This Chocolate Cupcake recipe is my go-to for birthday parties and bake sales, since they are perfectly moist and oh-so chocolatey. Top them with our chocolate frosting, and you have the ultimate chocolate lover’s cupcake!
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Helpful Reader Review
“I made these last weekend for my husband and my wedding anniversary, and oh my goodness, DELICIOUS!!! The cake was so simple and quick to put together, baked beautifully and the icing was delicious and so lovely and thick! Can’t wait to bake it again!!!” – Jazz ★★★★★
Chocolate Cupcake Video Tutorial
This recipe is SO EASY! Simply mix the dry ingredients, then mix the wet ingredients, and whisk them together. They bake up with a beautiful domed top and taste way better than a store-bought box mix.
Best Chocolate Cupcake Recipe
Ever since my daughter was little, we’ve celebrated her birthday with these decadent chocolate cupcakes, so they’ve become a staple on her day. Fast forward to now, and she has begun to make the cupcakes and Chocolate Buttercream herself (and I’m not allowed to help). She loves them so much that we even made Mini Chocolate Cupcakes out of them.
This chocolate cupcake recipe is moist and fluffy at the same time with a tender crumb. Adding coffee is the secret ingredient here, making these intensely chocolatey and giving the cupcakes a deeper color (and yes, you can sub with decaf coffee). You can’t really taste the coffee, and you probably wouldn’t know it’s there if you didn’t read the recipe, but it really makes the chocolate flavor shine.
Ingredients for Homemade Chocolate Cupcakes
After coffee, you’ll notice this recipe for chocolate cupcakes requires all the usual suspects for the perfect chocolately texture and taste.
- All-purpose Flour – Be sure to measure correctly for the best crumb.
- Cocoa powder – Use naturally unsweetened cocoa powder for the best chocolate flavor and light, fluffy texture.
- Sugar, baking soda, and salt – remaining dry ingredients, giving sweetness and rise
- Brewed coffee – warm regular or decaf coffee works perfectly. The acidity of the coffee deepens the chocolate flavor. Swap with room-temperature buttermilk if necessary.
- White distilled vinegar – reacts with the baking soda for a better rise.
- Vegetable oil, egg, and vanilla extract – remaining wet ingredients for moisture, strength, and flavor. P.S. If you are egg-free, try our Eggless Chocolate Cupcakes.
Pro Tip:
I’ve tested chocolate cupcakes with coffee and with buttermilk, and the coffee makes for a better tasting, darker colored, more moist cupcake, but buttermilk works in a pinch. See the difference below.
Pro Tip:
To make a cake instead of cupcakes, double the recipe and cook in two 9″ cake pans. See our Chocolate Cake Recipe for guidance on baking the cake
How to Make Chocolate Cupcakes
This recipe for chocolate cupcakes couldn’t get any easier, but the result tastes like it’s straight from the bakery.
- Quick prep – Preheat the oven with a rack in the center, and line a 12-count cupcake pan with liners (I love parchment paper liners – excellent for being non-stick).
- Mix dry ingredients – In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt, breaking up any big clumps.
- Mix wet ingredients – In a second bowl, whisk together the warm coffee, vinegar, oil, egg, and vanilla.
- Combine cupcake batter – Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients and whisk just until combined. The batter will be a little loose with small lumps. Overmixing can make the cupcake too dense.
- Fill and bake – Fill each cupcake liner 2/3 full and bake at 350˚F for 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (do not overbake or your cupcakes will be dry). Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, and then transfer the cupcakes to a rack to cool before frosting.
Pro Tip: Do not overfill the cupcake tin
Use a trigger-release ice cream scoop for even portioning and fill each cup 2/3. If you overfill, it will flow over, get stuck to the tin, and won’t form that perfect dome top. It’s better to have a little batter left over than to overflow the pan.
The Best Frosting for Chocolate Cupcakes
This moist chocolate cupcake recipe only gets better when topped with my 6-minute Chocolate Buttercream Frosting. If you want something different, try any of these popular frosting recipes:
- Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
- Vanilla Cupcake Frosting
- Cream Cheese Frosting
- Swiss Merignue Buttercream Recipe
- Chocolate Ganache
- White Chocolate Frosting
- Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
- Homemade Whipped Cream
Helpful Reader Review
“Made these, and used coffee in the chocolate buttercream recipe instead of cream for a mocha frosting. They were delicious, my sister loved them.” – K Booth ★★★★★
Make-Ahead and Storage Tips
This chocolate cupcake recipe is perfect for party prep because you can make them ahead of time and they refrigerate really well, maintaining their soft and moist texture.
