Moist Chocolate Cupcakes
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These Moist Chocolate Cupcakes are fluffy and extra chocolaty. They’re so easy to make and will be out of the oven in under an hour!
I love all things chocolate and I especially love these Moist Chocolate Cupcakes. They’re rich with chocolate while still having an ultra light and fluffy texture. The best part about these cupcakes they’re so simple to make. All you have to do is mix the dry ingredients then mix the wet ingredients and combine them. Piece of (cup)cake! 🙂
If you’re looking for other cupcake recipes try my Angel Food Cupcakes or S’mores Cupcakes!
Ingredient Breakdown
All-purpose flour – this gives the cupcakes structure.
Granulated & brown sugar – sweetens and tenderizes cupcakes. Either light or dark brown sugar will work.
Cocoa powder – gives the cupcakes their chocolate flavor! I always use natural unsweetened cocoa powder.
Baking soda & baking powder – both leaveners are needed to help the cupcakes rise.
Buttermilk – adds flavor and moisture.
Vegetable oil – adds moisture and tenderizes cupcakes. Also allows more chocolate flavor to shine through versus butter!
Eggs – binds the ingredients and provides structure.
Vanilla extract and salt – enhances flavor. Always use pure vanilla extract instead of imitation for best flavor.
Hot water – enhances chocolate flavor
How to Make Moist Chocolate Cupcakes
1. Make the chocolate cupcakes: in a large bowl combine granulated sugar, all-purpose flour, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt and baking powder. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl whisk eggs, buttermilk, vegetable oil and vanilla extract.
3. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Once combined, slowly mix in the hot water. Scoop batter into prepared pans 3/4 full. Bake at 350°F for 18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
4. Make the vanilla buttercream: cream butter until light and fluffy on a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or with a hand mixer.
5. Add confectioners’ sugar and mix on low until combined.
6. Add vanilla extract and heavy cream or milk then beat until fluffy. Add salt to taste. Decorate as desired. Store chocolate cupcakes in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature or up to 5 days in the fridge.
Pro Tips For Delicious Chocolate Cupcakes
- Weigh your ingredients using a kitchen scale! Measuring ingredients by volume is not accurate.
- Don’t over mix the cupcake batter otherwise it will develop too much gluten and be dense/gummy!
- Make sure your water is hot NOT boiling and slowly add it to the batter while stirring so you don’t accidentally cook the eggs.
- Do not over fill your cupcake liners. Only fill them 3/4 full. I love this cookie scoop because it fills them with the perfect amount of batter!
- Wait until the cupcakes are COMPLETELY COOLED before frosting otherwise the buttercream will melt and slide off.
My Favorite Cupcake Tools
- Kitchen scale I love this scale, I’ve been using it for years!
- Stand Mixer
- 12-count cupcake pans. I like having two of them so I bake off the whole batch all at once.
- Cupcake liners
- Cookie scoop. This one makes it so easy to scoop the perfect amount of batter for each cupcake.
- Mini offset spatula
- Piping tips and piping bags
If you try this recipe then please leave a rating/comment below to let me know how you liked it and feel free to ask any recipe questions you may have! 🙂
Moist Chocolate Cupcakes
Equipment
- Two 12-count cupcake pans
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
Ingredients
Chocolate Cupcakes
- 250 (1 1/4 cups) granulated sugar
- 210 g (1 3/4 cups) all-purpose flour
- 150 g (3/4 cup) brown sugar
- 60 g (3/4 cup) cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 240 g (1 cup) buttermilk
- 120 g (1/2 cup) vegetable oil
- 3 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 60 g (1/4 cup) hot water
Vanilla Buttercream
- 226 g (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 480 g (4 cups) confectioners' sugar
- 45 g ( 3 tbsp) heavy cream or milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- salt, to taste
Instructions
Chocolate Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line two 12-count cupcake pans with paper liners.
- In a large bowl combine granulated sugar, all-purpose flour, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt and baking powder. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl whisk eggs, buttermilk, vegetable oil and vanilla extract.
- Mix wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Once combined, slowly mix in the hot water.
- Scoop batter into prepared pans 3/4 full. Bake for 18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Vanilla Buttercream
- Cream butter until light and fluffy on a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or with a hand mixer.
- Add confectioners' sugar and mix on low until combined.
- Add vanilla extract and heavy cream or milk then beat until fluffy. Add salt to taste.
Notes
- Weigh your ingredients using a kitchen scale! Measuring ingredients by volume is not accurate.
- Store chocolate cupcakes in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature or up to 5 days in the fridge.
- Butter: I recommend using unsalted butter in the vanilla buttercream. You can use salted butter, just be sure to omit the extra salt.
