Chocolate Cupcakes
These chocolate cupcakes are just as good as any of your favorite bakeries! This easy recipe makes the most fudgey, rich and and delicious chocolate cupcakes. Topped with peanut butter frosting, they're an indulgent treat that everyone will love!
Chocolate Cupcakes Recipe
The perfect chocolate cupcakes are calling your name, and they're just one easy recipe away! Whether you need a festive dessert for birthday parties or just something to satisfy your sweet tooth, these homemade chocolate cupcakes hit the spot.
I have a soft spot for cupcakes — mainly because they're the perfect vehicle for frosting? Seriously, my strawberry buttercream frosting is good enough to eat with spoon. But a vanilla cupcake will do too!
These moist chocolate cupcakes are topped with a delightful peanut butter frosting. It's like a fluffy cake version of a peanut butter cup, who wouldn't love that! But even the unfrosted cupcakes are insanely good too.
Bakery quality cupcakes shouldn't have to cost an arm and a leg! Instead, make this easy chocolate cupcakes recipe. It's a recipe for success and definitely won't disappoint.
Why You'll Love this Recipe
Rich and chocolatey cupcakes are so easy to love:
- Homemade cupcakes are free of weird additives, preservatives and fake flavors. These are made of real food ingredients and have the most amazing flavor.
- Make bakery-quality cupcakes in the comfort of your own kitchen! These are fluffy and moist and have the most amazing homemade frosting.
- Cupcakes are the perfect dessert for parties. Easily shareable and no slicing and serving required.
Cupcake Ingredients
These simple ingredients are all you need to make the best chocolate cupcakes:
- all-purpose flour
- unsweetened cocoa powder
- baking soda
- baking powder
- salt
- eggs
- unsweetened applesauce
- melted coconut oil
- plain Greek yogurt
- milk
- brown sugar
- vanilla extract
Peanut Butter Frosting
And if you want to top them with my rich and creamy peanut butter frosting, then grab these ingredients as well:
- peanut butter
- unsalted butter
- powdered sugar
- vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
Substitutions and Variations
You can use a gluten-free 1:1 flour substitute, such as King Arthur Measure for Measure Flour, to make gluten free chocolate cupcakes!
Make these cupcakes even more rich by using dutch-process cocoa powder instead of regular cocoa powder.
To reduce the amount of refined sugar in this recipe, you can use coconut sugar in the cupcakes. It'll change the flavor a bit, but will still be quite tasty!
Dairy free milk and yogurt should work well in the cupcakes, but I do not recommend using dairy-free butter to make the frosting.
Fill the center of these cupcakes with a creamy chocolate ganache. You can also mix some chocolate chips into the muffins batter too!
After frosting the cupcakes, top them with sprinkles, chocolate shavings, chopped nuts, or another garnish to add to the pretty presentation.
How to Make Chocolate Cupcakes
Ready to make the BEST chocolate cupcakes of your life? Let's take it step by easy step:
First, preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C) and then line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Then beat together the eggs, applesauce, melted coconut oil, Greek yogurt, milk, brown sugar, and vanilla extract in another large mixing bowl until smooth.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.
Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups, filling each one about ⅔ full. Bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes, or until the cupcakes spring back when gently touched.
Allow the cupcakes cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. While they cool, you can make the peanut butter frosting!
In a large bowl with a hand mixer, or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the softened butter and peanut butter together until creamy and smooth. Gradually add the powdered sugar, mixing well after each addition.
Add the heavy cream and vanilla extract, and beat until the frosting is smooth and fluffy. If the frosting is too thick, you can add an extra tablespoon of heavy cream or milk to reach your desired consistency.
Once the cupcakes are completely cool, add the frosting to a piping bag and pipe on top of each one. You can also spread it on with an icing knife.
How to Store Chocolate Cupcakes
Storing unfrosted cupcakes is pretty similar to storing leftover muffins. I have a whole post about how to store and freeze muffins, but here’s the gist:
Store leftover unfrosted cupcakes an airtight container, lined with paper towels to help collect condensation from residual heat. Make sure they are completely cooled for best results.
Depending on how soon you plan to eat them, or frost them, you'll want to store them accordingly:
- Within 3 days of baking them: Store them on the countertop at room temperature.
- In the next few days: Store leftover in the fridge, but with the risk of a change in texture. Alternatively, store what you’ll eat in the next few days using the countertop method, then freeze the rest.
- Within the next 3 months: Store them in the freezer, thaw whenever you're ready to frost.
To store frosted cupcakes, transfer to a tall airtight container that won't smush the frosting. Store at room temperature for about 2 days, or in the fridge for 3-5 days.
Tips for Success
With a few basic tips and tricks, you can make these cupcakes absolutely perfect:
- Use a measuring cup or an ice cream scoop to evenly distribute the cupcake batter into the muffin cups. You'll want all of them to be filled with the same amount!
- Don't overmix the batter or you'll end up with dense cupcakes. Mix until everything is just combined, then scoop and add to the muffin tin.
- Make sure the frosting is not too thick so that you can easily pipe it onto the cupcakes. If you need to thin it out a bit, just add a splash of milk or half and half.
FAQ
The secret ingredient to making these cupcakes perfectly moist is Greek yogurt! The unsweetened applesauce also helps to make the moist and delicious. Make sure you don't over-mix the batter or over-bake the cupcakes too.
Milk tends to make much better cupcakes because it adds a more rich flavor to the batter. I recommend using whole milk for the best results, but any milk will work!
More Cupcake Recipes
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Chocolate Cupcakes
Equipment
Ingredients
Chocolate Cupcakes
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup cocoa powder unsweetened
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- ⅓ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ¼ cup melted coconut oil
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup milk
- ⅔ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Peanut Butter Frosting
- ½ cup peanut butter
- ¼ cup unsalted butter softened
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- In a large bowl, beat the eggs, applesauce, melted coconut oil, Greek yogurt, milk, brown sugar, and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.
- Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake liners, filling each about ⅔ full. Bake for 18-20 minutes until the cupcakes spring back when gently touched.
- Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and peanut butter together until creamy and smooth.
- Gradually add the powdered sweetener, mixing well after each addition.
- Add the heavy cream and vanilla extract, and beat until the frosting is smooth and fluffy. If the frosting is too thick, you can add an extra tablespoon of cream or milk to reach your desired consistency.
- Once the cupcakes are completely cool, spread or pipe the frosting on top of each one.
