Simply Perfect Chocolate Cupcakes
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Scratch-made chocolate cupcakes that are moist, deeply chocolatey, and so easy to make! These cupcakes have a slightly domed top and a fluffy texture, but are sturdy enough to stand up to your favorite buttercream.
*This post originally published on August 13, 2013. I thought it was about time the pics were updated. So, many of the photos you see here now are new and improved. And I added a video! Everything else is exactly the same as it ever was! Hopefully you'll enjoy this recipe as much as my family and I do.*
After settling on my favorite vanilla cupcake recipe, I knew it would be a tough act to follow with chocolate. Those cupcakes are so outstanding, and were so easy to make, they made me realize that my usual chocolate cupcake recipe was maybe a little lacking!
In the past, I've always relied upon the Perfectly Chocolate Cake recipe on the back of the Hershey's Cocoa Can. I've been making it for decades! As a matter of fact, it was probably the first from-scratch cake I ever baked.
It tastes pretty fabulous, especially as a layer cake topped with their Perfectly Chocolate Frosting. But as cupcakes, I've found it to be a little too delicate to stand up to the generous pile of frosting that I prefer to top them with (evil).
Not to mention the batter is extremely runny. When filling well after well of a cupcake tin, this recipe's proven to be a bit of a drippy mess.
So I went into this challenge with some pretty specific ideas about what I wanted:
- A sturdy enough cupcake to stand up to a generous pile of frosting.
- A thicker batter that's easier to portion out without dribbling everywhere.
- A moist texture.
- A nicely domed top.
- A deeply chocolatey flavor.
That last requirement is achieved in rather a counter-intuitive way. I prefer a chocolate cake that doesn't actually contain any chocolate. I know! Sounds crazy, but if you think about what exactly it is that constitutes "chocolate," it makes perfect sense. Chocolate, in bar form, is made up of cocoa butter, milk, emulsifiers, vanilla, sugar, and cocoa solids. The cocoa solids are what flavor the chocolate. And all of those other ingredients are already in a cake recipe, in one form or another. All we are really after is the chocolate taste, and that is distilled (or rather, dried, roasted, and ground) down to its essence in the form of cocoa powder. I suggest using the highest quality cocoa powder you can get your hands on. For the most chocolatey flavor of all, use pure, unsweetened cocoa powder.
Also I am a lazy baker and I prefer not to have to chop and melt chocolate, and dirty all those dishes. (Real talk.)
I looked at a crap-ton of chocolate cupcake recipes, and while they all sounded super fabulous, none of them really met all of my criteria. So, I've gone out on a limb and developed my own recipe. That's right, this one's all me, baby. I was a little nervous tasting it for the first time, but I have to say, it's pretty terrific! And my taste-testers all agreed. (I tested it out on around 40 of my closest friends :))
You are going to love how quick and easy this recipe is! Only one dirty bowl when it's all said and done, and the shortest list of ingredients I've seen in my extensive chocolate cupcake recipe research. 😉
The method is a little bit unusual. Like most other cake recipes on this site, it utilizes the reverse-creaming method. I love it because it's no-muss, no-fuss! Easy peasy.
Throw all the dry ingredients (including the sugar) into the mixing bowl and give them a little stir to combine them. Then add the butter in, all at once.
Mix it on low until it resembles damp sand. Then just crack in your eggs, a splash of vanilla, and a few dollops of Greek yogurt (Sour cream or buttermilk work really well too!) The natural acidity helps to activate the baking powder and make the cake super fluffy.
The batter is so nice and thick! But you'll notice, it's fluffy like a mousse. Fluffy batter = fluffy cupcake. 😉
I love to use an ice cream scoop to portion out the batter. It helps to ensure an even measure in each cup, and it's also mess-free. Great investment!
I'm sure I'm not the only one who loves to dip a finger in the cake batter and give it a taste, right? Well, when you do, you'll know how good these cupcakes are going to taste! Soooooo chocolatey, almost like a brownie! All that cocoa powder gives these cupcakes such an incredibly rich, deep flavor!