- Make-Ahead: Make the cupcakes a day ahead, cool, cover, and store on the counter overnight, and then frost before serving, or freeze (see below).
- Store Frosted Leftovers: Pack into an airtight container and store on the counter for a day, then move to the refrigerator for 4-5 days. If you don’t have a cupcake carrier, you can flip a storage container upside down to store cupcakes on the lid, snapping the bottom on top.
- Freezing: Cooled unfrosted cupcakes or Cupcakes frosted with buttercream can be covered and frozen up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight or quick-thaw on the counter for 2 hours.
My Chocolate Cupcake recipe is sure to become a go-to favorite for you! I cranked out 8 batches of cupcakes when I was developing the recipe, and I am confident these are the ultimate chocolate cupcakes. Let us know your favorite way to decorate in the comments!
Easy Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, measured correctly
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup warm coffee, or substitute with room temperature buttermilk*
- 1 Tbsp white distilled vinegar
- 1/3 cup light olive oil, or vegetable oil
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Quick prep – Preheat oven to 350˚F with the rack in the center of the oven. Fill a 12-count muffin tin with cupcake liners.
- Mix dry ingredients – In a large mixing bowl, thoroughly whisk together dry ingredients: flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Break up any larger cocoa clumps with your whisk.
- Mix wet ingredients – In a second mixing bowl, add the wet ingredients: coffee, vinegar, oil, egg, and vanilla, and whisk until well blended.
- Combine batter – Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients and whisk just until the ingredients come together and no dry streaks remain. The batter will be a little loose and lumpy.
- Fill and bake – Use an ice cream scoop to portion batter, filling each cup 2/3 full (do not over-fill). Bake 18-22 min (20 minutes was perfect), until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Don't overbake. Cool 5 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a rack to cool completely to room temperature before frosting.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
Cupcake Recipes to Try Next
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- Vanilla Cupcakes
- Pumpkin Cupcakes
- Dark Chocolate Cupcakes
- Greek Yogurt Cupcakes
- Cherry Stuffed Honey Cupcakes
Thank you, in advance!
Do I have to use a specific kind of coffee for this and your chocolate cake?
Hi Amy, your favorite coffee will work; we used espresso, but instant/ brewed works also. You can’t really taste the coffee in these, and you probably wouldn’t know it’s there if you didn’t read the recipe, but it really makes the chocolate flavor shine.
Do you sift the dry ingredients?
Hi Elizabeth, I will always specify in my recipes if the dry ingredients need to be sifted. I did not sift in this one.
Amazing recipe! I decided to make this for my boyfriend’s birthday, and we both loved it :). Instead of making cupcakes, I baked the batter in an 8-inch round cake pan. This made a delicious one-layer cake. I used the baking instructions from the chocolate cake recipe (350F oven, 35 minutes, center rack). I buttered the pan and lined with parchment as the instructions stated and had no sticking issues, after 15 minutes of cooling in the pan it easily turned out onto a wire cooling rack. I used canola oil and also cut down the sugar from 1 cup to 3/4 cup (just a personal preference) and it was divine. To top it off, I made the 6-minute Chocolate Buttercream recipe but halved it. I followed that recipe to a T with one exception: cut down the powdered sugar to just a 1/2 cup (again, personal preference). Not only is this cake super easy to make, but it rose perfectly, had a deep chocolate flavor, and was super moist. This will for sure be my go-to chocolate cake recipe from now on! The videos accompanying the recipe are a huge bonus too!
I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe, Chloe! Thank you so much for sharing that with me and our readers! BTW, we have a similar cake HERE.
Hi Natasha. I like your smile and your recipes. I tried the chocolate cupcakes and they were amazing however my concern is about the frosting. I did exactly the same but still can feel the sandy texture of the powder sugar. Is that something that we can fix?
Hi Tina, you shouldn’t be able to sense the texture of the powdered sugar. Make sure to use powdered or confectioners sugar and not courser ground sugar. Also, be sure to mix for the recommended time at med/high speed in a stand mixer. If using a hand mixer, you need to mix a little longer. Lastly, make sure to use the same proportions of ingredients in the recipe without modifications. I always recommend that for the first time making a recipe before making changes. I hope that helps.
