Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Two chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting and rainbow sprinkles.

5 from 1 vote

Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

These are the best chocolate cupcakes with chocolate cream cheese frosting! The chocolate cupcakes are super soft because they use oil instead of butter. The chocolate cream cheese is super chocolatey and can hold its shape, so it's great for piping on top of cupcakes. I love making these for birthday parties!

Prep Time20

Cook Time20

Total Time40

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: cupcakes

Calories: 388kcal

Author: Ella Gilbert

Equipment

12 cup cupcake pan

Ingredients

Chocolate Cupcakes

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
½ cup cocoa powder dutch processed
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 large eggs room temperature
½ cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup sour cream room temperature
1 teaspoon espresso powder
½ cup hot water

Cream Cheese Frosting

¾ cup unsalted butter room temperature
3 ¾ cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon kosher salt
4 oz cream cheese cold
½ cup dutch processed cocoa powder
1 tablespoon heavy cream optional

Metric - US Customary

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 all purpose flour, ½ cup cocoa powder, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, 1 cup 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 espresso powder, ½ cup hot water
In a large jug, whisk the eggs, oil, sour cream, and vanilla until smooth.
2 large eggs, ½ cup vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ cup 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 unsalted butter, 3 ¾ cup 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 cream cheese, ½ cup dutch processed cocoa powder, 1 tablespoon heavy cream
Frost your cupcakes and enjoy! I used a Wilton 1M piping tip.

Notes

My recipes have been developed and tested in metric grams. I highly recommend using a weighing scale and measuring out your ingredients the metric way.

I make sure that all of my ingredients for the cupcakes are at room temperature before I start the recipe, so pull out all of the ingredients (including the sour cream!) before you start baking. For the frosting, keep the cream cheese cold!

Salt: If you don't have kosher salt, halve the amount of salt called for in the recipe. 1 teaspoon kosher salt = ½ teaspoon fine salt.

Sour Cream: If you don't have sour cream you can substitute it for Greek yogurt or full fat yogurt.

Cocoa Powder: I'm using dutch processed cocoa powder (not sure what you have? Check the ingredients. If it says 'acidity regulator' or mentions 'alkali', then it's dutch processed). You can use natural cocoa powder for the frosting if you wish.

Storage: Store the cupcakes in the fridge for up to 5 days. Let them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before eating.

Nutrition