using the Almond Flour. Please let me know. Thank you.
Hi Lila! Almond flour would not be a suitable swap for this recipe. We would search for a chocolate cupcake recipe specifically formulated for almond flour instead!
This recipe for the chocolate sponge, it is truly the ultimate. I add double the “cherry bounce” along with the vanilla for a perfect cherry note which brings it to another level.
This recipe… using Ghiradelli’s cocoa… it’s just better tasting and moister than any other chocolate cake. Cupcakes? Sure, but it also makes glorious 3 layer cakes… just multiply everything up. Seriously, this is the only recipe you’ll ever need under the category of “chocolate cake”. It works with a myriad of frostings and fillings… and always comes out PERFECTION.
Hi Sally! Do you ever use dry buttermilk in your recipes? I have it on hand as I find it works very well in my buttermilk pancakes, so am curious if you have tested on any cakes like these which I’ll be trying soon as a base for Solar Eclipse Cupcakes!
Hi Desiree! We don’t usually use powdered buttermilk, but it should work just fine.
These are the best chocolate cupcakes I’ve ever had. Can someone give me some advice as to why mine might be collapsing slightly in the middle? That’s happened to me both of the times I’ve baked these. Thanks in advance.
Hi Briana! Chocolate cupcakes won’t have a dome like vanilla cupcakes often do. They will be more or less flat. That being said, cupcakes can collapse when they’ve been over-filled.
I keep coming back to try this recipe because I love all of your other ones but it NEVER comes out. The middle sinks every time and I am not overfilling. I follow everything exactly and still sunken middles.
Leanne, you may be more satisfied with a newer version, found here. You can use the chocolate frosting from this recipe, though.
Will this recipe make a 3 layer 4×2 cake? Thank you!
Hi Debbie, this is the perfect amount of batter for a three layer 6 inch cake. With a 4 inch cake, you’ll have a little leftover for a few cupcakes.
Mine have sunk in the middle after coming out of the oven – what did I do wrong?
Hi Amy, a little sinking is completely normal for chocolate cupcakes. However, excessive sinking in the middle would be either (1) the cupcakes are a little under-baked or (2) the cupcake liners were a little over-filled. Hope this helps for next time!
Loved the recipe! My first time baking cupcakes in YEARS. I followed directions to the “t” and they came out perfectly! I will be baking more for a baby shower.. will try more recipes today for my baking marathon.
This truly is the only chocolate cake recipe you’ll ever need. This cooks up quick and easy and is PERFECTLY moist and delicious. It freezes well too!
Pair this with a light and fluffy chocolate buttercream frosting and you’ll be in heaven.
I absolutely love this recipe and the cupcakes taste delicious, especially with vanilla buttercream on top!
I was just wondering, if I were to add chocolate chips to them, how many would you reccomend for each batch?
Hi Crissy, so glad you loved them! Feel free to add 1 cup of chocolate chips to this batter without changing anything else.
Just made these cupcakes and they are so delicious..so moist and so much chocolate flavor. I was thinking that half a cup of cocoa was quite alot, but it makes such a nice flavor.
Thanks Sally
These turned out great!
hi can i use butter instead of oil for these cupcakes?
Hi Jere, when these were tested with butter they tasted pretty dry. The chocolate flavor really overpowers the butter flavor, and the oil helps to create a supremely moist crumb. For best results, we recommend sticking with oil.
Delicious. I did not have time to try a test batch and just went for it. 48 amazing cupcakes. I followed your tips too!
The perfect chocolate cupcake! Icing was delicious too but my go to is chocolate peanut butter so I also made some with Sally’s pb frosting from another cake recipe. Love love love. Oh yeah, and I added a few flour coated chocolate chips, win!
Hi Sally!
Can these be made ahead and frozen?
Hi Chloe, they sure can! Unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen up to 2 months. See the recipe notes!
The cupcakes are amazing! The only problem is my cupcakes tend not to rise? They make really small cupcakes. What am I doing wrong?
Hi Lauren! We would try again with fresh baking soda and powder, they can lose strength fairly quickly, which would lead to less rise!
Just made these morning. Couldn’t resist and had to try one without the icing. Very light and tasty!
I will be icing with Italian meringue icing to keep them light.
Allllll of my cupcakes sunk, despite being so careful to not overfill. Any suggestions for next time?
Hi Alex, these are very moist and soft cupcakes, but if they sank down a lot after baking they could have been under-baked. A couple extra minutes in the oven should help for next time. Hope you give them another try!
This recipe doesn’t work well with greased muffin tins. I made half with cupcake liners and half without. The ones without were very flat.
Hi Laura, the recipe instructs lining the pans with cupcake liners, not greasing them. Hope your next batch turns out much better!
Would it be possible to not use espresso powder?
You can leave it out.
Can I use natural cacao powder vs cocoa powder? Or would I be better off with Dutch processed cocoa powder?
Hi Sarah, that substitution would require some testing. You’d likely need to switch to all baking powder and increase the amount of liquid in the recipe. For best results, stick with unsweetened natural cocoa powder.
I ended up using valrhona dutch processed cocoa powder and made it into two 6 inch layers – everything else I followed exactly and it was perfect!
Is it ok to use buttermilk powder instead of actual buttermilk?
Hi Sarah, absolutely. Follow the instructions on the packaging to make the yield needed for this recipe. Hope you enjoy the cupcakes!
Please listen to her when she says not 3/4 , just half way
How do you convert this recipe to make a 4 layer 8 inch chocolate cake?
Hi Kristin, here is our chocolate cake recipe. You can use that batter as is for 4 very thin layers, or 1.5x the recipe and use any leftover batter for a few cupcakes on the side.