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.
The best chocolate cupcake recipe on the ENTIRE INTERNET!!!!! Yes people they are that good. I know this because I have baked enough chocolate cupcakes for 2 lifetimes, and read and dismissed enough recipes for 4 lifetimes! lol. These yielded flavorful, rich, fluffy and very chocolaty cupcakes. I also really liked the fact that I had all the ingredients on hand, no extra steps or "fancy" techniques, no melting, no chopping, no brewing of anything. With one bowl I could combine simple ingredients and make magic happen. In fact I didn't even bother using my kitchen aid mixer, I just used a hand mixer and whipped these up in no time. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe. The cupcakes are incredible. I stumbled upon this recipe, and I look forward to exploring the rest of your website. Thanks!
Awesome!! Thank you so much for the terrific feedback. I'm so glad you were happy with the recipe. It's all the same things I love about it too!
baked this last night followed recipe to a T. @ 15mins toothpick didn't have moist crumbs but batter on it. so i added 2mins. toothpick had almost done type of crumb on it. so i added 1min. more. so 18mins for baking. like the previous comment. mine didn't look the same as the picture. it was so domed slightly cracked in the middle. not that super fluffy and moist compared to Hershey cupcake recipe. That was super moist, smelled and tasted like chocolate. However because of oil content, it makes liner oily compared to this recipe.
Would you please let us know estimated minutes when you mix with your kitchen aid? like after you see the mixture turned into crumbs (cold slices of batter mixed with dry ingredients) did you put rest of liquid ingredients like eggs, vanilla & yogurt all together and mix it? for how long and at what speed on your KitchenAid stand mixer?
My 1st attempt of this the batter was really thick. the 2nd try batter not too thick maybe because when i used yogurt (half of what's left) there were "liquid" in it compared to the 1st cup of yogurt in the 1st attempt when yogurt was in it's "thick form".
My gauge for super moist, real fluffy, chocolate smell and chocolate taste good cup/cake recipe is from Hersheys. However it's soft and you see oil in the liners. sometimes i need a more sturdy cupcake especially when you top it with frosting and fondant.
Hey Wilma! Thanks for the great questions. Depending upon how small your butter pieces are, and how cold, the mix time could vary. For me, it's usually no more that a minute or so, on medium-low speed. The real gauge is the look of it- it should resemble damp sand, with no large chunks of butter remaining. Once the liquid ingredients go in, I usually give it about a minute to a minute and a half, on medium speed, just to aerate the batter and build the cake's structure. Also I should mention that whenever I use Greek yogurt in my baking, or anything else that tends to separate in the fridge (like sour cream or buttermilk), I always make sure and give it a good stir before measuring it out. I think it gives a more consistent result. I hope that helps! I'm going to go ahead and edit the recipe to include these more specific instructions. Thanks so much for reading!
Hi Allie, Is it possible to substitute non-fat yogurt for Greek yogurt? And also, will it be fine if I double the recipe by the exact measurements? Or do I have to reduce the baking powder/soda when make 2 servings?
Hi Claire! You can definitely double the recipe exactly- I've done that a few times myself and it works well. I have not tried it with regular yogurt though, only the Greek-style (and I do non-fat Greek). It may work, but the consistency of the batter would probably be runnier because regular yogurt is more watery/less thick than the Greek kind. If you try it, I'd love to hear how it works out. Thanks!
Best chocolate cupcake recipe ever! Incredibly easy, moist, and chocolate-y. I made 12 full size and 24 minis.
Oh I'm so happy you like it too! It's my favorite recipe on the whole site. Thanks so much for the awesome feedback!
Hi Allie I made the chocolate cupcakes I did everything like it said in recipe I was wondering am I suppose to cut the butter in small pieces ? also my cupcakes were dry what could of gone wrong ? after I left them in as the time called they were still soft when I touched them in the middle so I left them in for another 5 mins also I didn't add the kosher salt (didn't have any) .Thank you.
