These ultra moist chocolate fudge cupcakes have a tender crumb and are topped with an easy-to-make, dreamy chocolate ganache. These are the perfect everyday kinda treat or for a special occasion like Valentine's Day. Whatever the reason, you'll be happy to eat these any time of year! Best of all, you can whip up the cupcake batter by hand - no mixer needed.
And if you're less of a chocoholic kind of person, try this small batch vanilla cupcake recipe or strawberry cupcakes for an alternative.
Ingredients for this Chocolate Fudge Cupcake Recipe
In the recipe card below, you'll find the complete list of ingredients for these moist chocolate cupcakes. Here are a few highlights:
- Dutch processed cocoa powder - If you like the taste of Oreos, thank Dutch processed cocoa powder because that's a key ingredient! This cocoa powder has been treated with an alkalizing agent, which results in a cocoa powder with a less acidic taste than natural cocoa powder. Dutch processed powder has a darker color, milder flavor, and less bitterness.
- Espresso powder - Espresso powder enhances the chocolate flavor.
- Canola or vegetable oil (or another flavorless oil) - This fat helps keep these cupcakes moist for days! Canola oil also has a neutral flavor. This is important because you don't want an oil with a distinct taste - like olive oil - to overpower the chocolate flavor.
- Buttermilk - Buttermilk is a common ingredient in chocolate cake recipes because it helps tenderize and moisten the cake. Also, due to its acidity, it reacts with baking soda, which creates carbon dioxide bubbles that help the cake rise.
- Hot water - Often used in chocolate cake recipes, hot water or hot coffee enhances the chocolate flavor and creates a moist texture. Mixing cocoa powder with a hot liquid helps release the powder's natural oils, intensifying the richness of flavor.
Recipe for Delicious Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes
About an hour before baking, on your counter, place eggs, buttermilk, and full-fat Greek yogurt (or sour cream) so they reach room temperature.
Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350 F and line a standard muffin tin with 12 paper liners.
To a large bowl, add and whisk together all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, dutch processed cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, espresso powder, and kosher salt. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together your vanilla extract, eggs, greek yogurt (or sour cream), buttermilk, and oil.
Pour your hot water into the bowl of dry ingredients. Mix so that some of the dry ingredients begin to moisten, and then pour bowl of wet ingredients into this one. Mix again until all ingredients are fully incorporated.
Pour and evenly spread the batter into your prepared cupcake liners. In your preheated oven, bake for 16-18 minutes or until cupcakes bounce back at the touch of your finger.
Let cupcakes cool in cupcake pan about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
Tips for Perfecting this Cupcake Recipe
- Set out your ingredients before diving into the recipe! Setting out all your ingredients on the counter before starting a recipe is a huge help. This makes it harder for you to accidentally miss a step or key ingredient. And you won't have to make as many trips back and forth to your pantry!
- For best results, let your cupcakes cool before frosting them. If your cupcakes are still warm when you pipe buttercream onto them, the frosting may melt. Patience is important!
- For a more flavorful cupcake, eat it the next day. The added time allows the flavors to meld together longer, resulting in a stronger taste.
Making Rich Chocolate Fudge Frosting
Make a double boiler over a stovetop burner using a small pot, filled with a few cups of water, and a heatproof bowl that can sit within the pot.
Add the chopped chocolate and heavy cream to the bowl in your pot. Once water is boiling in the pot, whisk the chocolate and heavy cream every 30 seconds or so until it’s smooth and all pieces of chocolate having melted into the mixture.
Turn off burner and carefully remove bowl from pot - it will be hot.
Set bowl on countertop for about 3 minutes.
Add cream cheese and slightly cooled melted chocolate and heavy cream to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.
Mix cream cheese, chocolate mixture, and vanilla extract for one minute. It will look lumpy at first.
Beat in powdered sugar last for about 2 minutes, starting on low speed and then increasing. Texture resembles thick pudding.
How to Pipe Frosting onto Cupcakes
Transfer frosting to a piping bag fitted with a tip of your choice – I used 2D for these cupcakes!
Swirl frosting on top of each cupcake, and top with sprinkles if desired.
Cupcake FAQ
I really love pairing this chocolate cupcake recipe with the thick, fudgy frosting here. But you could also spice things up by topping them with my black buttercream frosting. This frosting tastes like an Oreo and would be delicious on these cupcakes!
