Easy Homemade Chocolate Cupcakes

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These Easy Homemade Chocolate Cupcakes are easy to make and require simple pantry ingredients. Best of all, you need only two bowls and a spoon – no mixer required! These cupcakes turn out soft, moist, and filled with chocolate flavor. It’s the only chocolate cupcake recipe you’ll ever need.

When it comes to cake, I like to keep it simple. I like to have a chocolate cake recipe, a white cake recipe, and a yellow cake recipe. That’s about it. Today I am sharing with you my only (yes, only!) recipe for chocolate cake, my Easy Homemade Chocolate Cupcakes.

You won’t be disappointed! This cake turns out moist and chocolately, and it’s always consistent.

One of my favorite parts about this recipe is that I generally have all of the ingredients I need on hand. The one exception may be buttermilk, but this is easy to make right in your kitchen.

For this recipe, you’ll want to grab your 1/2 measuring cup. Add 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of lemon juice or vinegar (whichever you have on hand). Then, fill the rest of the measuring cup with milk and allow it to sit for 5 minutes. This will cause the milk to curdle and create your own homemade buttermilk.

The purpose of buttermilk in this recipe is twofold. First, it helps provide extra moisture to the cupcakes. Who doesn’t love a moist cupcake? Second, the acid in buttermilk reacts with the baking soda and baking powder in the recipe.

This helps provide extra lift, making an airy and soft cupcake. Trust me on this! Give it a try and you won’t go back.

Have a love for all cupcakes? Check out my Fluffy White Cupcakes with Strawberry Filling. This white cupcake base is light, moist, and absolute perfection.

My favorite fall cupcake is my recipe for Applesauce Cupcakes with Browned Butter Frosting. Ever had browned butter frosting? It’s amazing. 

I topped these chocolate cupcakes with my chocolate buttercream frosting. If you’re a chocolate lover, you will adore this frosting recipe. I could eat it by the spoonful!

Since this is a standard American buttercream, the base of the recipe is confectioner’s sugar and butter, making it very sweet. I like to whip my frosting for a few extra minutes to make it light and fluffy, so it’s not quite as sweet and condensed.

If you’re a frosting addict and want to pile it high on top, I recommend doubling this frosting recipe.

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4 from 1 vote

Easy Homemade Chocolate Cupcakes

These cupcakes are easy to make and require simple pantry ingredients. Best of all, you need only two bowls and a spoon - no mixer required! These cupcakes turn out soft, moist, and filled with chocolate flavor. It's the only chocolate cupcake recipe you'll ever need.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time18 mins

Total Time33 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: easy homemade chocolate cupcakes

Servings: 14 cupcakes

Calories: 289kcal

Author: Heather

Ingredients

Chocolate Cupcakes

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 6 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup granulated sugar

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

• 2 cups confectioner's sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2-3 tablespoons heavy cream

Instructions

Chocolate Cupcakes

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cupcake pan with liners, set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients: flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. 
• In a separate bowl, combine wet ingredients: buttermilk, oil, vanilla extract, eggs, and sugar.
• Add half of dry ingredients to wet ingredients, stir until combined. Add remaining dry ingredients and mix until just combined. 
• Pour batter into cupcake liners, filling halfway full. Bake in preheated oven for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. 
• Remove pan from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before transferring cupcakes to a wire rack to finish cooling.
  

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

• In a large bowl, whisk or sift together the confectioner's sugar and cocoa powder.
• Add room temperature butter and vanilla. Slowly mix until ingredients are fully combined. Then, whip at high speed for 2-3 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add heavy cream a tablespoon at a time and continue mixing until desired consistency is reached. 
• Pipe or spread frosting with a knife onto cupcakes and serve.

Notes

Cupcakes are best served the same day of baking, but will remain moist for up to 48 hours when covered in a sealed container

This amount of frosting works well for frosting cupcakes with a knife, or for low piping like rosettes. For tall and dramatic piped frosting, you will need to double the frosting recipe.

Nutrition

Serving: 0g | Calories: 289kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 141mg | Potassium: 86mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 32g | Vitamin A: 280IU | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 1mg