What's not to love about chocolate cupcakes? They're delicious, simple to make, and perfect for any occasion. If you're looking for the best chocolate cupcake recipe, then this recipe for double chocolate cupcakes fits that role nicely.
These cupcakes are made with moist, fluffy, and chocolaty cake batter and frosted with rich chocolate frosting made from sweetened condensed milk; they're worth trying!
How to Make Chocolate Cupcakes
Note: The full instructions are provided in the recipe card below.
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line (2) cupcake pans with paper liners. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter, avocado oil, salt, and sugars on high speed until light and fluffy, approximately 3 to 5 minutes.
Lower the speed to medium, add the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla and mix well.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream, and espresso. Sift the flour, cocoa, and baking soda in another bowl.
At low speed, add the buttermilk mixture and the flour mixture alternately in thirds to the mixer bowl, beginning with the buttermilk mixture and ending with the flour mixture. Fold the batter with a rubber spatula to ensure it’s completely blended. Do not overmix!
Divide the cupcake batter evenly among the prepared cupcake pans filling ¾ of the way full. (one rounded standard ice cream scoop per cup). Bake the chocolate cupcakes in the oven for 25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool for 10 minutes, remove from the pans, and cool completely before frosting.
How to Make Chocolate Frosting
Note: The full instructions are provided in the recipe card below.
Add the chopped chocolate to a medium bowl and set it aside. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisk the condensed milk and the egg yolks until combined.
Gently heat the mixture to just below the boiling point(170-175F) for about 10 minutes. Do not let it boil; the egg will curdle, making it grainy.
Remove from heat and immediately pour the sweetened condensed milk mixture over the chopped chocolate, whisking until smooth. Stir in the vanilla and let it cool.
Once cooled, transfer the chocolate mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Add the butter, turn the mixer to medium speed, and beat until creamy and smooth. Frost the chocolate cupcakes as desired. Enjoy!
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📖 Recipe
Easy Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Cupcakes:
- 1-¾ cups all-purpose flour , spoon, and leveled
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder , such as Hershey
- 1-½ teaspoons baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 113 g (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup avocado oil
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs , at room temperature
- 3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 80 g semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup buttermilk , shaken, at room temperature
- ½ cup full fat sour cream , at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons freshly brewed espresso or strong coffee
For the Chocolate Frosting:
- 1 (14 oz) full fat condensed milk
- 2 large egg yolk , at room temperature
- 240 g unsweetened chocolate , chopped
- 15 ml (1 tablespoon) pure vanilla extract
- 220 g (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
Instructions
For the Chocolate Cupcakes:
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line (2) cupcake pans with paper liners.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter, avocado oil, salt, and sugars on high speed until light and fluffy, approximately 2 minutes. Lower the speed to medium, add the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla and mix well.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream, and espresso. In another bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, and baking soda. At low speed, add the buttermilk mixture and the flour mixture alternately in thirds to the mixer bowl, beginning with the buttermilk mixture and ending with the flour mixture.
- Mix only until just blended. Next, add the chocolate chips and fold the batter with a rubber spatula to be sure it’s completely blended.
- Divide the batter among the cupcake pans (one rounded standard ice cream scoop per cup). Bake in the middle of the oven for 25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, remove from the pans and allow to cool completely before frosting.
For the Chocolate Frosting:
- In a medium bowl, add the chopped chocolate and set it aside.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the condensed milk and the egg yolks until combined. Gently heat the mixture to just below the boiling point(170-175F), do not boil, or the egg will curdle. Remove from heat and immediately pour the egg mixture over the chopped chocolate and whisk until smooth. Stir in the vanilla and let it cool.
- Once cooled, transfer the chocolate mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Add the butter and turn the mixer to medium speed and beat until creamy and smooth. Frost the chocolate cupcakes as desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- How to Make the Homemade Buttermilk: add 4½ teaspoons of fresh lemon juice or white vinegar to a liquid measuring cup. Then, add enough whole milk to make 1-¼ cups. Stir and let sit for 5 minutes until thickens and curdles before using). refrigerate until needed.
- Use a combination of avocado oil and unsalted butter—for moistness and flavor.
- Don't overdo it when it comes to mixing; mix until just combined.
- Do not overcook them.
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods, and portion sizes per household.
