Easy Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Frosting
These Easy Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Frosting makes 12 perfect cupcakes for any occasion! They are simple to make from scratch and taste delicious with a fluffy homemade vanilla frosting. Whether you are celebrating a birthday, anniversary, or just want something special for your family dinner, these cupcakes will not disappoint!
As a trained pastry I’ve learned what ratios and ingredients you need to make the best cupcakes. Yogurt or sour cream gives these cupcakes a signature moist texture that’s both dense and fluffy. A bit of brewed coffee is used to enhance the chocolate flavor of these cupcakes, and it also helps to bring out the flavors of the other ingredients.
The vanilla frosting for these cupcakes has that classic vanilla flavor that’s made with just four simple ingredients and is whipped up in minutes. But like I said, you can frost it with any frosting like this Oreo buttercream, or this mint frosting. Or you can top it with cherry buttercream frosting for a delicious classic combo!
This means that you can make them fit any occasion or just your own personal taste. Cupcakes are also the perfect size- not too small, not too big. Lemme show you how to make these easy chocolate cupcakes!
What you need
For the vanilla buttercream frosting:
Moist chocolate cupcakes
Prepare for baking: Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners. Set aside.
Add the wet ingredients: Add in the eggs, yogurt, and coffee and whisk until a smooth batter forms. Then, add the vegetable oil and vanilla extract. Mix again until all of the ingredients are well incorporated and no dry ingredients remain on the bottom of the bowl.
Make the vanilla frosting: Add the butter and milk to a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Beat the frosting until the 2 ingredients are combined. Then add the milk and vanilla and combine again until everything is incorporated and the frosting is formed.
Frost the cupcakes: Once the cupcakes are completely cooled, fill a piping bag with the frosting and frost with a large tip. Or smooth on with an offset spatula.
TIPS FOR RECIPE SUCCESS
- Use a light colored muffin pan for baking. These pan distribute heat the most evenly. A dark pan may over bake your cupcakes.
- If you don’t have coffee, you can replace it with plain water in this recipe.
- Do not use non-fat yogurt or sour cream for this recipe as this will take away from the texture of the cupcake.
- Make sure you use room temperature ingredients– Especially the butter, eggs, and yogurt. This will help everything mix together more easily and produce moist cupcakes.
- Make sure to measure your flour correctly. Fluff up your flour, then spoon it into your measuring cup and level it off with a knife. If you scoop with your measuring cup you will get too much flour and it will change the recipe. For the most accurate results, use a kitchen scale!
- If the frosting is too thick add 1 tsp milk at a time until desired consistency. If too thin, add ¼ cup confectioners sugar until desired consistency.
How to cool cupcakes
Leave cupcakes in the pan for only 5 minutes- if you leave them too long they can overcook and turn dry. Then let them cool completely on a wire rack for about 20-30 minutes before frosting. If they are frosted too soon, the frosting can slide or melt off.
Moist Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Frosting
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- 1 cup sugar, (200g)
- 1 cup all purpose flour, (120g)
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, (42g)
- ½ tsp baking soda, (3g)
- ½ tsp Baking powder, (2g)
- ½ tsp kosher salt, (3.5g)
- 2 eggs, (100g)
- ½ cup plain yogurt, or sour cream (114g)
- ⅓ cup black coffee, or water (71g)
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil, (24g)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract, (5g)
For the vanilla frosting:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened (227g)
- 3 cups confectioners sugar, (340g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, (4.5g)
- 2 teaspoons cream, half & half, or milk (10g)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl combine the 1 cup sugar, 1 cup flour, ½ cup cocoa powder, ½ tsp baking soda, ½ tsp baking powder, and ½ tsp kosher salt. Whisk to combine.
- Add in the 2 eggs, ½ cup yogurt, and ⅓ cup coffee and whisk until a smooth batter forms. Add in the 2 tbsp vegetable oil and 1 tsp vanilla extract and mix again. Make sure you whisk well, some dry ingredients can get trapped on the bottom of the bowl.
- Fill each ⅔ of the way full with batter.
- Bake for 18 mins. Cool completely.
Make the frosting:
- Add the 1 cup butter and 3 cups confectioners sugar into a bowl of a hand or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed for 1 minute.
- Move to medium speed and beat for another minute.
- Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl.
- Add the teaspoon vanilla extract and 2 teaspoons milk and mix again on medium high speed for 1-2 mins.
- If the frosting is too thick add 1 tsp milk at a time until desired consistency. If too thin, add ¼ cup confectioners sugar until desired consistency.
To frost:
- Fill a piping bag with the frosting and frost with a 1M or 2D Wilton Tip. Or smooth on with an offset spatula.
Notes
- Make sure your ingredients are at room temperature. If you forget to take your butter out early learn how to soften butter quickly
- Make sure to properly measure your flour. Use a kitchen scale or the spoon method. Spoon flour into a measuring cup and then level off with a knife.
- Learn how to substitute sour cream if you don’t have any.
LOVED this recipe. And also love your dairy free vanilla cake recipe. I know you have a one batter marble cake recipe but I was wondering if I could make a marble cake using this recipe with the dairy free vanilla recipe? I know the vanilla is a more dense recipe than the chocolate but I just loved them both!
Thank you SO much Marly! This makes me so happy. I dont see why you cant use both batters for the marble cake- totally go for it! Let me know how it goes!!
Why would you put in the recipe to use sour cream then say to not use sour cream in your write up? I don’t understand….
Hi Meg! The note about sour cream refers to not using non-fat sour cream. You can use regular sour cream! Non-fat yogurt and non-fat sour cream can take away from the texture of the cupcake.
I made these chocolate cupcakes and paired them with the coffee frosting. The chocolate cupcake was slightly dense and a bit dry. I’m assuming I over mixed the batter, I didn’t think I did, but my dense and dry cupcakes tell me otherwise. I will have to try again and see if I get the same results. I used water as I didn’t have any coffee, so next time I will be sure to try it with coffee as well for a stronger chocolate flavor.
I did however absolutely love the coffee buttercream frosting!!! So freaking good and paired so well with these cupcakes.
Thanks Danielle! It could also be that they were baked for a minute or two too long. Im glad you loved the frosting though yay, its ones of my favorites!