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These Eggless Chocolate Cupcakes are moist, decadent, ultra-flavorful and easy. I baked a batch for a family dinner this past Sunday and they were a big hit with my sisters and all the kiddos. I recreated them today with some chocolate decorating ideas to impress your sweetheart :).
The frosting recipe makes enough to cover 24 cupcakes or 1 cake. It’s a good idea to go ahead and double the cupcakes recipe and just make 24 (you won’t regret making extra).
Since these are egg-free chocolate cupcakes, they also happen to be vegan. You won’t miss the eggs!
The cupcakes were adapted from Simply Recipes. The frosting is from the prague chocolate cake.
Ingredients for Eggless Chocolate Cupcakes:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour *measured correctly
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup warm coffee (freshly brewed, instant coffee in 1 cup water or 3 espresso shots in enough water to equal 1 cup)
1 Tbsp white vinegar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup olive oil (not extra virgin
Prague Chocolate frosting (frosts 24 Chocolate Cupcakes or 1 cake):
2 sticks of Butter or 1 cup (must be at room temperature)
1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
3 Egg yolks
¼ cup Water
1/3 cup chocolate chips
Making the Chocolate Cupcakes:
1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners. Brew your coffee.
2. In a large bowl whisk together 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/4 cup cocoa powder, 1 cup sugar, 1 tsp baking soda and 1/2 tsp salt until there are no more cocoa lumps (a few tiny lumps are ok; it also helps to sift the cocoa before using it).
3. In a separate bowl, mix together 1 cup coffee, 1 Tbsp vinegar, 2 tsp vanilla extract and 1/3 cup olive oil
4. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until they come together. Your batter will still be lumpy.
5. Use an ice cream scoop to pour batter into your lined cupcake pan; They should be about 2/3 full. Bake 18-20 minutes on the center rack or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in the pan 5 minutes and remove to cool on a rack. You can even sprinkle these with powdered sugar once they cool or use the decadent Prague frosting (my favorite).
Making the Chocolate Prague Frosting:
1. In a small sauce pan, whisk together 3 reserved egg yolks, ¼ cup water, and 1/3 cup condensed milk.
2. Start heating the pan over low heat and gradually increase the heat until it’s just letting off steam but not boiling. Whisk constantly until your mixture is the consistency of raw condensed milk. Remove the mixture form heat and immediately stir in 2oz chocolate, whisking until smooth. Let your mixture cool off to room temperature (I transferred it to another bowl to cool faster).
3. In a separate bowl, using electric hand mixer, beat butter on high speed for 5 minutes. Once chocolate is cooled to room temp, add it to the butter and beat together for an extra 3 minutes.
4. Pipe the frosting onto your cupcakes with whatever frosting tip your heart desires. I used a large star tip working in a circular motion; starting at the center and staying close to the cupcake.
Decorating the top with Chocolate: Click here for the updated tutorial .
If using decorative chocolate, refrigerate cupcakes until ready to serve or this frosting gets a little soft to hold chocolate upright.
Eggless Chocolate Cupcakes with Prague Frosting
Ingredients
Ingredients for 12 cupcakes:
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup warm coffee
- 1 Tbsp white distilled vinegar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup olive oil, not extra virgin
Prague Chocolate frosting (frosts 24 cupcakes or 1 cake):
- 2 sticks of Butter or 1 cup, must be at room temperature
- 1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
- 3 Egg yolks
- ¼ cup Water
- 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners. Brew your coffee.
- In a large bowl whisk together 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/4 cup cocoa powder, 1 cup sugar, 1 tsp baking soda and 1/2 tsp salt.
- In a separate bowl, mix together 1 cup coffee, 1 Tbsp vinegar, 2 tsp vanilla extract and 1/3 cup olive oil.
- Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until they come together.
- Use an ice cream scoop to pour batter into your lined cupcake pan; They should be about 2/3 full. Bake 18-20 minutes on the center rack or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in the pan 5 minutes and remove to cool on a rack.
