This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This Best Chocolate Cupcakes recipe makes decadent, moist, rich and delicious cupcakes! These chocolate cupcakes, from my Best Chocolate Cake Ever, are so quick and easy to make and always favorites!
Chocolate cupcakes. Not just any cupcakes…but the best chocolate cupcakes. Like my chocolate cake, they are the most moist, rich, and delicious chocolate cupcakes I’ve ever tasted. They practically melt in your mouth. They are the perfect chocolate lover’s cupcake!
The Best Chocolate Cupcakes
How to Make the Best Chocolate Cupcakes
Not only does this recipe make the best chocolate cupcakes in my book, they are also so quick and easy.
Ingredients for Moist Chocolate Cupcakes
- all-purpose flour
- sugar
- unsweetened cocoa powder
- baking powder
- baking soda
- salt
- espresso powder – Optional, but I highly recommend adding espresso powder to your chocolate recipes.
- milk – you can also use buttermilk, almond milk, oat milk, or coconut milk
- oil – you can use vegetable, canola or melted coconut oil
- eggs – when baking, I like to use room temperature eggs
- vanilla extract
- boiling water
There are a couple of ingredients that make my cake – and these cupcakes – different and the best I’ve ever had. One of these is the boiling water. It’s so important to my recipe, so please don’t skip it even though you may think it sounds strange. It will make the cake batter thinner compared to most other batters, but it results in a very tender and moist cupcake.
This cupcake recipe is so simple. The batter can easily be mixed in a single bowl without using a mixer.
How Many Cupcakes Does this Recipe Make?
This recipe is sized to make exactly a dozen cupcakes. You can easily multiply the recipe to increase it when you are baking for a party or a larger crowd.
Chocolate Cupcake Modifications
Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes:
Substitute with your favorite gluten-free flour that you use for baking.
Dairy-Free Chocolate Cupcakes:
Substitute with your favorite dairy-free milk such as almond, coconut, rice, oat, or soy milk.
Egg-Free Chocolate Cupcakes:
To make the cake an egg-free chocolate cake recipe, use ⅓ cup of unsweetened applesauce in place of the large egg in the recipe. You will note that you may have to bake the cake just a few minutes more. Be sure to check with the skewer for doneness.
I’ve also used Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer as well as a flax egg with great success.
To Use Butter and Other Oils:
I have tested the chocolate cake and cupcakes recipes with additional oils, as well as butter. I’ve tested using an equal amount of melted coconut oil to the vegetable oil called for in the recipe. I’ve also tested using the same volume of melted butter in place of the oils in the chocolate cake. While it does make the texture slightly different, it is still delicious and worth trying if you’d prefer to use butter in place of oils in your chocolate cake.
Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes
Use the dairy-free and egg-free recommendations above.
Chocolate Cupcake Frosting
You have several delicious options when it comes to frosting for these cupcakes. You’ll notice that I’ve photographed them with my Vanilla Buttercream Frosting. The combination of the rich chocolate with the creamy vanilla is absolutely amazing.
But you know, it is also incredible with the frosting options as well.
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
For each of these frosting options, you’ll need ½ of the full recipe for a dozen cupcakes.
To decorate the cupcakes, you have a few options as well. You can swirl the frosting on top of the cupcake with a spoon or spatula, place the frosting into a zip top bag and snip the corner to use as a quick frosting bag, or use a frosting bag fitted with a 1M tip (or open star).
How to Make Ahead and Store the Homemade Cupcakes:
Both the cupcakes and the frostings can be made ahead. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely, place them into an appropriate sized freezer-safe, airtight container. Freeze the cake layers for up to one month.
To frost the cupcakes, simply remove from the freezer and allow to thaw in the refrigerator. Then, frost once they have completely thawed.
Store the cake at room temperature on the counter. I like to store under a cake dome or in a cupcake carrier to keep fresh. I do not recommend storing in the refrigerator unless you use a frosting that requires refrigeration, such as the cream cheese frosting.
Here’s my best chocolate cupcakes recipe with vanilla buttercream frosting. I hope you love them as much as we do!
Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder homemade or store-bought
- 1/2 cup milk buttermilk, oat milk, or other favorite plant-based milk
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil canola oil or melted coconut oil
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup boiling water
- Vanilla Buttercream Frosting half of full recipe
Instructions
- Prep. Preheat oven to 325º F. Place cupcake liners in muffin pan. Spray lightly with cooking spray.
- Whisk dry ingredients. Add flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt and espresso powder to a large bowl. Whisk to combine.
- Add wet ingredients. Add milk, vegetable oil, egg, and vanilla extract to the flour mixture and mix until well combined. Carefully add boiling water to the cupcake batter. Mix until well combined and the batter smooth. Note that the batter will be very thin.
- Bake. Evenly distribute the cupcake batter. Each cupcake liner should be about ½ full. Place in the oven and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. You can follow my tips for how to tell when your cake is done. Remove from the oven and allow the cupcakes to cool completely.
- Frost and serve. While the cupcakes are cooling, prepare the frosting according the recipe instructions. Note that you'll need ½ of the frosting recipe for a dozen cupcakes. Frost the cupcakes and serve.
Notes
Nutritional Information
Enjoy!
Robyn xoxo
I recognized the ziploc swirl right away! I do that all.the.time. You truly are a girl after my own heart, Robyn!
Sooo, would you say that these little babies would be good for filling with some sort of whipped cream or filling? Or would the cake part not hold up very well with it? Maybe that would be overly sweet?
You could certainly fill them with a bit of a light cream. They cupcake itself isn’t overly sweet and gets a lot of it’s sweetness from the frosting. So, as long as it was something light and not a ton of it, I bet it would do great.
And yes, those zip top bag swirls are a consistent look around here! 🙂
these look amazing– can’t wait to try these, especially the frosting!
You are killing me!! I want one! Or three!!
THIS is what I will do for my family for Valentine’s!♥ Thank you!!!..and an early Happy Valentine’s Day to you!!
I made these and they were a HUGE hit with my husband, youngest daughter and her boyfrind, 2 lucky coworkers and 2 close friends! 12 is perfect, no leftovers to be tempted. I took pictures and posted on Instagram ~ I tagged you! (hope you saw it)
Oh, these look FABULOUS!!!
That looks incredibly delicious. Such an apt dessert for Valentine’s day. Cupcakes look super moist.
These need to make an appearance in my kitchen soon!
Thinking I could make these now and still have one before bedtime, yum!
This recipe is so similar to the one I always make and yes, I can attest to the fact that it’s the BESTEST one ever! Not I want some cake…
I made these tonight, they were wonderful! I didn’t have expresso powder, so I used a PINCH of french roast instant coffe that I powdered. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. It was the perfect portion for us. Only problem is I can’t stop eating them. 🙂
I’m so glad you love them, Diana!
These look DIVINE! However, no one in my family likes the taste of coffee, esp in recipes, and we are all very sensitive to it. Would these be fine without the espresso powder? Might have to make them soon……Everything else is stuff I have on hand. My other question is about the cocoa. I only have dark chocolate cocoa on hand. I’m guessing I would need to add more sugar to compensate for the extra bitterness of the dark cocoa vs regular cocoa powder? About how much more do you think I would need?
I just made 12 yummy cupcakes today and my hubby loved it 🙂 I used Nescafe instead of espresso and finished with a sour cream frosting but it came out really good.. Thanks for sharing the recipe Robyn…It’s so easy and simple 🙂
Thanks for this recipe there was so easy to make and yummy
I have already tried your chocolate cake for my dad’s birthday and it was a HUGE success, my mom who rarely eats dessert because of her constant dieting fell in love with this recipe! I plan to make it again this Friday for a bake sale to help feed the hungry at my school but I wanted to do it in cupcake form… to make the chocolate frosting instead of the vanilla, should I just split the recipe in half from the original cake, or is there a way to convert the amount of chocolate frosting from the cake to just enough for these yummy looking cupcakes?
Thanks!
Hi Cecillia,
I’m so glad your family loved the cake and frosting! I’ve not used the frosting on the cupcakes yet, but did just reduce it for my chocolate mint brownies (https://addapinch.com/cooking/2013/03/03/chocolate-mint-brownies-recipe/) and it worked perfectly. If you are only looking for a light frosting on the cupcakes, I’d go with that portion. If you need more than that, then I’d double the one used on the brownies. Good luck and do let me know how the cupcakes go over at the bake sale!
These look fabulous! However, I’m making them for 24 kindergartners so I’m pretty sure I don’t want to use the espresso powder. Do you think they will still have the same’ish flavor???
I taste tested your Best Chocolate Cake Ever for my son’s first birthday and LOVED it. I also wanted to make cupcakes so I am definitely going to use this recipe. I wanted to use your Vanilla Buttercream frosting recipe for the cake because I wanted to add color to it. Should i just add food coloring to your vanilla Buttercream recipe? or will it ruin it? I am also planning on piping the colored frosting on the cake to make it look like a furry monster. Will this frosting hold up? Thanks for the advice!
Would love to try this recipe. Could you please tell me what half and half is. I live in Ireland and i think
we call it something else.
Thanking you in anticipation.
Michelle
Hi Michelle,
This is a good reference for half-and-half. http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/glossary/g/Half-And-Half.htm
Sunny greetings from Sri Lanka! Baked this last week and everyone loved them! my husband said they may be the best cupcakes he has ever had! 🙂 thanks for the recipe… it’s his birthday next week so im going to try your chocolate cake recipe! Keep em’ coming
I made the cupcakes for my grandsons and their mom and dad last week – they were gone the next day! Will try the cake for Easter dinner dessert. Thanks for the yummy ideas
Hi! How would I bake these as mini cupcakes? What temp & how long?
Jasmine, you will need to lower the baking temperature to 325º F for the mini cupcakes. It will just take about 10-15 minutes for them to bake so I would start checking them at about 8 minutes. Enjoy!
At first I was scared they werent going to come out well because the batter was very thin and they took a while to bake but they were divine! When they came out of the oven I poked holes in them with a toothpick and brushed vodka and kahlua on them liberally. I used the frosting recipe from ree drummond’s (the pioneer woman from food network) from her red velvet recipe and added kahlua to that instead of vanilla. I call these chocolate white Russian cupcakes. Thanks Robyn….I will definitely be making these again and again and again!!!!!!
Yum! Now that sounds like a cool variation on this recipe! Thanks so much for sharing it, Tracy!
I changed the recipe slightly (adding a Cadbury egg) and I thought I had died and gone to heaven. I am not a coffee fan, but that 1/2 tsp of espresso….DOES it. Best chocolate cupcake I’ve ever had!
Your choc cupcake recipe is definitely a keeper. My rather finicky son took a bite and immediately gave his approval. “very moist”. The only thing i didnt do is make the vanilla buttercream as i wanted to use a choc-coconut frosting 🙂 Even with the frosting on, the wonderfully rich cupcakes were not too sweet.
Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Thank you for the recipe, it will definitely be one of this households favourites!
My finacè said they reminded him of his favourite cake when he grew up, called “crazy cake” that his grandmother made 30 ++ years ago. Flashback from the past – from a little cupcake 🙂 He has already made his birthday cake-order: 12 of these litlle babies – all to himself …
Baked these for a friend’s bday, they were a big hit- moist and delicious! Thanks for the recipe, first time I’ve ever had a cupcake recipe deliver the exact number expected, and icing ratio work out perfectly with very little go to waste!
It is almost final exam here for me as a grad student. So, I do need something sweet. This is absolutely delicious and a perfect chocolate cupcake I have ever made. Amazing recipe…
Thanks for sharing this to us…
Supat
BEST. EVER. I never need more than 12 cupcakes. I had a hard time finding the espresso powder and had to do a Google search in the coffee aisle at Kroger. Mine needed much longer in the oven as well, I think almost 22 minutes. Everyone loved these and they didn’t taste like coffee, just strong chocolate and delicious frosting. Making them again this weekend, thank you so much!
This is the most delicious recipe! I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! Thank you so much for posting it!
The only modification needed was the cooking time. Mine required 19 minutes in the oven…but they were to die for!!!
Just pulled these out of the oven and they look and smell fantastic. Mine took about 19 minutes as well. My 12 year old is having 6 friends over for a sleepover tomorrow night and these are part of the menu. Will they see midnight? (The cupcakes, not the girls!) I don’t believe they will.
I made these today in my oven on “luft” and they took about 14 minutes. I got a sugar rush from the buttercream while trying to frost them. Then I just had to taste one and it was so delicious! I really love this recipe and hope the 11 year old birthday boy will love them too.
Thank you very much for the recipe.
Joy
Is there a substitute for the confectioners sugar and the coffee all i have is instant.Thanks!
i was going to double the recipe and just add 1/2 teaspoon of instant coffee roast. Is this okay since you would then need 1 teaspoon of expresso powder.
Hi,
Your site is amazing. I tried those cupcakes and they turned out so delicious!!! it was a great success!!!
I wonder if u can share an amazing recipe of unforgettable vanilla cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream.
I would really appreciate it!
Best Wishes 🙂
Danielle
Hi! Is it possible to make this cake as a base for Chocolate Crumb Cake?
Thanks much!
LC
It’s sooo yummy! all moist and fluffy! this were my first cupcakes from scratch and I’m not gonna lie, I was nervous because the batter seem too liquid and started to asking myself if I had done things right but they came out perfect at the end :D. Thanks for the recipe and sorry for my english.
Greetings from México 🙂
Amazing!! They are light and very fluffy, with an irresistible glaze. I thought I would make the frosting as well, since plain chocolate cupcakes are obviously boring, but I could eat them minus any accolades. The frosting is waiting patiently but I don’t know if I will be! Thanks for the great recipe!
Just made these and I’m usually known for my dry cakes >_< BUT these were super moist! They are delicious. I estimated the buttercream so it ended up very vannila-y but that's fine with me!
Thanks so much!
Mojo x,
I just pulled the cupcakes out of the oven and they look delightful! They took about 18 min for my oven and puffed up very nicely 🙂 I am making them for my brother in law’s birthday tomorrow. I plan on filling them with a sweetened whipped cream filling and since I’m not a huge buttercream fan, I’m topping them with “Sturdy Whipped Cream Frosting” (http://allrecipes.com/recipe/sturdy-whipped-cream-frosting/). I’ll update you and let you know how they turn out! Thanks for the recipe!
This was delicious! The cake is moist and rich, but not too sweet. I actually tried it with cream cheese frosting and it’s a tasty combination. ! I was originally worried that the mixture was too runny when I put it in the oven but it turned out perfectly. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
These are really quite scrumptious. Thanks! I used heavy cream instead of milk because all I had was that or skim, and I didn’t put in any espresso either. Buttercream frosting hasn’t ever been my favorite either, so I’m going to do a chocolate cream cheese one instead. Thanks for sharing the cake love!
Hey Robyn! I love this recipe, but I don’t have everything for it because I moved out of the country! And I’m dieing to make these Chocolate Cupcake With Vanilla Buttercream Frosting so bad! And i need your help so so much! Can you please give me some easy substitutes for these things that i dont have? These are the things that I don’t have for the recipe :
1. Baking Soda
2. Espresso Powder
3. Half-And-Half
Thank Yiu so much!! And p,ease give me some great and easy substitutes for these things!
Wow …. That is a d@#^ good cupcake! Super easy and super yummy.
Wow. Super delicious, excellent crumb, very easy. I love that that cake part is not too sweet. Perfect with the buttercream. I quadrupled the recipe and took them to a bridal shower. Turned out great. Everyone loved them! Thanks.
I have this in the oven right now & can’t wait to taste them! 🙂
Question: While I was waiting for my water to boil, I started licking the batter. It tastes like a very thick, rich brownie. If I’m PMSing, can I just skip the water step & make brownies out of these?
Please help me!
I followed receipe but The cake isnt make regulary. its too watery. i dont understand why.
The only thing i didn’t followed recipe was i sifted all powders. Is that cause of it?
hi what does half and half mean sorry ?
This was a super easy recipe that was really delicious. I substituted the espresso for 1/2 tsp of cinamon and 1/2 tspn of chili powder – very nice!!
I also ran out of icing sugar partway through – so used the full amount of butter, but only 1.5 cups of sugar with the full amount of vanilla – also very good!
Thanks!
Made these for my boyfriend tonight and we both loved them! I really didn’t think I would love them because I’ve never really been a cupcake fan but they were incredible! They were so moist and the chocolate flavor from the cocoa was perfect. The buttercream frosting was perfectly sweet and matched the cupcake so well! Thanks so much for the inspiration! I will make these again!
I’ve made these twice now, and they are the best cupcakes ever!!! This recipe is so much better than the recipe I used for years. The only change I made was to add vanilla bean to the frosting, which I highly recommend. One mistake I made this time was that I overfilled the cups a bit. The cupcakes are just as delicious, but not as cute as the first time. 🙂
Hello, I’m interested in making these cupcakes, but I’ve only got unsweetened chocolate bars on hand, and I’m not exactly keen on buying a whole tub of cocoa powder just for one recipe (I’m not really allowed to bake, and these cupcakes are for a special occasion), so I was wondering if just melting the chocolate and mixing it in with the boling water would be alright? And if I use unsweetened chocolate, would I have to adjust the sugar levels, and if so, by how much?
