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Best Ever Chocolate Cupcake Recipe From Scratch

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This chocolate cupcake recipe makes the best cupcakes ever – fluffy and topped with chocolate buttercream frosting! Make this easy cupcake recipe from scratch using ONE bowl!   titled photo (and shown) best ever chocolate cupcakes from scratch best ever chocolate cupcakes from scratch pinterest

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  chocolate dessert cakes with swirls of chocolate buttercream on top Guys, something really exciting happened this month and I’m sharing this chocolate cupcake recipe from scratch to celebrate! This not-so-little-anymore blog of mine hit the ONE MILLION mark! That’s right, every month The Busy Baker gets over a million page views from readers like you, and I can hardly believe there are so many of you reading my posts and making my recipes!   Chocolate Frosted Cupcakes with sprinkles So cheers to you, my dear readers, for visiting my blog and giving me the opportunity to develop more and more delicious recipes for you! I can’t wait to see what the future holds for The Busy Baker! But in the meantime, let’s enjoy some cupcakes!!   birthday dessert with chocolate frosting and sprinkles These truly are the perfect chocolate cupcakes. This is my FAVOURITE chocolate cupcake recipe to make because you make it in ONE bowl, and in under 20 minutes. Plus, the frosting is almost as easy to make. It’s a simple buttercream base with some cocoa powder and melted semi-sweet chocolate for extra structure. If you love chocolate, they’re the best cupcakes you’ll ever try. Because this one-bowl recipe is so easy it’s perfect for beginning bakers too!

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chocolate cupcake recipe made from scratch - 3 cupcakes with sprinkles and swirls of chocolate frosting And of course, adding sprinkles is the perfect way to make birthday cupcakes party-worthy. I made these recently for a friend’s birthday and they were a BIG hit! chocolate cupcakes with swirls of chocolate buttercream frosting and sprinkles on turquoise cake stand Looking for other easy cupcake recipes? Try these Vanilla Bean Cupcakes or these Birthday Cake Cupcakes! looking down on chocolate birthday cupcake with fluffy chocolate frosting and sprinkles on top

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  chocolate cupcake recipe made from scratch- swirls of chocolate buttercream frosting and colored sprinkles on cupcakes I hope you love these chocolate cupcakes from scratch as much as we do! Let me know in the comments below, what’s your favourite dessert to make for celebrations? I’d love to know!

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    Looking for more delicious desserts? You’ll LOVE these!    
batch of chocolate cupcakes made from scratch with fluffy chocolate frosting and sprinkles

Best Ever Chocolate Cupcake Recipe from Scratch

Make this chocolate cupcake recipe from scratch in ONE bowl for the best cupcakes ever - topped with fluffy chocolate buttercream frosting!
4.72 from 14 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American, Birthday, Celebration, Dessert, North American
Keyword: Best Ever Chocolate Cupcakes from Scratch
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 17 minutes
Total Time: 42 minutes
Servings: 28 cupcakes
Calories: 350kcal
Author: Chrissie

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup milk at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 eggs at room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup boiling water

For the frosting:

  • 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter
  • 6 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 5 ounces semi-sweet chocolate melted and cooled
  • 2 tablespoons milk (or 3 tablespoons if needed)
  • sprinkles for decorating (if desired)
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For the cupcakes:

  • Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line cupcake tins with 28 to 30 paper liners.
  • Add the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to a large mixing bowl and whisk together to combine.
  • Measure the milk and the vegetable oil into a glass liquid measuring cup. Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk everything together with a fork.
  • Add the milk and egg mixture into the dry ingredients and mix together just until no streaks of flour remain.
  • Add the 1 cup of boiling water into the batter slowly, whisking everything together as you add the boiling water.
  • Once the batter comes together and the boiling water is combined throughout, portion the batter into the 28-30 prepared cupcake liners until each are about 2/3 full.
  • Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 16-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into one of the cupcakes comes out clean.

For the frosting:

  • While the cupcakes cool, mix the butter on high speed in a stand mixer or in a mixing bowl with a hand mixer until the butter is fluffy and creamy (about 3-4 minutes).
  • Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time and mix on medium high speed after each addition, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
  • Add the cocoa powder in with the last addition of powdered sugar and mix until combined.
  • Add the cooled melted chocolate and mix well until combined.
  • Add the milk one tablespoon at a time, mixing well after each addition, until the frosting reaches piping consistency.

Assembly:

  • Add the frosting to a piping bag fitted with an open star tip.
  • Pipe the frosting onto each of the completely cooled cupcakes in a circular motion and top each cupcake with sprinkles.

Notes

If making these cupcakes ahead of time, store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 2 days ahead of time.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupcake | Calories: 350kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 154mg | Potassium: 128mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 42g | Vitamin A: 343IU | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @busybakerblog or tag #busybaker!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  3. Devin Timon says

    Legit! best ever! my cupcakes are always dry and blah, these are delicious and fluffy and fudgy!

    Reply

  4. Abbey says

    Hi, I was looking to make these for a party, but I am using gluten free flour. Will that make a difference in how moist the cupcakes will be? I don’t want them to be super sticky because I’m storing overnight than frosting tomorrow.

    Reply

    • The Busy Baker says

      I often frost them the next day after I make them. Unfortunately, I’ve never tried making them with gluten free flour so I couldn’t tell you anything about how moist they will be.

