These chocolate cupcakes are easy to make and taste delicious. They get their extra chocolate-y flavour from both cocoa powder and grated milk chocolate. Perfect topped with smooth chocolate buttercream.
As promised, here’s the recipe for my yummy chocolate cupcakes, all ready for the creation of my build-your-own cupcakes index which I’ve been busy working on and will be sharing with you soon. The idea is to have all of my cupcakes and buttercream recipes in one place so you can mix and match (with maybe a hidden centre in the middle too 🙂 ). The index is also going to have a round up of all of my fancier cupcake creations, such as raspberry trifle, white russian or millionaires’ shortbread as well.
These chocolate cupcakes are based on the same recipe as my chocolate birthday cake, which gets its extra chocolate-iness from using a combination of both cocoa powder and grated chocolate. I’ve used milk chocolate in the recipe (as I prefer it slightly sweeter) but I’ve been assured by readers that have tried the recipe that it works just as well with dark chocolate too.
These cupcakes are topped with my chocolate buttercream. For a change I used dark chocolate (OK, I went to the cupboard and discovered someone had eaten all my milk chocolate – I’m blaming Jon!). The dark chocolate worked really well, I’d definitely recommend it if you prefer a slightly richer flavour.
Easy Chocolate Cupcakes
INGREDIENTS
- 150 g self-raising flour
- 30 g cocoa powder
- 175 g caster sugar
- 175 g soft margarine - or softened butter
- 3 large eggs
- ⅛ tsp vanilla extract
- 75 g milk chocolate - choose something from the baking aisle in the supermarket as it will cope well with the heat in the oven without going grainy
- ½ tbsp milk
Extras
- 12 cupcake cases
INSTRUCTIONS
- Pre-heat your oven to 160ºC/140ºC fan.
- Put your cupcake cases into a muffin tin.
- Grate the milk chocolate (75g).
- Put all of the ingredients into a large bowl (150g self-raising flour, 30g cocoa powder, 175g caster sugar, 3 large eggs, 175g soft margarine, ⅛ tsp vanilla extract, ½ tbsp milk and the grated chocolate) mix on a low speed until fully combined.
- Divide the mixture evenly between the 12 cupcake cases (I use a cupcake scoop to help split it evenly).
- Put the tin into the oven and cook the cupcakes for 20-25 minutes. After 20 minutes put a skewer in the middle and check if it comes out clean. If it does they're done, if not pop them back in for a couple more minutes and check again.
- Once cooked, remove the cupcakes from the oven and leave them to cool in the tins for a few minutes.
- Remove the cupcakes from their tin and pop them onto a wire rack to cool completely.
NOTES
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
Any nutritional information provided is the estimated nutritional information per serving. Please refer to my guide to Charlotte’s Lively Kitchen nutritional information if you would like to learn more about how this is calculated.
Free From/Suitable For…
- Suitable for Vegetarians
- Nut-Free
- Soy-Free
The ingredients for this recipe are easily available free from all these allergens. However, please ensure you double-check allergen information for all ingredients.
I’m sharing this recipe with the following challenges… Love Cake with JibberJabberUK, We Should Cocoa with Tin & Thyme and Treat Petite with The Baking Explorer and CakeyBoi.
Aliza day says
Great quick and easy recipe for 12 yummy cakes made these for my daughters school meeting
Julie says
Been bored off work sick the last 6 weeks, so been baking loads from your page. These cupcakes have been a real hit with everyone, also your lemon cupcakes and coffee and walnut cake and chocolate cheesecake. Wow all delicious. Thanks for sharing your easy but great recipes
Charlotte Oates says
Sounds like you’ve been busy! I’m so glad you enjoyed all the bakes 🙂
I hope you’re feeling better soon x
Ebonie says
I absolutely love this recipe, so easy to make and OMG so yummy. I’m enjoying one now as I type this
Helen Walker says
Hi Charlotte. I love your website. However when l bake the chocolate cupcakes the cases seem to be peeling. Can you suggest why? Thank you
Charlotte Oates says
I tend to find that happens with some kinds of cupcakes cases (especially the patterned ones). Are you using different ones from normal? I usually use Dr Oetker white muffin cases and I’ve never had this problem using those.
Katie says
Hi. I want to make these for a kindergarten party but would like to make 24 smaller cupcakes as the children are very small. Would I need to reduce the cooking time? Thanks very much 🙂
Charlotte Oates says
It depends on exactly what size of cupcake cases you’re using, but I think the cooking time will be about 12-15 minutes.
Peter says
Lovely sponge.
Great, easy, no fuss all in recipe that includes the cocoa.
Thanks for sharing your expertise.
My 2 cents; Blend the butter with the sugar is good but soft is important as you say.
Marta @ Foodaciously says
Hi Charlotte, thanks for sharing this post! I love your chocolate cupcakes recipe 😀 I usually make them with just cocoa powder but they taste quite bitter; instead, adding grated chocolate bar gives them a rich flavor. Thank you!
Sally says
Hi Charlotte I love this recipe and have now used it a number of times. When doing it today the cases (as used before) came away from the cakes when cooling. I wondered if you have any ideas where I went wrong??? So frustrating! They taste great just don’t look so good as I’m not sure how to fix it!!!
Charlotte Oates says
Have you changed the brand of cupcakes cases you’re using. I find some brands much more reliable than others. I have more problems with ones with lots of colour/patterns coming away whereas the plain ones always seem OK.
Ellen says
Hi,
Really silly question but how do
you grate 75G of chocolate down? Can you just melt it into the mixture?
I made these tiday and they were delicious but struggled to grate enough chocolate for the baking x
Charlotte Oates says
I haven’t tried it but it would probably work.
sharon says
iv just made theses cup cakes and they look and taste great very easy to make.