These super moist chocolate cupcakes pack TONS of chocolate flavor in each cupcake wrapper! Made from simple everyday ingredients, this easy cupcake recipe will be your new favorite. For best results, use natural cocoa powder and buttermilk. These chocolate cupcakes taste completely over-the-top with chocolate buttercream!
Today we’re diving deep into what I like to call a “foundation recipe.” Basic chocolate cupcakes which are, indefinitely, anything but basic.
This is a solid base recipe that serves as a jumping off point for many others. Like my basic vanilla cupcakes recipe, these chocolate cupcakes hold a sacred spot in my baking repertoire. There will never be a reason to find a better version—this is THE chocolate cupcake recipe I use time and time again.
I shared this recipe 3 years ago as chocolate cupcakes with vanilla frosting, but I want to walk you through the process (1) with step-by-step pictures, (2) with careful explanations, (3) and I want to emphasize one VERY crucial instruction. If you skip this instruction, your entire batch will be ruined. Trust me, the evidence has landed in my trashcan time and time again. It’s not pretty.
Curious about other foundation recipes?
- Vanilla cupcakes and vanilla cake
- Sugar cookies and chocolate sugar cookies
- Chocolate cake (try this!!)
- Chewy fudgy frosted brownies
- Peanut butter cookies (foundation for 6+ other cookies on my site!)
Today’s chocolate cupcakes are for true chocolate fans. I’m talking about those of you who don’t qualify an item as dessert unless there’s chocolate involved. Strawberry shortcake is a dessert impostor and forget about apple pie. That’s some sort of health food, right?
You need 2 bowls, 1 whisk, and 1 spatula. The base of these chocolate cupcakes, and what is responsible for the super-moist texture, is oil. Like double chocolate muffins, we’re not creaming butter here, so there is no need to break out the mixer. Though you can absolutely use a hand or stand mixer if it’s easier for you.
We’re also achieving an incredibly moist texture with buttermilk. Just like in these cream-filled chocolate cupcakes, buttermilk also gives us the best flavor. I don’t typically have buttermilk in the fridge, so I sour whole milk instead. Check out my recipe notes for how to do that one.
Another tip? Make sure you’re using natural unsweetened cocoa powder, not dutched cocoa. Why? Here’s the difference between dutch-process vs. natural cocoa powder. And if you really want to learn today, here is the difference between baking soda vs. baking powder and why I use both in these chocolate cupcakes.
So there’s 1 bowl for dry ingredients and 1 bowl for wet ingredients. Gently mix the two together. The batter isn’t as thick as you would think. We don’t really want a super thick chocolate batter because that would yield a cupcake similar to brownies. Dense. We don’t want dense! We want spongey, cakey, and rich.
This Will Make or Break Your Recipe
Fill the cupcake liners only halfway full. Not 2/3, not 3/4, not all the way to the top. Half full. You will question yourself as you pour in the batter. Really? This is ALL that I’m using for each cupcake? The answer is yes, that is all you are using for each cupcake.
- If you fill the liners too full, the cupcakes will overflow.
- Too full = crisp mushroom tops
- Too full = sinking in the center
Got that? Halfway full! Halfway full!
Now that the cupcakes are baked and your self control is fading quickly, it’s time to frost them. The frosting flavor is completely up to you. We have a plethora of options on this site from chocolate buttercream and rainbow chip frosting to strawberry frosting, vanilla buttercream, salted caramel frosting, and cream cheese frosting. Keeping things even (though highly indulgent) with chocolate buttercream and a friendly dose of chocolate sprinkles.
And layer that buttercream on nice and tall. (I used Wilton 1M!)
I don’t normally reach for chocolate desserts if there’s a fruity one on the menu, but I would gladly unwrap one of these over any other choice.
By the way, this recipe transfers beautifully into cake pans to make a 6 inch cake.
PrintSuper Moist Chocolate Cupcakes
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours, 35 minutes (includes cooling)
- Yield: 12-14 cupcakes
- Category: Cupcakes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Made from simple everyday ingredients, this easy chocolate cupcake recipe will be your new favorite. For best results, use natural cocoa powder and buttermilk. These chocolate cupcakes taste completely over-the-top with chocolate buttercream!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (94g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/2 cup (41g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder*
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder or instant espresso*
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature*
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light brown sugar
- 1/3 cup (80ml) vegetable or canola oil (or melted coconut oil)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (120ml) buttermilk, at room temperature*
- chocolate buttercream and sprinkles for decorating
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners. Line a second pan with 2 liners – this recipe makes about 14 cupcakes. Set aside.
- Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl until thoroughly combined. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil, and vanilla together until completely smooth. Pour half of the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Then half of the buttermilk. Gently whisk for a few seconds. Repeat with the remaining wet ingredients and buttermilk. Stir until *just* combined; do not overmix. The batter will be thin.
- Pour or spoon the batter into the liners. Fill only halfway (this is imperative! only halfway!) to avoid spilling over the sides or sinking. Bake for 18-21 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
- Frost cooled cupcakes with vanilla buttercream. You can swipe the frosting on with an icing knife or use a piping tip such as Wilton 1M. Leftover cupcakes keep well covered tightly in the refrigerator for 3 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: You can bake the cupcakes 1 day in advance. Keep cupcakes covered tightly at room temperature and frost the day of serving. Unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before frosting and serving.
- Special Tools: KitchenAid Stand Mixer | Cupcake Liners | Cupcake Pan | Reusable Piping Bags or Disposable Piping Bags | Wilton 1M Frosting Tip | Reese’s Pieces Candy | Hershey’s Cocoa Powder
- Mini Cupcakes: Fill mini liners only halfway and bake for 10-12 minutes at 350°F (177°C).
- Cake: Here’s my chocolate layer cake recipe.
- Cocoa Powder: Use natural cocoa powder, not Dutch-process. See Dutch-process vs natural cocoa powder for more information.
- Espresso Powder: Espresso powder deepens the chocolate flavor. You can skip it or use 1 teaspoon of instant coffee powder instead.
- Why Room Temperature? All refrigerated items should be at room temperature so the batter mixes together easily and evenly. Read more about the importance of room temperature ingredients.
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk is required for this recipe. You can make your own DIY version of buttermilk if needed. Add 1 teaspoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to a liquid measuring cup. Then add enough whole milk to the same measuring cup until it reaches 1/2 cup. (In a pinch, lower fat or nondairy milks work for this soured milk, but the cupcakes won’t taste as moist or rich.) Stir it around and let sit for 5 minutes. The homemade “buttermilk” will be somewhat curdled and ready to use in the recipe.
- Be sure to check out my 10 tips for baking the BEST cupcakes before you begin!
Would you recommend using espresso powder to enhance the chocolate flavor? If so how much would be used and how would I incorporate it into the batter?
Hi Heather, You can add 1 tsp espresso powder without making any other changes to the recipe.
This was the second time I made them, and followed directions to the tee (as I have learned so well from Sally!) Both times I’m sorry to say they came out dry. The first time I left them in for 20 minutes (recipe says 18-21). The second time I quickly took them out at 18 minutes and could see they were dry so I took them out of the pans and let them cool on racks right away. Once frosted they were good enough for my grandkids, but I would not take them to a party. I would recommend especially when you are only filling the cups half way to take them out in 15 minutes. Or lower the heat.
Is there a reason why cupcakes and cakes are different recipes? I was wondering because I wasn’t sure if you could make cupcakes out of cake batter.
Hi Tori, you can certainly use cake batter to make cupcakes. In all of our cake recipes, we include directions on how to make cupcakes — they usually make 2-3 dozen! So our cupcake recipes are often very similar, but simply produce a smaller amount (12-15). Hope this helps!
I have now made this recipe 3 times with the same outcome on each batch. They look beautiful while they start cooking but about 5 minutes before they finish, they start to fall in the middle. I made them first in CO and we live at 8,000 ft. so I thought that might be the issue. But while I was in AZ at home I tried them again with the same result. I do not use the normal cupcake lines, but the little cups. I only fill 1/2 full as the instructions also on the little cups as well as yours. All required ingredients are at room temperature. They taste good, but it required more icing to fill the tops which makes the ratio of cake to icing off. I also just made the vanilla cupcakes in the same little cups which turned out perfect. I was also wondering if you can attach a picture as generally a picture is helpful. Thank you for any input. I did read the review and saw one comment that the cup may be overfilled, but I don’t think that is the case this time. Thank you in advance for any assistance you can provide.
Hi Lana, I’m glad to help. Try replacing the buttermilk with sour cream, which may help give the cupcake a bit more structure so they hold shape better.
Just finished making these and they are fabulous! I used melted coconut oil, and the only alternation I made was 1/2tsp espresso powder in the buttermilk (I noticed after that you mentioned adding 1tsp in someone else’s review). Looking forward to icing them tomorrow (if they make it that long – I’ve already had two to “taste-test”) Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe =)
Made this recipe last night and these cupcakes are super tasty! We made our own buttermilk with vinegar and skim milk. As someone else mentioned, your tip to only fill the cups halfway was spot on! Thank you!