Making the Chocolate Prague Frosting:
- In a small sauce pan, whisk together 3 reserved egg yolks, ¼ cup water, and 1/3 cup condensed milk.
- Start heating the pan over low heat and gradually increase the heat until it’s just letting off steam but not boiling. Whisk constantly until your mixture is the consistency of raw condensed milk. Remove the mixture form heat and immediately stir in 2 oz chocolate, whisking until smooth. Let your mixture cool off to room temperature.
- In a separate bowl, beat butter on high speed for 5 minutes. Once chocolate is cooled to room temp, add it to the butter and beat together for an extra 3 minutes.
- Pipe the frosting onto your cupcakes with whatever frosting tip your heart desires.
hey for the icing is it a very stiff icing im asking that will it be able to hold a small macaron on top and it wont sink
It’s not very stiff but it still might work for macarons since those are pretty delicate; I don’t think they would get smushed.
ahhhhhh just made these sweetiess!!! soo amazing! Probably the best tasting cupcakes I’ve ever made!! thanks to you natasha :)) Can’t wait to bring them over to my friends going away party! 🙂 At first I thought I’d regret test tasting one at 1 am after making them, but not at all. It was so worth it! lol:)
Ha ha! I’m glad you enjoyed your little splurge and so happy you loved the recipe! 🙂
Hi Natasha. Never thought you can have Prague frosting on these chocolate cupcakes, and they look so gorgeous! They will be perfect for birthday parties with young teens.
Oh yes, I was happy to discover it too. It tastes amazing on cupcakes!
Hi Natasha! Love these cupcakes. I experimented a bit and still got moist almost chewy cupcakes. Here’s the recipe:
In a large bowl, whisk:
1 1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. instant coffee
1 tsp. vanilla powder (that’s what we have in Ukraine)
Add:
1 1/4 cup kefir
1/3 cup homemade applesauce
Mix until just combined (do not over beat).
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until done. They’re wonderful, moist and chewy and oh, I love to frost it with your Prague Frosting! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Thank you so much for sharing your version. You are awesome!! 🙂 I’m glad you like the prague frosting. Isn’t it amazing?
I can’t think of having these chocolate cupcakes without your Prague frosting! Loveeeee it! 😀 Thanks again!
First of all I am thrilled to find that your name is Natasha because its such an uncommon name. My full name is Natasha but I put Tasha to avoid confusion. I’m a teen without a driver’s license so I walked to the grocery store to buy everything to make your chocolate and vanilla cupcakes and I realized I was out of olive oil. Will canola oil work or will the cake not taste as good?
You can use canola oil 🙂
I ended up borrowing olive oil from a neighbor because it’s my first time with the recipe. So of course I had to give him some cupcakes especially because it’s fathers day and he’s my best friends grandpa. The only thing is on his I put on some store bought frosting. He loved them! I made the frosting but it was really runny and not sweet or very yummy. What did I do wrong?
Did you use cold HEAVY whipping cream? It doesn’t beat a well if you use plain heavy cream.
These look amazing, I am actully going to make the frosting for my gluten free choc. cupcakes. Could I refridgerate the frosting over night?
This frosting works best when it’s put on the cupcake and then refrigerated since it firms up in the fridge, but it still works the next day; you’ll just have to leave it at room temp until it’s spreadable.
Made them yesterday. One word – DELICIOUS!
Thank you so much for this site!
Oh you are very welcome 🙂 I’m so happy you liked the cupcakes!!
hi Natasha! your cupcakes were delicious. I am planning to make them for a camp. do u think its safe to freeze them with icing on them
I’ve never eaten a frozen cupcake before. Hmmm.. I don’t know. I just don’t know…. You can freeze the cupcake itself, but it won’t taste as great as a fresh one. They do hold really well in a cooler; as long as you keep them cold, they will stay good for several days.
thank u so much. what fravor did u used? And how much ground coffee use to make coffee? Like…1tbsp ground coffee to make 1cup water…???