Thanks for replying! (:
My 6 year old wanted to make chocolate mini-cupcakes using her new mini pan so I found this recipe when searching for a good recipe for her. We made them last night and they are fantastic! I didn’t have espresso powder so I just made a strong coffee to use in place of the boiling water. These are very rich and moist! The recipe made 52 mini cupcakes using 1 Tbsp of batter for each one. It took 9 minutes to bake the minis. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe!
Can you use butter instead if oil?
I made these for my family a few weeks ago and they are begging for more. These are so moist and delicious! My kids said they were like a cross between cupcakes and fudge brownies, and I agree. This recipe is a keeper. And to everyone who is asking about leaving out the espresso powder: Leave it in! The cupcakes don’t taste like coffee at all, but it adds such a richness to the cocoa flavor that you definitely won’t regret it. Thanks so much for this recipe
I never and I mean NEVER post reviews about any recipes I find. I really had to for this one though. I’ve been looking for a go to chocolate cupcake recipe and this is it. It’s an easy recipe and so delicious. The espresso powder really gives it a great chocolately flavor. Leave it in or you’ll regret it. The cupcake is moist, light and airy. It has a great chocolate flavor and they rise beautifully. This is now my go to recipe and I highly recommend you try it. Once you do, you won’t have to use any other chocolate cupcake recipe.
I made these today and they turned out absolutely flat! They stuck to the pan, too. They didn’t taste too bad, though, a bit like Cocoa Puffs (the cereal).
What did I do wrong??
Your baking soda must have gone bad. Same thing happened to me but i bought another one and tried it again and it came out right! Also used just one ts baking soda and eliminated the baking powder
This is a great recipe, everyone loves how moist and flavorful they come out. I use olive oil instead of veg oil and don’t have espresso powder so I omit that as well. I do find they take over 20 minutes to bake and the batter makes more than enough for twelve. great recipe overall
Delicious! I made these on a whim, so I didn’t have the espresso powder on hand, so I substituted a 1/2 cup of strong hot coffee instead of the boiling water. They came out so good, with such a great texture. This was my first from-scratch chocolate cupcake recipe since most recipes I see always call for buttermilk or sour cream (which I never have on-hand and most of my baking is done when I’m bored and have an hour to spare…). I was definitely not disappointed with these and they will be going in my recipe box.
I topped these with a half vanilla, half chocolate buttercream twist. Can’t wait for my husband to get home and try one!
Hi Robyn,
I am from Singapore and its humid.
I have baked Chocolate cupcakes with a sticky top. If I bake it longer, it will be dry. Why is that so? Was it underbaked? It has a nice dome top tho. How do I counter the sticky top.
I would seriously like to try yours after your Best Chocolate Cake ever recipe.
Jacqueline
hey! I’m from SG too. Ive tried the cake recipe and found it alright, just cut off the top dome to make it flat and its not sticky anymore, hope it helps!
Hello, I have had a love-hate relationship with chocolate cupcakes, some resulting in frosting sliding off the shiny tops, to the cake being too dry. I am so happy to have found what I regard to be the ultimate chocolate cupcake. Thank you for introducing me to instant espresso – I think it adds a lovely “grown-up” kick to a regular chocolate buttercream. I filled these beauties with salted caramel….delish!
This was a good cupcake, i tried it this morning, but i cahnge the temperature of the oven because it didn’t really rise that good and it bake longer than what is says in the recipe. i bake it to 350 instead of 325 for 22-25 minutes and it was perfect and it is taste so good. thank you for posting the recipe.
Hello Robyn! I’m from south america and I don’t really know what “half and half” is… is it just cream? I’m not sure supermarkets sell that here… please reply me what to do, I’m dying to try your recipe!!
I live in Brazil and I can’t find it here either. Half and half is a commercially sold product that is half milk and half cream. You could just make your own half and half using milk and nestle canned cream just as easily.
How do you get your buttercream to look so white? Mine always has a yellow hue from the butter. Thanks!
I made these cupcakes for our Labor Day weekend family night. They turned out beautifully and a big hit with everyone. The only note I would add is that they did take longer than the suggested 12-15 minutes, more like 20….but everyone’s oven can be different. Thank you for sharing, we will absolutely make these again.
I just made these and I am very pleased. I did not have any espresso powder nor could I find it at the store so I substituted 1/2 cup of freshly brewed strong coffee for the boiled water. My cooking time took exactly 20 minutes with my new Wilton cupcake pan. I have made a lot of cupcakes over the past three months and this recipe is one of the best. Mine came out the perfect size and shape, just over the ridge of the liner. Some recipes leave the liner greasy and surprisingly (even with lightly spraying them) these were not greasy at all. They have a moist light texture and the perfect balance of chocolate flavor. The icing has a great texture and easy to whip up and pipe onto the cups. Thanks for sharing this great recipe. I will be making these again soon!
These cupcakes are amazing!! Thank you for the great recipe!! I’ve made the cupcakes twice and both times never enough icing 🙁 I had to make a double batch of the icing.
These sound perfect! I need to make roughly 150 chocolate cupcakes for a wedding next weekend, am making them tomorrow. can I just X4 the recipe and then just do it 3 times? or will it now turn out this way? HELP 🙁
I think these are the best chocolate cupcakes I’ve ever had. Mine took way longer than the recipe. About 22 minutes at 325.
Great recipe altho I agree will all others commenting on baking time. Need 20-23 mins at 325 or 13-15 at 350. Delish! I would also add that you can get about 18 from a recipe if you fill cups 1/3 full. They dome up nicely and tgat still leaves plenty of pretty cupcake liner lip that you can pipe your icing in if you want them totally covered. (Thinking of person who mentioned they’re baking them for a wedding) 5+ stars even tho I can’t seem to select any. iPhone issue I guess.
I am making this cake tomorrow for my daughters 6th birthday. I happen to have whipping cream on hand can I use that instead of the half and half?
Hi Tracy,
Yes, whipping cream should be fine for using in the frosting. Happy Birthday to your daughter! xo
These turned out delicious, however they def. take longer than 12-15 min, I baked mine for 20 -22 minutes. For the people who are raising the temperature—the lower 325 oven is precisely why these cupcakes rise so nicely! I took a note from a previous comment and added 1/2 cup of hot coffee and omitted the expresso powder(I didn’t have on hand). Thanks for a great recipe!
I am excited to trial these today for a wedding shower next week. I couldn’t find espresso powder anywhere! Would grinding espresso beans very fine give me the same result?
I made these for my rig crew but I stuffed them with a cream cheese frosting and they were absolutely delicious!!
Hi, i baked your chocolate cupcake yesterday. It was so delicious. Even the batter tastes nice. That’s what my son said to me. He said, ‘ mom, you don’t need to bake the cupcake. The batter is already nice to eat ‘. I make the vanilla frostin too. But i put some color and use different nozzle and top with m&m. I make mini cupcake and i double the recipes. Altogether i get about 121 mini cupcakes.
Hi Robyn! I’ve just baked these cupcakes, waiting for them to cool before i demolish them hahaha, i’m sure it won’t ruin the taste but they all have risen extremely high over the liners and cracked.. i seem to often have this problem, i’m unsure if my oven is on too high or i put too much mixture in each liner.. Would anyone be able to help? 🙂
I made the frosting on here but apparently my kids weren’t partial to vanilla so I added a cup of creamy peanut butter and it came out great too. Just a suggestion for pickier kids.
Hi Robyn,
!st, Thank you for sharing your awesome recipe.
2nd, love the flavor, the richness of the chocolate and it was moist and fluffy.
My Q- the top of my cupcakes were sticky and the inside was fine. Should I have baked it longer? I cut the top and eat the whole cupcake. Because the cupcakes were larger I had to bake them longer.
I had to bake it for 25 mins at 172C. I live in Singapore.
How should the top of the cupcake be? I used valhorna cocoa powder.
Please advise. I would love to have this issue corrected. This is for keeps.
Thanks
Could I use this white buttercream frosting on your best chocolate cake?
Oh yes! It is delicious!!!
I made these today and they were delicious! The batter turned into liquid when I poured in the hot water and I thought I messed it all up somehow, but they turned out perfect! I had to omit the espresso powder, but I’d love to make them again when I’m able to find them. Thanks for sharing a great recipe. Can’t wait to try the cake version.
Very good recipe. I omitted the coffee and added cayenne pepper instead and it turned out amazing.
Hi Robyn, I’m looking forward to trying out this recipe for my daughter’s bday this month. …sounds scrumptious! But please tell me can I use Nescafe powder instead of espresso. If so how many teaspoons.
Thanks for sharing your recipe. .
Thanks for the recipe… super love it.. the cupcake is so most and soft.. 😀
I love these! I do agree with on the previous comments, the baking time is l get then the 12-15 minutes, at least i my oven.
I do have a question. Do you have any suggestions or a recipe to make the cupcakes have a Latin/ Mexican flair to it? like chili cupcakes and a different icing, maybe?
I have never ever left a review for a recipe before, but I am just so pleased with these cupcakes they are PERFECT, so beautiful and shiny and moist LIKE YUMMM! The baking took exactly 15 minutes for me! Great great great!
I rarely rate a recipe, but these were DELICIOUS! Very moist and I made some mini ones which took about 10 to 12 min so im sure the larger would take longer… but they were very very moist and if left in a tin overnight without icing, get rather sticky on top (which I like) so a great recipe! Im going to try adding some other things and see how it turns out, yum! Thanks!!
So glad you loved them, Leah!
Loved these!
I decided to cut back on calories and not use the frosting, so they were muffins instead of cupcakes. It still turned out GREAT. I also didn’t have any espresso powder around the house, so I took that out. I also was running low on canola oil, so I just used grapeseed oil.
They were great. Really fluffy and moist, my whole family loved them. If you want them more fluffy and cake-y, similar to what it suggests in the recipe, use a mixer and beat it for at least a minute.
The only thing I I found slightly false was the time. I put them in 12 minutes instead of 15, and when I took them out, they were jiggling and the toothpick came out completely wet. I ended up probably baking it 20 minutes in total instead of 12. I recommend putting it in at first for 15-18 minutes.
My mother makes cupcakes without the little cupcake liners. If you are going to do this, make sure you grease it first, and try and remove the cupcakes soon after you take the pan out of the oven. I did a couple like this because I ran out of cupcake liners (I run out of EVERYTHING).
But altogether, they were great!
I made these and they turned out fantastic! Definitely the best chocolate cupcake i’ve made. They do get a little crumbly the next day. Has anyone tried using cake flour instead of all-purpose flour?
Thank you for putting this recipe online to share. It is an awesome recipe and I have repeatedly made it for family and friends.
Thanks,
Vivian
Thanks so much, Vivian! xo
I tried this recipe today and it turned out amazing!! It was soft and fluffy and wasn’t too sweet (always a plus). My family and friends loved how the cupcakes turned out!
it looks very delicious. 🙂 and by the way i’m planning to make one for my family. can i ask how big is the cupcake? please reply as soon as possible.
I used a standard muffin tin for making these cupcakes. Hope that helps.
Ok, i am one of those cooks who’d search in for recipes (desserts) make and forget regardless of it being nice or just ok. ( I NEVER COMMENT OR RATE) but for this one I somehow HAD to write down. My 4 yrs old is a chocoholic and i wanted to prepare something for her before she came back from her pre-school. According to her “its the BEST surprise ever and the most delicious chocolate cupcakes”, me and my husband couldn’t agree more. Your recipe made my day. Thanks a ton. I am never ever trying any other recipe for chocolate cupcakes. xoxo
Hello Robyn,
Thank you very much. This recipe became my favourite. It is really delicious.
bgds,
Hi Robyn,
Could you please let me know the quantity that I should take to make 110 cup cakes using this recipy.
Thank you
If I make these Friday for a party Saturday do I need to refrigerate due to the frosting? Or will they be okay frosted & left out of the fridge? I am turning them into pirates so I would like to get the work done before Saturday 🙂
You do not have to refrigerate.
I have tried a lot of cupcake recipes, but must say these were the BEST!!! Made these tonight and my family LOVED them.
I am with others–I don’t usually post my opinions of recipes, but my GOODNESS are these cupcakes tasty! Super moist. Just a few things that others have noted that I would like to emphasize:
-The consistency of the batter is VERY loose after you add the boiling water. It was so runny I almost pitched the mixture and went went a box (soooo glad I didn’t!)
-The cupcakes took 20 minutes to cook. I always use an oven thermometer in addition to the one that is installed in the oven, and noted that the temperature was within 5 degrees of 325 the entire time.
-I forgot to spray the cupcake wrappers with Pam before I poured in the mix. I was sure the cupcakes would stick to the wrappers and create an unholy, crumbly mess when we ate them. Not at all. Moist, cohesive cupcake that is easily freed from its wrapper after it has cooled sufficiently.
-The cupcakes did not rise as much as commercial mixes. This is a good thing, if you consider that I filled the cup 3/4 full, as instructed. The commercial mixes usually tell you to fill 2/3 full.
This recipe is a keeper, no doubt.
I’ve just made these, they are lush, my new go to cupcake recipe. Thank you!
Great recipe! Chocolate cupcake perfection!
Hi! I’m planning on making these cupcakes next week. They look absolutely divine. I was just wondering though for the frosting is 1/4tsp really enough it seems so little for a whole stick? Would 1/2tsp be OK? Also can I use 2% milk and if so should I probably do less than 2 tablespoons since it’ll be thinner? Thanks!
Mine took about 20 minutes as well, but I think I filled the cups beyond the 3/4 mark. It took some serious scraping to fill the last cup! I’m making these for my boyfriend’s birthday. I haven’t frosted them or had more than a little taste yet, but I know they’re going to be delicious. Thanks!
What kid of cocoa powder do you use for these cupcakes? Natural unsweetend or Dutch processed ?
Thanks a lot for the recipe!! I am a 20 year old guy and this was my first attempt at baking anything and they came out great. Gave them to my Church homegroup and they loved them. Keep up the good work
Hi…. I used this recipe yesterday and cupcakes where delicious . Well done will definitely keep this recipe. I didn’t use all the hot water as mixture was too liquidy and instead of espresso I used instant coffee with the warm water….still they turned out super delicious 🙂
Hi Arlene,
Glad you loved them. Yes, the batter is very, very thin, but I do recommend adding all of the water as it helps the texture and moisture of the finished product.
I actually doubled the recipe. They were delicious. Very, very moist and they practically melted in my mouth. It kinda scared me because it was so watery, but they turned out great. Also, I cooked mine for about 18 minutes (but my oven is also very old….).
This recipe looks delicious and I will be making these for Valentine’s Day. Does the butter in the frosting need to be unsalted butter? Thanks for your help!
You can use unsalted butter. I always have salted butter on hand and generally just use it. Either way is fine.
thanks for sharing this receipt. it’s really yummy and moist, even with out butter frosting 🙂
6 words… Wow, loved them! These are perfect!
Hi Robyn,
I baked these cupcakes tonight and they turned out beautifully! Thank you for the recipe. I have one question. I will be frosting the cupcakes tomorrow, but I realized I only have skim milk. Will this be a problem? I don’t mind going to the store…I just want a tasty treat for my coworkers!
Thank you,
Jessica
I used 2% and I didn’t notice any problems, they were still amazing.
I made the cupcakes and frosting last night while snowed in and they came out fantastic! For years I have tried out various butter cream recipes and they have all been awful in their own was. This was perfect. Thank you so much for sharing :).
I have made these several times and have a last minute VD request from “the baby” – out of milk – can I use buttermilk w/o messing them up?
They’ll be delicious, Terry! Happy Valentine’s Day!
I just made these and they came out perfect! I didn’t have the expresso powder but substituted Folgers cappuccino powder that I had. I was worried about the thinness of the batter, although I shouldn’t have worried the cupcakes came out very light and fluffy. Delicious treat for Valentine’s Day!
I had to cook mine for about 18 minutes also, very very yummy. I threw a couple of cinnamon hearts in each cupcake while cooking, They were a hit. I crushed some cinnamon hearts and put it in the frosting. Very yummy!!!
I haven’t made the cupckaes yet but i have a question. My friend hates coffee and anything like that. So will the cupcakes turn out all rite if i dont add the espresso?
Just made it exactly and it is the best! Thank you forever 🙂
I made these cupcakes for my son’s birthday last weekend. They were very tasty– moist and flavorful. I got a lot of compliments on them. For anyone else who is considering making this recipe, I wanted to leave a little feedback. The bake time is much longer than stated in the recipe. It took mine 20-25 minutes to be fully baked. Perhaps because of all the extra water and how runny the batter is? At any rate, give yourself extra time and be patient. I was very, very skeptical about this recipe after adding all that boiling water and seeing the batter thin out so dramatically, but the cupcakes did taste wonderful in the end. I’ll make them again!
Yes Erin…..I agree with you. Mine were in for the first 13 minutes…then I added an extra 5…just checked them…and still not cooked. Waiting an additional 10 minutes now…. Yay! Cooked perfectly! Took exactly 28 minutes. Can’t wait to try one. They look yummy!
