The best Small Batch Chocolate Cupcakes recipe ever! So fluffy, moist and decadent chocolate cupcakes piled high with rich chocolate frosting.
Try my easy Chocolate Bundt Cake next!
Chocolate on top of chocolate!. Topped with some chocolate chips and more chocolate sprinkles. There is so much chocolate in this little wrapper!
ALERT-This small batch Cupcake Recipe with rich swirls of piped chocolate ganache is for extreme chocolate lovers only! 😉
Do you hide a bottomless love for chocolate desserts in your heart? Then these homemade chocolate cupcakes are for you!
Recipe Texture:
- Seriously light and fluffy
- Soft with a moist crumb
- Oh-so-decadent
- So chocolatey but not dense
- Topped with rich chocolate frosting (just the right amount of sweet)
So these simply are chocolate cupcakes swirled with pipeable chocolate ganache, right?
Wrong!!!
This small batch cupcake recipe also comes with a chocolatey surprise. We are filling their centers with more chocolate ganache!
Told ya. These beauties are ridiculously rich and over-flowing with chocolate!
Cupcakes Ingredients:
- Natural Cocoa: Acidity in natural cocoa helps to lift the cupcakes in this recipe.
- Vinegar: Believe me, you won't taste it in your cupcakes. Instead it reacts with baking soda to create amazingly fluffy cupcakes!
- Oil: As opposed to butter, oil creates super moist cupcakes.
- Coffee: Coffee helps to intensify the chocolate flavor, don't skip it!
How to make Chocolate Cupcakes:
It can't get any easier! You need no special ingredients.
how to make chocolate frosting:
If you are thinking that's a ridiculous amount of frosting, I get you. You can easily reduce the recipe into half.
But you know what!
To get the frosting piled super high, I kept a small strawberry in the center. 😉 Also, Strawberry+Chocolate= The most amazing flavor! Win win!!!
This is a very easy chocolate frosting recipe. Probably the easiest you will ever try. And the best thing is, using both milk chocolate and dark chocolate yields to perfect balance of flavor to sweetness.
What makes a cupcake moist
- Adding OIL as fat as opposed to butter
- Avoiding over-mixing the batter. Always fold the batter using a spatula, after adding your dry ingredients
- DO NOT over-bake your cupcakes. I repeat, don't over bake your cupcakes. It is the number one reason for dry and dehydrated cupcakes. Eww! Bake just till your cupcakes are springy to touch. To ensure, toothpick test always works.
- Always STORE your cupcakes in air tight containers to retain their moisture.
Have you checked my tips to bake best Cupcakes yet?
How to make the perfect cupcakes
One small mistake can turn your cupcakes into a flop show! But trust me once you know the drill, you will always have winners coming out of your oven. And it so easy to follow, promise!
To make sure each batch of your cupcakes shine-
- USE ROOM TEMPERATURE INGREDIENTS
- Once again, DO NOT OVER Mix that batter. Mix just until flour disappears into the batter.
- Keep your OVEN DOOR CLOSED throughout baking. Do not let that hot air escape out!
- Always cool your cupcakes on a wire rack. Letting the cupcakes cool down in the pan allows them to continue baking. And this can dry the cupcakes out.
- Keep a close eye on them, a min or two before the recipe states. Every oven is different. Over baking is sure to produce a parched cupcake! You don't want that to happen.
Here are my best cupcakes baking tips that you'll find helpful instantly!
How to tell if cupcakes are done
To test for doneness perform a finger test. Gently touch the center of a cupcake with your finger. If it is springy to touch and bounces back, they are done.
If their centers are still wet or jiggly, they need more time in oven.
And did I tell ya, since it's a small batch recipe, it takes no time to come together. So you can have your homemade cupcake fix as soon as that craving arises.
Coz, seeing your creations makes my day!
Cupcakes recipe adapted from the best chocolate cupcakes in the world!
If you liked these Cupcakes give them a star review. Also, tell me in the comments below, how did this turn out for you! And don’t forget to share your creations with me on Instagram at #greedyeatsblog Also follow me on Pinterest and Facebook!
