These super moist chocolate cupcakes with chocolate cream cheese frosting are perfect for chocolate lovers! This is such an easy recipe to whip up, so I love making them for birthday parties (or whenever I want a sweet treat, let's be honest). You don't even need a mixer to make these chocolate cupcakes and this chocolate cream cheese frosting can be piped - no runny frosting here!
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After making my chocolate cupcakes with vanilla cream cheese frosting, I really wanted to make a chocolatey version! Ok, well, an even more chocolatey version.
They're frosted with a chocolate cream cheese frosting, which is silky smooth but holds its shape thanks to using cold cream cheese.
The chocolate cupcakes are my tried and true recipe. I've used this for my chocolate salted caramel cupcakes and Nutella filled cupcakes!
It's a super moist cupcake base because it uses oil instead of butter. The oil means the cupcakes will stay moist and soft for days, and adding sour cream (though you could swap it out for Greek yogurt!) also helps the cupcakes remain moist. I got there after a LOT of testing, but it was so worth it for these cupcakes.
Grab Your Ingredients
- Oil: Use a neutral oil like vegetable oil, canola oil, or sunflower oil. Using oil instead of butter is going to make these cupcakes so moist. Usually, I like to use a mix of butter and oil in cupcakes (like I do with my vanilla cupcakes with chocolate frosting) because that gives you the best of both worlds - flavor and moistness. But because you have such a strong chocolate flavor in these cupcakes, we can use just oil. Plus, that means you don't need to use a mixer! It's a win-win.
- Butter: You will need butter for the chocolate cream cheese frosting, but if you don't have butter on hand, you could always swap out this frosting for my cream cheese frosting without butter recipe.
- Cocoa Powder: I'm using Dutch-processed cocoa powder for both the cupcakes and the frosting. Dutch-processed cocoa powder reacts differently to baking powder and baking soda than natural cocoa powder, so you can't just swap it out! You can use natural cocoa powder for the frosting, though.
- Espresso Powder: Just a pinch of espresso powder is going to really enhance that chocolate flavor. I promise it won't make the cupcakes taste like coffee! You can leave it out if you don't have it on hand, though.
- Cream Cheese: Make sure to use full-fat cream cheese! It really will make a difference when you make your frosting. I recommend using the Philadelphia brand if you can.
Let's Make Some Cupcakes!
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350°Fahrenheit and line a cupcake pan with liners. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Step 2: In another bowl or jug, whisk together the eggs, oil, sour cream and vanilla extract until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk the espresso powder with the hot water.
Step 3: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until just combined. Add the hot coffee and mix once more. It will be a pretty thin batter!
Step 4: Fill the cupcake liners so they're ¾ full. Bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Step 5: In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the room temperature butter with the powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Add the cocoa powder, vanilla extract, salt and cold cream cheese.
Step 6: Beat on medium speed until everything is well combined. If your frosting is too thick, you can add in heavy cream a tablespoon at a time, until it is spreadable. Frost your cooled cupcakes and enjoy!
My Top Baking Tips & Notes
- Cold Cream Cheese - I know I usually say to use room temperature ingredients, but for this chocolate cream cheese frosting you're going to want to use cold cream cheese! Using room temperature cream cheese is going to make the frosting runny and you won't be able to pipe it, so keep the cream cheese in the fridge until you're about to add it to the mixing bowl!
- Weigh Ingredients - I always recommend using a kitchen scale to weigh out your ingredients. If you use measuring cups, it's really easy to add too much flour or cocoa powder to the cupcake batter, which is going to make them dry.
- Mini Cupcakes - if you want a mini version of these cupcakes, try my mini chocolate cupcakes with chocolate cream cheese frosting.
- Layer Cake - want a layer cake version of these chocolate cupcakes with chocolate cream cheese frosting? Try my chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting recipe! The frosting in this recipe actually uses a whipped cream base, so I don't use butter in it, making the frosting extra light and fluffy.
- Making Ahead of Time - Make the cupcakes up to 2 days ahead of time. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature.
Try these cupcake recipes next!
Made This Recipe?
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Thank you!
Ella
Recipe
Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
Equipment
- 12 cup cupcake pan
Ingredients
Chocolate Cupcakes
- 1 cup (120 grams) all purpose flour
- 1 cup (200 grams) sugar
- ½ cup (51 grams) cocoa powder dutch processed
- ½ teaspoon (¾ teaspoon) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (½ teaspoon) baking soda
- ½ teaspoon (½ teaspoon) kosher salt
- 2 large (2) eggs room temperature
- ½ cup (100 ml) vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) vanilla extract
- ½ cup (113 grams) sour cream room temperature
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) espresso powder
- ½ cup (118 ml) hot water
Cream Cheese Frosting
- ¾ cup (170 grams) unsalted butter room temperature
- 3 ¾ cup (423 grams) confectioners' sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 oz (113 grams) cream cheese cold
- ½ cup (42 grams) dutch processed cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream optional
Instructions
Make cupcakes
- Preheat your oven to 350°F/175°C and place 16-18 cupcake liners in your cupcake pans.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.1 cup (120 grams) all purpose flour, ½ cup (51 grams) cocoa powder, ½ teaspoon (¾ tsp) baking powder, ½ teaspoon (½ tsp) baking soda, ½ teaspoon (½ tsp) kosher salt, 1 cup (200 grams) sugar
- In a mug or small cup, mix together the espresso powder and hot water until the espresso powdered has dissolved. Set aside.1 teaspoon (1 tsp) espresso powder, ½ cup (118 ml) hot water
- In a large jug, whisk the eggs, oil, sour cream, and vanilla until smooth.2 large (2) eggs, ½ cup (100 ml) vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon (1 tsp) vanilla extract, ½ cup (113 grams) sour cream
- Pour the wet mixture into the flour, stirring until it is just about smooth - we don't want to over mix the batter! Then pour in the hot coffee and mix until smooth.
- Fill the cupcake liners so they're ¾ full and bake for 18-20 minutes. A toothpick inserted should come out clean.
- Allow the cupcakes to cool for 15 minutes in the tray, then take them out and place on a cooling rack.
Make Frosting
- In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or a large bowl with a handheld mixer, beat the butter and confectioners' sugar together on low speed until combined.¾ cup (170 grams) unsalted butter, 3 ¾ cup (423 grams) confectioners' sugar
- Increase the speed to high and beat until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes
- Mix in the vanilla extract and salt.1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Add the cold cream cheese and cocoa powder. Mix until combined. If the frosting is too thick, add a tablespoon of heavy cream at a time until you have your desired consistency.4 oz (113 grams) cream cheese, ½ cup (42 grams) dutch processed cocoa powder, 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- Frost your cupcakes and enjoy! I used a Wilton 1M piping tip.
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Hobby Baker says
Would bake again 😋
-☕️ I used the same amount of caffeine free coffee powder (grain & fruit coffee) but in normal water after it burned in both hot and cooled-down water.
-in some of them, I added chocolate and in others thawed frozen raspberries, both after a few minutes in the oven. These took a little longer to bake but were fully baked through.
-I didn't make a frosting
->all of them had a nice chocolate flavor and good texture (moist, more so after a day in an airtight container in the fridge) 😋❤️
Ella says
Thanks so much for your review! Love the idea of adding raspberries, such a good combo!