Hello! I am looking for a buttercream frosting that is easy to decorate with (piping around the edges of a cake). Is this an easy decorating frosting? Also if I were to make a cake instead of cupcakes for this recipe what would you recommend for a cook time? My daughter wants a princess castle cake for her birthday and I am going to try give her the best cake I can! 😉 Have you tried this recipe to make cone cupcakes? Is the batter too thin for that? Thank you!
Hi Robyn!
I’m a self-taught baker here in the Philippines and I’ve been looking at your baking recipes for months now. I tend try out different recipes and adapt them to suit our tastes and I did the same with these chocolate cupcakes. I used a combination of granulated sugar and brown sugar to get a caramel-ly hint, plus I used freshly brewed coffee instead of the espresso powder. I sliced some cheesecake into small chunks and added them to the cupcakes too.
Everyone loved how perfectly they turned out!
My wife posted it on her blog website, and we’d appreciate it if you can swing by too.
I saw the photo and they look AWESOME! I will have to try a few batches of those too as I don’t care for icing myself but LOVE white cheesecake. Thanks for the tip! 🙂
I made these cupcakes into a giant cake and it’s amazing! The cake by itself is moist and chocolate rich. I’ll definitely be using this recipe again but with dark chocolate cocoa powder. Great recipe, make them!
This truly is the most delicious chocolate cake I have ever had. I used the buttercream frosting but found that I had barely enough to frost the cake. I’m making it again for my sister’s birthday and I’m going to double the ingredients for the frosting which was the best I’ve ever tasted. I tried to give this recipe 4 stars ***** but the system would not allow it.
best cupcakes ever!!!!!
Just made these cupcakes and they were absolutely delicious! Can I use this recipe to make an 8″ cake? Would it bake through evenly? I’m just afraid it might end up being too wet in the middle.
Hi,
This is a wonderful and delicious recipe. Thank you sharing it. I baked chocolate cupcakes for my hubby’s birthday today and they turned out perfect. And he loved his birthday surprise a lot! This is a very easy recipe for a beginning baker like me and it has motivated me to bake more!
great recipe, but these took WAAAAY longer than 18 minutes. By the time these were fully baked it took 35-40 minutes! My oven is accurate on temp so I’m not sure what happened. Maybe the recipe should bake at a higher temp?
Hi I want to do this recipe but I realized that I do not have cocoa but unsweetened chocolate. Can I still try and if yes, with how much ?
I’ve been looking for exceptional cupcake recipe for years now. Finally!!!! Great recipe.
thank you so much!!! My cupcake is perfect!!!
Good evening Robyn,
I made this recipe exactly as written and they were the best cupcakes I’ve ever had.
I made them for my 7yr olds b-day party and I caught one little girl using her fingernail to
scrape the cupcake liner clean. Her mom let me give her a second one….
I’m making them again tonight for my 4 yr old’s party and I’ll make them for a dinner the night before my brother gets married.
Thanks for taking your time to share and using ingredients that I have at the house. (I did use instant coffee though).
I appreciate it.
Kim
I only have vanilla extract and no expresso. Could I use the extract and do without the expresso?
Hi Mary! Sure, you can omit the espresso and just use the vanilla extract. It will still be delicious. If you do get the chance to use espresso at some point, it just makes it even better. Hope you enjoy it!
Hi there.
I’m really looking forward to try and make this cupcake recipe.
Can I substitute half of the veg. oil with applesauce?
We made these last night and they were delicious! I didn’t have instant coffee/expresso so I just left it out but they were still amazing.
Hello Robyn
I live in Sweden and we don’t have buttermilk here. How can I make the vanilla buttercream frosting, is there any substitute or is it OK to omit it in the recipe? I would really love to try it out…
Best regards
Funny I was just thinking of this earlier today!
All that you have to do is put 4.5 teaspoons of white vinegar or fresh lemon juice in a glass measuring cup and add regular milk* to make 1 cup of total liquid. Stir gently and let sit about 10 minutes. Use as needed for the recipe or cover and store in the fridge.
*You should be able to use whatever milk you have on hand (skim, 2%, whatever!)
Oh my gosh….of all the cupcakes I’ve made, this one truly is a pinnacle of achievement. it is perfectly moist and the frosting is AMAZING. To me, this is a Georgetown + level cupcake. It’s just that good. I followed all the directions correctly & added the boiling water and it was TERRIFIC. My family loved them and the serving size is great,too! Anyone who says so otherwise is completely wrong. I just don’t understand how not to make a perfect cupcake from this recipe! thanks so much for making a little bit of my day sweeter 🙂
Hi. Just wanted to say thank you for this wonderful recipe first!! But also to say, for the sake of others, that I made it without the espresso powder, as I didn’t have any, and they were still absolutely delicious. I can’t wait to pick up some powder so I can make them with it, too. Thanks again for sharing your talents with us.
The best cupcakes I’ve ever made! Thanks Robyn, I’m glad I found you!
These look wonderful! Can’t wait to try them! I’m going to give 5 stars for desire to try, but I’m posting to ask a question. Would these cupcakes hold up for filling? I want to make raspberry filled cupcakes for my daughters bridal shower.
Hi Robyn! These sound absolutely delicious and have rave reviews! I can’t wait to try these for my sister’s baby shower!
For the cocoa do you recommend sweetened or unsweetened? Or can unsweetened be used maybe with more sugar?
Thanks!!
Hi Kristin,
I use unsweetened! Have fun at your sister’s baby shower! How exciting!!!
I made the cupcakes exactly as written and they were fabulous. I made them for my momma’s birthday and topped with peanut butter frosting.
I don’t often comment – but I just had to say, these are AMAZING… I am getting the oven replaced tomorrow morning – so wanted to make some chocolatey goodness as a last hoorah for it… It cant cope with a full sized cake anymore so cupcakes it was…
I must have super tiny muffin tins – as there was a heap of mixture left after 12 – so i popped some in a coffee cup and zapped it for 1.5minutes in the microwave (just to see!) – OMG – Not plasticy at all – the texture is JUST as good as when baked – MOST AMAZING RECIPE EVER!
I’ve made your recipe several times and always turns out great! I recently tried them for a friend who likes black forest anything. I used kirsch instead of vanilla and added a single cherry (from thawed frozen)to each cupcake just before popping in the oven. Decided to use sweetened whipped cream instead of buttercream to lighten it up a bit. A little shaved chocolate on top. A fresh cherry on top would have been perfect, but it isn’t the season and none were to be found. Everyone thought they were delicious. Thanks for the wonderful easy, quick recipe that never fails.
Great recipe! I was surprised it turned out so good! I didn’t used coffee because of my 2 year-old son. But I loved it because it wasn’t too sweet. He ate it without frosting or anything.
Seriously.. best recipe ever! I usually cook with healthy vegan recipes and different flours, but i thought I would make a treat for my husband’s work crew… and honestly they are so moist almost like a lava cake. I bake a lot and these are terrific!!!! I didn’t’ have espresso powder but i made a really good strong italian coffee and just put in a couple tablespoons of the liquid! Amazing!!
Also forgot to say.. I used vegan butter for the icing and it was still amazing and a nice white icing!
These were great cupcakes. Very easy recipe, though I think the time stated is for mini cupcakes because I too had to bake for 25 minutes.
Hi,
Quick question–If I am going to replace the espresso powder with Fresh brewed espresso–how much should I add?
Lei
Just made these and the buttercream frosting, they are TERRIFIC!! Thanks so much again!
Love the flavor! And have made your awesome chocolate cake.
Quick question: when I made these the tops shrunk down after I took them out of the oven. Any tips on how to make the domes nice and round? (I too found that 3/4 filled made them too big, and needed 22 minutes so will try less batter per cup next time). Thanks!
This recipe is wonderful. The batter is very thin, so I poured mine into a jug to fill the cupcake liners and filled them nearly to the top. They came out very nice and round and were fabulous. I also added more cocoa to the filling which made them more fudgy. I also iced them while they were still a little warm so the icing was more like a ganache.
WOW! These cupcakes are PERFECT & so SO SO delicious! I made them for a friends baby shower & all of the women RAVED over them. Most of them initially said, “Oh, I would just like half of one” …. to which they went back immediately to grab the other half before someone had the chance to consume it! 🙂 I also had a friend say, “I NEVER like any type of frosting, but this is INCREDIBLE!” I followed the recipe to a “T” but did not have any espresso powder, so I ground a few of our favorite coffee beans and that seemed to work well! Thank you so much for this recipe, Robyn! This is one that I will use over & over again!
Really great recipe!
I used almond milk in place of milk and I didn’t use espresso powder
because I didn’t have it. I baked them for 20 min and they were perfect!
Very nice fluffy texture and so moist! My husband let out a spontaneous
“MMmm!” on the first bite 🙂
I’ll definitely make this recipe again.
Made them, ate them, loved them! I used canola oil instead of vege as we didnt have any, but these were delicious. Icing is going straight to my hips though! Flatmates loved them too.
This is one of my most successful chocolate cake ever – so moist and yummy! Was really really skeptical about using boiling water and how thin the batter was but wow..it turn out great!!!
I just have a little problem – the texture taste a little bit like steamed cake (lacks the crumbly feel). Would using butter instead of oil help?
Firstly, i never write reviews for anything but i just HAD to comment on these!!
WOW!! After converting the measurements to grams and ml for me to use here in the UK, i made a start.
I was a little dubious of using vegetable oil but added it anyway. I made 2 changes: I used 50/50 granulated and brown sugars which made them slightly ‘fudgey.’ I also left out the espresso powder as i didn’t have any.
I was extremely worried about how runny the mixture was and transferred it to a jug for easy pouring into the cases.
I gave them the time stated then checked them every 5 minutes thereafter. They actually took 30 minutes in the oven at 160c.
After leaving them to cool, we gave them a try and oh my gosh!! They are so moist and spongey and melt in your mouth! This recipe is now my go to chocolate cupcake recipe and i cannot recommend it enough!!! 5 star recipe. Thank you so much for sharing xx
Turned out super dry 🙁
Hi Bernadette,
I’m sorry they didn’t turn out for you. They were dry even after using the boiling water, vegetable oil, and the correct baking temperature and time? I’ve not had that issue.
Yea. So sad! I baked them according to the time frame you said and they still weren’t done. So I baked a few minutes longer… I think I over baked them. It wasn’t your recipe but the baking time for my particular oven that screwed them up. The taste is DELICIOUS! I will try again someday keeping an eye on the baking time.
hi robyn, have you ever had trouble with the cupcakes shrinking with this recipe? I have been baking for decades, and cannot figure out what happened with this….followed the recipe to a T–any ideas? feel free to email me privately if you don’t want to put this under the reviews, it’s fine
Hi Mary Beth,
I haven’t had an issue with them shrinking. I’m sorry it is causing you issues. How much are they shrinking?
Please remove my earlier comment (made in frustration). I put them back in for an additional 9 minutes — looks like it might have done the trick.
So glad that worked for you, Audrey!
Follow up: I increase the baking time to 23 minutes (for my oven), and these come out great every time. They’re really moist and have a lovely full chocolate taste. I use Droste cocoa and substitute coffee extract for the espresso powder. I’ve brought these to two bake sales — they were the first items gone (they sold out within the first 5 minutes). Thanks again! These will be a mainstay.
hi did you also use dutch-process cocoa? anyway, i love your recipe! ive tried this yesterday and oh so yummy! very moist and soft. my husband and son loves it ♥
These are awesome!! If I wanted to make these vanilla cupcakes- could I just eliminate the cocoa and expresso and add extra vanilla?
Hi can I make this without the espresso powder?
Sure!
It says that this makes 12 cupcakes. I am using 2 oz cups. How many can I make with this recipe?
These cupcakes look so beautiful in your photo! But they look nothing like that for me. I have tried this recipe twice, once with “healthy” ingredients, and another time by the books. Both times they came out…weird. The “healthy” one was very dense and fudgey, and tasted okay. The regular ones were also dense, and to be honest tasted rather bad, and very bland. It seemed as thought the water had also sunk to the bottom of the cupcakes. The cupcakes were also stuck to the inside of the paper.
I’m just wondering if I did something wrong! I’m worried! Maybe it was my cocoa powder? Or the fact that I used a toaster oven rather than a traditional one (it’s broken)? I want to make yummy, pretty cupcakes! What am I doing?
I made them the normal way and had the exact same problem. They were too wet, bland and stuck to the paper. I tried them again today though and put in 3/4 cup cocoa and 1/3 (maybe a bit less) of water and they came out a lot better! Still nice and soft and moist and didn’t stick to the paper, with a lot more flavour.
If you leave them and let them totally cool they will come out not fudgey and with a fine crumb which I actually prefer. Be sure your baking soda and powder are fresh as these have to be replaced often. I always add a bit more vanilla than called for to almost any recipe and I generally melt good butter and use in place of oil. I did all of that here and they turned out great BUT I had to cook longer. You should be able to lightly press your finger on the center and they should spring back. That’s how I know they are done. Good luck.
This is the easiest cupcake recipe. I have made it several times and it always comes out perfectly. Although the recipe calls for a half cup of boiling water, I never need to use it all. It all depends on the flour. The batter is extremely thin, very runny, but do not fear, it comes out fine. Fill the liners about three quarters full and you will get a nicely domed cup cake. This recipe makes 12 nice cupcakes, using the regular cupcake liners. If you are going to eliminate the cocoa powder, you will probably have to add more flour. There is no need to add the espresso, but it does give the cupcakes a nice favour. I use a chocolate ganache frosting, and. I have also dropped a few chocolate chips in the batter. Haven’t tried adding any nuts, but I guess you could add some.
These were just okay, I have definitely tried better recipes. They didn’t have much flavor
I had to write something after reading this comment. These are by far the best chocolate cup cakes I have ever made. I brought them to work and actually had to co workers get in to an agrument because one of them ate the last one. Thank you do much for sharing this awesome receipe.
Hi Robyn… Thanks for this excellent recipe.
I’ve baked twice using this recipe by adding chocolates chips, and it turns out awesome.
My kids and friends are loving it.
I am pregnant and craving chocolate like mad! I made your chocolate cake recipe with your buttercream frosting about a month ago and it was the best, moist cake I have ever had. I was craving chocolate again today and made these cupcakes (because the entire cake is just too tempting to keep around) and I had to bake for 26 mins before my toothpick came out relatively clean. They’re cooling now, but I’m sure they will be a little underdone in the middle. I used silicon muffin cups lined with paper and I’m thinking this may have been the reason for the longer baking time. Either way, I’m sure they will be amazing just like the cake! Thank you for a wonderful recipe 🙂
Hi Robyn,
Planning on making these for an engagement party and was wondering exactly what type of cocoa you used…there are so many different types! Thank you!!
Lauren
Hi Lauren,
I use unsweetened cocoa powder. Hope you love it!
I thought that they were just okay. I had higher expectations for them. I only got 10 cupcakes out of my batch and they just tasted bland. Im hoping with icing they will taste better.
I’ve read many different blogs over the years and I just have to comment on something. I’m stunned by how blunt people are with their negative comments. What if you were talking to her in person about this? Would you say things the same way? Would you talk to a friend like this about their recipes? She spent time perfecting and writing about these foods, as have other bloggers, and we mustn’t forget this or people’s feelings.
These are the best chocolate cupcakes ever! I brought them in to work to share with my colleagues and they were really impressed, both with the recipe and my execution! These cupcakes have now become my “thing” to bring to every work event. Can’t say I’m upset by that! Sooooooo good!
Hi Robyn.
This recipe is awesome. Thank you for sharing. It was moist and fluffy like you said. The only change I had to do was to bake it at 350° for 15mins
My son’s 1st birthday is this weekend and I would like to try your recipe for his birthday cupcakes. Can I make them in advance, say Thursday, to serve on Saturday? I do not plan to ice them until Saturday. On that note, I also plan to use your buttercream icing recipe. Can that also be made in advance and stored? How would you recommend storing?
Thanks in advance!
Well, these are in the oven, and I am scared. I used pastry flour in place of the all purpose, and they are “leaking” everywhere. Put in for 13 minutes originally, added another 2….and we’re in for another 5 right now to try to get them to actually bake!!
They are pretty flat, but finally cooked enough through!
Taste test will see if I add this page to favourites and play with the recipe a little…
Sorry it gave you issues, Sarah. I wouldn’t recommend using pastry flour in this recipe. It was developed for using all-purpose. For substituting pastry flour in place of the all-purpose, you will need a bit more flour. You would want to use 1 cup + 1 tablespoon of pastry flour for each cup of all-purpose flour for the cake to bake properly. Hope that helps!
These are the BEST cupcakes ever!!!! Sorry, not very original, but couldn’t come up with anything else. My best friend said she had never had a cupcake so moist that it made the frosting seem dry!! Thanks for this recipe, I can no longer imagine doing cupcakes or cakes from a box anymore!!
My 4 year old son and I made your cupcakes (and frosting) today and they were delicious! I like that your recipe only makes a dozen. I pinned it so we can make it again. Thank you.
Shut the door! These cupcakes are amazing. They taste great and came out looking picture perfect!
I followed the recipe EXACTLY and they baked to perfection. I did have to bake them for longer than the instructions stated but other than that, no modifications. This one is going in the books as a staple recipe.