My cookie butter frosting would be great with chocolate. Or really get outside of the box with something totally different and try this refreshing basil buttercream! Basil and chocolate can be a really excellent combo.
There are many factors that can help make a cupcake nice and fluffy. The amount of air you incorporate into your batter is important. Do this by spending the full amount of time the recipe card states for mixing your butter and sugar. Also, be sure to use room temperature ingredients - more on that below. The amount of leavening agents, like baking powder and baking soda, plays a role in helping your cupcakes rise, too.
Ingredients like eggs, butter, and other dairy products are important in trapping air into your baked goods as you mix the batter or dough for them. That air expands during the baking process in the oven. This can mean the difference between a dense and crumbly cupcake and a nice, fluffy one. So you should always bake with room temperature ingredients if a recipe calls for it. This one does.
In this recipe, we use a combination of oil, buttermilk, and Greek yogurt (or sour cream could work, too) to create a moist and soft cupcake.
How Do I Store Chocolate Cupcakes With Chocolate Fudge Frosting?
These cupcakes freeze well!
- You can freeze the undecorated cupcakes in an airtight container for about 3 months.
- You can also freeze them with frosting on them. Let them come to room temperature before serving.
- You can freeze the frosting in advance, too. When it comes to room temperature, you will need to gently rewhip it for a few minutes to achieve the original texture. Be prepared to add heavy cream (or milk) to make it creamier.
More Recipes
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Fudgy Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache
Made with dutch processed cocoa powder, these moist, fudgy chocolate cupcakes melt in your mouth. Top with chocolate ganache for more flavor!
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 12 cupcakes 1x
- Category: Cupcakes
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Fudgy Chocolate Cupcakes
- 1 ¼ cups (170 grams) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- ⅓ cup (35 grams) dutch processed cocoa powder
- ¾ cup (170 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 T (25 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar
- ¾ tsp espresso powder
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ cup (110 grams) canola oil
- 2 full eggs at room temperature
- ⅓ cup (85 grams) buttermilk, room temperature
- 3 T full fat greek yogurt or sour cream
- 2 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup water (75 grams), very hot (nearly boiling)
Chocolate Cream Cheese Ganache
- 110 grams of chopped dark chocolate, between 50 and 60% cacao
- 4 oz/113 grams/half a block of Philadelphia cream cheese, room temperature
- ¼ cup (70 grams) heavy cream
- 1 ½ cups (190 grams) powdered sugar
- 1 ½ tsp Vanilla extract
Instructions
Cupcake Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 F and line a standard muffin tin with 12 paper liners.
- To a large bowl, add and whisk together all-purpose flour, brown and granulated sugars, dutch processed cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, espresso powder, and kosher salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together your vanilla extract, eggs, greek yogurt or sour cream, buttermilk, and oil.
- Pour your hot water into the bowl of dry ingredients. Mix so that some of the dry ingredients begin to moisten, and then pour bowl of other ingredients to this one. Mix again until all ingredients are fully incorporated.
- Pour and evenly spread the batter into your prepared cupcake liners. Bake for 16-18 minutes or until cupcakes bounce back at the touch of your finger.
- Let cupcakes cool in pan about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
Chocolate Cream Cheese Ganache
- Make a double boiler over a stovetop burner using a small pot, filled with a few cups of water, and a heatproof bowl that can sit within the pot. Add the chopped chocolate and heavy cream to the bowl in your pot. Once water is boiling in the pot, whisk the chocolate and heavy cream every 30 seconds or so until it’s smooth and all pieces of chocolate having melted into the mixture.
- Turn off burner and carefully remove bowl from pot - it will be hot.
- Set bowl on countertop for about 3 minutes.
- Add cream cheese and slightly cooled melted chocolate and heavy cream to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.
- Mix cream cheese, chocolate mixture, and vanilla extract for one minute. It will look lumpy at first.
- Beat in powdered sugar last for about 2 minutes, starting on low speed and then increasing. Texture resembles pudding.
Cupcake Assembly
- Transfer frosting to a piping bag fitted with a tip of your choice – I used 2D for these cupcakes!
- Swirl frosting onto cupcakes, and top with sprinkles if desired.
Notes
Please note that the nutritional information is an estimate and based on one serving of this recipe, which would yield approximately 12 cupcakes.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cupcake
- Calories: 400
Sam
Chocolate on chocolate. As God intended. Bless you!
Susan
The ultimate combo!!