Moist Chocolate Cupcakes

Moist chocolate cupcakes topped with homemade chocolate buttercream frosting and chocolate sprinkles, are a chocolate triple threat. These rich and decadent treats are moist, sweet, flavourful. The easy chocolatey batter takes just 10 minutes to make, and less than 20 minutes to bake. You need to make these moist cupcakes for your next celebration —or when you're just craving something sweet.

Why You'll Love Moist Chocolate Cupcakes

• The perfect moist cupcake. Fluffy butter, cocoa powder, yogurt, and more come together to form the perfect batter that rises into even more perfect moist chocolate cupcakes. These chocolate cupcakes bring an impeccable chocolatey taste and a perfectly dense, moist texture.
• It's topped with rich chocolate buttercream frosting. Do I need to say anything more? This decadent frosting is easy to make. All you need is softened butter, milk, vanilla, cocoa, sugar, and salt, a hand mixer or stand mixer, and less than 5 minutes of time.
• It has actual health benefits. Seriously. Maybe eating cupcakes every day isn't great for your health, but cocoa powder has many health benefits, including lowered blood pressure, heart health, improved mood, and it can even help manage asthma. So, the next time someone tells you that chocolate cupcakes aren't healthy, let them in on this superfood.
• There's no better way to indulge. These triple chocolate cupcakes are the best way to treat yourself. From the moist cake to the creamy frosting, these moist chocolate cupcakes will answer all your sweet tooth cravings.

Ingredients

To make rich and moist chocolate cupcakes, you will need the following ingredients:

• all-purpose flour
• cocoa powder
• baking powder - helps the cupcakes rise.
• salt
• butter
• sugar
• eggs
• vanilla extract
• plain yogurt - yogurt is the secret ingredient that makes these cupcakes super moist and soft. I used whole fat plain yogurt but you can also use Greek yogurt or sour cream as a substitute.
• water
• chocolate buttercream - you can use store-bought or homemade frosting. To make homemade chocolate buttercream, you will need butter, vanilla, confectioners' sugar, cocoa powder, milk, and a pinch of salt.
• chocolate sprinkles

You will also need measuring cups and spoons, mixing bowls, stand mixer or hand mixer, 12-tin muffin pan, piping bags, and a no. 2D decorating tip.

How to Make the Best Moist Chocolate Cupcakes

1. Combine dry ingredients. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
2. Cream butter and sugar. In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer or stand mixer with the paddle attachment to cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until incorporated. 
3. Prepare wet ingredients. In a small bowl, stir together vanilla, yogurt, and water. Set aside.
4. Combine ingredients. Add one-third of the dry ingredients to the butter-egg mixture and beat until just combined. Then, add half of the yogurt mixture, and beat until just combined. Repeat, until you end with the dry ingredients. Scrape down the bowl as needed and beat until just combined and smooth. Do not overmix. The batter will be thick.
5. Divide the batter. Use a medium cookie scoop to scoop up the batter and divide in into a 12-tin muffin pan lined with cupcake liners, filling the liners ⅔ full with batter.
6. Bake. Bake in a 350 F preheated oven for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
7. Cool. Allow the cupcakes to cool in the muffin pan for 5 minutes, then transfer into a wire cooling rack to cool completely before icing.

How to Make Chocolate Buttercream and Decorate

Homemade chocolate buttercream is really easy to make in just 5 minutes. First, in a large mixing bowl, beat the butter using a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Then, add vanilla and beat until light and fluffy. Add in confectioners' sugar and cocoa powder and continue to beat until incorporated.

Finally, add milk and beat until light and fluffy. Add more milk if the buttercream is too thick, add more confectioners' sugar if the buttercream is too thin. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth until you are ready to use the icing to prevent it from drying out.

To frost the cupcakes, use a couplers to secure a no. 2D decorating tip onto a piping bag. Fill the bag with icing and pipe the icing onto each cupcake starting at the edges and move in an overlapping circular motion until you reach the center and gently lift up. Add chocolate sprinkles on top, if desired.