Thanks!
I wish I’d read the reviews before baking. I’ve added 9 mins so far, and they’re still not cooked through. I might have to taste-test one ahead of time, and I was going to have just enough.
these turned out AMAZING. I had to cook mine for 22 minutes though >.< thankfully i read the comments first and realized that baking time definitely varies
This recipe is awesome. Robyn, do you think there is a way to make the white cake recipe similar to this one? Meaning using all of the chocolate cake ingredients minus the cocoa? Would that work?
Hi Jennifer,
I would recommend using my white cake recipe. So glad you enjoyed the chocolate!
These taste best completely cooled… not so much straight out of the oven.
At first, I thought I would be with the Nay sayers, but if you follow the directions (& cool completely), They’re perfectly yummy!
I made these for my daughter’s school birthday celebration, along with your vanilla buttercream recipe. YUM!
Happy to have found your blog.
Thanks for the good recipe. 🙂
I just commented on a Nutella frosting that you posted and I never realized you made this recipe as well! Anyway, these cupcakes where so good and moist! They tasted amazing with the Nutella frosting. I didn’t use the vanilla, but they still tasted great! I also didn’t use all of the boiled water and I’m still amazed at how well they turned out. Great job!
Hi Robyn I have made both your Chocolate cake and your cupcake recipes numerous times and found them to be every bit the best ever. Everyone loves them so I’m just wondering if I can make yellow cupcakes same recipe omitting the coco powder and would I replace it with extra flour or something else. I have not found another cupcake that comes close to this one. I would really appreciate your advice.
Many thanks
Tracy
I thought I already had my favorite chocolate cupcake recipe and then I made these! OH MY WORD!!! The flavor and the crumb and the texture were out of this world! This will now be my go to recipe! THANK YOU!!!!!
Overall, I found these cupcakes to be just okay. They really cry for the richness of some butter. Using oil as the only fat makes them somewhat bland and reminiscent of boxed or grocery store cupcakes. If you prefer cake on the lighter side, then these might be up your alley. I personally prefer a richer pastry.
On the positive side, the cupcakes are very light and moist, and are incredibly easy to make. The frosting is very good, and adds a punch of richness that is missing from the cake itself.
I tried your “best chocolate cake” recipe for my husband’s birthday and it came out delicious. I want to eat it again but a whole cake is too much. So i found this recipe that seems to be what i am looking for, the only doubts I have is that I only have pastry flour and a mini cupcake tint. Are there any changes I should make so they came out delicious?
Thank you…
After at least 20 times of using this recipe, singly, doubly, tripling, and getting great results each time, I thought I should say thank you. 🙂 This is now my go-to recipe for cupcakes and cakes: it is simple and superb. Greetings from New Zealand!
Hi Robyn
Thank you for sharing! I used all organic ingredients and half & half for the milk…indeed the best cupcakes ever! Could you suggest cooking temp and time to make into minis? Thanks
Made these in Germany (where we live), for my son’s birthday party… amazing! In a world without cake mixes (or decent ones for that matter), I was super pleased with how these turned out! Thanks for sharing the recipe!!!!
Dear Robyn,
I have tried some of your recipes and they always turn out well but I was just wondering why my chocolate cupcakes (from this recipe) came out a little rubbery? It has large bubble holes inside & tasted a bit baking powder-y 🙁
excellent recipe!!! thank you for sharing 🙂
Hello! This recipe is great. I paired these cupcakes with whipped raspberry frosting for a dessert contest and I won the prize!
I don’t keep espresso powder around the house, so I usually substitute boiling coffee for the water and powder. It works fabulously and this recipe comes out moist and perfect every time. Thank you so much!
Congratulations!
Thank you so much for this great recipe. It was very easy to do! I made this for our Christmas eve feast yesterday. It was very soft and moist. I just increased baking time to 20 minutes. Again, thanks!
hello I want to ask you robin that if we don’t do icing on the top then do we need to add any butter in it.
Can you clarify if we should use natural cocoa or dutch(alkalized) cocoa for this recipie? Thanks!
tried this last night, very moist,chocolatey,tasty chocolate cupcakes, the best so far. As a professional baker i recommend this recipe. thanks so much and keep them coming.
Hey!!!
I know this post is not recent, but I really hope you see my comment.
I’m from Brazil, and I just discovered your blog some days ago. I made this cupcakes today and OMG!!!! It’s true, It’s literally the best chocolate cupcake!! My dad said it was the best cupcake he ever ate! For real!!!
The only thing I did differently is that I didn’t use espresso powder, cause I don’t think we have this espresso powder for baking here in Brazil, so I used instant coffee instead. But I don’t think it made too much difference. But, anyway, I’ll try to find the espresso powder here, or try to buy it online.
Well, the thing is.. I really just wanted to say I loved the recipe, and I love that I found your blog! Congratulations, it’s amazing!
We just made these for an 8 year old’s bday and they were definitely a hit. The cupcakes were moist and very fluffy. We used the buttercream frosting recipe but used Peppermint extract instead of vanilla, and that worked really well. They smelled good, too! We doubled the recipe, filled the paper cups probably 7/8 full, and ended up with 25 good-sized cupcakes. We might add chocolate chips next time, but they were good as-is.
I had worried about relying on a recipe that I had never tried before, so I read all the comments first, and I was glad to have a heads up about the baking time. After 12 minutes they were still soupy. At 17 minutes, they were still too wet. We found 22 minutes to be perfect.
I don’t usually write reviews, but these were worth it. We are going to keep this recipe! thank you!!
I have made these cupcakes several times and they are truly delicious! They always receive many compliments :)…like many others who have responded, I also use a little less boiling water and bake the cupcakes a few minutes longer than the recipe calls for. The only ingredient change I have made is to use buttermilk instead of regular milk in the cupcakes. I use regular milk in the frosting. Theanks for sharing such a wonderful recipe…they certainly are the best chocolate cupcakes I have ever tasted!
These are the best cupcakes
Made these today, and they are (without a doubt) the most amazing chocolate cupcakes I have ever tasted!
THIS RECIPE. *standing ovation*
I made these last night and was utterly terrified because the batter was very thin, almost like crepe batter. I went ahead anyway and poured the mixture into the liners — not without a huge mess, I must say — and put them into the oven, then spent several minutes biting my nails and pacing for fear that they would be a complete flop. (It was late at night, I was sorely craving cupcakes, and that was my last cup of flour; so they HAD to come out well. Haha)
Halfway through the prescribed baking time, I opened the oven for a peek…and to my surprise, they had the highest domes I had ever seen!
HOWEVER: 15 minutes simply wasn’t enough. While they had domed very nicely, their insides were still liquid. So I added another 7 minutes to the bake — as Kristen and Karen above suggested — and that turned out to be the perfect duration of time that the cakes needed.
These are THE moistest, HIGHEST-domed cupcakes I have ever seen, eaten, or made. I topped mine with a vanilla buttercream icing: my husband took one bite, and his eyes rolled back in sheer pleasure. He said they were the best I had ever made, and gave me a high five. I am *still* surprised at how such a thin batter produced cakes that held up!
Thank you very much for this, Robyn! <3
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. My family loved it, my friends at the party loved it and I’m actually having my third one right now. Your recipe saved the day!
I would love to make this cake but am afraid of the espresso taste for the children (the cake is for a birthday party in less than a week). Would it be diluted with the boiling water?
You can omit it, if you’d like.
I made this recipe using Hersheys Special Dark Cocoa – and baked the in Twinkie pans. Filled them with typical twinkie filling and topped with bittersweet chocolate ganache. To say they were good is a gross understatement. Fantastic recipe, thank you for sharing!
Having made these a few times, they’ve become my ‘go to’ recipe for chocolate cupcakes. We run social events for international students from around the world – and they’ve all loved them. The only change I make is to mix a little instant coffee powder with the boiling water, instead of the espresso powder. Have made the butter icing before – yum! But often just dust with icing sugar. Thanks so much for posting the recipe. 🙂
Hi! Can you tell me if the buttercream can be made in advance? If so, how do you store it? Thanks so much!
Absolutely! You can make the buttercream in advance and transfer it to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to a week and in the freezer for several months. Just let it come back to room temperature before using when ready.
Ho can i use buttermilk instead? Cos i dont have regular milk available as of the moment.
You can use buttermilk instead!
This is my always never fail go-to chocolate cupcake recipe. About to make them again this morning! Thanks for the perfect recipe!
can I replace the water for guiness for st patricks day? 🙂 Have you tried it?
I’ve not tried it, but I bet it would be delicious!
I have everything except the expresso, will the cupcakes be okay without?
You’ll be fine without it. If you can try it sometime though, it just makes them all that much better.
Can i use coffee? Instead of espresso?
Hi Nichole,
You sure can or you can simply omit, if you prefer. When I tested and tested and tested again for the recipe, everyone preferred the flavor from the espresso powder over coffee. I found that coffee could leave a lingering bitterness at times and that the espresso powder gave a fail-proof result and that’s why I list it instead of coffee in my recipe. I hope that helps explain a little. Enjoy!
Hi!! These cupcakes look delectable!! Can’t wait to try this tonight! Could you advise if I should use normal cocoa powder or dutch processed cocoa powder or if it will make any difference?
I use normal, but you can use whichever you prefer.
is canola oil okay for the recipe? thank you!
I used grapeseed oil because that was what I had handy and they turned out fantastic. I also doubled the recipe, and they took longer (about 25-30 mins) to bake at 325. After about 20 mins I bumped the temp to 350. Still turned out great.
Hi! I’m from Holland, and this is the best recipe for chocolate cupcakes I ever made! I made them with a vanilla creamcheese frosting. So delicious!!
If I want to add some liquid flavour….say like rum of irish coffee creme….do I have to reduce the water? Or is it save to add the extra liquid into the batter?
Thanks for this fantastic recipe!!
I’m new to baking, so I’m still looking for the perfect recipe of some of my favorite desserts. This cupcakes the best!!!! I was nervous because the batter was very this, but they turned out awesome, so moist and soft and fluffy and tender. I used you vanilla buttercream frosting and it is great, didn’t have espresso powder in hand, so I’ll have to try adding it and see how much of a difference it make. you have a new reader!!
Thanks for this recipe! Getting ready to make it now, but what is espresso powder? Is this instant coffee powder?
By far the best cupcakes I have ever made! I used Black Onyx Cocoa powder from The Savory Spice Shop (I order it from Santa Fe) and the cupcakes are so rich in flavor and in color. They are almost black. These are always a hit! Thanks!!!!
This is truly the greatest chocolate cake recipe ever. I even have made it subbing in gluten free flour and almond milk and it is still amazing. Well Done!!
Can you substitute melted butter for the oil?
I made this recipe twice and the cupcakes came out beautifully – so moist and fluffy! I reduced the sugar by 1/4 cup, though, as the first batch was too sweet for me. Thanks for the recipe!
I made these cupcakes today. They were amazing. The most soft and best cupcakes I have ever made.
Thanks!
I am already super impressed with your chocolate cake recipe, so finding this recipe for cupcakes has elevated me up to another level of “Baking highs”! I wish to make them a day ahead of time, is this possible? I don’t want to sacrifice any quality of the baking what so ever.
Hi,
I tried this recipe today, not sure if I’m doing the right thing, before adding hot water what is the texture of the mixture? Thick liquid or dough-like? Also, can I substitute vegetable oil with melted butter? They taste good, but I slightly overbaked them, will definitely try again tomorrow! :))
I made these cupcakes tonight and can you say….. Wow! They looked so good I couldnt wait until it cooled so I didn’t
Oh my goodness! You sound like me! I can never wait! So glad you enjoyed them!
I’ve tried a lot of recipes for chocolate cupcakes but yours is my absolute favorite. Your vanilla buttercream is a perfect pairing with the chocolate cake. Thanks for sharing the yummy goodness =)
I’m so glad you love it, Tiffy. xo
What did I do wrong that it’s so watery? I’ve added everything in the right order.
Hi Maureen,
The batter is very thin, but it bakes up nicely for a moist cake or cupcake!
Thank you for testing out recipes to achieve one of the best chocolate cupcakes ever. Made them today for my boyfriend’s birthday and we are enjoying them tremendously.
I decided to bake these for my boyfriend because he loves chocolate cake but can’t usually have it because he’s sensitive to dairy. I made this with coconut milk as a substitution, and they are in the oven now. Something was funky with the way mine turned out though. The batter was SUPER thick, closer to a dough. I had to add a lot more coconut milk and I never did get it down to what I would consider thinner than the norm. I was afraid the cupcakes wouldn’t bake right if Ikept adding more liquid, so I finally stopped when it was about regular batter consistency.
My boyfriend said the flour here is weird, and that’s why I was having trouble. He said it’s drier here than it is in most other places. Has anyone ever heard of such a thing? I’m in Central Washington, if that’s meaningful. I am wondering if Ishould have used a cup of sifted flour instead.
How long do you bake the Best Choc. Cake Ever in a 9 x 13 pan?
Hi, can I use coffee powder instead of espresso.
I made these cupcakes last night to bring into work on my birthday (today) and I’ve had 3 people tell me how delicious they are! I’m a huge advocator for weighing baking ingredients as the amount of flour and cocoa can vary greatly depending on how you scoop it and level it. I converted the volumes into weights using King Arthur Flour’s chart (I love KAF everything! Especially their triple-blend cocoa and espresso powder!). I followed the recipe exactly but when I got to the boiling water I only added 1/4 cup because the batter was extremely runny, like soup. I’ve never seen a batter like this so I made one test cupcake but when I took it out, it was beautiful. Moist, delectable, and oh so beautiful. Is the batter supposed to be runny?
Thank you for such a wonderful recipe!
Hi Caitlin,
The batter is extremely runny. Don’t let that scare you at all. Add all of the boiling water next time. It makes the cake absolutely amazing!
Hi there! I tried this recipe and I think I did something wrong. I checked the ingredients list again and I really used the amounts as written in your list. The cupcakes taste like flour and and they collapsed as I opened the oven after 12 minutes to check if toothpick comes out clean.
Do you have suggestion for me?
My partner and I love coffee. If I was to add more espresso powder, would it be fine or would it become bitter?
Thank you for the fabulous chocolate cupcake recipe. Absolute perfection!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them, Ellie!
Wow! I’ve got many decades of cupcake making and eating under my belt (pun intended) ….thought I had seen / tasted it all. These were fantastic. Super moist with a lovely, deep chocolate flavor enhanced by the espresso powder. I frosted with vanilla buttercream [egg white meringue].
Hi there,
Unfortunately I cannot get ahold of espresso powder. Just does not seem to be available where I am from! Is there anything else I can use in substitute of espresso powder? Also when u mention to lightly spray the baking tray – do you mean the try or the cupcake liners?
Can’t wait to try this recipe for my birthday 🙂
Thanks!
I am curious about the boiling water…what does that do for the recipe? Can that be used in any cupcake recipe?
Can you substitute oil for butter?
I wanted to use this recipe for Oreo cupcakes x
Ooh ooh my my. I tried the recipe & it’s to due for. Best chocolate cupcakes ever. I didn’t have espresso power but I used coffee I had in my house used a two teaspoon thou. The cupcakes are most & very shiny. This recipe it’s a must keep.
I am a home baker who has been baking for 45 years….This Chocolate Cupcake recipe is the BEST!. I make these with 6 tablespoons of melted butter instead of the oil. My friends and I did a taste test using oil, soft butter and melted butter. Melted butter had the best flavor!(of course) I also think these taste better the next day! This is my new favorite
Chocolate cupcake recipe.
I just made this recipe and the cupcakes turned out perfectlly moist, soft and very tasty. Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe. Ive been trying some other chocolate cupcake recipes and most of them requires so much fancy ingredients which didn’t come out good.
I do a lot of baking, and have tried so many from scratch chocolate cupcake recipes. I am so thrilled to have found this one! It is by far the best. So moist and light- love it!
What type of milk does this recipe call for? (1%, 2%, etc)
I made these tonight… took MUCH longer to bake for some reason. However, they did end up very tender, moist and delish. Took about 22 minutes for me, not sure why. But they still turned out great. I did use King Arthur Flour cake enhancer, not sure if that makes a diff in the moistness even if the baking time takes longer.
Hi! i just want to know if you could help me with the recipe cos i need to make 30 pieces of cupcakes for my daughters bday.
I used the full recipe for the full size cake and I got about 30 cupcakes. That recipe is linked farther up this page, in the first paragraph. It’s basically just this cupcake recipe doubled, but I think the amount of cocoa powder is a little different for some reason.
Thanks a lot dear:)
They took longer for me too! I didn’t modify the recipe at all. They took 19:30 for me but came out perfect.
hi… iam a vegetarian so could you please let me know a substitute for eggs in this recipe
try the flax egg substitute.
This is the BEST cupcake recipe ever. They taste moist and delicious and were very easy to make!
Has anyone made these in a mini muffin tin instead of full sized cupcakes? Just wondering about adjustments to the cooking time. Thanks!
Honestly the best cupcake and buttercream recipe I have ever made at home. Thanks!
