Really Yummy Chocolate Cupcakes
Here’s a recipe for perfect chocolate cupcakes with chocolate fudge frosting!
Ok, so these cupcakes aren’t fancy, or ingenious or a new invention.
BUT they are yummy.
Isn’t that why we are all here?
MY OTHER RECIPES
They are simple and yummy and necessary.
Necessary because you should be able to whip up a delicious chocolate cupcake whenever you get the urge.
A cupcake that is rich, chocolatey, indulgent, delicious….and easy.
You should definitely have a good chocolate cake/frosting recipe in your life.
This is mine.
Really Yummy Chocolate Cupcakes.
Also…since I did my buttercream frosting post a while back I got some requests on how to pipe a swirl on a cupcake.
I am not an expert decorator, but I can pipe an adequate swirl.
Let’s begin.
Make your yummy fudgy frosting…
I use disposable piping bags.
Please keep your judgement on my disposable bag use to yourself. I’m wasteful. I get it.
I also use my Wilton 1M tip for a swirl most often. You need this tip. They’re cheap, so buy two.
Snip off the end of the disposable bag…about an inch.
Slide your tip into the end of the bag tightly…
Now fill your bag with the frosting.
I put my bag into a cup and fold over the edges to help me fill it easier…
Only fill it about 1/2 – 3/4 full. Too much and it will ooze out the top. Trust me, it’s happened to me.
Twist the top of the bag a little bit and squeeze the frosting into the tip.
Now, start with a your naked chocolate cupcake…
I most often do a “regular swirl” and an “inside-out swirl”. Those are not the official names…it’s just what I call them.
Here’s how I do a “regular swirl”.
Start from the outside of the cupcake and work in a circle.
Here’s your finished swirl…
Now an “inside out swirl”…some people call it a rose swirl…tomato-toMAHto
Start from the inside out.
Here’s how it will look…
I love them both!
Print
PinIngredients
- 1 cup butter, room temperature
- 2/3 cup boiling water
- 1 cup Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder, sifted *you can use regular cocoa powder if you prefer
- 8 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- In a mixer combine all ingredients and over low speed for 30 seconds.
- Increase speed to medium and beat for 1 minute until smooth.
- Let frosting cool for 15-20 minutes before you frost cake or cupcakes.
Notes
I prefer the dark cocoa powder, as it gives a deeper chocolate flavor, but you can certainly use regular or Dutch Processed cocoa powder.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa Powder (you can also use regular cocoa powder)
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
- 1 1/2 cups warm water
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350
- Line muffin pan with cupcake liners
- In your stand mixer sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and baking powder together. Add in the sugar and salt.
- With your mixer on low speed add eggs, one at a time and then the vanilla, water, vegetable oil and buttermilk.
- Mix on medium for 2 minutes until combined.
- Fill liners 2/3 full and bake for 20 minutes until set.
- Remove from pan immediately and cool on wire rack.
Notes
Makes approx 36 cupcakes I prefer the Dark Chocolate cocoa powder, as it gives a deeper chocolate flavor, but you could certainly use regular or Dutch processed cocoa powder.
If you would like to make this into a cake use 2 round 9″ baking pans or 3 round 8″ pans, and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted int he center comes out clean.
Helpful tip… Out of buttermilk?
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Yep, these look really yummy!
YUM. There are no other words to describe….
Those do look “really yummy”… and now I want chocolate cake. Thanks.
Love the cup/piping bag trick! Why hasn’t that idea popped in my life earlier! Life will be so much easier 🙂 Thanks!
I adore my Wilton 1M tip. It does make very pretty cupcakes with relatively little effort. And these look like the perfect chocolate cupcakes.
It doesn’t matter how good something looks, its gotta taste good or there’s no point, you’re right! These sound delicious.
So pretty and they look delish!
Oh my. I need these today. NEED!
OK…who knew that rose swirl was so easy?!?
And, um…can I borrow this statement for my blog…
“Please keep your judgement on my disposable bag use to yourself. I’m wasteful. I get it.”
Haha! Love it!
Such lovely cupcakes! Simple deliciousness is HEAVEN! 🙂
Wonderful tutorial on frosting cupcakes…many thanks!
I love that recipe from Martha! Such good cupcakes!!
oh yum, they look really rich!
These look absolutely delicious! I love the inside out swirl.
YUM! These look amazing. Chocolate cake with chocolate frosting is my absolute favorite. And I totally use the disposable plastic piping bags too. They’re just so convenient!
Oh yum!!!! A yummy and simple chocolate cupcake is best!!!!