Hi Esmeralda! Thanks so much for trying one of my recipes. Yes you are supposed to cut the butter in small pieces. I believe the recipe cards states as such. If they were dry, it may have been because they were baked too long. They are meant to be soft to the touch. The best way to know if they are done baking is by the toothpick test. If the toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, that is when they are done. I would suggest following the recipe card to the letter, that will guarantee the best results!
Thank you Allie I will try again
Ok good luck dear!
I love this cupcake recipe. We live in Tanzania so I was looking for a cupcake recipe that doesn't require hard to come by baking chocolate or chocolate chips when I came across yours. I made cupcakes for a goodbye party on Friday. They were delicious and a huge hit. Then on Monday I made a cake version along with a dozen cupcakes for my daughter's birthday. They turned out great. This is my new chocolate cake recipe. I had to make the yogurt and cake flour, but it turned out great. Thanks!!!
So glad you were happy with it, Marisa! Thanks so much for the great feedback!
Hi Allie! My absolute favorite chocolate cupcake recipe. I used to jump around from recipe to recipe, never loving one. Until yours! So thanks!
Question... Have you ever made the batter the night before and only baked the cupcakes in the morning? Because of how fluffy, and mousse-y this recipe is, I am slightly afraid!
Yay! I'm so glad you like it so much- it's one of my favorite recipes ever! And yeah, your instincts are right. You can't really mix up the batter without putting it straight in the oven because the leavening will poop out after like 20 minutes or so. However- if you want a bit of a do-ahead, you can mix up the dry ingredients + butter, and mix the wet in a separate bowl, and then combine them just before baking. Might save a little bit of time that way! Thanks so much for reading and for the great question Kayla!
Hello,
I've used this recipe many times and love it! Would this also work for a 9 inch layer cake? Or would I have to change some ingredients/measurements?
Thanks!
Hi there Steven and I'm so sorry for the late reply! I've actually made this recipe as a cake before, and it works very well. But my cake pans are 8-inches. This recipe makes around 7 1/2 cups of batter, so judging from this chart, you will probably need to do 1.5 batches for a 2-layer, 9-inch cake. Good luck and I hope that helps!
I 've tried your recipe this morning and I like it! Yummy and simple cake baking process. Thanks Allie <3
My pleasure! I'm so happy you enjoyed. Thanks so much for reading, and for the great feedback 🙂
I tried the recipe for my sister's birthday, but these were not really what I was looking for.
They were domed and soft, but completely dry. I love moist crumbly, stick to your fork crumbs on a chocolate cupcake, but this one was fall apart dry crumbly. I bake a lot and I have found that the cupcakes that call for oil instead of butter and sour cream or yogurt turn out the most moist, so I will continue my search.
Sorry they missed the mark for you Envee. Maybe they would have been a bit more moist if you had cut the bake time by a minute or two. They always bake up really moist for me and I'm always amazed by how short the bake time is. Thanks anyway for reading!
can i use buttermilk instead of yogurt please?
I haven't tried it myself but I can't imagine why it wouldn't work! Let me know how it works out for you, Marica. And thanks so much for reading!
Hi Allie! I don't know if you have been asked this before but, is the cake flour necessary? or can I replace it for all purpose flour?
Thank you!!
Hi Daniela! I have been asked that before, and there's lots of info about it in the previous comments. I like to use cake flour to lighten the texture of the cupcakes. You could probably swap it out for all-purpose but I do think the cake flour makes a difference. Hope that helps!
Have you ever tried making these with oil instead of butter??
No I have not! I wonder if that would work?
You kill it everyday with these recipes! These cupcakes are just perfection! Keep being awesome!
Haha thank you so much Daniela! I'll do my best girl 😉
The cupcakes turned out amazing!!! Very rich and moist. I frosted them with a salted caramel buttercream. Thanks!!!
Salted caramel buttercream, oh my! That sounds wonderful.... I'm so glad you were happy with the recipe Annette! Thanks so much for reading and for leaving your feedback 🙂
Hello Allie, I like the sound of your recipe so I am trying it tomorrow. I do want to fill them with caramel after they are baked. Do you think that will work with these cupcakes? Thanks!
Sounds delicious Annette! I can't imagine any reason why that wouldn't work. Good luck and I hope you enjoy!