The Best EASY Chocolate Cupcakes are moist, have a tender crumb, are deeply chocolatey and made without an electric beater. No waiting for butter to soften, no creaming, the batter is simple and quick to make. Excellent emergency cupcakes!
After Vanilla Cupcakes? Here they are!
Chocolate Cupakes
Using the term “BEST” is not something I do lightly.
I do feel a bit uncomfortable saying that these are the BEST Easy Chocolate Cupcakes. But in the cupcake world, I truly do believe these to be the best that can be for a simple no-standmixer, no creaming butter recipe.
I was back and forth about which cupcake recipe to share. I was tempted to go for a “100% perfect” version which requires a stand mixer / electric beater to cream butter. And I wanted to be able to talk to you about how perfect they are.
But you know what? The Perfect version is not the one I make the most. This Easy version is. It’s my “go to”, the one I can make right now, without waiting for butter to soften, without pulling out my hand beater. And the difference between this Easy version and the Perfect version is so insignificant, I don’t care.
And so it was settled. I went for the Easy version. 🙂
These Chocolate Cupcakes are…
Soft and tender, not crumbly. Like Red Velvet Cake – it should be “velvety”;
Moist;
Actually taste of chocolate (unfortunate many lack this!);
Delicate, but still be sturdy enough to support a generous pile of frosting; and
Have a sweet dome, shaped such that it looks nice enough if you just dust with icing sugar / powdered sugar, but flat enough to pipe on tall swirls of frosting.
Being the quick and easy version these are, you’ll notice that the surface of the dome does have some small cracks on it. But for the easy of this recipe, it is a very small price to pay.
Besides, no cupcake ever leaves my kitchen without frosting!!!
Best frosting for Chocolate Cupcakes
Hard to go past chocolate-on-chocolate, but I will put forward some non chocolate options too!
Chocolate Buttercream – I realise how ironic it is that I’d feature these cupcakes with tall swirls of buttercream frosting which calls for both softened butter and and stand mixer! 😂 But hey, frosting is worth the effort. 😇 Pipe on swirls, or spread on with a knife;
Speedy Chocolate Fudge Frosting (pictured below, in recipe card) – made with cocoa powder mixed with melted butter, then thickened with icing sugar/frosting until it’s a spreadable consistency, this frosting is quite rich so I’d recommend just spreading onto the cupcakes rather than piping tall swirls;
Decadent Chocolate Ganache Frosting – made with melted chocolate and cream, this is a deluxe chocolate frosting that I use for my sinfully decadent Chocolate Fudge Cake. Once melted, it’s cooled until it thicken into a spreadable consistency. I don’t recommend piping this on in tall swirls, it would be overly rich I feel!
Vanilla Buttercream – White frosting on chocolate cupcakes looks striking and makes for a lovely flavour combination! Use the recipe in my Vanilla Cake recipe – it will frost 12 cupcakes generously (tall swirls) though if you just want to smear it on then you can halve the batch; and
My Secret Less-Sweet Fluffy Vanilla Frosting – this frosting is magical! It’s like a cross between whipped cream and buttercream. Far less sweet and fluffier than buttercream, and it’s also 100% silky smooth (buttercream will always have a faint grit to it, the icing sugar/powdered sugar never fully dissolves). Dense than whipped cream, and unlike whipped cream, it holds its form for days.
I’ve shared the Chocolate Buttercream Frosting in a separate post because I think it’s worthy of being a separate recipe. 🙂 Also because I’ve done a video for that too – I didn’t want to cram it into the cupcake recipe video.
The weekend is here!! Do I hear chocolate cupcakes calling your name?? I think I do….. 😉 – Nagi xx
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Best Easy Chocolate Cupcakes recipe video!
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Best Easy Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients
Dry:
- 3/4 cup plain/all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup caster sugar (super fine sugar, or sub with normal white sugar)
- 1/2 tsp baking soda / bi carbonate soda (Note 1)
- Pinch of salt
Wet:
- 120g / 8 tbsp unsalted butter , cut into 1" / 2cm pieces (1 US stick / 1/2 cup)
- 60g / 2 oz dark chocolate , preferably 70%+ cocoa, broken into pieces (Note 2)
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder , preferably Dutch processed (Note 3)
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil (or other neutral flavour oil)
- 2 large eggs (55 – 60g / 2 oz each)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 tsp white vinegar
Chocolate Fudge Frosting:
- 120g / 8 tbsp unsalted butter , cut into 1" / 2cm pieces (1 US stick / 1/2 cup)
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder , preferably Dutch processed
- 2 1/2 cups soft icing sugar / powdered sugar (NOT pure icing sugar)
- 3 – 4 tbsp milk (any)
- Sprinkles and other decorations, if desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan). Put oven rack in the middle of the oven.
- Place 12 cupcake liners in a cupcake tin.
