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 desserts 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 texture, is oil—the same powerhouse ingredient we use for a super moist chocolate cake roll. 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 make a buttermilk substitute.
Another tip? Make sure you’re using natural unsweetened cocoa powder, not dutched cocoa, just like when making chocolate frosted cookies. 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, cream cheese frosting, and even a black chocolate buttercream frosting that we developed with these black velvet cupcakes. 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.
Print
Super 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-count 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 chocolate 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. I recommend a cupcake carrier for storing and transporting decorated cupcakes.
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 (affiliate links): 12-count Muffin Pan | Cupcake Liners | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Piping Bags (Reusable or Disposable) | Wilton 1M Piping Tip | Icing Knife | Cupcake Carrier (for storage)
- 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 buttermilk substitute 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!
Reader Comments and Reviews
The espresso/coffee is a poor suggestion. Yes it accentuate chocolate, but it also adds a strong coffee flavor not good for children.
Can I put cupcakes in the fridge to speed up the cooling down?
These came out great! I made three separate batches for my daughter’s birthday party and they are so light and fluffy! I was careful to follow the instructions exactly as written, especially in regards to overfilling. The few cupcake liners I accidentally added too much batter to definitely sunk in a bit in the middle but not so much that it couldn’t be hidden by the icing. My oven runs a bit warm so these were done exactly at the 18 minute mark.
So disappointed. My cupcakes flopped for my nephews 10th birthday
Hi Brenda, I’m so sorry to hear that. Cocoa powder doesn’t provide as much structure as flour, so it’s normal for the chocolate cupcakes to fall a bit as they cool, but under-baking or over-filling the liners can both cause of sinking. Also, if you are at high altitude, that could possibly account for it as well. Unfortunately, we don’t have the ability to test our recipes at high altitude. How long did you bake these for, and how many cupcakes did you make with your batter? This recipe makes 14 cupcakes, but you might have better results from dividing the batter among 15 liners, or adding a couple more minutes to the bake time if you decide to try this recipe again. Thanks for giving it a try.
Hi! Your recipes are absolutely amazing and I’m going to make a cake for my husband’s birthday from your website for our larger party this weekend.
However, for the day of his actual birthday, I wanted to make a little something sweet.
Is it possible to reduce this recipe by a 1/3 to make just four cupcakes?
I’ll have to figure out what 2/3 of an egg is but otherwise the other ingredients seem to be easily scalable. Is there anything I’m missing? Impacts on baking time?
Thanks!
Hi Stephanie, You could reduce the recipe if you wish. The cupcakes should still take the same amount of time to bake but keep your eye on them just in case. Or you can bake the full (or half of the) recipe and freeze any leftover cupcakes for later. Hope he has a great birthday!
Been loving making your recipes!! Could I simply double this to make more?
Hi Jes, for the best taste and texture, we highly recommend making the batter in separate batches instead of multiplying all at once. Large batches risk over-mixing or under-mixing the batter. Happy baking!
My granddaughter and I are baking cupcakes often, she’s 15 and loves to bake. We have tried many chocolate cupcakes in the past. This one exceeded every expectation. The directions were great, down to “only fill the cup 1/2 way”. Excellent! The taste was super moist and delicious! Nailed it! We sprinkled flake salt on top of the chocolate buttercream frosting. What a crowd pleaser! Thanks! We will make these again and again!
We’re so glad you loved these!
Hi Sally,
I understand from a previous post on your 6 inch 2 layer cake I am able to use this cupcake batter recipe to make a 2 layer 6 inch cake?
Please confirm asap if possible as I plan to make this for my husbands birthday in a couple of days.
Thank you so much!
Hi Janet! We recommend making a three layer 6 inch cake from this batter.
Great! Thank you Trina.
Hi Sally, I love all your recipes and I have tried a fair few of them. I have made this recipe and it always works well for me. I was wondering if I could use the same recipe to make dairy free? Buttermilk from oat milk maybe?
Hi Anitha, see the notes section for a how to make a DIY buttermilk with non dairy milk. Happy baking!
I am going to try to make your cupcakes tomorrow! I am just wondering if I can use one of those decorative cup cake baking cups, rather than the paper ones. Can I use them safely, filling them half full? Is it hard, getting the cupcakes, out of one of those cardboard-like cupcake cups. Thank you in advance for your response!
Hi Marg, we haven’t tested these cupcakes in those particular liners before, so we’re unsure how well they will work. You might try baking the batter for just one of the cupcakes in that type of liner before trying to bake all of the batter—just to be safe!