I’ve been an Avid fan of yours and been following all your Recipes and save them from my FB account. I’m trying to make my own from your recipes.
Also, the way you prepare there’s always some kind of ad-lib, (impromptu). I like that. Thank you Natasha.❤
Hello Oseta, I’m happy to know that you’ve been enjoying my recipes. I hope you’ll love every recipe that you will try!
This looks amazing! If I were to make these into mini cupcakes how long should I bake them? Any other adjustments?
Hi Vera, I would actually have to test that to advise and I haven’t tried that yet. If you do an experiment, please share with us how it goes!
Hi Natasha I am only making 6 cupcakes, but could I still use 1 egg for the recipe?
Hi Amanda, I would use half an egg; otherwise, you will need to adjust the rest of your ingredients. To get half an egg, I usually break it in a small ramekin/ bowl, stir it and put half into the recipe.
Hello Natasha! I really want to make this recipe but I wanna know if I can substitute olive oil for canola oil and is there any substitute for using coffee? Thanks!🙏
That’s not buttermilk because I don’t have that.
HI Ayni, canola oil will work too. Don’t worry, you can’t taste the coffee in the final product, but it really amplifies the flavor of chocolate. Feel free to substitute with decaf coffee if you prefer.
I made this a week ago and it was superb! From the list of the ingredients down the after baking result! and that 6-minute frosting!!! Hmmm nyumnyum! Thanks a lot Natasha for sharing your recipes for free!
You’re very welcome! I’m already happy that you enjoyed it, thanks for sharing!
These look delicious! I was wondering if I could use brown sugar instead of white granulated sugar. Also for the coffee, is it okay if I use espresso coffee?
Hi K, I haven’t tried those substitutions yet to advise. If you do an experiment, please share with us how it goes.
I made these a few weeks ago, using brown sugar and espresso coffee and they turned out delicious!! They were really moist and fluffy. Thank you!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
This recipe looks soooo good! I was wondering if I could halve this recipe to make 6 cupcakes. Will it work that way? Or should I store the remaining batter for a different time? Thank you!
Hi Hable, halving the recipe will work. Simply halve all the ingredients. I recommend clicking “Jump to recipe” at the top of the post, it will take you to our printable recipe where you’ll have the option to change the number of servings. Hover over the number of servings highlighted in red and slide it to how many servings you would like to make. I hope that helps!
Hi! How many tablespoons of coffee did you put? And what is the number of your ice cream scooper?
Thank you!
Hi Jennifer, I used my coffee maker. I would suggest making it according to the package instructions to make a normal strong cup of coffee. Here is the ice cream scoop we used for portioning.
Baked these a few days ago. Love love love love it!!!
So moist n fluffy n the cake itself isn’t very sweet. The frosting takes care of that.
Hello Asha, thanks for your great review and feedback. I’m glad you loved the recipe!
Is there any substitute for eggs??
Hi Rashmi, try our eggless chocolate cupcakes.
Can I use icing sugar for cream frosting?
Hi Tanuja! I haven’t tested that to advise.
thanks for this amazing recipe. I baked this yesterday and the taste was extremely amazing. The cake is not overly sweet like other recipes I have tried.
This is the best chocolate cupcakes I’ve baked. Very moist and fluffy vanilla chocolatey.
I halved the recipe and got about 15 cupcakes.
This should be the only chocolate recipe one should ever have.
Hi Holly, That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
I couldn’t stop eating these…meant to give some away, lol.
Natasha, I love your recipes because you address the questions I would probably have ahead of time, like freezing, substitutions, etc. Please keep the great recipes coming!
Thanks for your great feedback, Lora. I will always do my best!
I messed up the recipe. The cupcakes were lumpy, dry and
Tasted like coffee. I also
Made this with my 5 year old so I am sure it was something we did. We will try again.
Hi Rita, the process is pretty fail-proof, but make sure to measure ingredients correctly. This article on measuring should help. Also, make sure to try the recipe exactly as written before making substitutions or modifications.
Hi I can’t seem to find the two ingredients to make the vanilla please help thanks
Hi Sharon, we have them linked in this recipe HERE.