Easy Chocolate Cupcakes
- PREP 10min
- COOK 20min
- TOTAL 30min
These chocolate cupcakes are so easy to make! They are super rich and taste so chocolaty! As written the cupcake batter is naturally vegan (dairy and egg free!), which was not intentional, but I promise these really are amazing cupcakes! My buttercream is not vegan; however, I’ve included tips for making it vegan if you need to.
You Will Need
Chocolate Cupcakes
1 ½ cups (195g) all-purpose flour
3/4 cup (75g) unsweetened cocoa or cacao powder, sifted if needed
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
3/4 cup (150g) brown sugar
1/2 cup (120ml) neutral oil or light and fruity olive oil
2 tablespoons (30ml) apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups (355ml) hot coffee, can substitute hot water
Simple Vanilla Buttercream
1 cup (230g) unsalted butter or vegan butter sticks, softened to room temperature
4 cups (480g) confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar)
2 to 4 tablespoons (30 to 60ml) heavy cream, milk or non-dairy milk at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
Directions
Chocolate Cupcakes
Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners. (This recipe makes 16 cupcakes, so you can line 4 more cups in a second pan if your oven will fit both or bake the remaining 4 cupcakes after the first batch is done).
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt until well blended. If your cocoa powder is lumpy, sift these ingredients instead.
In another medium bowl, whisk the sugars with the oil, vinegar and vanilla extract.
Switch to a large rubber spatula. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl then add the dry ingredients in two parts, gently stirring until they disappear. The batter will be very thick — that’s okay.
Pour in the hot coffee (or water) and stir until blended and the batter is mostly smooth.
Pour or spoon the batter into the liners, filling about 3/4 of the way to the top. Gently tap the pan on the work surface a few times to remove any large air bubbles from the batter, and then bake until the tops of the cupcakes are springy when touched and when a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.
Cool cupcakes in the pan then top with frosting.
Vanilla Buttercream
This recipe makes enough frosting to generously frost the cupcakes. We typically have frosting leftover since we prefer our cupcakes with a bit less frosting on top. If you are swirling the frosting on using a piping tip, this recipe should be plenty.
Add butter (or vegan butter sticks) to a bowl and beat until light and fluffy using a handheld mixer (or use a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment).
If the powdered sugar is lumpy, sift it.
Add the vanilla, salt and sugar until well incorporated and the frosting is fluffy. If it seem too thick, thin it out with a splash of cream, milk or non-dairy milk. If it is too thin, add 1/4 to 1/2 cup more powdered sugar.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Storing unfrosted cupcakes: Keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. Freeze unfrosted cupcakes in an airtight container for up to two months. Bring them to room temperature before frosting (about 2 hours).
- Storing frosted cupcakes: Keep them in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days. Freeze frosted cupcakes for up to two months. To do this, partially freeze them by placing them on a baking sheet and leaving them uncovered in the freezer until the frosting has hardened (30 minutes to an hour). Then, transfer the cupcakes to an airtight container, being careful to leave some space between each cupcake. Bring them to room temperature before serving (about 2 hours).
- Leftover buttercream: Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator or freeze for up to two months. Allow it to warm up slightly before frosting cake or cupcakes.
- Vegan chocolate cupcakes: This cupcake batter is naturally vegan. However, make sure that the sugar you use is labeled vegan. To make the buttercream vegan-friendly, substitute the butter for vegan butter sticks and use non-dairy milk for the cream.
- Mini chocolate cupcakes: This recipe will make about 3 dozen mini cupcakes. Bake them for 10 to 12 minutes in a 350°F (177°C) oven.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.