Ultimate Chocolate Cupcake Recipe

After several rounds and taste-testings by over 50 bakers, this recipe is truly the ultimate chocolate cupcake. You’ll never need another recipe!

Photo courtesy of Stef from The Cupcake Project

I’ve mentioned before that I was selected by Stef from The Cupcake Project as one of the blogger/baker recipe testers for her search for the ultimate chocolate cupcake! It has taken seven rounds of baking, of which I participated in 7 out of 7! The majority of testers agreed that the most recent recipe was indeed the ultimate chocolate cupcake.

My friends, many of whom have tasted all seven rounds of cupcakes, were absolutely blown away by the most recent recipe. It is truly ultimate – perfectly sweet and chocolatey and moist with just the right amount of crumble. Now, I can’t wait to make them again once we are settled and unpacked in our new San Francisco home! Without further ado, here is the recipe!

Ultimate Chocolate Cupcake Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 4 reviews

After several rounds and taste-testings by over 50 bakers, this recipe is truly the ultimate chocolate cupcake. You’ll never need another recipe!

• Author: Kelly Egan
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 16 1x
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Oven
• Cuisine: American

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 1/4 c. (2 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 c. (7 ounces) sugar
• 2 oz. of your favorite chocolate (You can use any plain chocolate that you like except white chocolate or candy melts. The chocolate doesn’t have to be one typically earmarked for baking – any chocolate bar that isn’t flavored and doesn’t contain mix-ins like nuts, Rice Krispies, nougat, etc. will work.)
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 large egg yolks, room temperature
• 1/2 c. + 1 T. (4 1/2 fluid ounces) vegetable or canola oil, measured in a liquid measuring cup
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/3 c. (2 3/4 ounce) full-fat sour cream
• 1 c. (5 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 c. (2 ounces) cocoa powder (natural or dutch will both work with this recipe)
• 1/2 c. (4 fluid ounces) room temperature water, measured in a liquid measuring cup

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, mix butter and sugar until fully combined. The end result should look like wet sand.
3. Melt the chocolate in the microwave or in a double boiler.
4. Once the melted chocolate is cool enough to touch, add it to the butter/sugar mixture and mix until just combined.
5. Mix in eggs and egg yolks one at a time until just combined.
6. Mix in oil, vanilla, and sour cream until just combined.
7. Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, and cocoa powder into a separate medium-sized bowl. Use a fork or a whisk to ensure that the ingredients are mixed well after sifting.
8. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients in three additions, mixing until just combined after each addition.
9. Mix in water until just combined.
10. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and put in the oven.
11. Check for doneness at 18 minutes – a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake should come out clean. If they are not done, check again every three minutes until they are done.
12. Immediately remove cupcakes from the cupcake tin and place on a cooling rack or on the counter to cool to room temperature. Although they are really good when they are hot, be sure to wait until they are room temperature to give your evaluation.

Notes

Test Baked by 50 Bakers and Counting. From The Ultimate Cupcake Project

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Tip: If you would like to add coffee to the recipe, either add 1 teaspoon espresso powder or instant coffee granules along with the sifted dry ingredients or replace the water with room temperature brewed coffee.

Thanks so much for letting me participate, Stef!