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.
These cupcakes turned out beautiful! My new go to recipe for chocolate cupcakes. Thanks!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you so much for the great feedback!
Ohhh wow!
It’s my first time to make a cupcake and I found your recipe when searching in the net …. And I did it perfect for my first time…. And I can say, your recipe is yes, really simply perfect chocolate cupcake I ever tasted!!!! Thank you for sharing it, and now everytime I fells like to bake and try something new, I just go to your page and explore!!!!!
Aw, that’s so nice to hear! Thanks so much for the great feedback!
The chocolate cupcake looks amazing. well done, First I want to use this recipe to make this lovely chocolate cupcake.
Hi mam…THthe cupcakes were simply delicious….Thanks a lot for your recipe. It turns very well. <3
So glad to hear it! Thank you for the 5-star rating!
Hello! I am here from your amazing vanilla cupcakes which were a huge hit! They domed perfectly, did not muffin top over the edge of the cupcake patty pan and was not too dry. I was just wondering for this recipe, which substitute do you prefer: Greek yoghurt, sour cream or buttermilk? And does the end product taste exactly the same with each substitute?
Thanks so much! I hope these cupcakes turn out perfect like the vanilla ones!
Isabelle
Hi Isabelle! So glad you’ve been enjoying the recipes! Generally I think sour cream gives the richest result (which is what I like!). But honestly in a side by side taste test, I don’t know if I’d be able to tell the difference between cupcakes baked with sour cream and cupcakes baked with full-fat Greek yogurt. The difference, if any, is so subtle. Buttermilk works but it’s not my first choice because it’s thinner than the other two options, and I like when the batter is nice and thick. Hope that answers your question! Thanks so much for reaching out!
Chocolate cupcaks. Hi Allie. I made your chocolate cupcakes for the first time today. They are awesome!! Actually, I thought I had finished mixing my ingredients, then turned around, and there was my sugar still on my bench. I nearly died!! Anyway, I just plonked it all in then whisked it for a around 2 mins. Still perfecto.
Thanks for a wonderful recipe.
So happy it still worked out Terri! I have definitely made mistakes like that before too!
Hi Allie,
Thanks for sharing your recipe. I can’t wait to bake this over the weekend. However, I was wondering if you have the measurements in grams? I live in Australia and I was told that cups measurement in Australia and the US are different.
Many thanks!
Indira
No problem Indira! Just look for the free weight conversion chart in my right-hand sidebar. If you are on mobile it will be way at the bottom of the screen.
Hello Allie…… Not one negative comment on these cupcakes so I have to give it a try. Hoping this will be my perfect chocolate cupcake recipe. But I have one problem …… Here where I live in South Africa we do not have All Purpose flour at all. We only have Cake Flour, Self Raising Flour and Bread Flour. So do you think I could give it a try with just Cake Flour or will it be to soft?
That’s so interesting Zulie! I think of all-purpose as the most basic of all flours. I’m surprised to hear it is unavailable. Of those three choices, I think cake flour would be your best bet. Let us know how the cupcakes turn out!
These certainly do look perfect!
Thank you so much! They are a top favorite here at my house!
Hooray! I’m so glad you like it Jen!
Hi Allie!
I really love this cupcake batter. It’s soooo perfect and smooth, and I really love that you used butter insted of oil. So much better result. However, my tastebuds find these cupcakes a little too dark and tiny bit bitter, but my boyfriend loves them. So I was woundering, do you have any tips about how I can decrease amount of cocoa powder without destroing the batter?
Thank,
Paola
I’ve no idea why but my cupcakes ended up being like a pile of sand, maybe the batter was too dry? At least it tastes really good, I laughed so hard when I saw how my cupcakes turned out 😀
A pile of sand? That is very strange indeed. Sounds like something may have been left out accidentally. But at least they tasted good! Thanks Darrell!
Hi Allie, I’m a highschooler who really wants to try baking your cupcakes. It’s amazing how I’m looking at this recipe 3 years after you’ve published it. I would just like to clarify about your video and recipe. In your recipe, it states that you should stir in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the cream and vanilla extract, before mixing the batter to aerate it. However, in your video, you added the eggs all at one go before mixing and you did the same for the cream and vanilla extract. Hence, I would like to ask what is the ‘proper’ way to bake your cupcakes 😉 Also, is stirring the ingredients the same as mixing them in?
Hey Jennifer! I usually add the eggs one at a time but as you can see from the video, it works just fine if they all go in at once. And yes you can add the sour cream and vanilla together. Once they’re in, mix on medium or medium-high speed to aerate the batter. Stirring and mixing are the same thing. I hope that’s helpful! Good luck and enjoy!
I just made them and they turned out pretty good. I don’t have any cake flour at home at the moment so I used slightly less of the all purpose than the 1.5 total cups of flour the recipe requires and sifted all the dry ingredients together. Turned out fairly decent. Based on your crumb photo, mine were pretty close. I always spoon in, not scoop my flour as well, so it’s less dense and I’m not accidentally overportioning by packing it. My main issue is that I don’t have a stand mixer with a guard so it was a bit messy getting the butter worked in, but worth it for the end result. I also subbed almond milk with some white vinegar instead of the greek yogurt/buttermilk and it worked! I’m usually dairy free, just using up things in the house haha. I also liked how thick the batter was, you were right. It made it way easier to work with. And boy did those babies rise! Whoa. Good job. I’ll be saving this one. Thanks!
So glad you were happy with the result Maria! Thanks so much for sharing your experience. I’m sure it will be helpful to others!
Can I say I love you??!! I have been searching for the perfect “domed” chocolate cupcake and these are it!! Haven’t tasted them yet but I will once they cool… maybe a little bit.
That’s awesome! I hope they taste as good as they look!
Thanks for sharing this wonderful ideas for making the perfect cupcake. I like cupcakes and now, I enjoy this at home I follow your steps for baking perfect cupcakes.
Great! So happy you are enjoying!
Thank you for this amazing recipe! It is now officially inducted into my recipe repertoire.
I have to admit, I had my doubts about the viability of this, given the reverse-creaming method (never having tried it) and the viscous consistency (which I’ve never seen in a cupcake batter) right up to the point when I removed the cupcakes from the oven. Then I bit into one, and I became a believer and a fan! They’re amazing, soft, fluffy and yet still moist. Thank you very much for sharing this!
Oh it’s my pleasure! I’m so glad you enjoyed them!