More Chocolate Recipes

• Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes
• Double Chocolate Loaf Cake
• Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
• Chocolate Covered Strawberries
• Dark Chocolate Raspberry Truffles
• Caramel Cheesecake Brownies

Recipe

Moist Chocolate Cupcakes

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★★★★★

5 from 3 reviews

• Author: Sam Hu | Ahead of Thyme
• Total Time: 28 minutes
• Yield: 12-14 cupcakes
• Diet: Vegetarian

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Description

Moist chocolate cupcakes topped with chocolate buttercream frosting and sprinkles, are a chocolate triple threat. They're rich, decadent, sweet, and easy.

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Ingredients

Chocolate Cupcakes:

• 1 + ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup cocoa powder
• 1 + ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ¾ cup plain yogurt, at room temperature
• ¼ cup water, at room temperature

Chocolate Buttercream:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 + ½ cups confectioners' sugar
• ½ cup cocoa powder, unsweetened
• 2 tablespoons milk
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• chocolate sprinkles

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 12-tin muffin pan with cupcake liners and set aside.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer or stand mixer with the paddle attachment to cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until incorporated. 
4. In a small bowl, stir together vanilla, yogurt, and water. Set aside.
5. Add one-third of the dry ingredients to the butter-egg mixture and beat until just combined. Then, add half of the yogurt mixture, and beat until just combined. Repeat, until you end with the dry ingredients. Scrape down the bowl as needed and beat until just combined and smooth. Do not overmix. The batter will be thick.
6. Use a medium cookie scoop to scoop up the batter and into the cupcake liners, filling them ⅔ full with batter. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
7. Allow the cupcakes to cool in the muffin pan for 5 minutes, then transfer into a wire cooling rack to cool completely before icing.

Make the Chocolate Buttercream:

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter using a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes.
2. Add vanilla and beat until light and fluffy. Add in confectioners' sugar and cocoa powder and continue to beat until incorporated.
3. Add milk and beat until light and fluffy. Add more milk if the buttercream is too thick, add more confectioners' sugar if the buttercream is too thin. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth until you are ready to use the icing to prevent it from drying out.
4. Use a couplers to secure a no. 2D decorating tip onto a piping bag. Fill the bag with icing and pipe the icing onto each cupcake starting at the edges and move in an overlapping circular motion until you reach the center and gently lift up. Add chocolate sprinkles on top, if desired.

Notes

Follow the recipe. Whenever you bake, it's important to follow the recipe to a tee. Baking is part art and part science, so mixing things up can have consequences for your final product.

Use room temperature dairy products. Leave your dairy products out for an 30 minutes to allow them to warm up to room temperature (except butter should be left out for an hour). Using room temperature butter, yogurt, milk, and eggs will ensure your cupcakes have the best results. Softened room temperature butter should still be cool to the touch and should hold its shape well. But if you poke it, your finger should leave an indent—not slide into it.

How to store: Allow the chocolate cupcakes to cool completely, then store them at room temperature inside an airtight container unfrosted. This will give the best results with the best texture because because cooler temperatures will dry out your cupcakes. If you've already frosted them, they'll need to go in the fridge. Eat them up within four days.

How to freeze. You can freeze these cupcakes either before or after icing.

• Before frosting: You can freeze unfrosted chocolate cupcakes by wrapping them tightly with plastic cling wrap, and then placing them in an airtight container and freezing for up to 3 months.
• After frosting: Place frosted cupcakes on a baking tray and freeze until hard, about 1 hour. Then wrap them tightly in plastic cling wrap, and then place in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.
• To serve: Allow them to completely thaw overnight in the refrigerator, or for a few hours at room temperature, before icing or serving.

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 18 minutes
• Category: Cake
• Method: Bake
• Cuisine: American

Keywords: moist chocolate cupcakes, chocolate cupcakes, how to make chocolate cupcakes, best chocolate cupcakes, chocolate buttercream

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