What would be a good filling for these cupcakes if I want them to be all chocolate but not just more frosting in the center? Would a mousse be good and hold up/not melt in the cupcake?
Thank you
Hi Ruby, chocolate ganache (once it thickens) would make a fabulous chocolate cupcake filling. Here’s our post on how to fill cupcakes as well!
I always like your recipes and was looking for really moist cupcakes so tried these. Mine turned out fine but not moist. Double checked ingredients, instructions and time but can’t figure out what I did wrong. Thoughts?
Hi Becky! If they were noticeably dry, it sounds like your cupcakes simply may have been over baked. All ovens are a little different! 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.
I am going to try this recipe again, and make sure I read the recipe through first. For whatever reason I thought the buttermilk was supposed to be mixed with the wet ingredients. My batter came out thicker than I thought it would. It is imperative to only fill them half full. Trial and error!! But I love all your recipes!
Chocolate perfection! I made cupcakes with the chocolate buttercream, and they were loved by all.
Hello! Can I substitute buttermilk with greek yogurt? Thank you!
Hi Kari, You can try replacing the buttermilk with the same amount of sour cream or yogurt for a sturdier cupcake.
would these taste good with cream cheese frosting?
Absolutely!
Hello, I was trying to leave this comment on the chocolate buttercream recipe but there wasn’t a section to leave a comment so hopefully I can get some help on this section. I have made chocolate buttercream a few times and it always comes out gritty and no matter what I do I can’t get it to smooth out. I use room temperature ingredients and I sift the confectioners sugar and powdered chocolate. I’m not sure what it is that I’m doing wrong. I have also tried taking half of the chocolate buttercream and warming it in the microwave for a couple of seconds and then adding it back. It helps some but it’s still gritty. Any help is greatly appreciated!
Hi Kris! We’re happy to help troubleshoot. It sounds like you are on the right track. What brand of confectioners’ sugar are you using? Some brands tend to clump up more than others, even when sifting. It could also be that it just needs a few more minutes of whipping to completely smooth out. Another small splash of heavy cream/milk could help, too. We hope this helps for your next batch!
My mother makes a German butter cream that I have always loved. She uses a thick pudding and mixes it with softened butter but not too soft. For mocha adds a little instant coffee. I haven’t made it yet but I’m going to try soon because I love it and she’s almost 86. Experiment.
Can these be made in a pan like a Halloween skull shape cakelet pan?
Hi Kathy, we haven’t tested it in that specific type of pan, but let us know if you do.
Hi Sally!
Just wondering if I could use sour cream instead of buttermilk?
Thanks so much
Catriona xx
Hi Catriona, yes, you can try replacing the buttermilk with the same amount of sour cream for a sturdier cupcake.
Hi, was wondering if i can substitute the oil for butter? And if i do, should i melt it first? I prefer the taste of butter over oil.
Hi Diana, when these were tested with butter they tasted pretty dry. The chocolate flavor really overpowers the butter flavor, and the oil helps to create a supremely moist crumb. For best results, we recommend sticking with oil.
This recipe sucks!! Followed it to a tee, made sure to fill cupcakes to not quite halfway and every single one sank and didn’t cook well. Would not recommend at all!!!
Thank you for trying this recipe. A little sinking is natural for chocolate cakes. Otherwise, it could be from over-mixing the batter or that the cakes were just slightly under baked. An additional minute or two in the oven should help for next time.
I do not agree that sinking is normal for chocolate cakes. I never have them sink. I think this recipe is lacking in structure.
I noticed even the cupcakes in the video sank. This recipe doesn’t have enough structure because there’s so little flour compared with other cupcake recipes. And the ratio of cocoa to flour is far, far higher than other recipes. And there’s 2X the sugar compared to the flour. The 94g of flour is surely a mistake. 194g would be more reasonable.
That happened to me too — sank way below the top of the tin. I live at 5600 feet— wish you would include high altitude adaptations
We wish we could help, but we have no experience baking at high altitude. Some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
Can i use cake flour?
Hi Jenna! It’s best to stick with all purpose flour with chocolate cake. Cake flour is too fine when paired with cocoa powder.
Hi Sally,
Thanks as always for a great recipe!
Would it be odd to add chocolate chips to this recipe? I am feeling a double chocolate experience! If it’s possible, would there need to be any adjustments?