Thanks for the tutorial. I’ve always wondered 🙂
Lol waste away! My Nanny had us washing ziplock bags for years! I’m scarred for life, lol! These are perfect!
GORGEOUS!
These sound so yummy!
These look super yummy! I have a certain adorable almost 10yo that LOVES chocolate frosting and cake…. I might have to make these for him!
and commentluv must not like my blogger blog because it never links to my most recent post 🙁 Hrrmmpph! (no biggie, LOL)
I want to nosedive into that chocolate frosting!
I am so dumb, never thought to put that darn bag in a glass to fill! thanks for tip.
I have those same cups!!
Those look so yummy! And you make frosting really easy!
Chocolate makes the world a better place. So going to try that fudge frosting!
http://wp.me/p1W7eo-5K
Everyone needs a recipe like this in their lives….that frosting looks crazy insane good!!!!
Yum! Pretty much nothing beats this classic combo!
They may not be fancy but all that matters is that they are delicious. They look absolutely incredible. Great job on the decoration.
This post was right on time. I can’t wait to make these.
These look amazing and certainly very chocolatey – just the way I like them 😀
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
there is never anything boring about a little chocolate on chocolate action, especially pretty chocolate on chocolate action!
Putting the frosting bag in a cup = genius! Thanks for the super-smart tip!
I really love that first photo! And the title. I don’t know what it is about it. I guess it just makes me happy when other people use the word yummy.
Your swirling looks perfect! I’m keeping this for reference for when I make cupcakes next. Thanks for the tutorial. 🙂
the cupcakes look amazing and about a year ago I did a food styling and food photography class with Matt Armendariz of Matt Bites and his partner Adam and our job was to create swirls in frosting/whipped cream WITHOUT cake decorating tips, just a spoon. It was such a fun day.
Thanks for this step-by-step post!
Man. Those look seriously YUM!
I am always so happy to pin your creations but this will be my all-time favorite. Chocolate-chocolate cupcakes. Just the way I like them.
Sometimes all you need is a classic chocolate cake recipe. Topping it with a fudgy frosting? Oh, yes, please!!!
But I would prob microwave this before I ate it. Warm and gooey-melty.
I love the conversational tone you write with. It’s so enjoyable to read and easy to follow along. Thanks!
Classic chocolate cupcakes…yes please
But…if the frosting oozes out of the top then I get to eat it. Right? That seems like a plus to me. Major plus.
I use disposable bags also. It’s the only way to go.
Major chocolate cravings going on right now. It’s about to be TTOTM and you are NOT helping.
Wow…those look chocolatey….Um YUM!!!
I love how dark your chocolate fudge frosting came out, it looks awesome!!! I guess that’s from the dark cocoa powder 🙂
Excellent “swirls” btw…they look wonderful!!
Looks so yummy:) Oh, and I use disposable bags too. The other take too much time to clean;)
I think the only decorating I know how to do is the swirl! I’m all for a great chocolate cupcake, and these look perfect!
so dark and fantastic!!
I love cupcakes, & I love them even more when they are filled with chocolate.
These cakes look delicious.
Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe.
-Jessica
That looks tooo yummy!!! I want 🙂
I REALLY love the “inside out swirl”!! 🙂
I think I like the rose swirl from the top view & the regular swirl from the side view.
And I like all your posts & photos from all the views 🙂
Cheesy? I know 😛 Recently started following you & love your blog!
I made these today and let me tell you they were amazing! My entire house is wired from all the chocolate frosting! Love them!
Man, that frosting looks GOOD!!!!
I’m just drooling just looking at that beautiful cupcake.
These look amazing. I love that Hershey’s Dark Chocolate Cocoa powder!
Made the Chocolate Cupcakes and I will never use another recipe, these are the BEST EVER. Thank You.
I made these cupcakes and they were wonderful. Everyone loved them. They are my new go to recipe for chocolate cupcakes. I did have to reduce the amount of water in the frosting a little in order to get a piping consistency. Thank you so much for sharing!
I just made the frosting and I want to just eat it by the spoonful. So yummy! And so easy! And so yummy! Did I mention it’s yummy?
How come these things look so gorgeous…. does it taste that delicious too..
I really am impressed seeing this… I wish I could taste this right now…
Wow Nice little addition to the cupcakes…. I am impressed…. I would try it out….
Thnaks
its so nice amazing
Found you from Learn with Jenny. And i will now be following you because you totally had me at
“Please keep your judgement on my disposable bag use to yourself. I’m wasteful. I get it.”
Ha Ha!! I love it!!
Love your humor!!! Found your site this morning and spent most of the day looking thru it :)) great recipes!
