BySarah Nenni-DaherUpdated:
This lazy girl chocolate cupcake recipe is the best no-fail chocolate cupcake you can use for any recipe. It’s so easy the kids can make it and it’s the perfect base for any chocolate dessert.
Making this easy cupcake recipe allows you to save time on the baking and spend more time on the topper. Buttercream, ganache, and even fondant all work well with this basic chocolate cupcake.
RELATED READING: A Lazy Girl’s Easy Vanilla Cupcake Recipe (Internet Famous!)
What You'll Find On This Page
Lazy Girl Chocolate Cupcake Recipe
Here at Ruffles and Rain Boots, we have a thing for making cupcakes. Like, really, if there’s any type of get-together I get invited to, there’s going to be a batch of cupcakes in my oven. Every. Single. Time. So, of course I have a base-recipe I use for homemade chocolate cupcakes. And good news for you, I’m willing to share.
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This is seriously the easiest chocolate cupcake recipe you’ll find and nothing goes better with cupcake than “easy.” Let’s get started.
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RELATED READING: S’mores Cupcakes with Graham Cracker Crust and Fluff Center
Tips to Make Homemade Chocolate Cupcakes
You don’t need a lot of supplies, ingredients, or culinary experience for this easy dessert idea. A few things, however, are important to keep in mind.
What Flour Is Best for Cupcakes?
- Cake Flour – If you want a high-rise cupcake (you know, those fluffy cupcakes with the high top), the easiest way to do that is to use cake flour. If you don’t have any on hand, however, you canmake your own cake flour with a little cornstarch. Or…
- All-Purpose Flour – If you’re just lazy (like me) and there’s no way you’re going to actually go and get cake flour (and also, I can never remember to put it on the list, use all-purpose flour. To get the high-rise fluffy cupcake look, fill each cupcake liner with 1/4 cup of batter (or 2/3 the way full).
Tips to Fix Cupcakes
- Ugly Cupcakes – You can fix any cupcake’s unbalanced top or sunken centers with buttercream. Buttercream is your friend.
- Browned Edges or Tops – See remedy above (buttercream, baby) unless you’ve burned them. Toss them if they are burned, dry, or hard. Oven temperatures vary, so turn yours down or buyan oven thermometer.
- Flat Cupcakes – Cupcakes can fall for so many reasons. The temperature is too low or too high in the oven, the air pressure is wrong (higher altitudes and not compensating), the ingredients were stale, or not measured correctly, maybe over mixing or under mixing was the issue… The best way to prevent a flat cupcake is to follow the instructions exactly. See the remedy above.
Tips to Frost Cupcakes Like a Pro
- Frosting – Get yourself the perfect buttercream recipe(it needs to be stiff) and learn how to frost in your favorite style. Not all buttercreams are created equally.
- Have you ever been to a party and the cupcakes looked like they slid off the front seat while in transit even though they didn’t? Always let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting.
- Top these cupcakes with a stable, crusting buttercream or a cream cheese frosting if they will be placed outside in hot weather.
- The best tips to frost cupcakes are a 1M star or a large round 1A tip. They are perfect for swirls, raises, and you can even do flowers with the 1M (easy flowers).
- For a wow-worthy effect, start watching thiscupcake decorating video at 4:30– it shows you how to pipe really impressive swirls. If you have a lot of cupcakes to make, need to pack them up in boxes, or want to extend your buttercream the farthest it can go, watch thisbasic cupcake frosting techniques video.
How to Make Lazy Girl Chocolate Cupcakes - Recipe and Tips
Below is the written and printable tutorial for this tasty cupcake recipe. Use the comments section below if you have any questions.
Yield: 24 Easy Chocolate Cupcakes
Lazy Girl Chocolate Cupcake Recipe
This easy chocolate cupcake recipe is unlike any other - it is designed for the lazy baker. Learn how to create a cupcake that is worth being added to a recipe box! In this article, you will also learn how to fix common cupcake mistakes, get the best (and yes, easiest) buttercream frosting recipe, and even a vanilla cupcake recipe that is Internet famous. This chocolate cupcake will actually become a family favorite - so much, the kids will make it themselves!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup high-quality cocoa powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup vegetable or canola oil
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup boiling water
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and line a muffin pan with muffin liners.
- In a medium-sized bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, cocoa and salt. Set aside.
- Using an electric mixer, start by beating eggs and sugar until creamy. Add oil and milk and continue mixing.
- Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients (I like to add them in thirds). Continue mixing.
- Once all of the ingredients have combined, add boiling water. Mix.
- Scoop ¼ cup of the batter into each section of the lined muffin pan. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when poking through the center of a cupcake.
- Cool completely on a wire rack before decorating.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
24Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 134Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 163mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 1gSugar: 17gProtein: 3g
All nutrition information is estimated. For accuracy, please calculate your exact brands and ingredients if accuracy is desired.
More Cupcake Decorating Ideas You Might Like
- Gnome Cupcakes - Got a cupcake you're not sure is super pretty? Hey, pop a gnome on top and OMG! IT'S THE CUTEST THING EVER!
- Watermelon Cupcakes - Perfect for a pool party, you're going to love having a bit of watermelon to share to your guests!
- Milk and Cookies Cupcake Recipe - So, friend to friend - if you want to WOW everyone, just make these. They are absolutely wow-worthy.
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