Chocolate Cupcakes {Easiest EVER Recipe!}

How we came up with this Chocolate Cupcake recipe

You may not know this about me, but in a former life, approximately one million years ago, I ran a business baking wedding cupcakes, and then, later, a cookery school teaching people to bake cupcakes and other cakes.

In the 6 years that I ran that business, I (and later my lovely little team) baked over 100,000 CUPCAKES!!

So I’d like to think I know a bit about what works and what doesn’t with cupcake recipes.

This classic Chocolate Cupcake recipe is the result of all of those years of practice. 

I hope it works for you as well for you as it did for us! With lots of tips and tricks, here’s your foolproof guide to making deliciously moist homemade cupcakes.

Chocolate Cupcake Ingredients

• Caster sugar – Be sure to use caster sugar for the chocolate muffins, not granulated. It melts and reacts differently as the grains are larger
• Self-raising flour – This flour contains a raising agent so there’s no need for baking powder too
• Cocoa – I feel that one non-negotiable to make these cupcakes amazing is VERY good quality cocoa powder. I use Green & Blacks cocoa, which I love
• Pinch of salt – This is optional but I love it to add a little extra something to the chocolate cupcakes. If you like a little crunch of salt, use flakes. If not, use fine table salt. I always use this brand of salt
• Milk –  Full fat or semi-skimmed is fine. Do not use skimmed milk as your cupcakes will be very dry
• Oil – Any flavourless oil is fine, like vegetable oil or sunflower oil
• Egg – Free-range and medium or large sized is best
• Vanilla – Any vanilla extract, NOT essence is good. I like this one available on Amazon (it’s a large bottle but lasts me a while)

Ingredients for chocolate icing

• Butter – I use unsalted, room temperature butter for the icing. Do not even THINK about using margarine! It tastes grim and just doesn’t behave in the same way
• Icing sugar – I find that a freshly opened bag of icing sugar gives the best results, so make sure you always seal your icing sugar bags well. Sieving it gives the best result but – honestly? – I don’t usually bother as I never have time!Cocoa – As above, I feel that one non-negotiable to make this icing amazing is VERY good quality cocoa powder

How to make Chocolate Cupcakes

1. Start by mixing the sugar, flour and cocoa powder in a mixer (or mix by hand). In a separate jug, mix together the egg, oil, milk and vanilla. Combine everything until smooth and there you have it, your cake batter!

2. Scoop the batter into muffin cases in a muffin tin (I use an ice cream scoop to do this, which is super useful as this is a very runny batter). Pop into a preheated oven (180C) and bake for 17-19 minutes or until the tops are domed and springy. While the cupcakes are cooking, make the icing.

How to make the chocolate icing topping

1. Beat together the sugar and butter until combined. (This may take a while and look grainy at first, carry on!)
2. Mix the cocoa with a little boiling water in a mug – just enough water to make a thick paste. Mix it until smooth and there are no lumps.
3. Beat the cocoa mixture into the icing.
4. If you want your icing to be moist, soft, fluffy and pipeable, add a teaspoon of boiling water at a time until it’s the texture that you want.

How to pipe the chocolate icing on

1. When the cupcakes are cool, pop a star nozzle (I almost always use a Wilton 1M nozzle, available on Amazon) in your piping bag and fill the bag with the freshly beaten icing.
2. Pipe a circle around the edge of the cupcake, continue with another circle on top, slightly smaller, and a finally tiny circle on top.
3. Give the bag a squeeze, stop squeezing and pull the bag away quickly.
4. Add sprinkles!