The cupcakes themselves are delicious however whenever I make them they just fall apart :(. Any easy solutions such as more flour for example?
Hi Ellie! Thank you for trying this recipe. They are super moist but shouldn’t be unstable or fall apart (see the last 3 seconds of the video above!). If you would like, next time you can try reducing the buttermilk to only 1/4 cup and adding a 1/4 cup of sour cream for a sturdier texture.
I’m curious as to why there is so little flour in this recipe. Is just because of the addition on cocoa? Even if the cocoa takes the place of some of the flour it is still less by 1/2 cup from your vanilla cupcakes.
Hi Mary, yes that’s correct. Cocoa powder is an especially drying ingredient and the recipes are also much different. One uses oil and whole eggs and the other uses butter and egg whites. The vanilla cupcakes recipe also yields more cupcakes.
These are just the right chocolate flavor and moist! Easy to make. Your tip re only filling them half full is spot on!
Do NOT try this recipe. If you want burnt, dark chocolate, flavored zucchini cupcakes, then go ahead! Feel free to try it! But by all means, if you are attempting to make cupcakes for a loved one, or a friend, I don’t recommend using this recipe.
Did you use another recipe instead? This recipe does not include zucchini.
Hi, I made these cupcakes recently and they were absolutely amazing! I would like to try them without the cocoa powder…would I need to increase the amount of all purpose flour used in the recipe?
Thank you so much.
Hi Simone! It wouldn’t be as simple as swapping some cocoa powder for flour, but here’s our tried and true vanilla cupcakes recipe instead!
Thank you so much for your advise… I’ll definitely try the vanilla cupcakes recipe.
I’m looking forward to making these soon but I realized that I only have cake flour and self raising flour. Which one would you advice to use as here in South Africa, all purpose flour is not being sold in stores.
Hi Lolo, Unfortunately we don’t recommend either. Cake flour is simply too light for this batter. Cocoa powder is extremely light and takes the place of some all-purpose flour in this recipe, so we already have very light cupcakes. The use of self rising flour would take additional recipe testing to ensure accurate results. It may be best to find a different recipe written specifically for self rising flour.
Hi i wanted to ask that without frosting for how much time i can store them in refrigerator?
Hi Mahnoor, You can store the cupcakes in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 2 months. Enjoy!
Very good recipe, was easy to make and just perfect.
These were great! The batter was quite thin, but they took exactly 18 minutes and turned out perfectly. I did not have buttermilk so I added vinegar to my milk, as directed, but aside from that I followed the recipe and they were wonderful.
These look amazing… I was wondering if the recipe would work with cake flour or do they work best with the all purpose flour? Thank you so much.
Hi Simone, We don’t recommend using cake flour in this recipe- it’s simply too light for this batter. Cocoa powder is extremely light and takes the place of some all-purpose flour in this recipe, so we already have very light cupcakes.
Thank you so much. I made these this morning using plain flour, they are absolutely delicious…and will be eaten in a flash I think!
I don’t know what happened here… I’m sure I followed the recipe exactly using weights, but this just didn’t turn out well. The cake stuck to the liners so I can’t get them off without tearing the whole cupcake apart. The flavor is very nice, but the texture is completely off for a cupcake. They’re overly soft to the point they barely hold together. I don’t know if I did something wrong or if that’s how they’re supposed to be… I’m a pretty darn good baker. The only thing I really did differently from my usual is that I made these by hand with a whisk, whereas I usually use my stand mixer. But that can’t be it. Right?
Hi Elliott, Thank you for trying this recipe. They are super moist but shouldn’t be unstable or fall apart (see the last 3 seconds of the video above!). If you would like, next time you can try reducing the buttermilk to only 1/4 cup and adding a 1/4 cup of sour cream for a sturdier texture. Also, if you find they are sticking, we highly recommend getting grease proof liners, as we’ve never had a problem with muffins or cupcakes sticking once we began using them.
I too had the same problem. Good flavour but the cupcakes stuck to the liners and fell apart when open. They had good flavour as did the buttercream, but the texture seemed weird. Almost fluffy? I’m not understanding when some people are saying their cupcakes were dense. It even states the batter is thin…
I’ve never had an issue with any of Sally’s recipes before…
Just made these last night with my daughter to welcome home her daddy from a business trip and they came out fantastic. We were simply wowed by the rich moistness of the cake. Definitely making these the next time I bake treats for the office!
I loved this cupcake recipe! It came out delicious and my family loved it! Can I use this same recipe for a single layer 8 inch round cake? Or even a two layer 8 inch cake pan? I’d like to use this recipe for a cake and do not have 6 inch round. What would you recommend? Thank you!