Really the best chocolate cupcake recipe ever… i don’t even have to make the frosting because my son would eat it as soon as it out from the oven. This is the only chocolate food he goes crazy on. Thanks for sharing.
perfect recipe…..made 5 batches today…..all turned out perfect…..
perfect recipe…loved it…..made a double batch today …all turned out perfect
HI!
Just made these this am and they turned out amazing! I even added a mini reeces pieces to the bottom of them. The boys are going to love them! thanks for the recipe!!!
Hello
Is it possible to freeze these cupcakes or how long do they stay good after being cooked ? I would like to make them ahead of time for my son’s birthday,
thank you
Hi there
Just wondering if I really need to spray the liners? Will it really be a problem peeling them off if I don’t? Aside from the fact that I’m out of spray oil at the moment, I don’t like my liners to get too greasy, just an aesthetic thing (I know, I’m a bit fussy!)
Can’t wait to try these out. On a quest to find my favourite choc cupcake recipe…
Thanks!
Can you make these the day before and retain the freshness? Would you frost them?
Thanks
Jenifer
Hi Jenifer,
You can make and frost them ahead with any problems. Just store under a cake dome or in an airtight cupcake carrier.
Thank you for the recipe!! May I use finely ground dark roasted coffee beans instead of the espresso powder?
the chocolate cupcakes were left in the oven for 30 minutes – 12-15 minutes as you indicated did not bake nearly enough.
I tried your recipe today and the cupcakes are cooling as I type. Two questions- your list ingredient says 1 egg, but in the text, you say to combine the egg(s). I used 1 egg hoping that the reference to “eggs” was a typo. And-Is it necessary to spray the paper liners? I found that the bottom of the cupcakes were oily from that. Otherwise, I look forward to tasting them!
The eggs is a typo. As for spraying paper liners, I’ve switched to parchment paper cupcake liners and I’ve never had to spray them to get a clean cupcake off of the paper.
This is my all-time favourite chocolate cake recipe. I will never stray from this one!
Hi Robyn,
I’d love to make these for my daughter’s birthday and bring to her daycare, but I’m not sure that the other parents would want their 2 year olds having any espresso–not matter how negligible. Do you have a substitute you recommend?
I would just omit the espresso powder.
Thank you so much for this recipe, Robyn! This is now my go-to chocolate cupcake recipe. Using your chocolate buttercream frosting recipe and this cupcake one (subbing instant coffee granules as I couldn’t find espresso powder), I made my own spooky Halloween cupcakes. Cheers! 🙂
Hi Robyn! I found you through Pinterest and I am so glad I did. In the past week, I have made this recipe TWICE! It is so delicious. I have also tried your Vanilla Buttercream Frosting and the Chocolate Ganache. Equally to die for! Thank you!
I doubled this recipe and from the start it seemed too moist. My cupcakes are now all over the damn oven because there’s something wrong with your measurements and I’m on a dead line. So that’s cool.
Hi Savanna,
I’m sorry you had problems. The measurements are accurate as written.
Welp … I made a double batch a couple hours ago & mine came out perfect. They are cool now & I’m about to put peanut butter frosting on them! This is now my go to chocolate cupcake recipe, thank you!
Sounds to me like you might have overbeat the batter and over filled the liners…
This recipe turned out great! Maybe 3 of the 12 cupcakes were a little undercooked and caved in once cooled while the others were totally perfect. So I will try to cook them for another minute next time. Seriously delicious and easy recipe! I had never made cupcakes before so I am so so happy to have found your recipe- thank you! 🙂
I had the same issue but realized I overflowed the cupcake liners. I baked 6 minutes longer and they came out perfect!!! Delicious, my kids LOVE them!!!
Wow seriously ? You’re so rude. You’re trying a NEW recipe when you’re on a deadline, you doubled it and YOU messed it up, and it’s HER fault? Did you pay for the recipe? Did you bother asking ”can I double it” ?
By the way, a good baker knows that you shouldn’t try a new recipe when you’re in a rush.
Absolutely one of the best cupcakes I’ve ever tasted. Easy to make, moist and delicious. I didn’t have espresso powder so I used my Nespresso machine and made an espresso, using a pod of chocolate espresso in lieu of the water. I placed it in the microwave to make sure it was boiling before pouring in. It worked perfectly.
Thank you.
Thank you so much ! I doubled the recipe and turned just perfect amzing so tastyy!!Thank you again
Just made these and they are incredibly light, fluffy and delicious–my new go to chocolate cupcake recipe! Made the vanilla buttercream too. YUM!
I have two questions. Firstly, I want to confirm that it’s just one egg? Secondly, are you referring to cocoa powder? Thanks!
I made these tonight! And they are absolutely perfect! Yes one egg. Mine were done at 20 mins.?Used buttermilk of place of milk. Thank you Robyn.
Hi Robyn,
I tried making these today. They were so delicious, but were ‘peaked’ in the centre making them look not so pretty. Any suggestions on how to avoid that?
Hey Robyn just wondering what kind of cocoa powder brand you used for this recipe?
love this recipe so light and fluffy especially with your buttercream frosting mmmmmm
Big success!! Awesome recipe! Thank you!
Made these right after I saw this recipe and realized I had all the ingredients. So glad I did! These are some GOOD cupcakes!!! Everything that I’ve made from this website so far has been delicious!!! Thank you Robyn for these awesome recipes!!
I’m so glad you loved these chocolate cupcakes! They are definitely a favorite here, too! I appreciate you!!! xo
5+ stars for the cupcakes! (I made a chocolate fudge icing)
These were seriously the BEST chocolate cupcakes I’ve ever made (from scratch). The flavor and texture were absolutely perfect! The cupcakes were moist and tender without being the least bit crumbly. Thank you so much for sharing. This will be my go-to chocolate cupcake recipe from now on. No more searching for that “perfect” recipe. This is it for me!
🙂
I made these tonight for my daughter’s preschool birthday treat (at least PK lets us bring in homemade – all other grades must be pre-packaged) and they taste light and airy as everyone had mentioned. I even tried it sans peanut butter frosting because they’re still cooling. I made double batch and I got 25 total. However, I still have mushroom tops – I realize that I overfilled or did I put to much air in them? And then of course I bet I had at least 24 minutes baking time.
After all these amazing reviews I can’t help but choose this recipe for my sisters baby shower! I was just wondering how long I’d bake these if I made these into mini cupcakes instead?
I doubled the recipe always use this one I added a little more batter to it so it takes a little longer to bake 12-15 was not enough so I bake it like 5-6 minutes more it comes out so moist and delicious. first time I made it was nervous because batter looks on runny side but they always come out perfect. filling mine with caramel sauce chocolate buttercream and toasted coconut.
I had to cook mine like 8 minutes longer than suggested but they turned out pretty good in the end! I added a little orange zest, orange extract and cardamom to spice things up. Both frosting and cupcake recipes had accurate yeilds for me. Thanks.
Hands down the best chocolate cupcakes I have ever had, I couldn’t put them down! Thank you!
Made These last night and they turned out great. Super simple and quick recipe, loved that for a week night! Thanks for the recipe!
Best chocolate cupcakes ever. I made a few minor changes and they still turned out amazing: I omitted the espresso powder (didn’t have any on hand), cut the sugar to 3/4 cup (could probably get away with less) and used coconut oil instead of vegetable oil. I also filled the (unsprayed) cupcake liners only to about 1/2 to 2/3 full and baked for 19-20 mins. Perfection! Thanks for the great recipe!
I took a chance on these and I was NOT LET DOWN!!! I made them for my moms birthday celebration at work and they were a gigantic hit. Mine took around 18 – 20 minutes to bake, but I live in Florida where the humidity ruins everything. Saving this recipe to use for years to come! Thank you for sharing!!! ☺️
Valentines Day WIN!!! Made these for the boyfriend and he came home and ate 3! I used peanut butter frosting with mine since that is his favorite but the cupcake was moist and delish. Glad I read the reviews ahead of time mine took about 22 minutes to cook, I must have whipped too much air into them but the results were great! Thanks for the recipe!!
This is my go to chocolate cupcake recipe. These cupcakes are moist and delicious and I wouldn’t change a thing. I’ve made them at least ten times and I always get asked for the recipe every time.
Is there any replacement for the vegetable oil or can i just leave it out with no replacement and it’ll be fine?
I used coconut oil and they are fantastic! I wouldn’t omit the oil.
I’m making this now and batter is very thin, watery 🙁 I’m trying to make mini cupcakes and it can barely keep the liner in the pan. i’m baking only 4 to see how it turns out…..fingers crossed
Phenomenal!! So easy, yet sooo decadent! I made a couple simple changes: Instead of espresso powder & the 1/2 cup boiled water, I just used a 1/2 cup of cold coffee. I also added a splash of vinegar to the milk to sour it and used quite a generous dash of baking powder. I was only able to fill 10 cupcake liners and they were perfectly done after 18 minutes, resulting in a moist, springy, rich and tender cake that is truly heaven. Thanks for the recipe!
The batter was very thin compared to a box cake mix. Is this was normal for the recipe???
I was concerned it would be too thin. So I added an additional 1/2 cup flour to the batter and it seemed to improve it. The cupcakes baked up wonderfully.
FYI due to an egg allergy I substituted the egg with 1/4 cup of silken tofu that was puréed with the liquids ingredients. The tofu is thick so it did not increase the luquid of the batter.
Also I bake my cupcakes at 350° for only 15 minutes. Cupcakes are generally way over baked and dry – to the verge of tasting burnt.
Tried this recipe and lovin’ it!! I made them into mini cupcake liners and got about 50 out off this recipe. Thank youu~
Could one substitute 1/2 cup of freshly brewed strong coffee for the espresso powder and hot water?
Good question! Would like to know as well! 🙂
This is the first review I’ve ever written- and I bake/ cook all the time. These cupcakes are amazing. They are nothing “special” in regards to a funky/ crazy flavour. But they are exactly everything you would want in a chocolate cupcake; moist, rich, delicate. So good. I made these for my partners birthday and he and everyone else LOVED them. 5 stars for sure.
Oh, P.S. I did a half batch of your buttercream frosting (amazing) and a half batch a peanut butter buttercream. Both so amazing.
I had issues with this too. First try was soupy so I added less water and it was still very liquidy, but I put them in the oven. The baking time is way more than what it shows, even with less water. I followed it to a T, so it wasn’t my error. I am not sure how everyone else is getting perfect batter. The flavor seems good, but the recipe seems to have a few issues.
See my comment # 359/360. I had to follow my instinct and make adjustments. They turned out good.
it may be due to the humidity where you live.
Hi! I’m wondering if your buttercream could be made ahead of time, and if so, how would you store it. I need to crumb coat my cakes today, and finish them tomorrow. I’d love to make all of the buttercream today to avoid having to make more tomorrow.
I made a few adjustments too, I did not add the espresso or the hot water, instead I brewed coffee in the hot water and added only a few tablespoons at a time till I got the right consistency. I also beat the egg and sugar first, then added oil and the rest of the wet ingredients minus the espresso and hot water. Then the dry and finally added only a few tbsps of brewed coffee.
Great recipe for butter haters :p
Made these today. They do take a bit longer to bake. Great flavor very moist. This is my go to recipe from now on. For the frosting I used 2 sticks soft butter 3&1/2 c powdered sugar 1 tsp milk and vanilla and BAM! PERFECTION!
I’ve made this recipe at least 5 times, it is my all time favourite!! I’ve read some of the comments and see that people are changing it, but to me, it’s perfect as is. So moist and chocolatey with the to-die-for vanilla buttercream. These are always gobbled down and special requested by family members. I follow the recipe exactly, only I have to bake it longer and somehow I get 14 cupcakes.
Does it call for one or two eggs?
I have a friend who is allergic to espresso (and anything coffee related) who I am making these for. Is there anyway to substitute it for something without taking away from the rich flavor?
I just made these and can say that I will never bother with box mix again. Easy recipe and cupcakes are delish. I didn’t read the whole post before I jumped to the recipe, so I was concerned by the thin batter but it all turned out perfectly.
going to make these tomorrow will let you know how they come out. looks similar to the best chocolate cake recipe ever so i have no doubt that these too should be a success!
Yes! This is the best chocolate cupcake recipe! the cupcakes are just perfectly soft and moist with just the right amount of sweetness and easy to make! it took me 19 minutes to bake them and i got 18 cupcakes! Thank you for this great recipe! Cant wait to try your other recipes.
Thanks for sharing your recipe! I made the cupcakes tonight and used a gluten free flour mixture. They were amazing and turned out perfectly! I served them to my parents and husband. They loved them, too. My dad just had prostate cancer surgery and came home from the hospital last night. These cupcakes cheered him up.
Tried these today, I like the texture but they cake out a little greasy in taste. Can I substitute the oil for butter (or margarine), will that fix the problem?
Also, as I don’t like coffee I put a little bit of cinnamon mixed with cardamom and crushed chili flakes, perfect!!)
I’m wondering if the espresso powder is necessary. I plan on making them for a kids birthday party.
I didn’t use espresso powder and they still turned out great.
These turned out well, and the taste is very nice, not too sweet and they are beautiful and soft. I was worried about them not rising as the batter was very thin, very difficult to put into patty pans so I had to use a soup ladle, they also took longer than the stated time to rise, I had them in the oven for 25 minutes and they turned out excellent. Other than having trouble getting the mixture into the patty pans they were a very simple cupcake to make.
Mix the batter in a bowl and then put it into a jug to pour into the patty pans. It’s much easier!
I had these last week at church. One of the women did a demo on how to make them and they were absolutely FABULOUS!!! I plan to make them this week just because they are soo darn good. I’ll never go back to a box. These are just as easy and taste a MILLION times better. They were incredibly moist. Hands down the best cupcakes I’ve ever had! We had both the vanilla and chocolate buttercream frosting and they were just as incredible! Thanks for sharing these recipes. I know they will be a hit every time I make them.
These sound absolutely wonderful. When I’m done copying the recipes I’m immediately going to make these. Thank you for being so friendly and giving alternatives to the recipe ex: cake or cupcakes. I will definitely visit you’re site again. Debby
I didn’t find this recipe to be as fantastic as the write-up assured. I had to bake the cupcakes for 24 minutes as others have said. I’m wondering if the specified time for baking is for a convection oven (which I didn’t use). The cupcakes came out heavy, not particularly flavorful. I followed the recipe as written, no tweaks.
Hi! I just wanted to drop by and say a little hello. This, along with the the best chocolate cake ever, were the first recipes ive made from your blog and these have become my favorite, go-to chocolate cupcakes recipe, only my favorite now is to top them with peanut butter frosting. But I just wanted to say I love your blog and I am looking forward to trying more recipes 🙂
OUTRAGEOUSLY GOOD!!! THANK YOU!
what is the most preferred cocoa powder to use in this recipe? natural cocoa or dutch cocoa? thanks.
hi- these cupcakes were amazing! does this recipe need to be adapted if you want to make a cake instead of cupcakes?
BEST CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES RECIPE
There’s a recipe on the same site for the best ever chocolate cake recipe. It’s wonderful as well.
Is baking soda and baking powder the same?
No they are not! If the recipe calls for both you need to use them both. However, baking powder has baking soda in it. This may be useful to you. http://joythebaker.com/2013/10/baking-101-the-difference-between-baking-soda-and-baking-powder/
that should say baking soda has baking powder in it…
Beware-These cupcakes are addicting. They are super moist, super light and oh so yummy.
The BEST chocolate cake recipe I have ever tried. Sometimes I incorporate a hot cup of coffee instead of the water. Still taste very good.
These are awesome! I used Bobs Red Mill 1 for 1 gluten free baking mix, Starbucks French Roast VIA instead of espresso powder and vanilla yogurt instead of buttermilk. They were so moist and delicious and didn’t last long in our house! Thanks for a great recipe.
This is the best choc cupcake recipe! My mum is the cake maker of our family, and after I made these for my son’s birthday, she said they were better than hers. Cheers!
Do you have to use espresso powder? Why do you use boiling water?
Just made these. Doubled the recipe for 24 cupcakes. They smell delicious…still colling so I haven’t tried them yet. The cooking time and temp seems off though. I had to cook then for 30 mins at 225, not 12-15. At the 15 min mark they were still raw in the middle. Any suggestions? Maybe increase cooking temp to 250?
The recipe says 325 F (or 160 C), not 225. that is probably the source of your problem! Try again — this really is a great recipe that has been around for generations and loved by all!
The ingredient list says one egg, but the instructions reference eggs plural. I went with the one egg in ingredient list… hope they turn out!
Incredible cupcakes! And so easy too!!
Oh my god these are the most moist,decadent yet the easiest cupcakes to make ever!! Delicious! Its the first recipe Ive done from your website and Ill definitely be doing more! Susan from Ireland
I adore your best chocolate cake recipe ever (I have made it 3 times with RAVE reviews), so I am going to be making these cupcakes for a baby shower! Any idea how long I should bake them as minis? It’s my first time making minis and I am so afraid of overbaking them..
Going to make these for my son’s birthday! Wondering if you used Dutch processed or natural cocoa? Thanks for your time.
