Rich and moist chocolate cupcakes with chocolate buttercream frosting are easy to make at home and perfect for any cake occasion!
Everyone needs a good chocolate cupcake recipe up their sleeve! *cue me introducing you to my absolute favorite recipe of all time.*
Sometimes you’re just craving a good chocolate cake, ya know? For those times when you don’t have the energy to whip up a layer cake (hello, me all the time) these cupcakes fit the bill!
We’ve got that signature moist and fudgy chocolate cake interior, the obligatory mountain of rich chocolate buttercream, and of course, all the sprinkles. Consider this your ultimate cake fix.
My favorite part about these cupcakes is that the batter is seriously SO easy to whip up! No mixers required, no fussy techniques, none of that nonsense! You can have these cupcakes in the oven in no time and while they bake you’ll have plenty of time to mix up a simple chocolate buttercream.
These Chocolate Cupcakes feature…
- A rich and moist chocolate cake interior
- Creamy chocolate buttercream frosted on top
- A quick batter that comes together in minutes and easy enough for any skill level
Making the Chocolate Cupcakes
(scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe)
Ingredients You Will Need
- Vegetable oil
- Granulated sugar
- Brown sugar
- Eggs
- Buttermilk
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Cocoa powder
- Instant espresso
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Kosher salt
- Unsalted butter
- Powdered sugar
- Heavy whipping cream
Tips for Perfect Chocolate Cupcakes
- Measure flour correctly – I use the spoon-and-level technique for measuring flour as this will prevent over-measuring your flour. Use a spoon to scoop flour into the measuring cup, then level with the back of a knife.
- Add instant espresso powder – this little bit of coffee flavor helps enhance the chocolate. You can also use instant coffee powder in place of the espresso.
- Gently fold batter – use a light hand when mixing batter and gently fold so as not to overmix.
- Fill muffin cups 3/4 full – this will give the muffins room to expand giving them the perfect lift all the way to the edges of the wrapper.
- Allow cupcakes to cool before frosting – the frosting will melt off if you try to frost them while the cupcakes are still warm.
Recipe Variations
Try these ideas for a different twist on these cupcakes.
- Top cupcakes with a different frosting – try vanilla buttercream or cream cheese frosting in place of the chocolate.
- Swirl cake with jam – swirl 1-2 teaspoons raspberry or strawberry jam into each cup of cake batter before baking.
- Get creative with garnishes – try topping cupcakes with your favorite sprinkles, fresh raspberries or strawberry halves, or a drizzle of caramel.
Storing Instructions
Once frosted, these cupcakes store well in refrigerator for up to 6 days. For best results, I recommend storing them in an airtight container so they don’t dry out and make sure you bring them to room temperature for serving.
You can also store the cupcakes and frosting separately by storing unfrosted cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature up to 4 days and the frosting in refrigerator up to 6 days. Allow the frosting to come to room temperature before frosting cupcakes.
One bite of these luscious chocolate cupcakes and you will never be tempted to pick up a box mix again! The chocolate cake base is soooo rich and fudgy while the chocolate buttercream gives you that extra boost of chocolate-y indulgence.
Just perfection all around. Meet your new birthday cake favorite!
Save this recipe using the ‘save to recipe box’ button below. If you make it, please let us know! Leave a comment + star rating below, or take a photo and tag it on Instagram with #wholeandheavenlyoven.
You must try these other incredible cupcake recipes next!
Chocolate Cupcakes With Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
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Ingredients
Chocolate Cupcakes
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2-1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4-6 tablespoons heavy whipping cream, room temperature
Instructions
Chocolate Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350F and line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper wrappers. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk oil, sugars, eggs, egg yolk, buttermilk, and vanilla until smooth.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa, instant espresso, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Fold flour mixture into liquid until batter is just combined (batter will be thin).
- Fill muffin cups 3/4 full of batter (do not overfill past 3/4 otherwise cupcakes may overflow cups during baking). Bake cupcakes at 350F 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in center of cupcake comes out clean. Cool cupcakes completely on a wire cooling rack.
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- Place butter in a large bowl (or a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment) and use an electric mixer to beat on medium speed 2-3 minutes until creamy.
- Add powdered sugar and cocoa to butter mixture and beat an additional 2-3 minutes until frosting is smooth. With mixer running, add vanilla and just enough heavy cream until frosting is spreadable and creamy. Refrigerate frosting until ready to frost cupcakes.
- Allow frosting to soften to room temperature if you refrigerated it before frosting cupcakes. Frost cupcakes and store in refrigerator until ready to serve. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
This post was updated with new recipe adjustments on 3/7/25.
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