Chocolate Cupcakes

I made these chocolate cupcakes initially so I could give you a recipe for chocolate whipped cream. And then I thought, that just won’t do: they’re going to ask for the cupcake recipe! It is the best chocolate cupcake recipe after all, buttermilk based and unlike many other chocolate cake recipes it’s got no vegetable oil. Even as a butter based cake, it’s the most tender chocolate crumb ever! So, here you are =)

Recipe Origins 

Truthfully, you’ve already had this recipe for a while though you might not have realized it. I updated this small batch red velvet cupcake recipe last year (or the year before?) and when I did I adjusted a few things to make it just the most perfect chocolate cupcake. This is essentially the same recipe but not small batch, and without the food coloring. Just a really awesome chocolate cupcake recipe. 

Recipe Ingredients 

Butter: unsalted butter at warm room temperature. Salted is fine too, just reduce the salt added to the batter. 

Sugar: fine granulated sugar. Reducing the sugar will reduce the moisture in the cake. 

Salt: fine sea salt or fine kosher salt. If using table salt, halve the amount. 

Vanilla: pure vanilla extract. 

Eggs: large and at room temperature. The size and temperature of the eggs play a big role in the cake batter; if your eggs are small or medium, the cake will be more dry. If they are extra large, your batter will be too wet. It’s also crucial to have the eggs at room temperature. 

Cocoa powder: dutch-process cocoa powder. While this recipe technically works with black cocoa or natural cocoa powder, the resulting crumb and texture is not quite the same and the best chocolate flavor will come from using dutch cocoa.

Cake flour: made from a softer wheat, milled very finely and mixed with cornstarch, cake flour will give the ideal, tender cake crumb. I’m not a fan of the cornstarch/all purpose flour substitute here. 

Baking soda: for leavening the cake. 

Buttermilk: full or low fat buttermilk. If you cannot find buttermilk you may use kefir, but thin it out with a bit of water to get the consistency of buttermilk. 

Boiling water: this blooms the cocoa and adds moisture to the cake. 

How to make this Chocolate Cupcake Recipe

Bring everything that’s chilled to room temperature: the eggs, butter and buttermilk. 

Preheat the oven to 325 F. I bake these on a lower heat to ensure an even rise (rather than a dome). Line a cupcake tin with muffin liners. The recipe makes a dozen cupcakes, or a baker’s dozen – depending on how full the cupcake liners are. 

Beat the butter with the sugar, vanilla and salt. Start the mixer on low and work up to a low medium speed. We want this well creamed, it can take 3 to 5 minutes. Stop the mixer after 2 minutes, scrape down and repeat this step as necessary. 

With the mixer on, add one of the room temperature eggs. Let it mix for about 30 seconds, then add the other. Continue mixing until light and creamy. If it does not get creamy, this is because the eggs and butter were not at room temperature (see below discussion on split batter). 

[While this is mixing, I turn the kettle on to boil the water needed later.]

Sift in the dry ingredients: the flour and the cocoa and baking soda. Set the mixer on low.

Slowly pour in the buttermilk. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Mix until even.

Pour in the boiling hot water and mix until the batter is silky smooth. 

Divide between the muffin cups, filling them about three quarters full. You may have enough batter for one more cupcake. You can add it in bits to the cupcakes or make a 13th cupcake. 

Bake until the tops spring back; this should take around 25 minutes but judge by touch or a cake tester. 

Remove from the cupcake pan and let cool on a wire rack.  

Frost only when completely cool. 

FAQ

My batter split and is not silky smooth like the pictures, what happened and what can I do? 

This will happen if the eggs and butter were not at a warm room temperature. You can try beating it longer to get the emulsion to happen, but otherwise just bake it as is. The texture might be slightly different than the photos. 

Why is it so crucial for the eggs and butter to be at room temperature? 

Think of a salad dressing where you’re mixing lemon juice with olive oil: you know how a recipe asks you to add it slowly and whisk it well as you do? This is the same process. Butter is mostly fat and eggs are mostly water; generally they don’t want to mix and when cold they are even more reluctant. The way for us to emulsify them is to have them at the same warm room temperature and add them to each other slowly. If they are not; the batter will split. 

What can I frost the chocolate cupcakes with? 

Whipped Cream: vanilla, stabilized and holds shape even when piped. 

Chocolate Whipped Cream: stabilized, this is what is on the cupcakes in these photos here. 

Buttercream (various flavors): see this page for a basic buttercream recipe along with several variations, including a chocolate frosting.

Whipped Chocolate Ganache: chop 200g semisweet chocolate or dark chocolate (depending on taste) and set it in a heatproof bowl. Warm 200g heavy cream (or heavy whipping cream) until it’s bubbling at the edges, and pour it over the chocolate. Stir briefly, then add a pinch of salt and a dash of vanilla extract. Stir until smooth then set it in the fridge for around 20-30 minutes, until it’s set. Whip with a hand mixer or in a stand mixer until thick and fluffy. 

Sam’s Chocolate Cupcake Recipe

Chocolate Cupcake Recipe

Super soft chocolate cupcake recipe. These have a tighter crumb than the average chocolate cake but melt-in-your-mouth tender texture. Dutch process cocoa and full fat buttermilk give these cupcakes a deep, rich flavor.

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 20 minutes mins

Yields: 12 cupcakes

5 from 1 vote

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Ingredients

• 113g or ½ cup butter unsalted and at a warm room temperature
• 200g or 1 cup fine granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs at warm room temperature
• 170g or 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons cake flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 50g or ½ cup dutch process cocoa
• 200g or ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk kefir mixed with a bit of water to make it thinner, can work too
• 60g or ¼ cup boiling hot water

Method

• The butter, eggs and buttermilk should be at a warm room temperature before starting this recipe. Set the butter on the counter about 30-45 minutes before starting (longer if your kitchen is cold). For the eggs, you can place them in a bowl of warm water. The buttermilk can be measured out into a bowl and set on the counter 10 minutes before using.
• Preheat the oven to 325 F. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.
• Set the butter, sugar, vanilla and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. You can also use a separate bowl and hand mixer, it will just take slightly longer. Turn the mixer on low speed and beat for 3-5 minutes, stopping halfway to scrape the edges and bottom of the bowl for even mixing. Stop when the mixture is well creamed; light and fluffy.
• With the mixer on, add the eggs one at a time, allowing the machine to beat them in for 30 seconds before adding the second. Beat until the mixture is emulsified and smooth, this can take up to 5 minutes - stop the mixer and scrape down and around as needed.
• Over the mixture, sift in the cocoa and the cake flour. Add the baking soda. Turn the mixer on low, and as it’s mixing, slowly pour in the buttermilk. Once incorporated, pour in the boiling hot water (also with the mixer on). Scrape down the bowl as needed to ensure a well-mixed cake batter.
• Spoon the batter into the prepared cupcake liners, filing them ¾ full. I use a disher (or ice cream scoop) to do this to make it easier, the batter is quite thin. You may have enough leftover batter for one more cupcake to make a baker’s dozen.
• Bake the cupcakes until the tops spring back, about 25 minutes. Out of the oven, remove from the pan and set on a cooling rack. Let cool completely before frosting.

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