Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

This recipe for Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream will make your chocolate-loving heart swoon, especially if you add a chocolate-covered strawberry. If death by chocolate is what you crave, then this is the recipe for you.

The rich chocolate flavor of these cupcakes is topped with a homemade rich chocolate buttercream frosting that practically melts in your mouth. If you like to “go big or go home,” you can top them with strawberries that have been coated in chocolate and then drizzled with even more chocolate. It’s what chocolate dreams are made of.

You might be surprised that there is no vegetable oil in this recipe. Butter is the secret to making the best chocolate cupcakes. Butter is better when it comes to making the cupcakes moist and fudgy. Butter is also what makes the silky chocolate frosting so irresistible.

If you’re a chocolate enthusiast like me, you’ll be delighted to know that I have a couple of other chocolate recipes that are sure to satisfy your cravings. For a decadent and moist cake experience, check out my recipe for Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake. It’s a timeless classic that never fails to impress with its rich chocolate flavor and velvety texture. And if you’re looking to elevate your dessert game, don’t miss my Homemade Chocolate Syrup recipe. Perfect for drizzling over ice cream, pancakes, or stirring into milk for a deliciously chocolaty treat, this homemade syrup adds a touch of luxury to any dish

Let’s take a look at how to make these amazing chocolate cupcakes that are a sweet way of saying, “I Love You!”

Directions

To make these sweet treats, start by making the chocolate cupcakes.

• Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners. (I prefer to use parchment paper liners.)
• Combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
• Beat butter and sugar together in the mixing bowl of an electric mixer at medium speed using the paddle attachment (the whisk attachment works well, too). Lower speed and add milk, eggs, and vanilla and mix well.
• Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients alternating with milk. Mix until all of the ingredients are combined and the batter is smooth.

• Pour the cupcake batter into the prepared muffin pan, filling each liner about ⅔ full.
• Bake in preheated oven for 18 – 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cupcakes to cool before frosting.

Once the cupcakes have cooled, make the luscious chocolate buttercream to top them. Just follow these two simple steps:

• Combine powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer. Using the whisk attachment, slowly mix the ingredients together.

• Add heavy cream slowly and then increase the speed to high and beat until fluffy, about 5 minutes.

The chocolate-covered strawberries are completely optional. They do add a nice finishing touch to the cupcakes, don’t you think?

• Wash and thoroughly dry strawberries. Insert a toothpick into the stem. Set aside on a baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper.
• Melt the white chocolate chips in the microwave in 30-second increments, stirring in between.
• Dip the strawberries into the melted chocolate, turning to coat it all around. Place chocolate-covered strawberries back onto parchment paper.

• Once all of the strawberries have been coated in chocolate, melt the chocolate chips in the microwave in 30-second increments, stirring in between, until melted.
• Carefully place melted chocolate in a piping bag and then snip off the tip of the bag. Drizzle the chocolate over the white chocolate-covered strawberries.

Once you have the frosting and strawberries prepared, you can working on finishing these edible masterpieces.

• Place buttercream in a pastry bag that has been fitted with a Wilton 1M piping nozzle.

• Pipe swirls of chocolate buttercream on top of the cupcakes. Add a chocolate-covered strawberry on top prior to serving.

NOTES

• If you don’t over-fill your muffin tins, you will probably be able to get 16 cupcakes out of the batter. 
• If you find that the frosting is too thin, add additional powdered sugar. If the frosting is too thick, add additional milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until you achieve a fluffy consistency.
• If you don’t have pastry bags or piping tips, you can use an offset spatula or butter knife to frost the cupcakes.
• If there is not enough chocolate in this recipe, you can add in 1 cup of chocolate chips to the cupcake batter before baking.
• Fresh strawberries will not last as long as the cupcakes themselves, so it is best to place the strawberries on top just before serving, up to twelve hours in advance. 
• Chocolate burns easily in the microwave, so it is best to microwave in short bursts of time. It’s ideal to start off with 30 seconds on HIGH and then to stir. You can microwave in 15-30 second increments after that, stirring in between. When you stir the warm melted chocolate, it helps to distribute the heat and more chocolate will melt.
• The chocolate should set on the strawberries in 10 – 15 minutes.
• If you want to mix up the flavors, you can top the chocolate cupcakes with homemade vanilla buttercream frosting.

Can I Freeze Cupcakes?

Absolutely. It’s best to freeze the cupcakes without the frosting in an airtight container. However, you can freeze frosted cupcakes without the strawberries. It is just more difficult to freeze frosted cupcakes because the topping can get crushed if it gets bumped by something in the freezer.

Is There a Heavy Cream Substitute I Can Use?

You can use milk in place of cream, if necessary.

What Kind of Cocoa Powder Should I Use?

You can use either unsweetened cocoa powder or Dutch-processed cocoa powder. If you use the latter, the cupcakes will have a darker, deeper color.

How Long Will They Last?

These cupcakes will last up to a week at room temperature without the strawberries on top.

Don’t Forget To Come Back And Let Me Know How Your Chocolate Cupcakes Turned Out!

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