Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
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Craving a chocolate treat? These Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting are rich, moist, and incredibly easy to make. With just one bowl and a few pantry staples, you’ll have perfect cupcakes ready in no time. Great for birthdays, holidays, or any day that needs a little chocolate boost!
Why You’ll Love These Chocolate Cupcakes
- Rich, chocolate flavor in every bite
- Soft, moist crumb that melts in your mouth
- Silky, smooth buttercream frosting for the perfect finishing touch
- Made with simple ingredients you probably already have
- Perfect for any celebration or casual get-together
Let’s Talk About This Recipe
These cupcakes were originally made to celebrate the 2nd anniversary of this blog! They are extra special because they’re made with melted chocolate chips mixed right into the batter, giving them a deep, intense chocolate flavor. Top them with our smooth and creamy Chocolate Buttercream Frosting, and you’ve got a classic dessert that everyone will love!
What’s even better? You only need one bowl to mix the batter, making clean-up a breeze. Sprinkle some colorful sprinkles on top for a little extra fun, and you’ve got the perfect chocolate cupcakes for any occasion.
Secrets To The Perfect Chocolate Cupcakes
- Use Chocolate Chips: Melting chocolate chips directly into the batter gives the cupcakes a richer chocolate flavor.
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Make sure your eggs, butter, and buttermilk are at room temperature for the best texture.
- Don’t Over Mix: Over mixing can lead to dense cupcakes, so mix just until everything is combined.
- Buttermilk for Moisture: Buttermilk keeps the cupcakes soft and moist, with a tender crumb.
Let’s Start With The Cupcakes
This is a simple stir together recipe (more like our blueberry muffins than our vanilla cupcakes) made with pantry staples. Here’s what you’ll need:
Unlike our Ultimate Dark Chocolate Cake where we bloom cocoa powder in hot water, these cupcakes are made by melting the chocolate and butter together like we do with our Fudgy Frosted Brownies. The dry ingredients are mixed together. Then the wet ingredients are added. The melted chocolate and vanilla are stirred in last.
All you have to do now is scoop it into your muffin pans with a large cookie scoop and bake!
The Frosting
After the cupcakes have cooled, it’s time to make the Chocolate Frosting with these ingredients.
It’s a really simple buttercream frosting – just with cocoa powder added. All you need to do is beat the butter until it’s smooth, then add the powdered sugar and cocoa powder along with the milk. Stir in the vanilla to finish.
Now, pipe (or spread) the frosting onto the cupcakes! After they’re frosted we love to add sprinkles! They give the cupcakes such a fun, festive look.
More Cupcake Recipes:
When you make these Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting, leave a comment down below! We love hearing from you and answering any questions you might have! Also, be sure to tag us on social media and hashtag it #BakersTable.
Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
Chocolate Cupcakes
- 1½ cups semi-sweet chocolate
- ¾ cup unsalted butter
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- 1¾ cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1½ cups buttermilk, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- 8 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 cups cocoa powder, sifted
- 1½ cups salted butter, room temperature
- 1⅓ cups whole milk, room temperature
- 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350℉/177℃.
- Line muffin pans with paper liners, or spray with baking spray.
- Combine chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl.
- Heat in 15 second increments, stirring after each, until melted and smooth. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar.
- Add eggs and buttermilk.
- Whisk until combined.
- Stir in chocolate mixture and vanilla.
- Use a 3 Tablespoon scoop to portion batter in prepared pans.
- Bake for 15 minutes, or until cupcakes test done.
Frosting
- In a large bowl, whisk powdered sugar and cocoa powder together. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat butter until smooth.
- Add powdered sugar mixture alternately with milk.
- Beat until fluffy.
- Stir in vanilla.
Notes + Tips!
- To substitute salted butter for the unsalted in the cake, reduce the salt to ¾ teaspoon.
- To substitute unsalted butter for the salted in the frosting, add ½ teaspoon salt.
- These cupcake can be made gluten free by using a measure for measure (also known as 1:1 or cup for cup) gluten free flour.
- Before you start, make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature. This helps everything mix together smoothly and results in a more tender crumb.
- Room temperature is about 70℉/21℃.
- Don’t over mix the batter. It can make your cupcakes tough.
- Don’t skip the step of sifting your powdered sugar and cocoa powder—it makes all the difference in achieving that velvety texture.
Tools You May Need (affiliate links)
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