These moist chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting are my dream birthday cupcakes! Super soft chocolate cupcakes? Check. Chocolatey buttercream? Check. Super simple to make? Triple check! Plus, the cupcakes don't need a mixer and the frosting uses cocoa powder instead of melted chocolate!
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I don't know if you've realized this, but I'm a HUGE chocolate lover. so I had to make a classic chocolate cupcake recipe with chocolate frosting!
When I was tweaking my double fudge cupcakes, I found I could make them even more moist by adding more oil and flour. Before the cupcakes felt a bit delicate, so adding the flour gave them more structure. Adding more oil balances out the extra flour, keeping them soft and moist.
Because I wanted these chocolate cupcakes to be super simple, I added a chocolate buttercream that uses cocoa powder instead of melted chocolate. Look, as much as I love my fudgy chocolate frosting that uses both melted chocolate and cocoa powder, sometimes I don't feel like grabbing another bowl to melt chocolate!
If you're more of a vanilla and chocolate lover, I got you. Just swap out the chocolate frosting for vanilla bean buttercream like I did with my vanilla frosted chocolate cupcakes.
Grab Your Ingredients
- Oil: Using a neutral oil like vegetable oil or sunflower oil is going to keep your cupcakes soft and moist. I don't recommend using olive oil because it has too much flavor!
- Sour Cream: Adding sour cream to cupcakes is another lil trick I use to keep my cupcakes super moist.
- Cocoa Powder: Make sure you're using natural unsweetened cocoa powder, not Dutch-processed! I accidentally used the wrong kind during one of my tests and the cupcakes were sad and flat. That's because Dutch-processed cocoa powder interacts differently with baking soda.
Time to Make Some Cupcakes
Step 1: Preheat your oven and line a cupcake pan with liners. In a large bowl, whisk all of the dry ingredients together. In another bowl, whisk the wet ingredients (minus the hot water!) together until nice and smooth.
Step 2: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until just combined. Then, slowly pour in the hot water. It is a pretty thin batter!
Step 3: Pour the batter into the liners so they're about ¾ full - don't go over that or they might overflow in the oven! Bake for 18-20 minutes.
Step 4: Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, you can make the frosting. Beat the butter, cocoa powder, and powdered sugar together until light and fluffy. Add vanilla, salt, and heavy cream. Feel free to add more heavy cream if you find the frosting too stiff for your liking!
My Top Baking Tips & Notes
- Extra Chocolate Oomph: Swap the hot water for hot coffee! I promise it won't make your cupcakes taste like coffee (although that sounds delish), it just helps enhance the chocolate flavor.
- Different Frosting: Feel free to swap out chocolate frosting for a creamy coffee frosting or super decadent whipped chocolate ganache! If you're feeling a lil fruity, use the strawberry cream cheese frosting from my chocolate strawberry filled cupcakes.
Made This Recipe?
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Thank you!
Ella
Recipe
Easy Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting
Ingredients
Chocolate Cupcakes
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons (135 grams) all purpose flour
- ½ cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (100 grams) light brown sugar
- ½ cup (42 grams) natural cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ⅓ cup (66 ml) vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup (113 grams) sour cream room temperature
- ½ cup (118 ml) hot water
Chocolate Frosting
- 2 sticks (226 grams) unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 ½ cups (409 grams) confectioners' sugar
- ½ cup (41 grams) dutch processed cocoa powder can be swapped for natural cocoa powder!
- 3-4 tablespoons heavy cream
Instructions
Chocolate Cupcakes
- Preheat your oven to 350°F/175°C and place 14 cupcake liners in your cupcake pans.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, light brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.1 cup + 2 tablespoons (135 grams) all purpose flour, ½ cup (100 grams) granulated sugar, ½ cup (100 grams) light brown sugar, ½ cup (42 grams) natural cocoa powder, ½ teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- In a large jug, whisk the eggs, oil, sour cream, and vanilla until smooth.2 large eggs, ⅓ cup (66 ml) vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon 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 water and mix until smooth.½ cup (118 ml) hot water
- 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.
Chocolate Frosting
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand held mixer, combine the room temperature butter with the confectioners' sugar, salt, vanilla extract and cocoa powder on low speed.2 sticks (226 grams) unsalted butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, 3 ½ cups (409 grams) confectioners' sugar, ½ cup (41 grams) dutch processed cocoa powder
- Increase the speed to medium-high and beat for 2-3 minutes, until light and fluffy.
- If the frosting isn't as creamy as you would like, add in the heavy cream and beat on medium speed until spreadable.3-4 tablespoons heavy cream
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