Hi Emily! For a single layer 8 inch round chocolate cake, we would use this small chocolate cake recipe. It’s written for a 6 inch cake pan but we include details for baking in an 8 inch pan in the recipe notes. Enjoy!
The flavor was great but my cupcakes were a bit dry
What could I have done?
Hi Mary, If they were noticeably dry, it sounds like your cupcakes simply may have been over baked. Did you spoon and level your flour, too? Both are easy fixes for next time! We also have a handy blog post on how to prevent dry & dense cakes that you might find helpful.
Hi! I have made this cake so many times and it’s my favorite and everyone always raves about how moist and rich it is. I was just about to make it but realized I have cane sugar. Is that ok to use?
Hi Lori, cane sugar *should* work just fine in this recipe. The granules are a little larger so it’s possible there could be some grittiness, but it shouldn’t be an issue.
I used this recipe a couple of times and always have a beautiful moist cupcake, one thing is, i tried to put a chocolate in the middle so it’ll melt when i bite into it, but it always ends uo in the bottom rather than in the middle. any suggestions?
Hi Yvon! After the cupcakes have baked and cooled, you could do a chocolate ganache filling instead!
Hi! Loved these cupcakes, turned out perfectly! My question is about freezing. You said it was included in the notes but for some reason I cannot not find them. It basically just says you can freeze them up to 2 months but it doesn’t say how they should be wrapped etc. Thanks so much!
Hi Lisa, So glad you loved these! Check out this post for how to freeze cakes.
Can I use this recipe for jumbo cupcakes?
Hi Caya, Definitely! We are unsure of the exact time for jumbo cupcakes. Bake at the same oven temperature until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Enjoy!
I made this recipe and followed it exactly but for some reason my cupcakes all completely sank in the middle so they have a giant crater in the middle. Any idea what might have been wrong?
Hi Ray, Make sure you only fill the cupcake liners only halfway full! Too much batter causes them to sink.
Tremendous!! I was attempting to recreate a cake I had in Disney World and so I tested 4 different chocolate cake recipes that I found online and this was the winner!! Best flavor by far and my taste-testers all agreed. The cake was so light, fluffy and pillowy. Just a wonderful chocolate flavor.
I need these for a shower. How far in advance, can I make them and they will still be good?
Hi Denise, completely prepared cupcakes can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. See recipe notes for other make ahead and freezing options.
Hi! I was wondering if I could add coconut flakes to this. Would that work?
Hi Sarah, We have not tested it but you can try adding 3/4 cup (60g) sweetened shredded coconut. Let us know if you give it a try!
Hello Sally,
Can I freeze these cupcakes with icing on top of them?
Hi Jessica, we don’t recommend it for these cupcakes – see recipe notes for our recommended make-ahead instructions!
I am planning on using this batter to make two 6” layers. Would adding espresso powder make the flavor even richer? I love your triple chocolate layer cake but looking for a 6” version. Thank you!
Hi Susan, You can add 1 tsp espresso powder without making any other changes to the recipe. If you wish you use liquid coffee you can try swapping some in for some of the the buttermilk. Here’s more on baking 6 inch cakes as well. Let us know what you try!
I made this recipe as a 6 inch, triple layer cake. I didn’t have brown sugar so i used 1 cup of white sugar. It was very moist and dense. I used a chocolate ganache recipe for the frosting. Since I have a convection oven, I always lower the temp by 25 degrees and lower the baking time.
Could you double recipe?
Hi Linda, For the best taste and texture, we highly recommend making the batter in separate batches instead of doubling. Large batches risk over-mixing or under-mixing the batter. Happy baking!
Excellent. I can’t even believe I made a cupcake that was soft and pillowy as this one. Follow these recipes and folks, remember to use a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients. Happy baking.
I made these cupcakes exactly like the recipe. I made homemade Carmel and mixed it with whipped cream. I put this in the middle and topped with chocolate cream cheese frosting. It was amazing. Best cupcake I’ve ever had.
Pleasantly surprised. Had to make my own butter milk, which worked beautifully. When I felt the weight of the cupcakes, I thought…dry. Not so. Sort of a lovely crisp top and moist pillowy center. I am delighted. Will add some espresso next time. Icing with peanut butter butter cream. Thanks for this go-to recipe. Also, the fill half way tip was perfection. I wish they made liners with the marker for half way on them. Wait, am I on to something here. Thanks again…#SweetsonSwede
Just put them in the oven- I’m nervous because the batter doesn’t look like usual cake batter- the ingredients keep separating with the oil rising to the top & there’s a lot of little bubbles or lumps. I did use some cold coffee with the buttermilk though. Fingers crossed they turn out!