More Small Batch Chocolate Desserts:
Best Small Bach Chocolate Chip Cookies
Small Batch Chocolate Cream Cheese Cookies
Small Batch Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 6 Tbsp (47 gms) All purpose flour
- 2.5 Tbsp (16 gms) Cocoa powder (Natural, unsweetened)
- ¼ tsp (heaping) Baking powder
- ¼ tsp (heaping) Baking soda
- ⅛ tsp Salt
- ¼ Cup (60 ml) Milk
- ¼ Cup Granulated sugar
- 1 tsp Vinegar
- 1 Tbsp + ½ tsp Oil of choice (I use avocado oil)
- ½ tsp Vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp +1 tsp (35 ml) Hot water
- 1 tsp Instant Coffee
For chocolate ganache frosting
- 12 oz (340 gms, 2 cups) Good quality chocolate (I used half milk and half dark chocolate)
- 1 Cup (240 ml) Heavy cream
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 320 deg F and line a baking pan with 4 liners. Set aside.
- Sift flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt together. In a separate mixing bowl, add oil, sugar, milk, vinegar, coffee and vanilla. Mix well with a whisk to combine.
- Alternate flour and hot water in the cocoa mixture and mix just till all dry ingredients disappear into wet.
- Divide the batter in prepared liners and bake for 23-24 minutes. My cupcakes are always done in 24 minutes.
- Take them out of oven, cool for 2-3 minutes in pan. And allow to cool down further on a wire rack.
For Chocolate Ganache Frosting:
- Heat your heavy cream on stove top/microwave till very hot. But don't let it come to a boil. Meanwhile, chop your chocolate into small chunks.
- Remove cream from heat and add chocolate chunks in the cream immediately. Stir until completely mixed and glossy. Now add vanilla (if adding).
- Give it another stir, cover with a cling wrap/foil and allow to rest till set (at room temperature). The ganache frosting thickens as it sets.
- When you spoon the ganache and it holds its structure, it is ready to be piped.
To fill the cupcakes:
- Using knife, cut a hole in cooled cupcakes (about 1" in diameter and 1" deep into the center of each cupcake. Then gently lift out the center.
- This piece you removed will be some what like the shape of a cone. Slice off the pointy end of this cone so that it covers back the center of your cupcakes, without any frosting oozing out.
- Repeat with all the cupcakes and set these round pieces aside.
- Fill each carved hole with frosting (about 1 Tbsp) and place those round pieces back in the center of cupcakes.
- Then pipe the frosting on cupcakes as desired.
Notes
- You may keep unfrosted cupcakes stored in an air tight container at room temperature. Or you may keep the frosted ones in fridge for up to 5 days.
- Unfrosted cupcakes also freeze well for up to 3 months.
- Thaw them overnight in the refrigerator or at room temperature before frosting.
Nutrition
Does It not include egg?
No, eggs are not required for this recipe.
These were so delicious ! Do you have a full size recipe ?
You can double or even triple the ingredients at ease, but at this point I upload recipes in small batch only.
This is my favorite chocolate buttercream recipe. It s incredibly rich, creamy, silky, smooth, and easy to work with for decorating cakes and cupcakes!
I absolutely love that this recipe only makes 4 cupcakes! Sometimes the fella and I are really craving cupcakes but I don't want to make a whole batch and have them hanging around the house. This is brilliant!
Well, I'm raising my hand for the extreme chocolate lover. Normally I don't like chocolate cupcakes, I find that they have a tendency to be a little on the dry side. Not so these cupcakes. OMG -- they were so moist and the frosting on top - certainly satisfied my chocolate craving. Thank you..
I love that this batch only makes 4 cupcakes!!! It's PERFECT! I get so overwhelmed making cupcakes because there are always so many leftover!
This is such a great recipe for when you're craving something sweet but don't want to get stuck with a whole batch to tempt you throughout the week. The frosting is so decadent...chocolate lover's delight!