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Chocolate Cupcakes Vanilla Frosting

These rich chocolate cupcakes pair perfectly with smooth vanilla frosting. Using common pantry ingredients, this recipe makes 32 cupcakes - perfect for parties and special occasions. The optional coffee addition deepens the chocolate flavor.

Featured in Sweet Treats and Baked Goods.

Fatiha
Updated on Sun, 05 Jan 2025 01:31:02 GMT
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A plate of chocolate cupcakes adorned with swirls of white frosting and colorful sprinkles. Pin it
A plate of chocolate cupcakes adorned with swirls of white frosting and colorful sprinkles. | zestplate.com

Get ready to discover your new favorite cupcake recipe. These chocolate cupcakes with vanilla frosting are my go-to dessert for birthdays and special occasions. The recipe comes from my treasured family chocolate cake recipe, but I've tweaked it over time to create the most amazingly moist cupcakes you'll ever taste. Looking for something different? My vanilla cupcake recipe is equally fantastic and just as foolproof.

My Best Cupcake Baking Secrets

After years of baking thousands of cupcakes in my kitchen, I've picked up some game-changing tips. The biggest secret is using room temperature ingredients for that perfect texture. I always watch my cupcakes closely starting at the 10-minute mark because every oven is different. And my most important rule? Never frost warm cupcakes. I learned that lesson the hard way when my beautiful frosting turned into a melted mess on still-warm cupcakes at my daughter's birthday party!

Everything You Need

  • All-Purpose Flour: Just regular flour works perfectly here.
  • Cocoa Powder: Use the unsweetened kind for deep chocolate flavor.
  • Baking Powder & Soda: For that perfect rise.
  • Butter: Unsalted and room temperature.
  • Granulated Sugar: Makes these perfectly sweet.
  • Eggs: Large ones at room temp.
  • Vanilla Extract: Pure vanilla makes such a difference.
  • Buttermilk: My secret for super moist cupcakes.

Let's Bake Together

Get Everything Ready
Preheat your oven to 350°F and line your muffin tin with paper liners. Make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature.
Mix Your Dry Ingredients
Whisk together your flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl until well combined.
Create the Batter
Beat your butter and sugar until light and fluffy about 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, then vanilla. Mix in your dry ingredients alternating with buttermilk until just combined.
Fill and Bake
Fill your cupcake liners about 2/3 full and bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool Completely
Let them cool in the pan for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

The Creamiest Vanilla Frosting

Making perfect vanilla frosting is all about the technique. You'll want to start with really soft butter and beat it until it's wonderfully light and fluffy. Next, gradually mix in your powdered sugar, vanilla, and just a tiny pinch of salt until everything looks crumbly. Here comes my favorite part: slowly drizzle in heavy cream while mixing until the frosting becomes silky smooth. If you find it's too thick, just add a splash more cream. Too thin? A bit more powdered sugar will fix that right up. Want to know my professional-looking finish secret? Give everything one final mix by hand with a wooden spoon to get rid of those pesky air bubbles.

A close-up view of chocolate cupcakes topped with swirls of cream frosting and pink decorative dots, arranged on a wire cooling rack. Pin it
A close-up view of chocolate cupcakes topped with swirls of cream frosting and pink decorative dots, arranged on a wire cooling rack. | zestplate.com

Make Ahead and Storage Tips

These cupcakes are perfect for making ahead! If you're serving them the next day just pop the unfrosted cupcakes in an airtight container and leave them at room temp. Store your frosting in the fridge but let it soften up before using. Want to freeze them? I do this all the time! Freeze your frosted cupcakes individually then wrap them up and store in a container. They'll keep for a month in the freezer. Just thaw them on your counter for a couple hours before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

→ Can I make these cupcakes without the coffee?
Yes, the instant coffee is completely optional. It's added to enhance the chocolate flavor but leaving it out won't affect the texture of the cupcakes.
→ How should I store these cupcakes?
Store frosted cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. You can also keep them in the fridge for up to 5 days, but bring to room temperature before serving.
→ Can I freeze these cupcakes?
You can freeze unfrosted cupcakes for up to 3 months in freezer bags. Thaw completely at room temperature before frosting. The frosting itself can be frozen separately.
→ Why use buttermilk in the recipe?
Buttermilk makes the cupcakes more tender and moist. It also reacts with the baking soda to help the cupcakes rise properly and create a soft texture.
→ Can I make these cupcakes ahead of time?
You can bake the cupcakes a day ahead and store them unfrosted in an airtight container. Make the frosting fresh and frost them the day you plan to serve them for best results.

Chocolate Cupcakes Vanilla Frosting

Classic chocolate cupcakes topped with creamy vanilla frosting. Made with basic ingredients, perfect for birthdays and celebrations.

Prep Time
~
Cook Time
22 Minutes
Total Time
22 Minutes
By: Fatiha

Category: Desserts

Difficulty: Intermediate

Cuisine: American

Yield: 32 muffins

Dietary: ~

Ingredients

01 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour.
02 ¾ cup dutch processed cocoa powder.
03 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder.
04 1 teaspoon baking soda.
05 1/2 teaspoon salt.
06 1 ½ cups buttermilk.
07 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
08 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules (optional).
09 ¾ cup vegetable oil or canola oil.
10 2 cups granulated sugar.
11 2 eggs.
12 1 egg white.
13 1 cup butter softened.
14 1 pound powdered sugar.
15 ½ teaspoon salt.
16 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
17 ⅓ cup heavy cream (or more as needed).

Instructions

Step 01

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 32 muffin tins with paper liners and set aside.

Step 02

In a large bowl, whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt together to combine. Set aside.

Step 03

In a liquid measuring cup, stir buttermilk, vanilla and instant coffee granules (if using) together. Set aside.

Step 04

In a separate large bowl, mix oil and sugar together until combined. Mix in eggs and egg white, one at a time, until mixture becomes lighter in color, about 90 seconds.

Step 05

Alternate adding in flour mixture with milk mixture, starting and ending with flour. Scrape the sides and mix again to ensure a smooth batter.

Step 06

Using an ice cream scoop, fill tins 2/3 of the way full with batter. Bake 15-22 minutes in the lower 2/3 of the oven. Cupcakes will be done when a toothpick comes out clean or mostly clean with a few moist crumbs.

Step 07

Cool 5-10 minutes in pans before trying to remove and transfer to cooling racks. Cool completely before frosting.

Step 08

In a large bowl, measure and add butter, powdered sugar, salt and vanilla. Stir with beaters on low to mix and break up the butter.

Step 09

Slowly add in the heavy cream until frosting starts to come together. Increase mixer speed to medium to get rid of any lumps and create a smooth frosting. Scrape bowl and mix again to ensure smoothness.

Notes

  1. Can substitute milk for heavy cream in frosting - start with half amount and adjust as needed.

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving)

It is important to consider this information as approximate and not to use it as definitive health advice.
  • Calories: ~
  • Total Fat: ~
  • Total Carbohydrate: ~
  • Protein: ~