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Chocolate cupcakes with light cocoa frosting on a white stand in a home kitchen.

Chocolate Cupcakes Recipe

Super moist and rich chocolate cupcakes recipe made with oil, buttermilk, and cocoa powder for the perfect bakery-style flavor at home.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Cooling + Frosting 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 12 cupcakes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 320
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For Cupcakes:
  • 1 cup All-purpose flour spooned and leveled
  • 1 cup Granulated sugar
  • ½ cup Unsweetened cocoa powder Dutch-processed preferred
  • 1 teaspoon Baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon Baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon Salt
  • ½ cup Buttermilk room temperature
  • ⅓ cup Vegetable oil
  • 1 Large egg room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract pure
  • ½ cup Hot coffee or hot water
For Chocolate Buttercream:
  • 1 cup Unsalted butter softened
  • 3 ½ cups Powdered sugar sifted
  • ½ cup Unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 3–4 tbsp Heavy cream adjust for consistency
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon Salt

Equipment

  • 1 Muffin tin Standard 12-cup
  • 12 Cupcake liners Paper or reusable
  • 2–3 Mixing bowls For wet and dry ingredients
  • 1 Whisk Or electric mixer
  • 1 set Measuring cups Dry and liquid cups
  • 1 set Measuring spoons For accurate small measures
  • 1 Cooling rack Helps cool cupcakes evenly
  • 1 Piping bag & tips Optional, for frosting
  • 1 Rubber spatula For scraping and folding
  • 1 Oven mitts Safety during baking

Method
 

  1. Preheat oven & prep tin Prep
  2. Mix dry ingredients
  3. Whisk wet ingredients
  4. Combine wet & dry, add coffee
  5. Fill liners & bake
  6. Cool completely on wire rack
  7. Make buttercream frosting
  8. Frost cupcakes & decorate

Notes

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.