A tried and true classic, these chocolate cupcakes are ultra simple to make, and ultra delicious.
This is a great starter recipe for newer bakers, but is good enough to stand up with the best of them. It’s quick and easy to make, only requires one bowl, and doesn’t have any super specialty ingredients. The only “unusual” item is black cocoa powder, which can easily be replaced by an equal amount of regular dutch cocoa powder. But if you can get your hands on some of the dark stuff, use it! It brings a richness that is truly decadent.
These cuppies are fairly versatile, and would be delicious on their own or with nearly any frosting flavour. My personal favourites?
– caramel sauce filling, topped with chocolate ganache frosting
– Oreo buttercream, topped with an Oreo cookie
– Nutella buttercream, topped with a Ferrero Rocker
– raspberry jam filling, topped with chocolate buttercream
– chocolate ganache filling, topped with peanut butter buttercream.
Feel free to mix and match and try different flavour combos. That’s part of the fun with cupcakes! You get 24 chances to try new things, whether it’s fillings or decorating styles.
Easy One Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup hot water
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- ¼ cup black cocoa powder
- 1 T espresso powder
- 1 cup canola oil
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 eggs
- 1 t vanilla extract
- 2 cups white sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 t baking soda
- 1 t salt
Instructions
- Prepare cupcake pans by lining with cupcake liners and spraying with oil.
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Whisk hot water, both cocoa powders, and espresso powder together until no lumps remain.
- Add buttermilk, canola oil, egg, and vanilla. Whisk until combined.
- Add flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt into bowl. Whisk until just combined. Do not overmix! Batter will be runny.
- Spoon around 3 tablespoons of batter into each cupcake liner – they should be about ⅔ full.
- Bake for 24 minutes. Check the cupcakes – tops should bounce back when lightly touched with your finger, and a toothpick inserted to the centre should come out with only a few crumbs – not wet.
- Remove the cupcakes and let them cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then place onto a cooling rack to cool fully before decorating.
Filling idea:
Buttercream recipe:
Some decorating tips (and inspiration!):