Hi Olivia,
I generally use natural unsweetened cocoa powder. xo
Thank you! BTW, I was a little concerned I had missed a step when they took about 20 min to cook, but they turned out AMAZING. So moist. I got SO many compliments on them. This will definitely be my go to recipe, and I’ve been looking for one for a while!!!
Hi. I was wondering if you were able to freeze these? I need about 40 for the weekend, and will be too crazy busy in the morning to make them all! Thank you ☺
Made these for celebration for my parents. They look super moist so far! Ridiculously fluffy and fast! I can’t wait to try them tomorrow.
I don’t know what happened. I followed the baking time and temp but it turned out raw in the middle. I had to leave it in the oven for 5 more mins.
Excellent recipe! I needed to make a 6 inch round cake and the amounts on this recipe worked perfectly. I combined it with this site’s chocolate buttercream and it’s heavenly. I made the mistake of putting the oven at 325 degrees instead of 350 since it was a cake not cupcakes and it took a whole 40 mins to be done and sank a little bit in the middle, but that was totally my fault and I was able to fix the unevenness with frosting. I also sprinkled caramel to serve it, so decadent!
Btw, I didn’t have espresso powder so I added half a cup of boiling coffee instead of plain water. it worked perfectly 🙂 This will be my go to chocolate cake recipe from now on!
Delicious and couldn’t be simpler. It took 20 minutes for mine to cook though. They were light, moist and had a great flavor. I topped them with a coconut cream cheese frosting and toasted shredded coconut -yum!
Made these delicious, super-moist cupcakes for a teen’s birthday and they were a hit! It took approximately 5 more minutes to bake than the recipe stated, even at the suggested temperature and using medium grey, non-stick pans. As stated, the recipe was easy to double and simple to follow. I substituted some black cocoa for the regular cocoa (approximately one quarter dark cocoa to three quarters regular cocoa) to darken the cupcake colour and it turned out well. Frosted with a different, favourite, plain buttercream frosting which complemented the cupcake, as the cupcake on its own wasn’t overly sweet.
Thanks for a wonderful new favourite recipe!
Just what I was looking for. I did not have “Espresso” powder, so I just replaced the 1/2 cup of boiling water with 1/2 cup boiling coffee! Dark moist rich and the butter cream was excellent
This recipe is amazing I think I found my favirite choclate cake and cup cake recipe.I will no longer look for one .I want to thank you so so much for sharing this recipe i will never try any other one. I followed it to the T it turned out amazing.
The 15 min at 325 degree oven are unworkable.Uncooked and under risen…… this recipe works at 375 oven for 20 min. I have an excellent oven for breads, cookies and am fairly known for pie crusts ,puff pastry meringues ,maccarons etc. …so I don’t think its’ my oven.
It can be frustrating to prepare a batter and have it fail due to errors in print.
Would not have written if I did not care.
Best,
J
WorlKs perfectly fine for me so….
What is the size of the liners?
Sorry I’m new to baking.. Would like to try this recipe..
I love this cake. It was so moist, light and most of all, easy to make. It’s the first chocolate cake I’ve made in years, maybe over a decade and I’m so pleased with it. Because I don’t really like icing, I just put chocolate ganache and whipped cream on top and it was delish. Thanks for the recipe.
I just tried this last night and I am loving the result! That is even if I used powdered milk + water since I ran out of fresh milk, then extended the baking time to about 20-25 minutes. The cupcakes are so soft and moist, and they taste even more chocolatey the morning after. <3
Love this recipe! I’ve made it multiple times now (I have it memorized) for my family and we can finish a batch in a couple days. I make it without the espresso powder (my kid are 2 and 5 and not great sleepers) but I can’t wait to make it with the coffee sometime. Just wondering, is there a way to get the coffee flavoring without the caffeine?
The espresso powder doesn’t really add coffee flavor, just intensifies the chocolate flavor, so don’t worry about flavoring the batter too much. I made these for a kids birthday party and didn’t want to add the espresso either, so I replaced about 1/4 of the boiling water with hot decaf coffee. It worked pretty great. You can adjust the strength of the coffee too, so if you want to make extra strong decaf coffee, use less of it to replace the water, or use more if it’s not as strong.
How much hot water do you add?
Hi could I bake this batter with a Ferrero Rocher in the center while baking to make a Ferrero Rocher filled cupcake – thanks
That’s a great idea, not sure how the ferrero rocher would hold up in the oven but maybe you could experiment. What I would do is core the cupcake after it’s baked and put the ferrero rocher in then, that would be really delicious.
Just out of curiosity, what would this recipe be if I wanted to make 48 of these (cupcake only)? Hope to hear back from you soon. Thanks.
Hi Ginger!
You would need to increase the recipe times four to make 48 cupcakes (cupcakes only!). I hope that helps! xo
May I use canola oil
Is it suppose to be very watery
I’ve made these a couple of times now and love them. We aren’t coffee drinkers so I omit the espresso powder entirely and still love them. I have noticed that after 12 min in the oven they are still very underdone (soupy). My oven typically runs hot. Is it supposed to be baked at 350º and not 325º?
I am baking these now and experiencing the same thing. I’m up to 21 minutes.
Mine took about 20 minutes to bake as the batter was very thin (and did make more than 12). The cupcakes rose a bit differently than I expected, but the flavor is great. I stuffed mine with marshmallow creme and topped with a chocolate ganache. Thanks for sharing.
Made these yesterday…best cupcakes ever. Great flavour and so moist. I always like to follow directions exactly before tweeting but I didn’t have espresso powder so I substituted the boiling water for real espresso and it worked out perfectly. The buttercream was amazing. Thanks for the tips to making it light, fluffy and white! They were a huge hit with my family….our new favourite recipe!
I’m out of cupcake liners, could I just grease the cupcake pan?
Personally I wouldn’t do that, they stick like crazy unless you’ve got a brand new nonstick pan and luck on your side. Which will probably not look so great afterwards / damage nonstick coating. You’re better off cutting out greaseproof paper squares and folding them
Thank you for easy and tasty muffins recipe! Yesterday I baked your muffins for Birthday Party and got millions compliments 🙂 My muffins have sophisticated look without any decorations only I used brown tulip baking liners
Hi I wanted to make these cupcakes for a baby shower so didn’t wanna use the espresso powder. If I omit the espresso powder do I leave out the boiling water as well?
My boss’s birthday is tomorrow and I wanted to make homemade cupcakes for her. She doesn’t like coffee, so I omitted the espresso powder. The batter made a bit more than what would fit in the cups. I actually overfilled them and they spilled up over the top, but I used a knife to loosen them from the pan and they popped out just fine. I had to cook them much longer than 15 min….ended up being about 22 min. But they turned out great. I made my own cream cheese frosting (because that is my boss’s favorite). I had my husband try a cupcake and he gave it a solid A. I feel confident taking them to work tomorrow. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!
This is a great recipe! I made it for the first time this evening and my family loves it. I used 1/4 of coffee and 1/4 of boiling water and it worked out well. The cupcake was so moist – it reminds us of the cupcakes from the bakery.
As another said, they definitely needed to bake longer than said. At least 20-25 minutes.
Yummy recipe, makes a great cupcake. I thought 3/4 filling the patty pans was a bit too much as they rose a bit higher than I’d like when wanting to frost them.
Hi
Great recipe but each time I make them, my cupcakes don’t rise evenly and nicely.
Would you know why?
Help please
Thanks
Hi, I need to make 24 cupcakes, do I simply double the recipe?
Hi Denise,
Yes, you’ll just want to double the recipe for 24 cupcakes. I hope you enjoy them!
Just made this recipe and turned out great. Only change I made was to increase oven temperature to 350 degrees and they were ready in about 17 minutes. I also left out espresso powder and substituted half of the water with coffee. I’m not very good at baking and these were simple to make and tasty.
Delicious! The best chocolate cupcake recipe I have tried.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them, Wendy! xo
Love Love Love Love Love this recipe! Never ever disappoints…..I have made it at least a dozen times between cupcakes and cake, vanilla and chocolate frosting. So happy to have found it-definitey a family, friend and coworker fav. Thank you
I’m so glad you love it, Kelly!
These were not good at all. I’m an experienced baker, and these were dry and rubbery. Not a great recipe at all. I should have know by the directions which tell you to mix until well combined, and then again for another minute, as this produces the rubbery texture.
Hi Miko,
I’ve never experienced a rubbery texture or found these cupcakes to be dry. I’m sorry that you did.
So I doubled the recipe since I needed 24 cupcakes for a birthday party. I filled them 3/4 full like it said to, and almost all of them baked over. They had to bake for almost 10 mins longer and by the time the tooth pick came out clean the tops were burnt. I picked this recipe because of the high reviews, but I will not be making these again.
Oh no, AJ. I’m so sorry they didn’t work for you. I’ve not had that issue when I double the recipe. Can you tell me the position of your oven rack when you baked them?
I would prefer to use unsalted butter in these , how would I change this recipie?
thank you
Can I use Dutch processed cocoa? It’s the only type I buy.
They were a complete failure to me too! Taste is great but time needed to bake is at least double what you write, the cup cakes bake over and when they finally come out clean tops are burnt… I too chose this for the high rating.. guess I was fooled by that. Sad and a waist.
I’m so sorry they didn’t work for you.
They really were delicious! Although my batter spilled over, once I had a taste I was pleased.
Made these for my fiancé he loved them and so did his friends they were gone in minutes. Tons of compliments! I had no issues in my gas oven I filled each cup just above half full. Mine did not burn and baked perfectly I baked them about 22 mins on the middle rack. Frosting was a huge hit as well. Will be making these again soon.
Wow, fantastic recipe! These truly are the best chocolate cupcakes EVER! I filled my metallic cupcake liners
3/4 full and they came out perfectly. I did use my Kichenaid mixer and followed all directions carefully. The buttercream frosting recipe was amazing as well. I volunteered to do the desserts for an over the top, elegant baby shower and brought these cupcakes with the buttercream frosting. They looked lovely on the pedestal cake plates and they were delicious! Thank you Robyn!
This is the best recipe I’ve come by. I was nervous after adding the boiling water since it made the batter really runny, but they turned out amazing! My new go to cake recipe! Thanks!
Today is national chocolate cupcake day. 😉 trying this out-love the full cake recipe and have used that for years.
Hi –
I love your recipe, and I’m wondering if you have any suggestions on how best to fill the cupcake tins with the least amount of mess. I’ve used a scoop with thicker batter, but this one is pretty runny. Appreciate your thoughts.
Peter
Hi Peter,
I sometimes like to use one of my mixing bowls that has a pour spout on the side and just pour the batter into the cupcake tin. I hope this helps! Enjoy the cupcakes! Thanks!
This recipe worked perfectly! Baked at 325 on middle rack for 21 minutes. Did not overflow, rose perfectly! Only filled them just over 1/2 full as the recipe states, 3/4 full would be too much. Thank you for a go to recipe!
Hi April,
I’m so happy this worked well for you as well! I’m thrilled you enjoyed them and am honored you’ve found your “go-to” recipe! Thanks so much! xo
I just pulled my first batch of these cupcakes out of the oven and they are lovely–airy, moist, chocolaty, perfect. I stayed true to the recipe and doubled it. I used my stand mixer and filled foil cupcake liners between 1/2 and 3/4 full (I like more of a dome on my cupcake….I don’t want it hiding behind the liner). I have to say, I got a little nervous about how thin the batter became once I added the boiling water, but they turned out beautifully. I also used the batter to make a smash cake for my niece’s 1st birthday using two 4 in cake pans and baked them for 35 minutes total. They came out perfectly as well. Thanks for a great recipe!
Hi Renee,
I am happy you like the cupcakes! How special that you made the cake for your niece as well! Thank you so much for sharing this with me! xo
What if I leave out the espresso? Don’t have any on hand..
Hi Erin,
I think the espresso enhances the chocolate, but you can certainly make without it. I hope you enjoy it! Thanks! xo
Hi there. I want to make caramel filled chocolate cupcakes with caramel cream cheese frosting. I’m looking at this marvelous looking recipe for the cupcake part and was wondering if you think they would taste good with the cream cheese frosting (and if you’ve ever made them yourself with a cream cheese frosting vs buttercream). Thanks!
Do you think this would work for cake pops?
I have a pan that you pour the batter into
And they bake into balls
Hi Alyssa,
I’ve never used a cake pop pan with this recipe before. If you decide to use that pan, I’d recommend spraying well with a non-stick baking spray and monitor the baking time as I’m sure they won’t need as long to bake as cupcakes would need. Enjoy them! xo
Hi. What kind of cocoa I have to use? Unsweet or sweet or Dutch-processed?? Thanks
I use regular unsweetened cocoa powder, but dutch processed will work fine too. Enjoy! xo
What can I do to turn it into a chocolate orange cake? Orange peel
Do you think I can add chocolate chips ? I like that little burst of chocolate bits.
I haven’t added them to this cupcake before, but I think it would be delicious! Can’t wait to hear how you like them! Thanks!
These were the most delicious chocolate cupcakes I have ever had. They turned out perfectly and the cream cheese frosting was to die for. Thank you so much for sharing this delicious recipe!! It is a new favorite.
So glad you enjoyed them! Thanks so much! xo
I don’t have stand mixer, is it ok for the hand mixer?
Yes a hand mixer is fine. Thanks!
I don’t have stand mixer its only hand mixer, it’s ok for the hand mixer. ?
Yes, Mary it will work just fine. Enjoy it! Thanks!
Can you taste the espresso in them? I personally love the taste, but I am making these for tween girls who may not be coffee-lovers.
The espresso enhances the richness of the chocolate flavor. I don’t notice a coffee flavor. Enjoy them! Thanks!
Hi would like to try recipe today 1 cup is how Many grms please?
Does it HAVE to be espresso? What if I had regular old coffee ( folgers) on hand? Can I substitute the coffee for espresso?
The espresso adds a richness to the chocolate. The coffee will add a coffee flavor to the cupcakes. I hope you enjoy the cupcakes! Thanks!
Hi Robyn,
Would love to try this recipe and wanted to know if it is ok to use dutch processed cocoa?
Yes it is ok to use it. Hope you enjoy the cupcakes! Thanks so much!
this looks great! does the recipe need to be changed if i live in a lower altitude?
AMAZING!! I personally don’t like chocolate cupcakes so I originally made these for a birthday party, but these have turned me into a chocolate lover (and have become my favorite dessert)! They are moist and the frosting is a perfect compliment, sharing this recipe with everyone I know!!
Thanks so much, Tess!
can we leave out the espresso powder?
You can omit the espresso if you wish. It enhances the richness of the chocolate and makes the cupcakes even more delicious in my opinion. Thanks – I hope you enjoy them! xo
Thank you! I will try them out and let you know 🙂
Thnx a ton for this easy receipe that yields absolutely perfect moist cup cakes. I just made them and I am enjoying them.:)
Hi! I like the idea of not being tempted by a full cake by following the full recipe for the Best Chocolate Cake Ever, but I did want to make a cake and not cupcakes. Should I follow this cupcake recipe and put it in a cake pan, or just half the original cake recipe? Thanks!
Hi Bailey,
I have instructions for a few different size options for my Best Chocolate Cake The 9×13 is a bit smaller, so this may be what you are looking for. I hope you enjoy it! Thanks!
Good day,
I first noticed your chocolate cake but thought to try first muffins. I m sailing these days so made these simple delious cup cakes for all crew members.. They all loved it.. Came out fluffy, moist from inside..perfect taste of chocolate nd amazingly simple ingredients..
I m surely gonna made cake next?
Thanks for sharing.
I made these amazing cup cakes for my daughter’s birthday party at school. I omitted the espresso powder because I couldn’t find them. They turned out wonderful with the buttercream frosting. Her teacher said that my cup cake is the best she’s ever had and she even asked if I were a profession baker and that her daughter needs a wedding cake!
Thank you for the great recipe and can’t wait to try out others.
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed these! Thanks so much! xo
Ive tried both the cake and cupcakes. They were just WOW! Everyone loved them. Im certainly gonna keep those recipes. Thanks a lot for sharing them.
Thanks so much! So glad you enjoy them! xo
These cakes turned out so so well!!!! I was high-fiving myself!!!
Probably a stupid question, but does anyone know what I would do to make these vanilla cupcakes? It’s the texture – it’s fab – but not sure if this is dependent in some way on the cocoa powder?
Thanks in advance!
Planning to make these this weekend! I only have muffin cases, which I understand are taller than cupcake cases – will I need to adjust the recipe for this? Thanks for your help.
I have made and loved the cake a number of times and just thought today, the day of my daughter’s 6th birthday party “Maybe I should do cupcakes instead”. I am so SO happy to find the cupcake version.
Ok made these 5 minutes ago and they are PERFECTION. Do not eat them before kids arrive….do not eat them before kids arrive….do not eat them before kids arrive…..
Thanks Hannah!
Thanks so much! Hope you all enjoy them! xo
Is the cocoa in this recipe unsweetened cocoa?
Thanks
This was definitely the best cupcake recipe I have ever made! I didn’t have any espresso powder on hand, so I replaced the boiling water with 1/2 cup of hot black coffee. It worked out super well! My cupcakes were the texture of my dreams, and just the right amount of chocolatey and sweet (but not too sweet).