      Reply

  6. Lara Alsop says

    These are amazing Cupcakes. Easy to make. Made them for my 5 year old son’s birthday! He is super picky and success he loved them 😍.

    Reply

  7. Rachel says

    Made these today with bailey icing…love them!! Always good to have a fluffy, flavorful not dry cupcake recipe on hand and it uses most things you probably have already! Mine did “explode” at first in that they rose a lot more than I remember cupcakes rising, so the second round of pans I filled them like 1/4 full and turned out much better!
    Thank you! Will use this again 🙂

    Reply

  8. Verusha says

    5 stars
    At first I thought this mixture was way too runny but followed through with recipe and so happy I did! It’s now one of my favourite recipes to make chocolate cupcakes! The cupcakes raise and come out so moist. It did make way too much so going to freeze them for playdates. Thank you.

    Reply

  9. Marissa says

    4 stars
    Great cupcakes!!! So easy and very moist ! it’s my first time making icing so maybe it was just my fault but it looked like my milk was rising to the top, if I let it sit for a little all the milk would be at the top ? Any suggestions? Definitely going to use the cupcake recipe again tho !!!

    Reply

  10. Stephanie Knight says

    I’ve never left a review on something- ever. These cupcakes are NEXT LEVEL! I can stop going to a bakery and can just make these. When I was adding the boiling water (which I didn’t put the whole cup in) I was thinking “this is so soupy…what is going on with this crazy recipe?” Turns out- mind blown! I have four girls with cook book binders and we added this recipe. Hopefully, they will blow people away with this cupcake recipe for years to come!

    Reply

  12. Karen says

    Omg! I wouldn’t call myself a beginner baker, but maybe I should!!! These did not turn out well 🤣🤣🤣 There is a huge dip in the middle. Had to send hubby to the store on the way home and buy some for my daughter’s bd! Dang it! I need to practice these tho bc the taste was phenomenal!

    Reply

    • The Busy Baker says

      Sounds like you might have under baked them. They usually get the dip in the middle when they are not baked through. I suggest that you use an oven thermometer to check if your oven gets to the temperature you want and also check the muffins with a toothpick to make sure they are baked in the middle. Happy baking ☺️

      Reply

    • Christie says

      I had the same problem with mine tonight. Not a huge dip but they didn’t rise into a nice rounded top. I also did overfill them.

      Reply

      • The Busy Baker says

        Overfilling them might lead to under baking which causes the dip. I suggest that you only fill the muffin tins 2/3, use an oven thermometer to check if your oven gets to the temperature you want and also check the muffins with a toothpick to make sure they are baked in the middle. Hope this helps ☺️

        Reply

  13. Rowan Petres says

    5 stars
    Hi I made these cupcakes and I don’t like chocolate but these are amazing. I loved them and I am definitely making them again.

    Reply

  18. Rebecca Morris says

    5 stars
    I made yellow cake cupcakes..with this chocolate icing. They are delicious! I even used milk chocolate chips and still turned out perfect!

    Reply

  19. Christina says

    5 stars
    I don’t usually comment on blog posts but since this is hands down the recipe that ALL my friends love the most, I had to drop in to give props. I was a little worried about the very thin batter at first but man oh man do these babies knock the socks off. The frosting is amazing as well. A friend of mine requests I make extra so she can eat it by the spoonful! Great job!!

    Reply

    • The Busy Baker says

      I have never tried it myself so I couldn’t tell you, but if you do try, please let us know! Happy baking ☺️

      Reply

  23. Lauren says

    Hi there! Just a little confused, beginner baker here :)! Do I actually boil the water in a pot and then put it into the cupcake batter??

    Reply

  25. Becky says

    Hi,
    I was wondering if it matters whether I use Dutch Process Cocoa powder or regular unsweetened?
    Thanks

    Reply

    • The Busy Baker Team says

      I prefer Duch Processed, however you can use regular unsweetened as well. Happy cooking ☺️

      Reply

  26. vanessa says

    Awesome recipe. Easy and super moist! If I wanted a more chocolatey flavor what could I do? Add more cocoa or melt some dark chocolate and add?

    Thanks 🙂

    Reply

    • The Busy Baker Team says

      I’m so happy you enjoyed them! Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback! Yeah, both options would work.

      Reply

  28. Pam says

    I love chocolate, but for some reason I usually don’t like chocolate cake. I made these for my youth group and I couldn’t believe how good it was, I had to sit down lol. . This is by far the best chocolate cupcake I’ve ever had in my 34 years. Thank you for this recipe!

    Reply

    • The Busy Baker Team says

      We’re so happy you enjoyed them. Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback! Your additions sound so good we have to try them!

      Reply

  30. Megan says

    5 stars
    Literally the BEST chocolate cupcakes ever… I’ve never had a better chocolate cupcake than these… and I’ve had a lot in my day! No bakery will match the taste and deliciousness of these!!
    Absolutely love them!! 💕

    I also love how you can adjust how many you want to make by the x1/x2/x3 tab at the top. I ended up making 56 cupcake recipe and had lots of icing leftover.

    One question though – how should I store them? Fridge or counter? How many days for fridge vs counter?

    Thanks sooo much 🥰💕

    Reply

    • The Busy Baker Team says

      We’re so happy you enjoyed them! Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback! You can store them in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days or in the fridge for 4-5 days. However, refrigerating cupcakes makes them dry out faster.

      Reply

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