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    You are here Home » Recipes » food

    By: Melissa

    Easy Chocolate Cupcakes

    Homemade from scratch chocolate cupcakes are the perfect treat to bake up anytime of year and so easy to make. Having an everyday chocolate cupcake recipe like this is so helpful and it has come in handy more times than I can count.

    This chocolate cupcake recipe is so simple to make and so delicious. It makes the perfect chocolate cupcake and it is even more fun to make on Valentines day when you call it "Will you be my bittersweet Valentines".  

    chocolate valentines cupcakes
    chocolate cupcakes
    Jump to Recipe
    Total Time: 50 minutes

    About These Chocolate Cupcakes:

    This chocolate cupcake recipe was adapted from the Hershey's perfectly chocolate cake recipe and it never fails. These easy chocolate cupcakes are made with hot water to help "bloom" the cocoa powder and they come out light and airy.

    I love using a slightly better quality bittersweet chocolate cocoa powder when making these cupcakes but any brand of cocoa powder will do. The combination of the bitter chocolate and sweet buttercream make this a perfectly balanced cupcake (not like those overly sickly sweet cupcakes from the store).

    My daughter makes these chocolate cupcakes every year for the family on Valentines day which is a win win for me (because I am off the hook for making the sweet treats for a change) and they are always a hit with everyone.

    On Valentine's Day we call these cupcakes, Will you be my bitter sweet valentine cupcakes.

    bittersweet chocolate cupcakes
    Cupcakes all decorated. You do not need any special skills just some frosting and a little candy decoration like these candy hearts if you like.

    The Buttercream Frosting for these Chocolate Cupcakes:

    For the Buttercream Frosting there are a million to choose from but my favorite always involves room temperature butter and powdered sugar. I think it tastes better and it is not difficult to make.  

    Sometimes, if I have it on hand, I will add a few tablespoons of sour cream to give the buttercream frosting a little tangy flavor which goes so well with the chocolate. Sour cream and chocolate are great together!

    chocolate cupcakes

    Decorating these Chocolate Cupcakes:

    For decorating these cupcakes, you don't need to stress out about making them perfect. Imperfect frosting, with a nice decoration actually looks great! One of my tricks to making cupcakes look nice since I'm terrible at decorating and piping work is to make sure the frosting does NOT come to the edge of the cupcake.

    Let the cupcake show a bit like in the pictures. It just makes the cupcakes look rustic.

    I did use a disposable piping bag with an icing tip which I have because my daughter likes decorating cakes (not me). You can also use a large ziploc bag if you do not have these.

    Just cut the bottom corner just a little bit to make a hole for the icing to come out.

    Just make sure not to apply too much pressure when piping put the icing. These bags are not as strong as piping bags. For the heart decoration on top, I found these really cute red hearts at the store.

    You can use any candy topping or just leave it plain with the frosting.

    top of chocolate cupcakes

    This recipe does make a lot of cupcakes, 24 to be exact but you can half the recipe to make less as well. These cupcakes store nicely in the freezer without the frosting if you decide to make the whole batch.

    I hope you give them a try! These easy chocolate cupcakes are great anytime of year and so easy to make.

    If you are looking for more delicious sweet treats to make, you will like:

    The Best Salted Shortbread Cookies

    Brioche French Toast

    Basil Olive Oil Cake

    Triple Berry Shortbread Tart

    Chocolate Chip and Oatmeal Cookie

    Super Moist Chocolate Cake

    Classic Carrot Cake

    chocolate cupcake closeup
    Print Recipe
    5 from 3 votes

    Easy Chocolate Cupcakes

    A deliciously chocolate, light and fluffy cupcake that is perfect for any occasion
    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time20 mins
    cooling then decorating20 mins
    Total Time50 mins
    Servings: 24 cupcakes

    Tried the Recipe? We Would Love To Hear From You In The Comments Below!

    Author: Melissa

    Ingredients

    Cupcakes

    • 2 cup sugar
    • 1 ¾ cup of flour
    • ¾ cup bittersweet cocoa powder
    • 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
    • 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 2 eggs
    • 1 cup milk
    • ½ cup vegetable oil
    • 1 tablespoon vanilla
    • 1 teaspoon espresso powder
    • 1 cup of boiling water

    Frosting

    • 1 cup powdered sugar
    • ½ cup room temperature unsalted butter
    • ⅛ cup sour cream room temperature optional
    • 2 tablespoon milk
    • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
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    Instructions

    Cupcakes

    • Heat oven to 350 F.
    • Line a muffin tin with liners.
    • Mix dry ingredients in large bowl.
      2 cup sugar, 1 ¾ cup of flour, ¾ cup bittersweet cocoa powder, 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder, 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt
    • In a separate large bowl, mix the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla and beat on medium speed until well combined.
      2 eggs, 1 cup milk, ½ cup vegetable oil, 1 tablespoon vanilla
    • Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix on low speed for a couple minutes.
    • Stir espresso powder (this is optional but tasty) into the boiling water and add to the batter.
      1 teaspoon espresso powder, 1 cup of boiling water
    • Stir until it is incorporated. Your batter will be VERY thin and this is ok!
    • Pour (or ladle) the batter ¾ the way up into your muffing tins.
    • Bake for 20-25 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
    • When done place on a cooling rack until cool and then you can start to add the buttercream frosting (see below).

    Frosting

    • In a large bowl add your butter
      ½ cup room temperature unsalted butter
    • Cream your butter with a hand mixer or stand mixer until fluffy (about 5 minutes)
    • Next add your room temperature sour cream if using and mix for 1 minute until it is incorporated into the butter
      ⅛ cup sour cream room temperature
    • Now add your powdered sugar and vanilla and milk
      1 cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, 2 tablespoon milk
    • With your hand held mixer or stand mixer, mix until it is well incorporated, about 2 minutes. Start the mixing out slow because the powdered sugar will jump out of the bowl.

    Decorating

    • Scoop your frosting into your piping bag fitter with a tip, or a large plastic bag with a small piece of the bottom corner cut out.
    • Pipe small circles on top of your cupcakes starting from the center and working out from there. Do not add frosting all the way to the corners since you want to leave the cupcake edges to show through.
    • Add your candy heart to the center and they are ready

    Notes

    To freeze cupcakes:
    Let cool completely after baking and place in a freezer proof bag or container and into the freezer for up to 2 months.
    When ready to eat, remove bags from the freezer and place on your counter to fully thaw, about 5 hours depending on the temperature in your home.
    When thawing make sure to keep the cupcakes in the bag to thaw.
     
     
     
     
    recipe adapted from Hersheys original chocolate cake

    Nutrition

    Calories: 144kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 203mg | Potassium: 64mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 38IU | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 1mg

    Nutrition Values are estimates only.

    See full nutrition disclaimer here
    Course :Dessert

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Casandra says

      January 18, 2022 at 5:58 pm

      5 stars
      Loved! I am not a huge fan of chocolate but my daughter wanted me to make them so I gave them a try. They were great!

      Reply
    2. Ann says

      January 12, 2022 at 7:29 pm

      5 stars
      These were so light and fluffy and a big hit. Thanks for sharing this

      Reply

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    I am so excited you are here. My name is Melissa and I started this recipe website a few years ago to share recipes that I have been cooking for family and friends for years.

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