Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Frosting
The best (and easiest!) chocolate cupcakes made from scratch topped with my favorite vanilla buttercream frosting recipe. A perfect combination!
Oh hello there cupcake perfection.
For all of the cupcake recipes that live on this site, can you believe I had yet to share with you the classic combination of chocolate cupcakes and vanilla frosting? I’ve used each of these recipes in other places, fancied up in different ways, but the chocolate-vanilla combo definitely deserves its own place of prominence on these virtual pages.
If an ultimate chocolate cupcake sounds like too much for you (yes, we can still be friends), and a vanilla/vanilla cupcake seems a bit too, well, VANILLA… this is the best of both worlds and the balance that you might be craving.
Okay, let’s first talk about the chocolate cupcakes here. These are the only chocolate cupcakes that I’ve made for years and years.
They are the base of the ultimate chocolate cupcakes, which also includes a chocolate ganache center and a satin-like chocolate frosting (they are sublime). They are perfect for big-time chocolate lovers, but I’ve also had tons of success adapting it for other cupcake adventures. I omit the ganache center and go from there… they were the perfect base for the Cookie Monster cupcakes I made for Joseph’s birthday last year!
So, How Do you Make Chocolate Cupcakes From Scratch?
It’s insanely easy, I promise! In fact, this might the easiest, BEST chocolate cupcake recipe I’ve ever made.
There is no butter in the recipe, so you don’t have to wait for it to soften, which means as soon as you have a craving for chocolate cupcakes, you can start ASAP. Additionally, no mixer required! I love my stand mixer as much as the next person, but I also love simplicity, and this recipe is the definition of simplicity. Just grab two bowls and a whisk and you’ll be good to go!
These chocolate cupcakes are seriously the BEST. They are soft, super moist, and fluffy – exactly what you’d expect from the perfect cupcake recipe. I’ve yet to find a better chocolate cupcake recipe!
QUICK NOTE! I get a lot of questions from people who don’t want to use coffee in chocolate recipes because they don’t like the taste of coffee and want to know if they can use a substitute. Here’s the thing, I get you, I don’t like coffee either, I don’t drink it. However, when it’s called for in a chocolate recipe, it’s to enhance to the flavor and really intensify it more than using water would. You cannot taste it in the actual recipe, I promise!
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If you can’t use coffee for a medical or religious reason, then you can totally substitute hot water. If you just don’t like coffee, I beg you to have faith and use it… you won’t taste it and your chocolate will have significantly more depth of flavor!
Now, let’s move on to the vanilla frosting on these beautiful chocolate cupcakes.
It’s a super simple American buttercream frosting (i.e. butter with powdered sugar and vanilla), and is a serious DREAM.
So, How Do You Make Buttercream Frosting?
I first came across this vanilla buttercream frosting recipe nearly 10 years ago while I was watching a local morning show. They were featuring a local bakery, which happened to share their cupcake frosting recipe during a recipe demo on air. It’s super simple, but the trick is to cream the butter at medium-high speed for a full five minutes before adding any sugar.
The difference that makes is mind-blowing. Many buttercream recipes taste sickeningly sweet or gritty from the powdered sugar. By using more butter and really whipping it up, it creates a frosting that is light-as-air, silky, and melts in your mouth. The original recipe didn’t include heavy cream, but I find if I’m using it to pipe cupcakes, the cream helps to thin it out just enough to make it easier to pipe and spread, and not so thick.
Also! If I’m making this vanilla frosting for cupcakes and am not planning on adding any sprinkles or drizzles, I’ll often substitute vanilla bean paste instead of the vanilla extract so you can see all those gorgeous flecks of vanilla bean in the frosting!
There you have it! The absolute best combination of my favorite chocolate cupcakes and the best vanilla frosting recipe.
So simple, but so delicious and a total classic!
I hope you’ll make these cupcakes and share them with some of your favorite people… whether it’s for a birthday, a special occasion, or just an after-school snack. They are deserving of being served for any reason you can dream up!
Four years ago: Dulce de Leche Brownies
Five years ago: Chipotle Chicken and Corn Chowder
Six years ago: Beef and Cheddar Dog Biscuits
Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Frosting
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes
- 3 ounces (85.05 g) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
- ⅓ cup (28.67 g) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- ¾ cup (177.75 ml) hot coffee
- ¾ cup (93.75 g) bread flour
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) salt
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) baking soda
- 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Vanilla Frosting:
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2½ cups (300 g) powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 to 2 tablespoons heavy cream
Instructions
- Make the Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a standard-size muffin pan with liners. Place the chopped chocolate and cocoa powder in a medium bowl. Pour the hot coffee over the mixture and whisk until smooth. Refrigerate mixture for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl; set aside.
