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!
This recipe is simply amazing, I’ve tried a few other chocolate cake recipes but this is the best. Thank you so much I totally enjoy them
Hi! So I was wondering if I could add chocolate chips to the recipe. If so, what quantity would you recommend?
Hi Tara, you can certainly add chocolate chips to the batter, but remember to only fill the liners halfway! I recommend about 1 cup. Enjoy!
Hi Sally, I followed your recipe to a T and they still sunk.I live in Denver,CO and am wondering if the elevation prevented them from rising too much.
Hi Andrea, It could be your altitude. I wish I could help, but we have no experience baking at high altitude. I know some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
Will cacao powder work with this recipe?
Hi Susan, That substitution would require some testing. You’d likely need to switch to all baking powder and increase the amount of liquid in the recipe. For best results, stick with unsweetened natural cocoa powder.
These cupcakes were a total hit!! Thanks!
Thanks Sally! My girls and I tried baking and we had great fun. And not only that, the cupcakes turned out delicious. How long can we store them in the fridge?
Thank you for this awesome recipe, Sally!
Made these for my sons daycare group for his birthday and they were so good and gobbled. Am going to use this for a cake size for his birthday party. Thank you!
they were very moist and yummy like the recipe says!
I recommend these!
These are the best cupcakes, so moist. They are the new birthday cupcakes at my house. Howeve r, we love cream cheese frosting so we swap it for buttercream.
Can I use cake flour or will that make them too light?
Hi Liz, I 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.
Super moist and light as a feather sponge. Topped it off with vanilla buttercream roses.
Perfect cupcakes every time
I made these cupcakes this morning to celebrate my husband passing an exam. I used yogurt instead of buttermilk and it was excellent. Texture, taste was all perfect. Thanks a lot!
The best… yummy
AMAZING! I followed the recipe measured everything out with my scale they were great! I paired it with your chocolate buttercream icing taste great as well but I think these cupcakes need something more rich in chocolate.
Thank you soo much!
The first time I tried this recipe the cupcakes were very dry. I reduced the cocoa powder to 1/4 and used 1 cup of brown sugar instead of mixing 1/2 white sugar and 1/2 brown. I cooked the cupcakes for 18 minutes and they were DELICIOUS!
Hi Sally,
Your dark chocolate mousse cake is my all time favorite chocolate cake recipe. Just curious why the differences in this cupcake recipe? Is this just to simplify the recipe for a smaller batch? Could I add espresso powder to this one to help intensify favor?
Hi Lydia, You can add 1 tsp espresso powder without making any other changes to the recipe. Enjoy!
Best chocolate cupcakes ever! I followed the recipe with just a few minor changes. Firstly, I made these with Gluten Free flour instead of wheat flour. I only had self-raising flour so used that and left out the baking powder (kept the baking soda as per recipe). Used a mix of 2/3 sour cream, 1/3 whole milk instead of buttermilk. The cupcakes turned out absolutely delicious! Super chocolatey, moist and unbelievably light! My new go-to chocolate cupcake recipes. Delicious with chocolate buttercream. I’ll look forward to trying with other frostings too, to mix it up. Thanks for the great recipe as always, Sally!
I made this cupcake for my friend’s birthday today. Usually I am not a fan of cupcakes as I find them too sweet, often just feels like the taste is sugar itself. But I wanted to make something that could be easily shared amongst my friends without having to cut a cake into slices. The recipe was easy to follow, and to my surprise the flavour was exquisite! I could taste the chocolate, it was moist, the buttermilk brought a really nice depth to it, and I think adding the salt helps balance that sweetness. Excited to make this again!
I didn’t have buttermilk for the chocolate cupcake, I replaced by oat milk and it worked perfectly. Very moist and fluffy, kids loved!!! The best recipe I have tried. Thanks Sally!!!
it was a bit dry but over all pretty good! It fell apart some when i first ate it but then put in the fri dye and it was all good!
I have used this recipe about a hundred times and it is magnificent everytime! Thank you sally!
Hi Sally! I made these cupcakes recently, for the millionth time, and after a day or so after baking and sitting in an airtight container, the wrappers started to pull away from the cake. I have never seen this before and thought I had mastered the cupcake. Is it underbaked? Bad/ cheap wrappers? Thx as always
Hi Lorrie, It could simply be condensation that caused the wrappers to pull away (especially if your cupcakes were even slightly warm when placing them into your container. However, I use grease proof wrappers and have never had this problem.
Hi Sally,
thanks so much for this recipe! I made it EXACTLY as you said, and even under baked it a bit at 15 minutes since all ovens are different. Unfortunately, mine came out a bit dry! Almost like a muffin texture…any suggestions? more buttermilk perhaps?
thank you!
Hi Alysia, First make sure you are measuring the dry ingredients properly. Too much flour could make these dry. You can also see my post 10 Tips for Baking the BEST Cupcakes for more troubleshooting help.
Hi, not sure if this has been asked before, but if I use this recipe for a 6 inch cake, do you also suggest filling in the cake pans halfway?
Thanks so much, your recipes are fantastic!
Hi Mary, This batter works perfect if you evenly divide it between three 6-inch pans. They will be about halfway full, yes.
I love all your recipes but this came out super dry and I’m not sure why! Any ideas?
Hi Sally,
Can I use only 1/2 cup of brown sugar and not add more sugar to reduce sweetnes? Will that impact the texture of the cake? Also can use the the chocolate ganache for frosting?
Hi Suzie, Sugar is used for texture and moisture as well as taste. If you experiment with reducing the sugar you should keep in mind that your baked goods won’t yield the same results. You can absolutely frost these with Chocoalte Ganache!
These were the bomb! And the chocolate buttercream frosting too! I wanted to let you know that you are my baking hero! From crinkles to cookies to cupcakes! All your tips and recipes are spot on! Thank you!!!!
Sally, I am nervous now about making these, I don’t have time to go back to the store and I see as I got the ingredients out that I accidentally purchased the Dutched Cocoa Powder. UGH! I am making these for my daughter’s bday party today! Should I bail on this recipe and find another? 🙁
Hi Rachel, I wish I could help here but if using your dutched cocoa, you would need to switch out the baking soda (or some of the baking soda) for baking powder. Increase the amount of baking powder in the substitution since it isn’t quite as strong as baking soda.