Simply Perfect Chocolate Cupcakes
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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Simply Perfect Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (62.5 g) cake flour
- 1 cup (86 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (1.5 teaspoons) baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 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 1/2 minutes, to aerate the batter and build the cake’s structure.
- Fill lined cupcake wells just over half full (approx. 1/4 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.
I love this recipe, these are just amazing. The nicest, moistest, most chocolaty cakes I’ve ever had. Thank you so much 🙂
Alright, my cupcakes are in the oven, I used regular yogurt, the batter was still thick, so it wasn’t that much of a difference. The batter tasted great ! However some of the butter cubes didn’t go away. Should I have mixed it longer ?
Hey Maddie! I suppose it depends on how big the cubes were? If they were smaller than peas then it’s probably ok. I hope they came out well and you enjoyed!
Hi Allie,
I made these cupcakes today and the flavor is fabulous. The appearance, however, is lacking. My poor cupcakes caved in during baking and every single one looks like a mini volcano. I also had a bit of trouble taking them out of the paper liners. They didn’t come out as clean as cupcakes normal do – lots of small chunks stuck to the paper. Any advice for these two problems? I am so happy with the flavor, I just want them to make a better presentation.
Secondly, I wanted to thank you for the simply perfect vanilla cupcakes recipe. I made that one a couple of weeks ago and I think it made the BEST cupcakes I’ve every had! So delicious! So, I was wondering if I could add cocoa powder to that recipe to turn them into chocolate cupcakes? Could you please give the instructions on how I could do this?
Hey Sydney! Thanks so much for reading and I’m so glad you had such great success with the vanilla cupcakes. I really don’t think that a chocolate version is as straightforward as just adding cocoa powder though. The cocoa almost acts a little bit like flour in that it dries out the cupcake a bit, and so you need to alter the quantities of other ingredients in order to keep the chemistry in balance. I’m not totally sure why your cupcakes caved in, but a lot of times that can happen if you open the oven door while the cupcakes are still rising and not completely set. A lot of times too if you take them out and they’re underbaked. As for the paper liners- I would definitely recommend using grease-proof papers. You can order them on Bake It Pretty and they make all the difference in the world. Good luck!
I’m going to try this cupcake recipe,I have plain yogurt, will that be fine since I don’t have greek yogurt ?
I think it’s worth a try Maddie! I’m sure the batter probably won’t be as thick because regular yogurt tends to be runnier than the Greek kind, but I think the flavors will still be nice. Good luck and I’d love if you’d stop back and let us know how it all works out for you!
Hi. I made these cupcakes yesterday for my son’s birthday party, and the batter was extremely runny. It never got fluffy, and I followed the directions exactly. Should I cut back on the Greek yogurt and just add it in small clumps, as opposed to all at once?
Thanks!
-The Swiss chocolate buttercream was amazing!
Hi Stephani! The batter should not be runny. I don’t know why it came out runny for you; I have made this recipe dozens of times and it’s always quite thick. I’m not sure what went wrong there, but something was most definitely not right. I would not advise cutting back on any of the quantities. I’m so sorry things didn’t work out, but I’m glad you liked the frosting!
I love these cupcakes! They’re soooo chocolatey!
I’m just wondering… why my cupcakes are never light and fluffy after I leave them overnight? While they are warm they are soooo soft and fluffy and melt in your mouth. But once they cool and sit for a few hours they are denser and although they still taste great it just doesn’t have that airy texture.
I have tried all sorts of recipes and follow them exactly. When my friends make cupcakes they are soooo fluffy even the next day. I have tried the same recipe as theirs. I just can’t figure it out 🙁
Do you have any insight or any tips?
You know I’m really not sure, Elle… Even trying the same recipe as your friends are using and still getting a different result? That’s strange. I’m wondering if it’s something to do with your oven? Have you ever tried putting one of those little oven thermometers in to see if the temperature is accurate? A lot of times ovens aren’t properly calibrated and it can wreak all sorts of havoc. Hope that helps!
I’ve never thought of the oven! It is quite an old oven so it might be the problem. I’ll have to find one of those thermometers – thank you!
P.S. I’ve had a look around your site and the recipes all sound gorgeous! So glad I found it 🙂
Aw, thank you so much Elle! I hope that oven thermometer solves your problem. Have a great week dear!
Oh, my god! This looks truly amazing and those pictures! :))
I got inspired after visiting our local pastry company. I tasted there chocolate cupcakes which were like all chocolate, without the paper (it stands in a all-chocolate cup) and it was delicious. And when I’ve heard the owner of the bakery even makes those delicious cupcakes on her own I was stunned.
So, I’ve decided I want to be a skilful baker, too and stumbled upon your recipe! And I’m so thankful that finally someone shows how to do it in HD pictures and step-by-step recipe. It looks amazing, hopefully my cupcakes will turn out that way either! 🙂 And that icing/frosting is something I’ll have a problem with, but as soon as I’m done, I’ll send a link/picture 🙂
Lana
Can’t wait to see! Hope you enjoy my dear!
Hey Allie! These cupcakes are DELICIOUS! I made 50 of them for my daughter’s birthday party and frosted them with blueberry cream cheese frosting and they came out perfect! You are very talented, indeed! I want to make them for my staff holiday party, but this time, I was hoping to adapt the recipe to include a peppermint mocha flavor. There are some recipes out there, but your chocolate recipe is tried and true. I might just frost with peppermint frosting and call it a day, but I thought I’d check in to see if you have been playing with adding flavors, yourself, or if you had any suggestions.
