The Best Homemade Chocolate Cupcakes

These double chocolate cupcakes with chocolate buttercream frosting are a chocolate lover’s dream! 

Homemade Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting

The cake part of this recipe originated from a chocolate cake with peanut butter buttercream that I made for my friend, Julie Roth’s, baby shower. She was craving a peanut buttery chocolate concoction, so that’s what I set out to create, knowing that I would eventually turn that recipe into a chocolate-on-chocolate dessert. 

Chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting have got to be one of my favorite classic combinations. But these cupcakes aren’t just ordinary chocolate cupcakes. They are dense, almost brownie-like, and topped with the most decadently delicious frosting. One bite, and you’ll be thinking of every way you can put these cupcakes into your regular rotation. 

Chocolate Cupcake Ingredients 

For the Cupcakes

• 2 cups of all-purpose flour (we used this one for gluten-free)
• 2 cups of white sugar
• ½ cup of cocoa powder
• 1 cup of chocolate chips
• 2 room temperature eggs
• 1 ½ cups of full-fat buttermilk
• 3 teaspoons of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of espresso powder or instant coffee
• ⅓ cup of butter
• 1 tablespoon of vanilla

For the Chocolate Buttercream

• 8 ounces of softened butter
• 1 ½ cups of powdered sugar
• ½ cup of milk
• ½ cup of cocoa powder
• ½ tablespoon of vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon of salt

Chocolate Cupcake Ingredient Modifications

• Add toppings – top your cupcakes with chocolate sprinkles (or any of your favorite sprinkles, we love Supernatural), crushed cookies, fresh strawberries, peanut butter cups, or a sprinkle of flaky sea salt. Get creative and have fun!
• Omit the chocolate chips – if you prefer to have your cupcakes without chocolate chips, you can totally leave them out of the batter. Peanut butter or butterscotch chips would also make great subs.
• Make it gluten-free – this recipe works great with King Arthur’s Measure for Measure Gluten Free flour. 

How to Make Chocolate Cupcakes

There are a few, special steps to making these cupcakes that call for a little extra love, but I promise you, they’re worth it. 

To Make the Cake

1. Preheat – preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Prep the cupcake tin – prep the cupcake tin by greasing each muffin cup or using cupcake liners. Set aside. 
3. Combine the dry ingredients – whisk dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.
4. Prep a double boiler – prepare a double boiler by adding 2-inches of water in a medium saucepan over high heat. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to keep the water at a slow simmer.  Add a large glass or metal bowl over top, making sure the fit is snug and the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. 
5. Add your wet ingredients – to the large glass bowl over a double boiler, whisk together the butter and buttermilk until the butter is fully melted. Then, add the espresso powder (or instant coffee), eggs, and vanilla. Whisk to combine.
6. Combine the wet and dry ingredients – carefully remove the bowl from the double boiler (the bowl will be hot, as will the steam that will come out of the saucepan when the bowl is removed). Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips.
7. Pour the batter – scoop the batter into the cupcake tin, filling each cup approximately ⅔ full. 
8. Bake – bake the cupcakes for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center of the cupcake. You can also check by lightly pressing on the center of the cupcake with your index finger. If the cupcake rebounds, it is done.
9. Let cool – let the cupcakes cool in the tin for 10 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Let cool completely before frosting.   

To Make the Frosting:

1. Add ingredients to mixer – add all of the ingredients to a stand mixer with a whisk attachment.
2. Blend until smooth – starting on low speed, blend the ingredients until combined.
3. Increase speed – increase to medium-high speed and blend until fluffy.
4. Frost – use immediately, or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

The Best Frosting for Chocolate Cupcakes

This easy, chocolate buttercream is divine with these chocolate cupcakes. You really can’t go wrong with how you frost your cupcakes, though. Peanut butter buttercream, vanilla buttercream, cream cheese frosting, or any traditional icing would also be delicious!

How to Store Chocolate Cupcakes

These cupcakes store best in an airtight container for 3-5 days. If you’re making the cupcakes ahead of time, we suggest waiting to frost them and wrapping the cupcakes in plastic wrap to maintain moisture.  

Chocolate Cupcake FAQs