Sometimes you just have a big chocolate craving. These chocolate cupcakes with chocolate buttercream frosting are sure to satisfy your sweet tooth. Rich chocolate cupcakes are topped with a silky smooth chocolate frosting to make the perfect chocolate cupcake.
With so many WhatKnot Events this past month, cakes and cupcakes have been the shining star coming out of this kitchen. I’m pretty sure I made buttercream 4 times last week, but many different varieties! For this event the birthday girls favorite cupcake was chocolate, so I decided to stick with the classic, and add a little sparkle of course!
The cupcakes are thick and rich, the way anything chocolate should be. They are topped with a creamy chocolate buttercream to balance out the cupcake. I topped them with these adorable sprinkles that I purchased on Etsy from SprinklePopShop and baked them in rose gold cupcake holders, links listed below.
How to make these chocolate cupcakes
- Combine the dry ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350° and line a cupcake tin with 12 cupcake liners. In a medium bowl combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Beat the wet ingredients. In the bowl of a stand up mixer add the eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil and vanilla extra. Beat on medium low speed until just combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet. Alternate adding the dry and wet ingredients on low speed, adding half at a time until just combined. Do not over mix.
- Add the batter to the liners. The batter will be thin but will rise quite a bit. Only fill halfway through. The cupcakes will sink in if too much batter is added.
- Bake the cupcakes. Bake for 18-20 minutes. A toothpick should come out of the middle clean. Let the cupcakes sit for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire cooling rack. Let the cupcakes cool completely before topping with the buttercream.
How to make the chocolate buttercream
- Cream the butter. In the bowl of a stand up mixer, add the butter. Beat the butter on medium high for 2 minutes until light and creamy.
- Make the frosting. Add the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, heavy cream, salt and vanilla extract. Cover with a clean kitchen towel to prevent powdered sugar flying out. Beat on low speed until the ingredients start to combine. Turn up the speed to high and beat for an additional minute.
Tips and Tricks
- Do not overfill the cupcake liners. Only fill them halfway. They will mushroom and sink in the middle if overfilled.
- Don’t overbeat the mix or it will become dense.
- Make sure the cupcakes are completely cooled before frosting them. Because it’s buttercream, it will melt.
Ingredients
Chocolate Cupcakes
- 1½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 2/3 cup melted coconut oil
- 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
Chocolate Buttercream
- 2 cups unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 7 cups powdered sugar
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
Chocolate Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350° and line a cupcake tin with 12 cupcake liners.
- In a medium bowl combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In the bowl of a stand up mixer add the eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil and vanilla extra. Beat on medium low speed until just combined. Alternate adding the dry and wet ingredients on low speed, adding half at a time until just combined. Do not over mix.
- Add the batter to the liners. The batter will be thin but will rise quite a bit. Only fill halfway through. The cupcakes will sink in if too much batter is added. Bake for 18-20 minutes. A toothpick should come out of the middle clean.
- Let the cupcakes sit for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire cooling rack. Let the cupcakes cool completely before topping with the buttercream.
Chocolate Buttercream
- In the bowl of a stand up mixer, add the butter. Beat the butter on medium high for 2 minutes until light and creamy.
- Add the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, heavy cream, salt and vanilla extract. Cover with a clean kitchen towel to prevent powdered sugar flying out. Beat on low speed until the ingredients start to combine. Turn up the speed to high and beat for an additional minute.
Looking for more frosting options? Try my Raspberry Whipped Cream Frosting or my Vanilla Buttercream.
