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The side of a chocolate cupcake with chocolate swirls of icing and sprinkles on top, in a brown cupcake case.
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4.75 from 79 votes

Chocolate Cupcakes {Easiest EVER Recipe!}

This recipe for Chocolate Cupcakes was my top secret bakery recipe, tested over 100,000 times! Now I’m sharing it with you so you can create your very own simple, easy, moist and delicious creations. This is the ULTIMATE foolproof cupcake recipe.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American, Family Food
Servings: 12 Cupcakes
Author: Sarah Rossi

Ingredients

Dry ingredients:

  • 150 g Caster sugar
  • 120 g Self raising flour
  • 25 g Cocoa
  • Pinch of salt Optional

Wet ingredients:

  • 1 Egg Free range, medium or large
  • 50 ml Oil
  • 125 ml Milk
  • 1 tsp Vanilla extract

For the icing:

  • 300 g Icing sugar
  • 150 g Unsalted butter
  • 30 g Cocoa powder
  • Boiling water
  • Sprinkles

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 180C.
  • Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl.
  • Beat the wet ingredients in another bowl.
  • Combine by adding about two thirds of the wet ingredients and beating until smooth. Then add the rest of the wet ingredients and beat until smooth again.
  • Scoop into muffin cases in a muffin tin and bake for between 17-19 minutes or until domed and springy on top.

To make the icing:

  • While the cupcakes are cooking, make the icing. Beat together the sugar and butter until combined. (This may take a while and look grainy at first, carry on!)
  • 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.
  • Beat the cocoa mixture into the icing.
  • If you want your icing to be most soft, fluffy and pipeable, add a teaspoon of boiling water at a time until it's the texture that you want.

To decorate:

  • To decorate, when the cupcakes are cool, put the icing into a piping bag fitted with a star piping nozzle (see notes).
  • Pipe a circle around the edge of the cupcake, continue with another circle on top, slightly smaller, and a finally tiny circle on top. Give the bag a squeeze, stop squeezing and pull the bag away quickly.
  • Add sprinkles!

Notes

Portions: This recipe makes 12 SMALL cupcakes or 9 LARGE cupcakes (always my preference!) The ones in the photos are LARGE.
Piping nozzle: I almost always use a Wilton 1M nozzle, available on Amazon.
To store: Keep these in an airtight container that ISN’T plastic, somewhere cool (so usually dark too) but not a fridge.
Shelf-life: Because they are so moist, they should last 3-4 days in an airtight tin.
To make your frosting light and fluffy: Add a teaspoon at a time of boiling hot water and beat in until light and fluffy

Nutrition

Calories: 328kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 13mg | Potassium: 104mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 38g | Vitamin A: 355IU | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 0.8mg