Name: Chocolate Cupcakes
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 12 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 45 g Dutch-process cocoa powder; 120 ml boiling water; 150 g plain flour; 200 g caster sugar; ¾ tsp bicarbonate of soda; ½ tsp baking powder; ¾ tsp fine sea salt; 120 ml buttermilk, at room temperature; 80 ml neutral oil; 2 large eggs, at room temperature; 2 tsp vanilla extract; 200 g unsalted butter, softened; 250 g icing sugar, sifted; 40 g cocoa powder; 120 g dark chocolate, melted and cooled; 2 tbsp whole milk; ¼ tsp fine sea salt

Chocolate Cupcakes

Deep, dark cupcakes with a flat-enough top to frost and a crumb that stays moist for days. One bowl, a whisk, and no creaming — the oil-and-cocoa method scaled down to twelve.

45 min total Serves 12 servings Easy

Chocolate Cupcakes, in preparation
Photograph credit: Chocolate Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream detail by Whitney · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

How to Make Chocolate Cupcakes

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Heat the oven to 175°C / 350°F and line a 12-hole tin with paper cases.
Whisk the cocoa into the boiling water until smooth and leave 5 minutes to cool.
Whisk the flour, sugar, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
Whisk the buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla into the cooled cocoa, then pour into the dry ingredients and whisk just until smooth.
Divide between the cases, filling each two-thirds — about 60 g. A cookie scoop makes this quick and even.
Bake 18 to 21 minutes, until the tops spring back and a skewer comes out with a moist crumb.
Cool 5 minutes in the tin, then on a rack until completely cold.
Beat the butter 5 minutes until pale, then add the icing sugar and cocoa in three additions, then the melted chocolate, milk and salt. Beat 3 minutes more.
Pipe with a large star nozzle, starting at the outside edge and spiralling in.

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Tips for Making Chocolate Cupcakes

Fill the cases two-thirds and no more. Full cases give you a flat overflowing top and eleven usable cupcakes.
Cool completely. Buttercream on a warm cupcake slides off in one piece about a minute after you turn your back.
For a filled cupcake, cut a cone from the top with a paring knife, spoon in ganache, and replace the lid before frosting.

Common Substitutions & Variations

Out of buttermilk? The usual stand-in is a tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar stirred into 250 ml of ordinary milk and left five minutes; it is thinner than cultured buttermilk, so a batter may need a little less of it.

What to Serve with Chocolate Cupcakes

Cold milk
Espresso
A glass of stout

Storing & Reheating Chocolate Cupcakes

Un-iced, airtight at room temperature for 3 days; iced, 2 days. Un-iced cupcakes freeze for 2 months.