- Whisk the oil, eggs, vinegar and vanilla extract into the cooled chocolate mixture until smooth. Add the flour mixture and whisk until smooth.
- Divide the batter evenly between the muffin pan cups. Bake until the cupcakes are set and just firm to the touch, 17 to 19 minutes. Cool the cupcakes in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove the cupcakes from the pan and place on the wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour.
- Make the Frosting: Using the wire whisk attachment of your stand mixer, whip the butter on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, stopping to scrape the bowl once or twice. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the powdered sugar. Once all of the powdered sugar is incorporated, increase the speed to medium-high and add the vanilla, mixing until incorporated. Whip at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed. Add the heavy cream a little at a time, whipping after added, until desired consistency is reached.
- Frost the cupcakes as desired (I used the Wilton 1M decorating tip). Frosted cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Notes
- You can substitute all-purpose flour for the bread flour if needed, but bread flour is recommended.
- I used Ghiradelli 60% cacao bittersweet baking bar for the bittersweet chocolate.
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
Can I sub out butter for the oil?
Kathy
Just incredible!!! I made these gluten free by using Pamela’s GF Artisan flour blend and switching out a tablespoon of the GF flour for an equal amount of cornstarch. They were decadent with a rich chocolate flavor, but light and tender with the perfect crumb. Used vanilla bean paste in the frosting. These will be a favorite go-to! Thank you BEB!
I had made vanilla cupcakes, so was looking for a buttercream vanilla frosting, & this was so easy to make!
I had one of my kids add food coloring, and after frosting, he added different sprinkles. Who knew that making buttercream frosting was so easy! I can’t see ever using canned frosting again.
Thanks for another great recipe!
I made these for my dad’s birthday with his favorite 7-minute frosting. They were wonderful. I was a little worried that the bread flour would make these heavy, but they were light, tender and moist. We aren’t a coffee-drinking household, but I keep espresso powder on hand for baking. I used a teaspoon in 3/4 cup boiling water, and it was perfect. Thank you for a fabulous recipe that will be my go-to from now on.
what type of heavy cream should be used? whipping cream or cooking cream? and what percentage? 15 or 35?
Hi Cynthia, Either “heavy cream” or “heavy whipping cream” would work. I don’t see percentages listed on the containers.
I’ve had several pretty big baking failures lately and I was about ready to throw in the towel out of disappointment that nothing ever seemed to turn out right. Then I gave these a try – they were so yummy! Thanks for helping me get my baking confidence back!
As a whole family and friends we litterally LOVED these cupcakes! I can say they were the best cupcakes I’ve made and tasted. I made it twice; first with coffee but I put baking powder instead of baking soda (agghh 🤦♀️) it was still ok but the second time I just used hot water instead of coffee which was a blast! I will definitely make these cupcakes with coffee as me and my girls love chocolate cupcakes! Thanks for sharing this awesome recipe! BTW I didn’t make the frosting part as I didn’t have much time. I just used the one I bought from store. Next time I will try the frosting too! THANKS!
I don’t use internet recipes very often, but these came out so perfectly! Exactly what I was looking for, thank you. I drizzled with a little salted caramel! :)
YEP! DELICIOUS!! Since I’ve been weighing ingredients I think they are more consistent and closer to what was intended too. It would be great to see those measurements on all recipes, but I assure you, it was worth flipping to a conversion chart :) Very HAPPY!!! Thank you!
Girl, these are the best cupcakes I have EVER MADE. EVER. They are so full of flavour, moist, and just overall delicious. Took them to a BBQ this past weekend and they were a hit. This is my new go-to chocolate cupcake recipe! Might try it as a cake next time. Thanks!
These cupcakes are amazing!!!! I’ve tested so many recipes for chocolate cupcakes and these are by far the best and a keeper. I narrowed done 3 recipes and did a taste at BBQ and these were the winner by unanimous decision. I did not have bread flour so I used cake flour and the cupcakes were perfect. The cupcakes have a perfect balance of chocolate, sweetness and the texture is just right. They are not dense, super moist and not too rich. I’ve made this recipe twice, once with the coffee and other with 3/4 cup boiling water and 1 teaspoon of espresso powder. I prefer the water with espresso powder, you taste the chocolate more. Hope this review helps for those looking for their perfect chocolate cupcake recipe. I found mine! Thanks Michelle!!!!!
Hello. Thank you for the recipe. Why is bread flour used in your cupcake recipe? Thank you.
Hi Madeleine, The bread flour helps the cupcakes maintain their structure with the ganache filling.
Michelle, have you ever made these as mini cupcakes? If so, how long would you recommend baking them for? I’ve made them as standard size, and they are the best ever!
Hi Isa, I have not personally but I know many have! I would start checking around 8 minutes just to be on the safe side.