Hey KayO that’s great! I’m so happy you like the recipe and thanks for the sweet compliments! Peppermint mocha sounds incredible, that’s definitely one of my favorite flavor combos, especially at this time of year. I think you could easily add peppermint extract (maybe like half a teaspoon?) to the batter, and even a few teaspoons of instant espresso powder. If you want! Or the peppermint frosting sounds like another great option. Good luck and enjoy!
I’d leave the cupcake alone but make a chocolate-peppermint icing and place a small after-eight chocolate-mint on top 😀
Hi! I just want to ask what can i substitute for the greek yogurt? I don’t have it in my fridge and I think it’s rarely available here in the Philippines. I would really love to make the exact cupcakes that you did.
Hi Angelle I would definitely give regular, plain (unsweetened) yogurt a try. Good luck!
Hi Allie! I tried out these cupcakes with sour cream (no buttermilk on hand) and everyone still loved them! It gave a kind of tanginess to the cake yet wasn’t too overpowering. I also used a simple vanilla buttercream frosting that balanced out the flavors. Thanks for the recipe!
That’s so great Lauren! Thanks so much for reading and for sharing this great tip! <3
I just made these..! one word: amazing! I never make cupcakes other than carrot-cupcakes,because they always came out too dry and heavy..but those are..just wow:) light as a feather:) will be my go to recipe from now on. I added a chocolate-hazelnut-coffee icing and added a piece of dark chocolate on top..death by chocolate,but totally worth it.Not sure what made these so light,maybe the combo of baking soda and the acid in the yoghurt?My battter was a tiny bit thinner,because I used normal yoghurt instead of greek,but came out just as tasty..can’t get over how light and soft they are:)Thanks for sharing:)
Yay!!! I’m so happy you like the recipe! I think you’re right about the acid in the yogurt plus baking soda. It’s magical! Good to know regular yogurt works too. Thanks so much for the great feedback!
What is your advice for freezing cupcakes? I tried your chocolate cupcake recipe, and my family loved it! I do not usually enjoy homemade cakes, because they always turn out dry. This recipe is phenomenal! I thought I’d never make a box mix again! I got so excited about how easy they were to make, I made two batches to save for future events at school, etc. I made so many that I didn’t want to spend the time wrapping each cupcake individually. So, I put them in baking pans and covered the pans tightly with foil before putting them in the freezer. One day later, I taste tested a cupcake I had frozen and it was much dryer than when I had eaten it fresh 🙁 I’ve always been told that freezing cake makes it more moist. So, I am very disappointed today that I will be serving dry cupcakes at the school fundraiser next week. I’d appreciate if you have any advice I can follow for the next time.
April- If you check out the previous comments on this post, I think you’ll find the answer you’re looking for. In a nutshell, I usually freeze the unfrosted cupcakes in a zip-top bag. They always come out really great! So happy you like the recipe; thanks for reading!
Hiii,
Read the reviews, it sounds like an amazing recipe. But here’s the thing, I don’t have cake flour available, so should I just use simple flour? Also can I use any yogurt? homemade? Or do it like half yogurt, half milk?
Please let me know so I can go bake 😀
The recipe calls for Greek yogurt which is quite thick. I would recommend using the thickest yogurt you can find, and make sure it’s unsweetened. As for the cake flour, if you google “cake flour substitute,” you should come up with a lot of great info. This article is the top search result: http://joythebaker.com/2013/12/baking-101-the-best-cake-flour-substitute/. Good luck and thanks for reading!
Just loved this recipe . Thanks for sharing ! Question would this recipe work for 2 or three 8″ cake pans ?
That’s great I’m so glad to hear it, Angela! It should be enough batter for 2, just remember to adjust the bake time as needed. Thanks so much for the great feedback!
Hi there! I just stumbled upon this recipe and I was wondering if I could substitute the greek yogurt with buttermilk? Or maybe some other option? Please do share…
Yes! I think you could! I have done that with the original recipe from which this was adapted. It works beautifully with buttermilk or sour cream. Thanks for the great question, Jannie!
Thank you for replying! It’s pretty difficult to get greek yogurt where I’m from. (Zamboanga City, Philippines)… Thank you for sharing this delightful recipe. I’m planning on trying this out soon! 😀
You’re quite welcome! I hope you enjoy, Jannie!
Hi Allie,
Your cupcakes looks gorgeous! I’m not a fan of yoghurt though, could I use anything else to substitute the yoghurt in the recipe? Thank you!
Sorry, I just saw that others used sour cream as a substitute. Any others I can use, like milk maybe? I’m just kinda afraid it’ll have the ‘sour’ taste from the yoghurt, which I hate. But if the final product doesn’t have the yoghurt taste, I’m up for it!
You can use milk but the final product tastes nothing like yogurt, I assure you. The acidity in the yogurt reacts with the baking soda to make the cake fluffier. It tastes like chocolate, really, not much else. Good luck, Clar, and I hope you enjoy!
Followed everything exactly and batte turned out grainy. Suggestion? What did I do? Lol
The batter was grainy? Or the finished product? What were the granules, butter? Or sugar? Obvs the sugar is granular but if you had granules of butter it sounds like maybe you didn’t spend enough time incorporating the butter into the dry ingredients. You want it to look like damp sand before you start adding the eggs… But honestly I wouldn’t worry about what the batter looks like so much as how it comes out of the oven. 15 minutes in a 350 degree oven can do wonders…