Thanks so much, Ashley! I’m so glad you liked them! xo
I made the cupcakes and the batter baked way above the liners and pan. I just made 12 and thought they were 1/2 full. Took much longer to bake. I think it would make 15 cupcakes. Did you use a large cupcake pan or muffin tin? otherwise fine.
Hello. Looks good. Can I freeze them? Without topping.
Sure! Make sure they are completely cooled , then covered in an air tight container when freezing and then completely thaw them before frosting. Enjoy! Thanks!
what kind of cocoa power do use for this recipe?
Use your favorite unsweetened cocoa powder. Hershey’s is great and other brands are too. Thanks!
Wondering the same as above, is the cocoa unsweetened? Would Hershey’s Special Dark powder work?
Yes it would be fine. Thanks!
What kind of espresso powder can I use Nescafe decaf dark roast. It’s all I have on hand.
Just made this today, I used extra espresso and it tasted amazing! instead of the butter cream icing I did a chocolate ganache topping and cream cheese frosting on top, the result was heavenly! I will definite make this again.
The ganache sounds delicious! I’m glad you enjoyed these! Thanks!
Is it okay to use alkalized cocoa powder?
Best Cupcakes Ever! It’s brilliant to add boiling water. It makes them moist and totally delicious
Thanks so much! I’m glad you like them!
Hi, I live in the U.K. – can you give me a conversion from cups to grams for the dry ingredients and millilitres for the liquid ones please? I’m really keen to try these with the addition of boiling water as it looks like it makes them so moist, but I don’t want to get the quantities wrong, thanks ?
Hi Julie –
Here’s my Conversion Chart from my website. I’m glad you are trying the cupcakes – they are delicious! Thanks so much!
This cupcake recipe works! Thanks Robyn~ I’d been trying different chocolate so-called cupcake recipes and not happy with the outcomes (e.g. big domes like muffins, dense, dry, lack of cocoa flavour) until I found your recipe. This recipe gives a slightly convex smooth top, moist and fluffy, as well as strong cocoa flavour. This is my go-to chocolate cupcake recipe from now on. Thanks!
I’m glad you enjoyed the cupcakes! It’s one of my all time favorites and I love that I can depend on it every time to yield moist, delicious cupcakes! Thanks so much! xo
I made the cupcakes & used your chocolate buttercream frosting…outstanding! The flavor is amazing. I doubled the cupcake recipe & it made too much batter. I had more batter than the 24 cupcake liners. Also, all the cupcakes sank in the middle. Do you know what might cause that? I’ll definitely make these again, so easy and delicious!
So happy you enjoy them, Christina! Sometimes baking powder that isn’t real fresh can cause a problem such as that, but I really can’t say what happened. Thanks so much! Happy holidays!
How does the cook time change if I tried making into a cake rather than cupcakes? Would that have a poor outcome?
Here is the Chocolate Cake Recipe. Hope you enjoy it!
Always my go to…love it!!
Thanks so much!
I made these last night and iced them with cream cheese icing. I added one mini Lindt ball to each one. They were AMAZING! This recipe is fantastic. So tasty and moist. Note: If you are going to add a Lindt ball, freeze them first for about 30 minutes to an hour just so it slows down the melting process (as they are liquidy). Will def be making these again! 🙂
Sounds delicious like that! Thanks – I’m glad you enjoy the cupcakes…we love them! Have a great holiday! xo
Just made these beauties, very very most and not too sweet. This is my new go to chocolate cake recipe. Thank you.
Love this recipe and have made it several times. However, the last 2 times I made this, I noticed that it rises sharply in the middle, forming a kind of volcano shape with a bulge in the middle. Not great for icing and I had to cut off the tops. Any idea why this would happen? My oven perhaps? I had it on thermo-fan setting. Maybe it was too hot?
Not sure what could have happened, Ilana. If the oven setting was different these last two times, that could have possibly caused it. Is it possible that you’ve changed baking ingredients (different flour, baking soda, baking powder, etc) the last couple of times? Hope this helps…
Thanks so much! xo
Did you grease the tins? Sometimes when there is too much on the sides, the cupcakes have nothing to grab onto when they raise.
can i double up the recipe? i’m planning to make 24 cupcakes. thanks! 🙂
I have scaled it up to 150 cupcakes for bake sales. As long as you keep the ratio exactly the same, it should turn out fine.
Made these last night. Easily some of the best cupcakes I have ever eaten much less made. I’m going to chisel the recipe into stone and keep it in my kitchen. Thank you so much!
🙂 I’m so glad you loved them, Jon! They are my favorites, too!!! xo
I love these cupcakes! So much that I’m wondering if I can omit the cocoa and get a vanilla version? Has anyone tried this? Im doing the cupcakes for my nephew’s 1st bday and planning to do chocolate and vanilla options and this chocolate would definitely outshine my vanilla cupcake recipe! .
I don’t have expresso powder, is it necessary for the recipe, as in will it effect it?
Hi Rachel! I’ve made these multiple times and have never had espresso powder on hand and still turns out great!
The espresso powder makes the cake really rich. I prefer it without espresso, and it is great.
is it unsweetened cocoa or regular cocoa?
It’s unsweetened cocoa in the recipe. Thanks!
These look delicious! Do you think I can make them (or cupcakes in general) a day or two ahead of the event I want to bring them to? How do you suggest I store them – fridge or out on the counter?
I just made these with the Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 gluten free flour mix and Almond milk as I can’t have gluten or dairy and they turned out great! In fact, they are probably the best gluten free cake I’ve had. The flavor is delicious and the texture is outstanding- light, airy, and not too crumbly. Really a perfect recipe for that flour! I’ll certainly be making them again.
Thank you!
Oh that’s wonderful to hear, Laurel! I’m happy you liked them! Thanks! xo
I second that! I too have made these with almond milk or soy milk and gluten free flour, aluminum free baking soda/powder and they have turned out great every time!
Thank you for this solid recipe.
Hello Robyn,
Could this recipe be used for a one layer cake using a 9″ pan? I only have jumbo muffin tins. I am excited to try it today!
Happy Valentines Day!
Thank you, Robin
Hi Robin,
Happy Valentine’s Day to you too!
I wondered if you might want to try my Best Chocolate Cake 9×13 Pan since you are asking about a one layer cake. You could use either frosting you wish – Perfect Vanilla Frosting or Chocolate Buttercream Frosting. Both are delicious! Thanks so much! xo
heyy I just wanted to ask.. I tried this recipe just today, it’s outstandingly delicious.. however, im not sure why even with the spray all the cupcakes got stuck to the bottom 🙁 I had to pull them out with a spoon and ruined half of them. Do you have any recommendation for that? or what I could have done wrong? The flavor is the best I’ve ever had.. I want to try to redo it without having them stuck!! Thank you so much
I have made these many times. I find if I try to take them out before they’ve cooled enough they break in half. Have found gently edging along the sides with a spatula helps get them out intact.
Thanks so much!
Hi! I am about to make these! The recipe says “add egss” to the flour mixture, but the recipe only calls for one egg. Is it a mistake?
Thank you!!!!!
This sounds delicious!
Hillary,
Thanks for catching that. I have now corrected the instructions. You only add one egg. Hope you enjoy the cupcakes.
I made these tonight for the Super Bowl halftime. This recipe is a keeper. Chocolate, moist cake. Perfect portions. 12 cupcakes and exactly enough icing with half of the vanilla buttercream. My husband LOVED the vanilla buttercream icing-and he is s serious chocoholic.
I’m thrilled that you enjoyed them!!! Thanks so much!
Hi Robyn..just wondering why you spray your cupcake liners with cooking spray? I’ve never done that before, I’m going to be using gold liners, (paper inside,gold outside) Do you recommend spraying?
Thank you
Donna 🙂
Sure spraying will be fine. I hope you enjoy the cupcakes! Thanks so much! xo
Wow, amazing cupcake! Soft and fluffy, tastes great, and is easy to make.
Hi I want to make these for Valentine’s Day, I have a nespresso machine and was wondering if I can put an espresso shot in instead of powder would that work? Thanks
can I use a mini muffin tin?
I’ve not made minis, so I’m not sure how long they would need to bake. You’d have to watch your baking time as I am sure it would be less than for the cupcake size. Enjoy – thanks!
Best ones I made to date – thank you so very much for sharing. I had no issues at all
That’s fantastic, Diane! I am so glad you liked them! Thanks! xo
Hi, I made these cupcakes and they are super delicious.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe and I am gonna try your Best chocolate cake as well!!
So glad you liked them! I hope you love the cake as well! Thanks! xo
These are the best cupcakes I have ever made!! I made them tonight for a family dinner, and my family demolished them!! Rave reviews all around! Both the icing and cupcakes were perfect. Very easy to make and super moist!
Thanks so much, Jessica! I’m so happy you enjoyed them! xo
Wow. Just made this today and it was delicious. I didn’t have any milk and added half & half instead. Also, canola oil since I didn’t have veg oil. I baked it for about 15-16 minutes. I made blueberry buttercream frosting. Added a couple blueberries on top of cupcakes. Mmm, chocolate was so moist and soft. Perfect. Not too sweet. The frosting was also divine. This will be a keeper recipe. Thank you for posting.
So glad you enjoyed them, Amy! Blueberries and chocolate combo sounds divine! Thanks so much!
can I double this recipe for 24 cupcakes without mixing time changes?
Is there any variation on mixing times if you double this recipe?
I would like to try the recipe, however, me and my family are not eating or drinking anything with coffee. Is it possible to remove the espresso from the recipe? Thank you very much for the help.
Certainly, Kay! I think it is amazing with the espresso powder – it brings out the ultimate richness of the chocolate – but it is still delicious without the espresso if you choose not to include it. I hope you enjoy the cupcakes.
Thanks so much! xo
expresso powder? Is that just ground up coffee beans into an expresso powder? I want to make it but just need to be sure.
Hi Linda,
I buy espresso powder at my grocery store. It will be specifically named that. I hope you enjoy the cake! Thanks!
what size cupcake pans? by the way the double layer 9 in round is delicious. thank you for posting
Hi Abigail,
So happy you enjoy the Chocolate Cake!
I use a standard size cupcake/muffin tin when I bake these cupcakes. If you see in the photos, it may help you see what I’m talking about size-wise.
I hope you enjoy the cupcakes too! They are delish! Thanks so much!
I just finished making these. I didn’t have any espresso powder, so that was left out. I added 1 tsp of mint extract. The cupcakes are most and delicious. Thanks for giving us such a great recipe!
Hi Kari,
I’m so glad you like the cupcakes – I am sure the mint was delicious!
Thank you so much! xo
Should I use sweetened or unsweetened cocoa? I noticed in the frosting recipe it specifies unsweetened but wasnt sure which to use for the cupcakes.
Thanks!
Hi Merida,
I use unsweetened cocoa for both the frosting and the cupcakes. I hope you enjoy them! Thanks! xo
THEY TURNED OUT AMAZINGGGGGGGG!!!! Small confession, these are the first cupcakes and frosting that Ive ever made completely from scratch. I know I know and embarrassment to all bakers everywhere but I was always nervous about the whole process so I used to just buy the box stuff and add my own twist. However, Ive just moved to Amsterdam and the box cakes/ frostings option are no good and super expensive so when I needed to make cakes for a friends birthday I decided it was time I graduated to the real stuff. So glad I did and SO GLAD I found this recipe. Thanks so much! The chocolate frosting is unreal too and piped pretty well, just a few more tweaks on my side and next time I know they will be perfect. There is no turning back now!
I’m thrilled that you gave them a try and that you loved them, Merida! They are favorites in my family too!
Thanks so much! xo
I need to make the perfect vanilla cupcake please!!! Do you have a recipe?
I use my Best White Cake recipe for cupcakes as well. The recipe has instructions for making cupcakes and the yield.
I hope you enjoy them! Thanks!
Robyn, what brand of unsweetened cocoa do you use for your chocolate cake/cupcake recipes? Thanks!
Hi Amy,
I generally either use Hershey’s or Ghiradelli. xo
Sounds like natural unsweetened cocoa powder rather than Dutch-processed unsweetened cocoa. Thank you, Robyn!
I simply love your chocolate cake recipe. It is my go-to recipe for any cake. Just wondering if instead of frosting, you have just thrown in some choc chips/chunks in? Baking for a bake sale and they would just probably package better.
Hi Michelle!
I’m so happy you enjoy the chocolate cake and that you find it to be a go-to!
Chocolate chips will be delicious – take a look at these Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins. I think these will be fantastic for a bake sale and sound like what you may be looking for.
I hope you enjoy them! Thanks so much! xo
Can I do without the expresso powder and the water? If not, what can I use in their place?
Hi! I’m from Mexico city and I really want to try this recipe 🙂
But I have a big question. How and where can I get the espresso powder?
Is there another name for that ingredient?
Espresso powder is coffee…any coffee will do.
I’m making these right now for my church meeting and guess what we’re discussing? The annual bake sale that’s coming up! These are definitely going to be on the tables!!
As for the espresso powder…….. I didn’t want to spend the money for espresso powder so I use instant coffee granules instead! And, I put the boiling water with it so it dissolves and then pour that in the batter…. Absolutely deeelish !!
Is this recipe easy to double or in my case triple? making it for my daughter’s entire class and teachers. 🙂
Thanks.
oops just read the comments right above the recipe. please disregard
Hands down the best chocolate cupcake recipe! So moreish, moist and a rich chocolate flavour. I filled the centres with a cherry compote and pipped whipped cream frosting on top to make mini. Black Forests.
Thanks so much! Sounds absolutely delicious!
I really want to try this recipe. Can you explain further about the coffee if we don’t have coffee powder? I have espresso ground coffee and regular medium bold American coffee. Is it supposed to be made before hand or just mix the uncooked coffee ground with the rest of the cake ingredients? Any details would be very grateful thanks!
Hi Karen,
What I use in the recipe is espresso powder…it is named that exactly….most grocery stores have it and I order it online often where ever cooking supplies are sold. I just mix the espresso powder into the cake ingredients as directed…nothing to do ahead of time.
I hope this helps and that you enjoy the cake! It’s delicious! Thanks so much! xo
Hi
Can I substitute butter with vegetable oil in this recipe? Will it make a great difference?
If I’m making these for my son’s birthday in 3 days, how should I store them for the next two days before I ice and decorate them? Do I need to wrap in Saran, aluminum and freeze or just refrigerate or just leave out in room temperature. Covered or uncovered? Thank you!
Hi Julia,
Wrap them very well in clear wrap after they’ve completely cooled and store the wrapped cupcakes in an airtight container. I hope your son has a wonderful birthday! Thanks so much! xo
I’m looking to make a double layers 6″ round cake for a small bday cake for my daughter. I’m not good with how much batter to use? The regular layer cake recipe I’m sure will be too much – think this will be enough? I’ve made this several times before and we LOVE the recipe. Thanks for this!
Hi Tara,
I’m so glad you enjoy this cake – it’s such a favorite of my family too!
I think possibly the best option would be to make cupcakes with the rest or freeze an extra layer. I hope this helps! Wish your daughter a wonderful birthday! Thanks! xo
This is truly the best chocolate cupcake ever…I tried the recipe and it came out perfect without an electric mixer although that was work but the cupcakes came out right. I am definitely going to make some on my birthday. Thanks for the recipe, Robyn.
I’m so happy you enjoyed this! Have a wonderful birthday!!! Thanks so much!
Hi Robyn,
These are my all time favorite go-to cupcakes. I recently found your “Best Chocolate Cake Ever” recipe and I noticed that it was almost exactly double of this one except for the fact that there is less than double the amount of cocoa and more than double the amount of baking soda. Is this because of the size of the pan or for some other reason?
Thanks so much for a wonderful recipe. We covered the cake in whipped cream and sprinkled chopped pecans and maple syrup on top. Amazing!!
Hi Naomi!
I’m thrilled you enjoy the cupcakes! Thanks so much!
I would like to know about the cocoa and soda thing too. I like the original best chocolate cake recipe, but isnt that recipe good for cupcakes then? Why is the amount of cocoa/soda so different in this cupcake recipe 🙂
Hi Aike,
The Best Chocolate Cake recipe and the Best Chocolate Cupcakes make different quantities of batter, so I’ve formulated them as such. I hope you enjoy them. Thanks!
Can I use drinking chocolate instead of cocoa powder??
I’ve not used that so I am not sure that will turn out correctly. Thanks!
Wondering if it would be okay to leave out the espresso powder? I would love to try these!
Hi Adele –
You can omit the espresso powder if you wish. It enhances the richness of the chocolate, but it will still be delicious. Thanks!
I don’t normally leave comments on recipes, but am making these cupcakes for the second time in a week… they’re really great! I leave out the espresso powder (last thing my boys need is caffeine in them!), use melted coconut oil instead of vegetable oil, and just top with melted white chocolate and sprinkles. They’re such light and delicious cakes, they remind me of those cakes you used to be able to buy in silver foil wrappers…
Fab recipe, easy to make, perfect!
Hi Robyn
Your recepie seems great, i will try it for my little girl birthday , and I promise to leave a comment after trying it
But can we cover it with sugar past or fondant to decorate it?
