Moist Chocolate Cupcakes
Deep, tender chocolate cupcakes with silky chocolate buttercream.
Before You Start
These use oil and a splash of hot coffee for a cupcake that stays moist for days and tastes intensely of chocolate. The batter is thin, which is exactly right, and it bakes into a soft, even crumb.
Instructions
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1
Heat the oven to 175°C / 350°F and line a 12-hole muffin tin with cases.
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2
Whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
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3
Whisk in the oil, milk, egg and vanilla until smooth. Stir in the hot coffee last. The batter will be thin.
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4
Divide between the cases, filling each about two-thirds.
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5
Bake for 18 to 22 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. Cool fully before frosting.
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6
Frost with chocolate buttercream: beat ¾ cup (170 g) butter with 2½ cups (300 g) powdered sugar and ⅓ cup (28 g) cocoa.
Tools for foolproof bakes
Weighing beats scooping every time. These inexpensive tools make every recipe more reliable.
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💡 Baker's tips
- The hot coffee blooms the cocoa and deepens the chocolate. You will not taste coffee.
- Fill the cases only two-thirds full so the tops dome neatly instead of overflowing.
🔀 Make it your own
- Push a square of chocolate into each before baking for a molten centre.
- Swap the coffee for the same amount of hot water if you prefer.
📦 Storing & freezing
Airtight at room temperature for 3 days. Unfrosted cupcakes freeze well for 2 months.
❓ Frequently asked
Why is the cupcake batter so thin?
That is correct for this recipe. The thin, coffee-loosened batter is what gives the cupcakes their moist, tender crumb. Do not add extra flour.
How much cocoa is in a cup?
About 85 g per US cup, so ½ cup is roughly 42 g. Weigh it with the cocoa powder converter for a consistent chocolate hit.
Baking in a different unit? Use the cups ↔ grams converter or the recipe scaler to halve or double this recipe.
