Easy Chocolate Cupcakes
User Reviews
5
Easy Chocolate Cupcakes
Description
These Easy Chocolate Cupcakes blend dry ingredients including flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt with butter, avocado oil, sugars, eggs, and vanilla. Buttermilk, sour cream, and espresso add moisture and deepen chocolate taste, while semisweet chocolate chips contribute small pockets of melted chocolate inside. The batter is mixed just until combined to avoid toughness and baked to a tender crumb.
The chocolate frosting is rich and creamy, made by blending condensed milk, egg yolks, chopped unsweetened chocolate, butter, and vanilla extract into a smooth chocolate icing. The cupcakes can be served simply by themselves or with this frosting, and garnished as desired.
They store well at room temperature or refrigerator for several days, and can be frozen wrapped individually for longer storage. Gentle reheating preserves moisture. This recipe includes notes on making homemade buttermilk and tips to avoid overmixing or overbaking for optimal texture.
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Cupcakes:
- 1-¾ cups all-purpose flour , spoon, and leveled
- 1 cup cocoa powder such as Hershey, unsweetened
- 1-½ teaspoons baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 113 g butter unsalted, softened, 1 stick
- ½ cup avocado oil
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup light brown sugar packed
- 2 egg at room temperature, large
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract pure
- 80 g semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup buttermilk , shaken, at room temperature
- ½ cup sour cream at room temperature, full fat
- 2 tablespoons espresso freshly brewed or strong coffee
For the Chocolate Frosting:
- 1 condensed milk full fat, 14 oz
- 2 egg at room temperature, large, yolk
- 240 g unsweetened chocolate , chopped
- 15 ml vanilla extract pure
- 220 g unsalted butter 2 sticks, at room temperature
Instructions
For the Chocolate Cupcakes:
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line (2) cupcake pans with paper liners.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter, avocado oil, salt, and sugars on high speed until light and fluffy, approximately 2 minutes. Lower the speed to medium, add the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla and mix well.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream, and espresso. In another bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, and baking soda. At low speed, add the buttermilk mixture and the flour mixture alternately in thirds to the mixer bowl, beginning with the buttermilk mixture and ending with the flour mixture.
- Mix only until just blended. Next, add the chocolate chips and fold the batter with a rubber spatula to be sure it’s completely blended.
- Divide the batter among the cupcake pans (one rounded standard ice cream scoop per cup). Bake in the middle of the oven for 25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, remove from the pans and allow to cool completely before frosting.
For the Chocolate Frosting:
- In a medium bowl, add the chopped chocolate and set it aside.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the condensed milk and the egg yolks until combined. Gently heat the mixture to just below the boiling point(170-175F), do not boil, or the egg will curdle. Remove from heat and immediately pour the egg mixture over the chopped chocolate and whisk until smooth. Stir in the vanilla and let it cool.
- Once cooled, transfer the chocolate mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Add the butter and turn the mixer to medium speed and beat until creamy and smooth. Frost the chocolate cupcakes as desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- Make homemade buttermilk by mixing lemon juice or vinegar with whole milk and letting it curdle before use.
- Use a combination of avocado oil and unsalted butter for moist texture and richer flavor.
- Mix batter until just combined to prevent over-developing gluten which toughens cupcakes.
- Cupcakes can be stored wrapped at room temperature (2 days) or refrigerated (5 days), and can be frozen up to 2 months.
- Thaw frozen cupcakes in the refrigerator or at room temperature before frosting and serving.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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