Thank you
Lamia
HI Robyn
I made these first time and they wereally amazig, thankyou so much for sharing this recipe!
Just one question, I want to double the amount of cupcakes so do I double everything in the recipe?
I know in some recipes not all ingredients are doubled.
Hi Robyn,
I’m planning on baking these cupcakes but I can’t seem to find espresso powder. Do you recommend replacing it by something else ?
Thank you
Hi Melissa,
I’ve not replaced it with anything, but you can omit if you can’t find it. I have purchased it online and in my grocery store. I hope you enjoy these – they taste spectacular! Thanks!
You can make your own by grinding some espresso beans and toasting their grounds in the oven.
I have used the Starbucks Via instant coffee powder and it is delicious!
Fantastic recipe – use to have one similar to this years ago but lost it. Wonderful moist cake and cupcakes. Thank you!!!
Thanks so much! xo
I made a two layer 8 inch cake today. The cake seems a little dry more than I expected. I used self rising flour and coffee instead of water. The flavor was diffinently there but the cake moisture wasn’t. Any suggestions on how to keep the flavor and add more mositure?
Hi Tete,
I don’t use self rising flour in my cake recipe and I use boiling water as described. I suggest making it according to the recipe for the best results. The Best Chocolate Cake and these cupcakes are both incredibly delicious and full of flavor! Thanks!
These are amazing! My 12-year-old little Pinterest Queen made them. She almost cried when she added the boiling water because she thought she’d messed up but I told her to trust the recipe. A minute or so of high spped mixing (as the recipe says) made the batter look normal again, and they turned out perfect. We made half the batch following the recipe exactly and in the other half dozen added a mint oreo at the bottom of the liner before adding the mix. Both were fantastic. She bakes a LOT of cupcakes and these are at the top of our list.
This just thrills me to read this, Laura! I love that your 12 year old bakes and made these!
I know it’s hard to believe that the boiling water really works – but it does – and it makes all the difference!
Please give my best to your daughter – I’m glad you both like the cupcakes! Thanks! xo
YES! I love the Best Cake Ever recipe and went online today LOOKING for a similar recipe for a small batch of cupcakes. I feel so lucky :). Thank you!
So happy you found it! 🙂 I hope you enjoy the cupcakes as well! Thanks so much, Kate!
Hi Robin, can I check with you if possible for me to triple this recipe?
Hi Vina,
You may want to make three separate batches as I do believe it will give best results. That’s a large quantity of cupcake batter to try to mix at once. Enjoy!
I just made 60 cupcakes using this receipt for my daughter’s baby shower. You saved the day. They were AMAZING. The espresso powder and boiling water is the kick that takes them over the top. How creative and clever. This will be my go-to for chocolate cake, etc. Thank you for making this labor of love a success.
Wonderful to hear that you enjoyed it, Tia! Best wishes to your daughter on her baby! Thanks so much! xo
Robyn..I’m making this recipe today with my 6-yr old grandson and have a question. In the directions, you indicated that the cupcake liners should be sprayed with a cooking spray and wondered why it’s necessary. Also, do you keep the baked cupcakes in the muffin tin until they are fully cooled? Looking forward to making these with my little baker-buddy!
I did not use cooking spray and mine came out clean.
Made these today . . . best cupcake recipe EVER !!
Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed these!
Thank you so much for such a great recipe!! This is my go to chocolate cupcake recipe and I can’t count how many times people have said they were the BEST cupcakes they’ve ever had!! I send them here for the recipe! 🙂
So amazing to hear this, Kate! I’m glad you enjoy them so much! My family adores them too! Thanks! xo
Oh my word! These cupcakes are amazing! I have my tried and tested cupcake recipe and was a bit nervous to try something different…but it was worth every silly worry! Absolutely scrumptious! Thank you very much Robyn!
Thanks Siggy! I’m so happy you liked them! xo
I made the cake version of this and loved it. I plan on making these for my son’s birthday. His party is on Sunday, if I made them ahead of time would Friday be too early to make them?
I’m so happy you enjoyed the Best Chocolate Cake, Amanda!
When I’m baking cake or cupcakes for a special event, one day in advance is as far ahead of time as I go. I like to have them as fresh as possible to serve at the party.
I hope you enjoy them and your son has a wonderful birthday party! Thanks!
Hi Robyn, I’m excited to try your recipe! I just have a quick question about the cocoa…do you use unsweetened? And is it a bar or powder? Thanks!
Hi Kate,
I use unsweetened cocoa powder in this recipe. I hope you enjoy the cupcakes. Thanks so much! xo
Hi! Can I use brown sugar instead?thanks!
I’ve never made these with brown sugar so I’m not sure how they would turn out.
Absolutely delicious!!!
I used the large muffin pan and no liners. Yielded 6 cupcakes. I made a second batch because the frosting recipe made a lot of frosting.
I’m so glad you like them, Renee! Thanks so much!
Hey Robyn,
I made the chocolate cupcajes and they are awesome.. simply moist which exactly i wanted.. turned out so well .. wiah i could give you a tight hug… xx
I’m so happy you enjoyed these, Jiya! Thank you so much! 🙂
I will defenetly try it out made the cake several times very nice.
Can I use soy milk instead of cows milk? Do the cupcake liners have to be sprayed?
Hi Melissa,
I’ve never used soy milk in these cupcakes. It will be good to prepare the liners. Enjoy! Thanks!
I made these with soy milk and they were delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
So glad to hear that, Kat! Thanks so much! xo
Hey could u do mini cupcakes instead and would they turn out fine?
You can do mini cupcakes with this recipe. You’ll want to adjust the baking time appropriately.
I have a hard time finding espresso powder. Where do you recommend going?
Hi Allison,
If my grocery doesn’t have it, I order it online. I hope this helps. Enjoy! Thanks!
Spicehouse is where I ordered mine!
Hi Robyn, I have to make these for a baby shower on the weekend. I did a test batch today and they were so simple to make but really delicious. They were moist and had a rich chooolate flavour. I also iced them with your butter cream icing and thanks to your tips, I managed to get it quite white. I’ve been asked to do white icing! If I make these the night before and have the icing piped on, can they be kept at room temperature or do I need to put them in the fridge until ready to eat? Will the cream and butter in the icing be ok to leave out overnight? If I do put them in the fridge overnight, will the icing be ok the next day ie. not too hard?? Thanks for another delicious recipe! Regards, Michelle
Hi Michelle,
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cupcakes!
You don’t have to refrigerate if you make these the night before – I just keep mine under a cake dome or in a cupcake carrier that seals to help keep them fresh.
Thanks so much!
These are amazing! I omitted the espresso powder (because it’s expensive!) and used freshly brewed coffee instead of the boiling water. They are so delicious that I made them for a wedding and got rave reviews. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Robyn,
Thanks for this very delicious chocolate cupcake recipe. I tried it this weekend and I loved it, moist, fluffy and light. But I’m just wondering if I can also us the same basic ingredients in making a vanilla cupcake (omitting cocoa, espresso and baking soda) and by substituting the cocoa powder with 1/2 cup flour instead? I really want to make other flavoured cupcakes but with the same texture as yours, advise please, thanks.
Hi Elaine,
So happy you like the chocolate cupcakes! I am not sure that would work for vanilla cupcakes and have never tried them that way. I use my Best White Cake recipe for cupcakes. I hope you enjoy them! xo
Can you make this without the espresso powder? Just omitting any type of coffee all together?
Yes, you can make without the espresso. They’ll still be delicious! Thanks!
Can you tell me if the cocoa is natural cocoa powder (Hersey’s) or dutch cocoa powder (alkalized)? Thanks!
Hi Amanda,
You could use either, but I use the regular unsweetened cocoa powder (natural in your words). Hope you enjoy the cupcakes! Thanks!
Hi Robyn, We are in Canada and natural cocoa powder is only available at the bulk food store in our area, dutch cocoa is stocked everywhere else though, so I thought I would ask which kind you use in the recipe. I made these cupcakes with natural cocoa for my daughter’s birthday in October and they were amazing! I needed 36 so I used this recipe plus your chocolate cake recipe all in one batch. My kids and I made these again tonight just for fun and they really are the perfect chocolate cupcake!
I’ve made these for three birthday parties now and got rave reviews’ from both kids and parents! I always top it with the vanilla buttercream or other vanilla frosting. They’re delicious. I’ve also made both the 13×9 version of this and the 3-tier round cake. It comes out amazing everytime. I’m always surprised at how liquidy the batter is but it all works out in the end!
So happy you enjoy them, Nadia! Thanks!
I’m so glad everyone loves it, Nadia! xo
Hi! Any chance I could substitute unsweetened applesauce for the vegetable oil? I often do that with other recipes.
Thanks 🙂
Hi I was just wondering if you have options of making this recipe gluten free? I absolutely LOVE this recipe but need to make a gluten free batch for a friend. Thank you!
Hi Nicky,
I’ve made them numerous times using a gluten-free flour blend, such as Cup 4 Cup or the King Arthur gluten-free blend. I hope that helps!
I made this today and it turned out perfect! This will be my to-go chocolate cupcake recipe from now on. Thank you for sharing!
So happy you enjoyed them, Anne! Thanks! xo
Has anyone tried making these ahead and freezing them without the icing?
They should freeze just fine – just let them cool completely after baking, them wrap well in freezer wrap and store in freezer in an airtight container. Thaw completely before frosting. Enjoy! Thanks Sara!
My cupcakes came out DELICIOUS! Do you have a vanilla or yellow cake recipe!?
Hi Tulsi!
Glad you enjoyed these! Here’s my White Cake recipe I think you’ll like too!
Hi. Can I use cake flour instead of all purpose?
Is there going to be a modification?
You can use cake flour if you wish. Hope you enjoy them! Thanks!
Hi. What adjustments do i need to do if i will be making mini cupcakes?
Thank you
I’m curious why you bake them on 325 degrees? Typically, you’d bake at 350. I’m going to try them this weekend!
The cupcakes taste great and I followed the recipe exactly! However, unfortunately the cupcakes didn’t rise! I was wondering I fyou could tell me what I could’ve done wrong. Other than that the cupcakes were amazing! Thanks
Thank you SO MUCH for sharing this recipe! I just made it tonight, along with another recipe and my husband and I loved this one so much more. It was fluffier, more moist, and the flavor was more intense and smooth! Definitely saved as my go-to now. Oh, and it was so much easier to make!!! Didn’t need a mixer at all!
I’m so glad that you and your husband enjoyed it, Marie!!! xo
Delicious, rich and moist. I used boiled coffee instead of water for more coffee flavour even. As only my husband and I at home this is a nice small batch.
I’m so glad you both enjoyed it!
These turned out amazing!! I used coconut oil (melted) and it worked perfectly. The boiling water keeps the coconut oil melted until baking.
I’m so glad you loved it, Ashley! I love using melted coconut oil in this recipe, too. xo
This reciepe is so tasty and easy to make!! Love this reciepe so much. Everyone says it is better than buying from stores. I recommand tp add some m&m’s to make it even tastier! Definately try this reciepe!!!
Thanks so much, Anina! I’m so happy you enjoy it too! xo
Can I add cream filling?
Sure! Would be delicious!
Dear Robyn,
This recipe is by far the best chocolate cupcake recipe I’ve ever tasted! It’s so tasty, moist, and spongy. You can even add chocolate chips to have a double chocolate cupcake. Even the icing recipe was so delicious! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
I’m so glad you love it, Maggie! xo
I need to make these for Friday night. Can I omit espresso powder. and use some kind of coffee as a substitute? And do you have a yummy chocolate buttercream frosting to put on these for a chocolate lovers 60th birthday?
Hi Tracy,
Absolutely. You can simply omit the espresso powder in both the cupcake recipe as well as the chocolate buttercream frosting. Here is the link to the chocolate buttercream frosting recipe for you as well. https://addapinch.com/perfect-chocolate-buttercream-frosting-recipe/
Delicious! Moist and chocolately, but not too sweet. Loved the espresso powder in this recipe. Adds just a little richness.
So glad you loved it, Susan!
This is so so good. The batter was a little thin in the end once water was added but the cupcakes baked perfectly in 20 minutes and are the best I’ve ever made. Thank you! 🙂
Hi Rabia,
Yes, the batter is very, very thin, but makes the best chocolate cupcakes, I think!
These cupcakes were honestly perfect. The only change I made was to use brewed coffee in place of the water. This will probably become my go-to chocolate cupcake recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them, Shari! There’s nothing like a great chocolate cupcake!
Hello Robyn! Okay so I have a dilemma… I know the batter is thinner than others but exactly how thinner? Mine looks like hot chocolate! By the time you reply, I probably will have baked them but at least if they don’t work then next time I can use your tips. Also I am crossing my fingers because they look so good!! Thank you so much!
Hi Curious!
Yes, the batter will be very thin. I hope these turned out wonderfully for you! Thanks so much! xo
I know it’s a super late comment, but I actually ladle my batter into a protein shaker bottle and utilize the offset large opening to pour it evenly and cleanly into my cupcake tin. I place my cupcake tin on my scale and ensure I pour an even amount into each tin (I think it was something like 45grams per cupcake). It’s quite easy when the batter is as thin as it is.
Thank you so much Robyn! They worked <3 I added a pinch (no joke intended) of cinnamon as well and it was great! Also sorry for my grammar mistake when I said ' but exactly how thinner', I meant 'but exactly how much thinner?'…. thank you so much again! 🙂
I made the cake recipe and it was amazing! Can I just use the cake recipe for cupcakes? If so how many minutes baking time?
Hi Melanie,
I’m so glad you liked the cake! I’ve linked the recipe here for my Best Chocolate Cupcakes. Enjoy! xo
Help !!!!
I need to make 650 cupcakes, how would I modify this recipe???
Hi Crystal, Wow! Your going to be a busy baker! My recipe makes 12 regular size cupcakes. I’ll be honest that I’ve never made that many at one time. 🙂
My quick calculation looks like just over 54 batches of this recipe for your 650 cupcakes – so I’d guess rounding up to 55 recipes of my cupcakes should be close to what you’d need. You can check my math. 😉
Since I’ve never made that many at once, I can’t say how mixing it all up in large batches will do, so I’d suggest making in smaller batches.
Good luck! xo
OMG im so happy I found you 😉 hehe
I bake just cakes really (as a hobby) and my god I’ve recently used your choc cupcake,choc cake,and frosting recipes and all are perfect! I can’t wait to make more,more,more lol Thank you so much Robyn 😉
Oh I’m so happy you are enjoying the recipes, Sharon! I’m glad you found me too! 😉
Hope you find many more recipes here that you will enjoy! xo
Can I turn it into an actual cake? If so what about a sheet cake? I’m making a Black Forest cake and this is my favorite chocolate cup cake recipe. Thank you!!
Yes, Cass!
Actually I developed the cupcakes from my Best Chocolate Cake Recipe Ever. I’m so happy you enjoy the cupcakes and I hope you love the cake too! I make it often and it’s absolutely delicious! xo
I first tried this recipe 2 weeks ago and I’ve already made 6 dozen since then. It’s incredibly easy to make and when it grows it forms plenty of pillowy pockets inside. I ladle my batter into a protein shaker with an offset opening and pour it into the cupcake tins with ease. They are the stick to your teeth kind of moist. Awesome recipe!
So happy to hear you enjoy them, Luke! I love the tip of using the protein shaker for pouring into the tins – great idea! Thanks so much for the kind comment and awesome tip! xo
I am really excited to try this recipe but would like to know if I can use buttermilk instead of milk? Thank you
I don’t personally use buttermilk for them as I think it will impact the flavor, Raven. I hope you enjoy them! xo
Can you make as mini cupcakes.
Help..I just made these and they are so dry…I doubled all the ingredients to make 2 dozen. I double checked my ingredients and they were correct..can anyone tell me what I may have done wrong??
It was good Robyn! Was just wondering how you could lower the amount of sugar? My family is trying to be more health conscious but still loves our chocolate!
Have made many different chocolate cupcake recipes. This recipe is by far the best one I’ve tried! Everyone loved it! This is now the only chocolate cupcake recipe in my book! Thank you! Can’t wait to try some of your other recipes. Am looking for a recipe for peanut butter cake if you have one.
That is such a wonderful compliment to hear, Mary! So glad you enjoy it! Here’s my Peanut Butter Cake – there’s a delicious frosting too! Thanks so much! xo
hi robyn can i use cadbury bournville cocoa powder
is that unsweetened or dutched possessed cocoa powder?
Thanks!
I’ve not used that brand/type of cocoa powder before, Kat. Hope you enjoy the cupcakes! xo
hi would duched processed powder really work?
because it uses both baking powder and baking soda
so if using the wrong cocoa has bad effects on the cupcakes
do you think it will work
THANKS!!!
Can you make mini cupcakes out of this recipe? Any changes need to be made?
Yes, I have found it makes about 3 dozen and takes 15 min to bake.
I’ve been looking for a great chocolate cupcake recipe for years. So glad I found this one. I topped them with ganache and then decorated with fondant. A big hit, moist and chocolatey.
So glad you liked it, Deborah! Thanks!!!
Can I use buttermilk?