SO glad you found me! Thanks for the comment 🙂
Thank you so much for the play-by-play pictures, even they cutting the tip of the icing bag for the tip. This is my first cupcake frosting experience, and they really help!
made this for a birthday party- LOVED IT!!!!!! Everyone was raving! Thanks!
I am mid belly flop on these cupcakes. I used bake cups like shown in S’more recipe, filled halfway and I’m at 40+ minutes in to baking and they are not setting. I think my mistake was not spacing the cups more. Royal bummer. ):
That’s really weird! I can’t imagine having to bake them for 40 minutes! Have you checked your oven temp?
I am trying this with the hot chocolate frosting. I do not need 36. Do I divide the ingredients for the cupcake by 3 to only get 12 cupcakes?
Yep, that makes sense 🙂
Thoughts on replacing the water with coffee?
I bet that would be fantastic!
Hi! I’ve posted this question twice, but my comments keep getting deleted. I’m wondering if this cupcake batter is runny before you bake them? The reason I’m wondering is because I think these may be the fantastic chocolate cupcakes I made a few months ago but all I can remember is that the batter was runny. Thank you!
Yes! The batter was runny! I am so sorry the comments got deleted! I recently moved servers, so we had some time when comments that were left didn’t get moved over. Sorry!
That’s completely okay…thanks for responding! These are seriously some of the very best chocolate cupcakes. Thanks again!
Salted or unsalted butter?
I always use salted, but either will be fine…if you choose unsalted, you might need to adjust the salt amount in the recipe!
Hey! these cup cakes are lovely. I made them and i really wasn’t sure how they would turn out. I would replace the plain (all purpose flour) with self raising flour. And i would add a bit more sugar! But other wise its a really good, simple and delicious recipe.
I am stuck on one thing….how would i down size the amount of cakes i want to make? any ideas? This recipe makes 36 but what if i wanted less?
well, you could easily half the recipe, I’ve done that a few times!
The frosting is heavy and not fluffy. 8 cups of sugar to 1 cup of butter and 2/3 water- is that right? I had to add a cup of milk to get the right consistency. Overall- tasted very good 🙂
I can’t wait to try these recipes! They look delicious! Just in time for a Tea Party I’m hosting next month!
Hey Shelly. I made the frosting to go with the Skillet Chocolate Cake and please let me tell you that this frosting is delicious. I did half the recipe because there would be too much for just the Skillet Chocolate Cake and now I’m wishing I would have made the whole recipe! I could eat this straight from the bowl…..and I did! My daughter has asked for this frosting on the Skillet Chocolate Cake for her birthday. We just love your recipes. They always make our tummy’s happy and leave a smile on our faces. Thanks Shelly for all of your recipes. The Martin Family in Germantown, TN
So glad to hear that you liked it!!
Wow cup cakes looks super tasty and tempting. Will try this soon.
I love, love chocolate cupcakes and your look spectacular! I am going to make them for my daughter’s birthday. Thanks for the decorating tips.
I really love this recipe, it looks so amazing. I will make it for my BFF’s birthday party. But can i make it with the hand mixture, right?
p/s: I love your nail ^^
Yep, no problem!
hi. is it ok to use unsweetened cocoa powder?
Yes, you should!
I found your recipe on Pinterest and decided to give it a shot. I must say this is the simplest and most delicious cupcake I’ve ever had!!! My family and friends were crazy over them! I made a different frosting though without the butter..but the cupcake itself was jus amazing!! Thank you for sharing 🙂
Hi Shelly,
I got afraid when i read that the frosting has a boiling water. I tried it anyways, mine got soupy. 🙁 Help please, what could have gone wrong? 🙁
Yes, it is thin when you add the hot water, but this is to help the cocoa powder mix with all the ingredients evenly. As the frosting cools, if you added all 8 cups of the powdered sugar it will firm up. I promise!!
This recipe called for 1 1/2 cups water in addition to the buttermilk. Made it very runny. Anyone else have that problem? Found almost the exact recipe at marthastewart.com and it didn’t have the water, so I will try that one. The cupcakes did taste good, even though they were flat.
This recipe is actually an adaptation of a Martha Stewart recipe, I did list that at the end of the recipe…and also, Martha doesn’t list water in her ingredients list, but she includes it in the step by step process. So I bet that there is water in her recipe too! That way of writing recipes is slightly deceiving to me 🙂
Would Ghirardeli sweetened cocoa powder be okay or would the regular unsweetened be better? I have both but I normally use the sweetened for everything. I’m super excited to make these!