- Sift Dry ingredients into a bowl. Whisk briefly.
- Place butter and chocolate in a separate, large heatproof bowl. Microwave for 45 seconds, mix, then microwave for another 30 seconds. Mix until chocolate is melted and smooth (keep microwaving in 20 sec bursts if chocolate not melted).
- Add cocoa powder and mix.
- Add milk and oil, then eggs, vanilla and vinegar. Whisk until smooth.
- Add flour mixture and whisk until lump free.
- Divide mixture between cupcake liners. I use a ice cream scoop for this. They should be just over 3/4 full.
- Bake for 18 – 20 minutes, or until skewer inserted into the cupcake in the middle of the tray comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and immediately transfer to cooling rack (spoon or knife helps).
- Once cool, spread with frosting and decorate with sprinkles if desired. Alternatively, use Chocolate Buttercream Frosting!
Speedy Chocolate Fudge Frosting:
- Melt butter then mix in cocoa powder until smooth.
- Add icing sugar and milk. Mix until smooth. Use milk to adjust consistency if required – it should be a soft spreadable consistency (like peanut butter).
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
LIFE OF DOZER
No chocolate cupcake for Dozer. Bad for you! How about a giant bone instead? (Mind you, it’s a dry aged one from a fancy butcher. Got it for free! 💪🏻)
Hi, Nagi. I have a question. You note that the caster sugar can be subbed out with granulated sugar. I know that you cite the same volume for either one, but there is more sugar content in 3/4 cup of caster sugar than in 3/4 cup of regular sugar. Which one would offer the ideal level of sweetness?
Hi Shalryn! To be honest I have switched between the two and didn’t notice a difference in sweetness. 🙂 But out of habit I use caster sugar because it’s smaller granules and dissolves better!
I do not eat cakes or cupcakes (just no sweet tooth!) But I am drooling and can’t wait to make these!!! Kids are going to be super happy with me, and I am super thrilled they can be frozen, yay!
Can’t deprive your kids!!! 😉
Wow, wow, Nagi, your Dear Dozer model is picture perfect!! Love IT! Ok, YOU can have My muffin. PS We Are freezing tommorow WORST. Be Happy and keep warm.
Ha! Dozer is NEVEr picture perfect! 😉
Hello Nagi,
Glad to see someone else not using a stand mixer……. truth is I don’t have one and to be honest with you have never missed one. It is not that I don’t have electricity up here on my mountain in Spain, it is truly that I have never really felt the need to spend money on electrical appliances in general.
Stiff egg whites take a little longer, and my right biceps is possibly getting bigger than my left, but only the local high-flying eagles are likely to notice!
I hear you Lincoln! I have a stand mixer but I actually make more things without it than with. Good work out for you!!! 😉
Dozer – Dry? Aged? From an specialist butcher? I just had one lamb one similar! Why on earth are you posting: that is ‘secret’ stuff! And isn’t it fun when they do not charge you for it! Well, cupcakes, perchance we both shall talk about ‘that one’ next we talk . . .
I love a bargain. Free is the BEST!!!
Just reading the recipe and seeing the photos is enough to make me drool! :You put so much effort into simplifying and explaining your recipes, which is greatly appreciated – no ambiguous instructions .
Thank you for the compliment Vadne! I’m pleased you find my recipes easy to use 🙂 N xx
Nagi I love that you put so much effort into posting what you think are the best recipes, I can always cook your recipes without fear of them flopping (i.e your hot cross buns recipe was amazing!). I am excited to try these next. They look so damn chocolatey!!
Aww thank you Ruby! I just get more nervous with baking recipes so I’m extra cautious because I find that baking recipes are a bit more temperamental! And being based in Aus, we et “burned” more often by American based recipes 🙂 N xx
Nagi. This is why we love you. You’re honest. You’re real. As I sit in carline waiting for my children to dismiss school, I read your post. We’re out of town the weekend, but when we return. Oh when we return! Cupcakes on a Monday? Why yes!
Aww thanks JL! You made my day with this message 🙂 Cupcakes on Monday! Start the week off right! ❤️
Dozer! Move over…..
You should have seen the drool…. DISGUSTING!!
No words…And I am NEVER speechless! My hubby is traveling this weekend, so I think I will make myself some cupcakes, by the time he returns, the evidence will be gone 🙂
BA HA HA!!!! I love that! PS If you save him ONE, they freeze really well…. ❤️
Hi Nagi. Chocolate topped with chocolate; I’m in. I always use Dutch processed cocoa powder, it gives baked goods such a deep chocolate flavor. I usually make buttercream frosting, but I like the simplicity of your chocolate fudge frosting so I’m going for that, I give this two thumbs up and a big smile.
It’s a super easy one 🙂 No denying that I love buttercream more, but the fudge frosting is just so super quick!