Chocolate Cupcake Recipe

A chocolate cupcake on a plate with frosting on top and a glass of milk in the back.

If you’ve ever wondered how to make chocolate cupcakes from scratch, you’ve come to the right place! I can say without pride or delusions of grandeur — this is the BEST Chocolate Cupcake Recipe you’ll ever try!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 20

Total Time 40

Servings cupcakes

Calories 242kcal

Author John Kanell

Equipment

Muffin pan
Cupcake liners
Mixing Bowls
Whisk
Wire cooling rack

Ingredients

1½ cups all-purpose flour (180g)
1¼ cups granulated sugar (250g)
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (25g)
¾ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk room temperature (240ml)
½ cup vegetable oil (80ml)
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper cupcake liners.
Whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla until well combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until well combined and no dry streaks of flour remain. Divide the cupcake batter among the paper liners, filling each about ⅔ full.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for a few minutes, then remove and finish cooling on a wire rack. Frost the cupcakes as desired.

Video

Notes

Try my favorite new YouTube trick and use high-quality olive oil in place of vegetable oil. It’ll turn classic chocolate cupcakes into fancy chocolate cupcakes in a flash, imparting the flavorful qualities of your favorite cold-pressed bottle. Try an Italian varietal for grassy undertones, Greek for spicy, or Spanish for more fruity and nutty flavors.
For best results in baking, start with room temperature ingredients. Letting your eggs and buttermilk come to room temp means they’re easier to incorporate into the batter. This is great news, because we want to mix the batter as little as possible while still incorporating all the flour. Why? Over-mixing causes the build-up of excess gluten, which can cause the otherwise moist crumbs to be tough.
Invest in a good airtight container that will fit your cupcakes. These convenient carrying cases make it so easy to share your fresh baked goodies with co-workers, friends, and classmates!
Sometimes, I like to swap out half of the buttermilk for hot coffee, which amplifies the cocoa powder's flavor.

Nutrition

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