The addition of cake flour keeps the texture fluffy and light, but the all purpose flour gives them enough structure to be durable. My Simply Perfect Chocolate Cupcakes are light and fluffy without being overly delicate or wimpy. Go ahead and pile that frosting on, these cupcakes won't buckle under the pressure!
Simply Perfect Chocolate Cupcakes will pair well with just about any kind of frosting you can imagine, but my hands-down favorite has to be Swiss Meringue Buttercream. The vanilla version is here, and the chocolate version is here. Both are just heavenly!
For the cupcakes you see in the newer pics here, I used my favorite Easy Chocolate Frosting recipe. This one whips up in a heartbeat! And I've used Whipped Cream Frosting on them many times too- it's so light and fluffy! A perfect balance to all that rich chocolate.
I like to top them with a pinch of this India Tree Chocolate Vermicelli. It looks like just regular chocolate jimmies, but the flavor is more like real chocolate shavings. It's the little details...!
I'm sure I'll be dreaming up all sorts of incredible ways to top these cupcakes over the coming months, but for now, I just wanted to share the base. It's part of a recurring series on Baking a Moment called "Simply Perfect," where I share my favorite recipes for basic "building block" baked good recipes. Many of these recipes are tried and true, that I've made over and over again, through the years, tested on my friends and family, and deemed to be the best. Check out the whole series here: Simply Perfect Recipes.
And be sure to check out this recipe for the layer cake version!
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Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (62.5 g) cake flour
- 1 cup (86 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons (1.5 teaspoons) baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) kosher salt
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, , softened
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup (200 g) Greek yogurt, (sour cream or buttermilk* may be substituted)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Place the sugar, all-purpose flour, cake flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine.
- Mix in the butter on low speed, until the mixture resembles moist crumbs.
- Stir in the eggs, one at a time, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula after each addition. Add the Greek yogurt and vanilla, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl to be sure all the ingredients are well-combined. Beat on medium speed for 1 to 1 ½ minutes, to aerate the batter and build the cake’s structure.
- Fill lined cupcake wells just over half full (approx. ¼ cup of batter).
- Bake for 15 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean or with moist crumbs.
- Cool completely before frosting.
Notes
- Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- Easy Chocolate Frosting
- Whipped Cream Frosting
Click here for the vanilla version of this cupcake recipe: Simply Perfect Vanilla Cupcakes.
Click here for the vanilla layer cake recipe: Perfect Vanilla Cake Recipe.
Hi Ally, thank you so much for this recipe. I made this twice and both came perfect. The only problem i have is that the cupcake liners detached few hours after baking. I used different liners for second batch and i still had the same problem. Any idea where i did wrong?
Hey Lee! I'm so glad you were happy with the recipe! Have you tried using grease-proof liners? May be just what the doctor ordered. Hope that helps!
Dear Allie, I tried making these cupcakes last weekend. They turned out perfect and all my family members loved them so much! Now I'm trying to make this into a birthday cake for my going-to-be-2 year old girl using a 8" pan. May I know through your experience, how long roughly does it take for the cake to bake? Thanks!
Hey HH Loh! I'm so happy you and your family were happy with the recipe. I would try setting the timer for 30 minutes, and checking the cake with a toothpick or bamboo skewer every 5 minutes thereafter. You'll know it's done when the cake is springy to the touch and the skewer comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Good luck, and enjoy!
I HAD to comment on these... they are PERFECT! I too turn to the Hershey's recipe for cake but am always disappointed with how it makes for cupcakes. Thank you so much! I subbed sour cream for the Greek yogurt - the only greek yogurt I had was vanilla. These domed beautifully in the oven!
They are my base for a smores cupcake 🙂
Ooh, yum...! They'd be perfect as s'mores cupcake because the chocolate flavor really shines. I'm so happy you liked them Lauren! I've subbed sour cream before too and it's outta this world! Thanks so much for the great feedback!
I just tried this recipe today and it's totally easy and successful. I reduced the sugar by 20% and it still tastes great! Thank you for sharing such a wonderful recipe!