Use unsweetened cocoa powder…the sweetened would just be added sugar and might not be as chocolatey 🙂
Just made the frosting- WOW. Tastes like the store bought kind of stuff. Totally going to make this again when I next need chocolate frosting!
★★★★★
Hey, I re-use those Wilton bags all the time. I either mark em for the tip that I used last so the next tip is the same width or larger at the end of the bag, or I fit the washed bag with the tip and heat shrink it to the end of the bag with a few quick licks from a lighter. I’ve used a bag up to 6 times before throwing it away. They clean up just fine if you soak em for just a few minutes in hot water with dish soap, then rinse em and hang em to dry.
Can I replace milk for buttermilk
You can add in 1 Tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice into the milk to create homemade buttermilk!
These looks apsolutly delicious.
Yummy……
When I combined all the ingredients in my KitchenAid, it was a very dry mixture– what did I do wrong? I added a little more water and butter to get it to a more spreadable consistency, but the first round was straight up powder. This was my first attempt at homemade icing so maybe I’ll chalk it up to inexperience?
I love it when people validate my methods and equipment! I already have two of the M1 tips and make my swirl just like you showed. Thanks for sharing a great frosting recipe. It was just what I was looking for.
★★★★★
Hi, I have a quick question.
If i need to frost 2 8″ cakes do I double the frosting recipe?
Thanks 🙂
Yep! You might have a little leftover, but you can put some pretty swirls on top and it will be fine!
This is absolutely the best cake recipe! My husband had been asking for a dark chocolate cake and this was a huge hit! I didn’t make the frosting but did they cupcakes as part of a German Chocolate cake. It was amazing! My question is if I make this as a cake how long should a bake it?
Thanks!!
★★★★★
I would start with 20 minutes and check it from there!
Thank you and sorry for the double post. My first wasn’t showing!
What would be the bake time on the cakes?
★★★★★
I made this frosting this past weekend for my husband’s birthday cake. He was in heaven. Probably the best frosting I have ever made. My son insisted that this was store-bought frosting. Said it was “almost too good.” And it was. This frosting recipe is a keeper; thanks!
Have you ever refrigerated the frosting to use for piping the next week? I’m making a lot of cupcakes and trying to work ahead by pre-making my frosting. Sounds like a delicious recipe!
Yes, you could absolutely refrigerate the frosting, just let it come up to room temp and then you might need to whip it a bit, but it will be fine!
I prepared these cupcakes for a birthday party last week and everyone absolutely loved them! Thanks for sharing.
★★★★★
why does the wilton 1M tip say korea on it?
I’M korean so i was just wondering.
I’m sort of a curious person:)
P.S the cupcakes look super good!
nice recipe! Thankyou Shelly! keep blogging!
How can I store the icing and how long will it last
store it airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days or airtight in the freezer for up to a month!
For the frosting..is it regular butter? Salted? Unsalted?
I used salted, but please use whatever you prefer most!
Ive made this twice. First batch was very good! Second time im not sure what i did different but the frosting was not stiff! ?It wouldnt pipe and ran off the cupcake. i even added more sugar and that didnt help.
★★★★★
8 cups of powdered sugar? Seems Ike too much. Is that correct?
yep! It makes a big batch!
Your readers will appreciate the tip about the Dutch powder. Most chocolate lovers will appreciate a richer flavor.
Your readers will appreciate the Dutch powder tip. Most chocolate lover would desire a richer flavor.
Mm, all of this looks so delicious! I love to get creative with pumpkin recipes; the flavor is perfect for fall! Thanks so much for sharing so many neat recipes!
8 cups of confectioners sugar? Is that correct?
Yes, for the frosting 🙂
I made this, and the cake and frosting are delicious! Two things: the cake is very tender and did not rise very much. I might increase the BP or flour or decrease the liquid a bit. It made 30 cupcakes with an additional pyrex bowl of cake. The cups that were filled a little too much flowed over the edge. I live in Minnesota so it isn’t an altitude issue. The frosting is great but very firm when refrigerated. I would prefer it a little softer-maybe more butter? Maybe have it a room temp for eating. Anyway, it makes a nice large batch!
Wondering if this would work w/ white chocolate? Anyone tried before?
Yep! I’ve done it here on my site… http://cookiesandcups.com/2-ingredient-white-chocolate-buttercream/
Hey thanks for sharing this… can i tell you how much i love this? My wife and i tried this and it was the most delicious thing we’ve ever ate
Love hearing that!
How many cups of frosting does the recipe make?
I made these cupcakes they are delicious, can I freeze any left over batter ??
I would bake the cupcakes and then freeze them!
How long would you recommend baking if I were minis? Thanks!