Chocolate Cupcakes
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Rich, moist, and deeply chocolatey, these classic chocolate cupcakes are easy to make and perfect for birthdays, bake sales, and everyday treats.
Many years ago, before Once Upon a Chef existed, I started a small baking business specializing in cakes and cupcakes. That experience sparked my love of recipe development and ultimately inspired me to create this website. This chocolate cupcake recipe is a delicious holdover from those early days—the cupcake version of my favorite chocolate cake—and I’ve been making them ever since.
The recipe is wonderfully simple: it’s made in one bowl, and the cupcakes bake up ultra-moist with a rich chocolate flavor and tender crumb. I love to frost them with rich chocolate buttercream, but vanilla buttercream frosting or cream cheese frosting are delicious too.
“Delicious!!! So perfect for the chocolate lover in me!”
What You’ll Need For this Chocolate Cupcake Recipe
For the cupcakes, you’ll need all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, eggs, vegetable oil, sour cream, and vanilla extract.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Mix the dry ingredients. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix on low for 30 seconds.
Pro Tip: Make sure to stick with natural cocoa powder—natural cocoa powder isn’t interchangeable with Dutch-process cocoa powder due to differences in acidity.
Step 2: Add the wet ingredients. Add the eggs, oil, and sour cream, and mix on low speed until combined.
Step 2: Beat the batter. Increase the speed to medium and beat the batter for 2 minutes.
Step 3: Add the hot water. Reduce the speed to low and gradually pour in the hot water—go slowly so it doesn’t splash. Stop the mixer, scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, and mix until evenly combined.
Pro tip: The hot water blooms the cocoa powder, which deepens the chocolate flavor significantly. The soupy batter is completely normal, so don’t worry if it looks thinner than you’d expect.
Step 4: Bake and cool. Divide the batter evenly into the cupcake liners and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
Step 5: Frost the cupcakes. Once the cupcakes have cooled, use a small offset spatula or butter knife to swirl the frosting on top. The cupcakes can be made a day ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature. Freeze (without the frosting) for longer storage.
More Cake and Cupcake Recipes You May Like
Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- ¾ cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder, such as Hershey’s
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- ¾ cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup boiling water
- Chocolate frosting
Instructions
For the Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and set two oven racks in the middle positions. Line 18 muffin cups with paper liners, using two standard 12-cup muffin pans.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix on low speed for 30 seconds to combine. Add the eggs, oil, sour cream, and vanilla and mix on low speed until combined.
- Increase the speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes. Then, reduce the speed to low and gradually pour in the hot water (be careful to pour very slowly so it doesn’t splash). The batter will be soupy. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl; mix again until evenly combined.
- Pour the batter evenly into the prepared muffin tin (they should be about halfway full). Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the cupcakes are set and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
- Cool the cupcakes in the tin for about 10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Frost the cooled cupcakes as desired.
Notes
- I like frosting these cupcakes with chocolate buttercream, but vanilla buttercream frosting, or cream cheese frosting are delicious too.
- Nutritional information is for the cupcakes only.
- Make-Ahead/Freezing Instructions: The cupcakes can be made up to one day ahead of time and stored in an airtight container at room temperature. They can also be frozen without the frosting for up to 3 months. Let them cool completely, wrap them individually in plastic wrap, and then in foil. Thaw overnight on the countertop before serving. (Wait until the cupcakes are defrosted to ice them.)
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Do you have a video?
Not for this recipe – sorry!
Hi Jen,
All your recipes have been a HUGE hit! Thank you for sharing your amazing recipes! I am now planning to make chocolate cupcakes but have a couple of questions:
Can I switch vegetable oil with canola oil?
Also, would you recommend using coffee for added flavor?
Thanks again!!
Pooja
Hi Pooja, Glad you enjoy the recipes! You can definitely use canola oil, and I think a teaspoon or two of espresso powder would be delicious here.
I haven’t made these yet. I was thinking of doing a chocolate raspberry cupcake. Do you think a jam swirl would affect the texture/baking too much? Would it be better to wait until after they’re baked and do a filling instead? Thanks.