My pleasure Adele! I'm so happy you enjoyed; thanks so much for taking the time to let me know!
Hi Alile,
I'm a little hesitant on using cold butter as I have always mixed in room temperature butter for cupcakes/cakes. Can you tell me why it should be cold?
Thanks!
Hi Josephine! Honestly, it works just as well with softened butter so if that's what you prefer then I'm sure the result will be just as good. I've actually done it both ways, but I personally feel like the cold butter gives a little more of than "damp sand" kind of feel. Sometimes with soft butter it just becomes a little more like a dough- but that's totally ok too! Just typically with the reverse creaming method people look for that damp sand thing. Good luck and thank you for reading!
These look wonderful. Any chance you can do any of the work ahead of time? Have you ever baked them and then put in refrigerator before frosting at a later time? (even just a day ahead?)
Thanks
Yes, absolutely, Lauren! I think you will find all the answers you are looking for in the previous comments. They keep very well! Thanks for reading 😀
Hi there, just bake these and they're awesome!! Light and fluffy,chocolatey and most important not too sweet, I'm Asian so normally will adjust sugar for Western recipe but I follow urs to T except I use my own homemade vanilla extract 1 Tbsp and it turn out so great. By the way that day I make ur Swiss meringue buttercream and add cooked strawberry puree and it's fabulous. Will top this chocolate cake with it again so it's perfect. Thank you so much for ur great recipes and all ur effort to write and share with us. Love ya 😉
Catherine from Malaysia
Thank you so much, Catherine! I'm so happy you like the recipe, and it sounds so great with strawberry frosting! Thanks for reading, trying one of my recipes, and for taking the time to comment. Love you too!
Hello Catherine,
Can you please share how you did the strawberry purée? i have tried few recipes and none would give the result m expecting.
Thank you,
FAB recipe!!!! I've made these cupcakes quite a few times since the very first time I discovered it, it's absolutely perfect, I haven't used another recipe since! THANK YOU! Haha 😀
I'd like to ask, how do I make a cake out of this, instead of cupcakes. Which size tin would I use??!!!!!
Hi Ruby! I'm so happy you like the recipe so much! I've actually made this into cake layers many times, and it never disappoints! It's pretty adaptable, I've used (2) 9-inch pans, (2) 8-inch pans, and (2) 6-inch pans, and they all produce great results. Obviously, the layers will be thicker with the smaller sized pans, and you'll need to keep checking for doneness because of the varying thickness. Another great tip is to bake them at a lower temperature (like 325 F) for a longer time, to avoid that big hump in the middle. I love doing it that way! Good luck and thank you for reading my blog and trying one of my favorite recipes!
I just made these and they are delicious, I only made two minor adjustments. I used a little less butter and replaced it with a mini tub of applesauce (the lunch box size) and a quarter cup of fresh coffee.
I have been told to NEVER make any other type of chocolate cupcake other than these! That was before I had even frosted them.
They are extremely moist and very light.
This recipe made 24 cupcakes, well it could have made a bit more but I overfilled mine a little bit, they still came out awesome!
Yay!!! I'm so glad you were happy with them! I love this recipe too 😉 Thanks so much for the awesome feedback, Karen!
I made these today for the first time, and they were great! This is probably the best chocolate cupcake recipe I've tried. The chocolate swiss meringue buttercream frosting was DIVINE; I cannot believe I've never had that type of frosting until now. It's pretty much my new favorite thing. Thanks so much for this recipe! I really enjoyed it.
Yay! I'm so happy to hear it, Sophie! I LOVE this recipe too- it's one of my all-time favorites! Thanks so much for the awesome feedback!
Please help.. can I use the meringue powder instead and remove the egg white? Do you think I can come up with the same result? Thak you so much
No, please do not make substitutions. I cannot guarantee success if the recipe is not followed. This kind of buttercream can be tricky, you'll want to follow the recipe to the letter. Good luck!