Hi Emilie, this is a thinner cupcake batter, but we’ve had success adding chocolate chips or mini chocolate chips. Feel free to add 1 cup of chocolate chips to this batter without changing anything else.
Absolutely delicious but was surprised the the batter was morelike a pancake batter not thin as stated in notes and was concerned about the lumps which I wisked lightly. I followed the directions exactly even doubled checked. But will make another batch as I need 24.
Thank you for an easy quick delicious recipe despite some anxiety
Would olive oil work?
Yes, olive oil can work here.
I’ve used many of Sally’s recipes, but these don’t do it for me. I made these, vanilla, lemon blueberry, and strawberry shortcake for a wedding tasting – all recipes from her site. The couple loved all but these. They said they weren’t as moist as the others. I thought the texture was fine, but the batter was very thin in comparison to the others. Not a problem, but they did fall flat and sink in comparison to the other recipes. The chocolate buttercream was very good, but the cupcake could have been better, and I followed the recipe exactly.
Replying to my own comment because I did love the taste of these cupcakes, and wanted to try again. I added 2 Tbsp of flour and did 1/4 cup buttermilk and a 1/4 cup sour cream. 1000/10.
I’ve made these cupcakes and the vanilla cupcakes …. they were delicious as are all of your recipes I have made to date. I get so many compliments every single time. I always give you credit Sally! Anyway I have a few boxes of cake flour and I’m wondering if you have any chocolate cupcake recipes made with cake flour. If not is there a particular reason you don’t use cake flour with chocolate cupcakes?
Hi Cee Cee! It’s best to stick with all purpose flour with chocolate cake. Cake flour is too fine when paired with cocoa powder.
I recently make this recipe into a 3 layer 6 inch cake, but my layers were only about an inch tall? Did I do something wrong? Should I have doubled the recipe or is this just a shorter cake?
Hi Hanna! The layers won’t be super thick in 6 inch cake pans, just about an inch tall. How was the texture?
Delicious when baked! But the batter wasn’t super thin. I could see the sugar a bit. Could I use your regular chocolate layer cake recipe next time for thicker layers? I’d be interested to try that recipe as well.
Hi Hanna, was the flour overmeasured by chance, or any ingredient omitted on accident? The batter should be on the thinner side. If you could still see the sugar, it sounds like it needed to be mixed with the oil, eggs, and vanilla for a bit longer. You could use the triple chocolate cake batter instead, but it will be too much for 3, 6-inch cakes. Fill your cake pans half way and use any leftover batter for a few cupcakes on the side. Enjoy!
I thought Sally says to start the temperature higher for cupcakes…around 400 degrees or possibly 375 and then lowering them back down to 350 degrees to get the best rounded dome tops on them. Now I’m seeing the recipes for cupcakes starting at 350 degrees. I’m wondering where I saw this tip, and if I should continue to bake my cupcakes this way.
Thank you for your help.
Hi Doree, we recommend the initial high temperature for muffins, but not for cupcakes. For muffins you want that high rounded dome on top, but for cupcakes you want a flatter surface for topping with frosting!
If I wanted to make the larger cupcakes, would I still fill half full and only get about 6 cupcakes? Do you have any idea about the cook times? Thanks.
Hi Frances! You can make larger cupcakes, we’re unsure of the bake time needed.
Love this recipe! Have made it as cupcakes and as a single layer cake when I just had to have cake (cake emergency!)
My question is – can I use these proportions in 4″ silicone cake pan? How long should I bake the mini cakes? Thanks!
Hi GG! We’re sure you could bake 4 inch pans with this batter, but we’re unsure of the bake time needed. Let us know if you try!
Hi! I don’t have espresso powder as have a pod machine. Would adding one shot of espresso (liquid) be ok?
Hi Lara, We don’t recommend swapping for liquid coffee/espresso as the batter will be much too thin, but you can simply omit the espresso powder if needed. OR you can try swapping some in for some of the the buttermilk but we haven’t tested that ourselves. Let us know what you try!
Hi Sally! Ive made this recipe many times but it was my first time in MINI cupcake trays. They turned out great but I noticed the next day, a bunch of the liners separated from the cupcake. I packaged them after completely cooling so I’m not sure what happened. Any insight on how to prevent this?
Hi Jessica, we haven’t had that happen before! It could just be your cupcake liners. Some brands are better than others. Did the cupcakes seem overly moist? Perhaps there was a bit too much moisture in the container that caused the liners to shrink back. We’re glad this recipe is a favorite for you!