The Best Moist Chocolate Cupcake Recipe
These are the absolute best chocolate cupcakes! Super moist while being light and fluffy at the same time. The texture is absolutely perfect with a great chocolate flavor. Topped with a silky chocolate buttercream. I've been making these to rave reviews for years and finally sharing the recipe now!
Recipe and more at The Alchemist.
The Best Moist Chocolate Cupcake Recipe
adapted from this Double Chocolate Layer Cake from Epicurious
This recipe makes more than a standard cake recipe, about 30-34 standard size cupcakes
Ingredients
3 oz. (85 g.) semi sweet chocolate - I usually use semi sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups (355 ml) hot brewed coffee - or if you absolutely cannot have coffee, substitute hot water, or decaf coffee - but the coffee does bring a depth of flavor that water alone won't
3 cups (620 g.) sugar
2 1/2 cups (337 g.) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups (172 g.) unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3 large eggs
1 cup (237 ml) vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups (355 ml) well-shaken full fat buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla
Directions
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit, 150 degrees Celsius, Gas Mark 2.
Finely chop chocolate (if using chocolate chips you don't have to chop it) and add it to the hot coffee to let it melt. Meanwhile, Into a large bowl whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat eggs until thickened slightly, and lemon colored, about 3 minutes in a stand mixer, or 5 minutes with a hand mixer. Stir the chocolate mixture until all the chocolate is melted and combined. Slowly add the oil, vanilla, buttermilk and chocolate mixture, beating until combined well. Add a quarter of the dry mixture then blend until incorporated, then add another 1/4 and combine, and repeat until all of the dry ingredients are just incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and blend again just until that is all incorporated.
Mixture will be like a thick liquid. Prepare cupcake tins with liners. Pour batter into a measuring cup with a pouring spout. Pour batter into cupcake liners filling about half to 2/3rds of the way full. Don't overfill. These rise quite a bit. Bake for about 26-32 minutes. If the center still looks caved in, or wet in the middle, they are not done. The top should look slightly rounded. They are done when they pass a toothpick test. While cupcakes are baking, prepare frosting below.
Cool on wire racks, and frost when they are completely cool.
Chocolate Buttercream
based on the Foolproof Chocolate Frosting Recipe from Cooks Illustrated, taken from Real Baking with Rose Levy Beranbaum Forum
NOTE - If you are piping on frosting like I did, you will need to double this recipe. If you are just spreading it on, this amount will probably work.
Note: I made this frosting in a stand mixer, but the original recipe was written to be made in a food processor, I noted both instructions below.
Ingredients
20 TBS (2 1/2 sticks or about 10 oz) (248 g.) unsalted butter, softened
4 oz. (about 1 cup) (115 g.) confectioner’s sugar
3/4 cup (80 g,) dutch-processed or natural cocoa powder - I used natural
pinch of fine table salt
3/4 cup (177 ml) light corn syrup or (Lyles Golden Refiner’s Syrup and 1 TBS of water)
1 tsp vanilla extract
8 oz (227 g.) chocolate - milk, semisweet, or bittersweet - melted and cooled to 85-100 degrees Fahrenheit, (29-38 degrees Celsius) I used semisweet chocolate chips
Directions
In a stand mixer: Cut butter into about 5 pieces per stick, and add to bowl of mixer. Add confectioners sugar, cocoa powder, salt and blend on low. Slowly add the corn syrup while mixer is going on low. After it's all added, turn it up to mix it until it's incorporated, then add the vanilla and the melted chocolate. Mix well until completely blended. You can make this up to 3 hours in advance. For longer storage, refrigerate the frosting, covered, and let it stand at room temperature for 1 hour before using.
In a Food Processor: In a food processor, process butter, sugar, cocoa, and salt until smooth, about 30 seconds. Scrape the bowl as needed. Add the syrup and vanilla and process until just combined, about 5-10 seconds. Scrape down the bowl, and then add the chocolate and pulse until smooth and creamy, about 10-15 seconds. The big key to this recipe is using a light hand with the processor and not over mixing it. You can make this up to 3 hours in advance. For longer storage, refrigerate the frosting, covered, and let it stand at room temperature for 1 hour before using.