Hi Allie! Thank you so much! I finally did it! swiss meringue chocolate frosting! Its really delicious and holds in place I love it because its not too sweet perfect frosting for my chocolatey cupcakes! Thank you so much
Oh yay!!! I'm so happy you finally worked it out! And so proud of you, Mary! Thank you so much for reading, and for letting me know about your experience. xoxo
Hello Ms. Allie! Its me again.. after reading the instrucyions again regarding the SMB I think I had a mistake in warming the egg white and sugar.. I only cooked it for 3 mins I think.. I going to try it again tonight.. If ill be cooking the egg whites and sugar to 70degree u think I can still come up with the same result as shown I the picture? Can it affect its texture, firmness etc. I am I a panic right now..the event is getting close and yet I dont have the frostings yet. can I use candy thermometer to check the temperature? Thank you so much Ms. Allie you're like a teacher to me since I dont have any formal baking schooling i just learned my chocolate cupcake recipe from you and I am so greatful because everyone who tasted it really loves the cup cakes!
Yes of course, do use a candy thermometer. Three minutes is not long enough to dissolve the sugar. Please be sure to read the recipe carefully, and maybe even the comments, to make sure you're understanding it well. Good luck and I hope you get the result you're after!
Thank you Ms. Allie.. i really want to use ur recipe.. so i tried it once more this morning but the result was its like a thick milk.. I cant even frost it.. I dont know what went wrong.. is there something to do with the mixer? Im using a hand mixer only.. please help
I'm so sorry, Mary, I wish I knew what to tell you. I make it pretty regularly and it always works well for me. Did you try popping it in the fridge to help it cool down? As stated in the recipe, there should be no hint of warmth on the bowl before you add in the butter... ?
Hey Allie,
I tried ur recipe n it turned out to b amazing totally melt in the mouth. I substituted butter with margarine (its a shortening) n still turned out wonderful. I halved the recipe n made 1 cake instead of cupcakes. Thanks for such a great recipe. God bless:)
Thank you so much, Saleha! I'm so glad to now know that it works with margarine. Thanks for taking the time to let me know! God bless you too, dear xoxo
Hi Ms. Allie about the frostings.. because its summer here in our country the frostings use to melt on an outdoor party. Please help if you have recipe for icings or frostings that does not melt on the heat. Thank you
Hi Mary! I think if you read the comments above, you'll note that this recipe is very good in the heat. The meringue really helps to stabilize the frosting. Let me know if you have any other questions, and thanks so much for reading!
Thanks Ms. Allie! I tried the vanilla swiss meringue once.. but the frostings still melts since its really hot here in our place... do you think it will help if I put some shortening and cornstarch on it? But im afraid that the frosting will be too much dry and hardened like icing candies... im quite in a panic because I need to bake 5 dozens of cupcakes with frostings on May3.. for my first client using ung chocolate cupcake recipe(thank you so much). Please help me. Thank you
Hmm. Gee it must be really hot where you are! I kept a box of cupcakes (frosted with SMB) in my car back in July and they held up surprisingly well. Ok, well, I wouldn't recommend adding shortening or cornstarch. Have you ever heard of Magical Frosting? That might be a safer bet for you, here's a link: http://www.melskitchencafe.com/the-best-frosting-ever/ Scroll down to the very bottom for a chocolate version. 😀
One more question Ms. Allie is it safe for kids to eat the frostings? Is the egg white raw?
The egg gets cooked over a double boiler. If you are serving it to pregnant women, very small children, elderly people, or anyone who is not in good health, cook the egg to 160°F (70°C) to kill any bacteria. Good luck!
Hi! Ur recipe looks delicious n mouth watering. Planning to try it out soon. However I wanted to ask can I use blueband margarine instead of butter. Hoping to hear from u soon
Hey Saleha! I wish I could give you a better answer but unfortunately I'm not familiar with that product. Best of luck to you!
Hi Allie and Mary, I had issue with crunchy tops too so I looked it up. It usually happens in electric ovens, in this case maybe our ovens are hotter on the top than the bottom. So maybe try baking at a lower rack. The cracked top happens when the oven is too hot at the start of baking. Hope that helps.
Thanks so much for the great info, Grace!