Hi Mistie, I haven’t tried these with a jam swirl in them. While it sounds delicious, I worry that it may throw off the ratio of wet to dry ingredients. For the most predictable results, I’d suggest adding a filling after baking them. Hope that helps!
Okay, thanks for the advice!
Can melted chocolate chips be used for the chocolate in the frosting, and/or can melted Hershey milk chocolate bars be used?
Hi Lauri, I wouldn’t recommend chocolate chips for the frosting as they don’t melt as well (they have stabilizers in them to help them hold their shape) but Hershey Bars will work well! Hope that helps!
Hi, I don’t see a list of the measured ingredients for the cupcakes. I see the ingredients in the photo but somehow my iPhone 8 is not showing the amount of each ingredient. Maybe I’m missing it! The reviews are coming on right after the photo of the completed cupcakes. If you can respond, that would be great!
Hi Terry, It sounds like your iPhone is defaulting to the setting where the comments show up right under the pictures instead of the recipe displaying. At the very top of the page, to the right of the recipe name, you’ll see an icon that looks like a notepad – if you click on that, it will take you directly to the recipe. Hope that clarifies!
Hi Jenn,
This is the best chocolate cupcake and frosting recipe ever. Big hit with my family. In fact, all your recipes so far have been a hit. Whenever I’m looking for something new or a change in recipe, you’re my “go to”! Can this recipe also be used for a chocolate layer cake? Thank you for sharing all these great recipes and ideas. Your explanations are so helpful.
Hi Margie, so glad you enjoyed the cupcakes! If you want to make a layer cake, I’d suggest this recipe instead. Hope you enjoy!
Hi Jenn! Wondering how long to cook for mini cupcakes and also, can I make the batter ahead of time?
Hi Danielle, I’d start checking the minis at about 12 minutes. And, I wouldn’t recommend making the batter ahead of time; it will impact how they rise when you go to bake them. Hope you enjoy!
Can you use guiradelli chocolate melting wafers in place of the chocolate bar?
Yep 🙂
Your blog is wonderful. These chocolate cupcakes were so good! I had frosting left over but next time I think I’ll just pile it all on. The frosting was phenomenal. Followed your excellent directions and had no problems. This was only my 2nd recipe made from your site. The first was Jasmine Rice for which the technique was spot on. Thank you for being such a great resource. There are many food bloggers out there and you stand apart. I’ll definitely be back to try more of your tested recipes.
☺️ So glad they turned out well, Jeanne!
Hi Jenn, I have baked the cupcakes and plan to turn them into owls with Oreos tomorrow for Halloween. I am wondering though if there is a lighter version of the frosting that would work than the one listed here. I’d go without frosting entirely but those Oreos need to stick somehow. Also, can I use maple syrup instead of corn syrup? Many thanks! Your blog is amazing.
Hi Olga, So sorry about the delayed response!! If you choose to do these again, I would just suggest buying some store-bought frosting and just using a dab to stick each Oreo to the cupcakes.
Hi Jenn! Absolutely adore your website 🙂 Thanks for all that you do!
I want to make these into mini-cupcakes for my husband’s birthday this weekend. Any modifications needed other than the cooking time? Also – do you use unsweetened cocoa powder in the icing?
Thank you!
So glad you like the site, Katherine! No changes necessary for mini cupcakes (other than cook time) and yes on the unsweetened cocoa powder. 🙂
could you use Cake Flour for this recipe
Hi Luchetti, for best results, I’d suggest sticking to the all-purpose flour.
Ok, I just bought your cookbook a couple hours ago because I am craving chocolate cake and your recipes are the best! However, I noticed that the frosting requires a food processor, which I do not have and do not want to purchase. Is there another way to make this frosting, such as with a blender or hand mixer? I have an excellent Blendtec blender and my roommate has a Ninja with the cup attachment that might be easier for scooping icing out of…
Unfortunately, you need a food processor for this – it keeps the frosting from separating and getting greasy. Instead, you could try a basic chocolate buttercream. It won’t be as deeply chocolate but it will still be delicious. Here’s a recipe to consider.