Chocolate Cupcakes
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
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.
See more recipes:
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
OMG! These cupcakes are incredibly light and chocolatey! The frosting was to die for. We had extra frosting and then it somehow magically disappeared! 😉 We made plates of them and brought them to our neighbors. A big hit all around!!
Hi, Our cupcakes were very dense, like fudge, and rose up in the middle on the bottom. Can you think of something that we did wrong?
Hi Liz, Did you make any adjustments to the recipe, or did you by chance omit the boiling water?
Hi Jenn, I think maybe it was due to using insulated cupcake pans. We’ll try it again with a normal pan.
Thanks
Liz
👍
Update: It was not due to the insulated cupcake pans. My mom remembered later that she substituted self rising flour and adjusted the baking powder somehow. I guess it had too much rising agents in the end. The second batch had regular flour but substituted buttermilk because we didn’t have sour cream and it worked well in both an insulated cupcake pan and in a non-insulated mini cupcake pan. Thanks for another great recipe!
Would it be okay to use dark corn syrup instead of light corn syrup? That’s all I have! (I had light corn syrup that expired in 2018!)
I don’t recommend it, Susie – I’m sorry!
Hi Jenn. I don’t have corn syrup on hand for the frosting. Could I substitute honey for the corn syrup? Thanks…
I don’t recommend it, Ramona — sorry!
Such amazing cupcakes! I did 1/2 c. boiling water with 1/4 c. leftover coffee. Delectable.
These cupcakes are the best ! We absolutely loved them. May have to half the recipe next time since it’s only my husband and myself. I did freeze the extras and halved the frosting. These were just perfect. Thank you Jenn
I don’t have a stand mixer, just a regular hand mixer. What changes would I have to make as far as timing etc.?Love all your recipes and cook book.
So glad you like the recipes, Cathy! You can use a hand mixer here; you’ll just need to increase the speed a little. Hope you enjoy!
Okay, now I am so confused. The recipe changed on the website! Is there a recipe for chocolate cupcakes with creamy chocolate frosting? That is what the address bar says, but not the name of the recipe. I made something with unsweetened chocolate bars, espresso powder, white and brown sugar, and buttermilk along with some of the other ingredients. Where did that recipe go???
So sorry, Andrea! I updated this recipe today to make it easier – here is the original. So sorry for the confusion!
Delightful! If you love chocolate you will adore these cupcakes. I’ve made these a couple times and the recipe works out well. The frosting has rich, deep chocolate flavor and the texture is so smooth.
Love your recipes! Can I sub in honey for the corn syrup?
So glad you like the recipes, Mei! Unfortunately, you really need the corn syrup for the frosting – honey won’t work as a substitute – sorry!
I just needed a frosting recipe and this one is a WINNER! I substituted Lyle’s Golden Syrup for the corn syrup. The frosting was delicious and spread well on the cake. Thank you!