Cocoa Cupcakes Recipe
These cocoa cupcakes are rich, moist, full of chocolatey goodness, and naturally flavored with unsweetened cocoa powder, a hint of buttermilk for tenderness. Easy to mix up in just two bowls, the cupcakes bake to perfection in about 20 minutes. Dress them up with your favorite frosting-chocolate buttercream or cream cheese frosting, perhaps?-for an extra-special treat. Perfect for any occasion, these cupcakes freeze well and can even be made into a small cake!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (94g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/2 cup (41g) unsweetened natural
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder or instant
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature*
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light brown sugar
- 1/3 cup (80ml) vegetable or canola oil (or melted coconut oil)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (120ml) buttermilk, at room temperature*
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners. Line a second pan with 2 liners-this recipe makes about 14 cupcakes. Set aside.
- Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl until well combined. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil, and vanilla together until well combined. Pour half of the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Then half of the buttermilk. Whisk a few seconds gently. Repeat with the remaining wet ingredients and buttermilk. Stir until *just* combined; do not overmix. Batter will be thin
- Pour or spoon batter into liners. Fill only halfway-very important!-only halfway! or they will spill over the sides or sink. Bake for 18-21 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
- Frost cooled cupcakes with chocolate buttercream. You can swipe the frosting on with an icing knife or use a piping tip such as Wilton 1M. Leftover cupcakes keep well covered tightly in the refrigerator for 3 days. I recommend a cupcake carrier for storing and transporting decorated cupcakes.
Notes
Make Ahead Instructions:
You can bake the cupcakes up to a day in advance. Store them tightly wrapped at room temperature, then frost on the day you're serving.
Unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and bring to room temperature before frosting and serving. Special Tools:
12-cup cupcake pan
Cupcake liners
Glass mixing bowls
Whisk
Reusable or disposable piping bags
Wilton 1M piping tip
Icing knife
Cupcake carrier for storage Mini Cupcakes:
Fill mini liners half full and bake at 350°F (177°C) for 10–12 minutes. Cake Version:
For a cake version, see the chocolate layer cake recipe. Cocoa Powder:
Use natural cocoa powder, not Dutch-process. Read about the difference between natural and Dutch-process cocoa powder. Espresso Powder:
Espresso powder adds an intensified flavor of chocolate. If you don't have it, use 1 teaspoon of instant coffee powder or leave it out. Room Temperature Ingredients:
Take all the chilled ingredients out and let them reach room temperature so the batter mixes up nice and smooth. This will ensure even baking. Buttermilk:
Buttermilk is a must in this recipe. If you don't have it, proceed to make the buttermilk substitute below by adding 1 teaspoon white vinegar or lemon juice to a liquid measuring cup followed by whole milk, to fill up to 1/2 cup. Stir it and let it sit for about 5 minutes. This homemade buttermilk will be a little curdled and can be used.
Before you begin, take a look at the 10 tips for baking the BEST cupcakes!
You can bake the cupcakes up to a day in advance. Store them tightly wrapped at room temperature, then frost on the day you're serving.
Unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and bring to room temperature before frosting and serving. Special Tools:
12-cup cupcake pan
Cupcake liners
Glass mixing bowls
Whisk
Reusable or disposable piping bags
Wilton 1M piping tip
Icing knife
Cupcake carrier for storage Mini Cupcakes:
Fill mini liners half full and bake at 350°F (177°C) for 10–12 minutes. Cake Version:
For a cake version, see the chocolate layer cake recipe. Cocoa Powder:
Use natural cocoa powder, not Dutch-process. Read about the difference between natural and Dutch-process cocoa powder. Espresso Powder:
Espresso powder adds an intensified flavor of chocolate. If you don't have it, use 1 teaspoon of instant coffee powder or leave it out. Room Temperature Ingredients:
Take all the chilled ingredients out and let them reach room temperature so the batter mixes up nice and smooth. This will ensure even baking. Buttermilk:
Buttermilk is a must in this recipe. If you don't have it, proceed to make the buttermilk substitute below by adding 1 teaspoon white vinegar or lemon juice to a liquid measuring cup followed by whole milk, to fill up to 1/2 cup. Stir it and let it sit for about 5 minutes. This homemade buttermilk will be a little curdled and can be used.
Before you begin, take a look at the 10 tips for baking the BEST cupcakes!