I’m not sure what you mean by the first question; which flavor of what? Make your coffee according to the package instructions if it’s instant coffee. Otherwise, yes, 1 Tbsp for 1 cup water if you are using ground coffee in a coffee maker.
haha I’m sorry. what kind of coffee flavor did you used?
If I’m lazy I use instant coffee by Folgers. Otherwise I buy espresso roast beans from Dawson Taylor. It really doesn’t make a difference which flavor. I have even made these with water for a kids bday party and they were still great!
thank you so much. I made vanilla cup cake for my hubby’s birthday party and they love it so much. so moist and even my kids love it too. so I am going to make that vanolla cup cake and this chocolate cup cakes too.
You’ll love the chocolate ones just as much!
Hi. natasha can I use any coffee? Do I have to use Folger brand? What kind fravor do u used? I have walmart brand classic roast ground coffee and can I use that and It will be tast diffrents cup cakes??
You can use any kind of coffee, I used Folgers instant coffee last time :).
Hi, Natasha Im Recently New To Your Blog I Tried The Vanilla Cupcakes And They Had A Great Flavor. I Want To Try This Chocolate Cupcake Recipe Next ( It Sounds Delicious ) And I Was Wonderig If I Could Take Out The Vinegar ? In Fact, What Is It Used For ?
It activates the baking soda so I think you really do need it, but to be honest I havent tested it without because these are so so good that I haven’t wanted to stray from the recipe 🙂
Hi Natasha! Can these cupcakes be kept for a day or two? I’m from Malaysia which it’s a tropica country.
Are you referring to keeping them in the fridge or at room temperature?
Does the frosting do well in a warm environment(not refrigerated)?
I’m making these tomorrow for a party and hope you could answer quick…..
How warm and for how long?
I am just planning to frost them about 4-5 hours before we eat them… Then keep them out and not refrigerated
Would it be better to use the frosting that you have for the vanilla cupcakes? I have some standing in the fridge… Is it gonna do better in a warmish environment?(I don’t think warmish is a word…)
These will be good for a few hours at room temperature, but you might try the vanilla recipe if it’s going to be warmer than room temp for longer than an hour or two. The vanilla frosting pairs really well with the chocolate cupcakes. I make it all the time if I ‘m feeling lazy (it happens often). I don’t think warmish is a word either, but I like it. 😉
They will still be ok at room temp, but if you put a chocolate design on top, it might fall over if the frosting gets too soft.
Hi.. can i use vegetable oil instead of olive oil?
Yes you can Monique :).
Hi Natasha,
I made these cupcakes this weekend and they were amazing. Even the adults loved them. I made a double batch and next time I will probably quadruple it. I did have some trouble with the frosting. It wasn’t firm enough to pipe. Maybe my egg yolk mixture was still a little too warm or I didn’t cook it long enough. I added about a cup of powdered sugar and whipped it some more. It turned out perfectly and I think I prefer the frosting a little sweeter.
I’m glad it all worked out well 🙂 It might have been because the mixture was too warm.
Hello natasha, just wondering if this recipe can be modified into a red velvet cake?
I bet you could, but I haven’t tested it.
Would you by any chance have a lava cake recipe? I have looked online but they are all different.
Lava cake;… describe it please.
Is the vinegar really important? I seem to not have vinegar at my house, but I really want to try these. Is there a good substitution?
The vinegar activates the baking soda; I haven’t really tested it with anything else.
Wow I must say I was wary when I saw the recipe without any dairy products or eggs. Then I went through all the reviews & all were positive. So I decided to try it out & wow I was blown to chocolate heaven. I halved the recipe because I was just experimenting & now I regret that beacuse it was so yummy, wanted more. I am definitely keeping this recipe. I am also baking another batch tomorrow and will definitely double the recipe, lol. I made a chocolate ganache and dipped the cupcakes in. It was simply divine. Well done natasha.
Thank you Ayodele 🙂 What a sweet review!! Chocolate ganache on top does sound like chocolate heaven! 🙂
Another option instead of vinegar is using sour cream or buttermilk. There just has to be some sort of acidic ingredient to activate the baking soda 🙂 hope this helps.