Easy chocolate cupcakes

Easy chocolate cupcakes
Prepare
less than 30 mins
Cook
10 to 30 mins
Serve
Makes 18

An easy chocolate cupcake recipe that's quick to prepare for birthdays, parties and bake sales.

For this recipe you will need 2 x 12-hole muffin tins and 18 muffin cases.

By Annie Rigg

Shopping list

Ingredients

For the cupcakes

For the buttercream

Recipe tips
How-to videos

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4 and line 2 x 12-hole muffin tins with 18 paper cases.

  2. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda into a large mixing bowl. Add the caster sugar and a pinch of salt.

  3. Add the sunflower oil, eggs and milk and beat until smooth. Add the boiling water and mix again until silky smooth.

  4. Scoop the batter into a large mixing jug and pour evenly between the paper cupcake cakes. Bake on the middle shelf of the preheated oven for 20–25 minutes, or until well-risen and a wooden skewer inserted into the middle of the cakes comes out clean.

  5. Leave the cakes to cool in the tin for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

  6. Meanwhile, make the buttercream. Beat the butter, icing sugar and cocoa powder together using an electric hand whisk, until pale and fluffy.

  7. Pipe or spread the buttercream over the top of the cupcakes and scatter over the chocolate decorations. Store in an airtight container.

Recipe tips

The batter comes out quite wet in this recipe, so it helps to use a jug to pour it into the paper cases.

For the lightest, fluffiest cupcakes it's important you don't overmix the batter, use room temperature ingredients and only fill the cases two-thirds full.

Overcooking can also dry out the cupcakes. As most domestic ovens will have hot spots where things cook faster, it's worth checking the cupcakes near the end of the cooking time as some are likely to cook faster than others. Whip out any cooked cupcakes and return the rest to the oven to finish cooking.

If you prefer, you can use self-raising flour instead of plain flour, but you will need to reduce the baking powder to ½ teaspoon.

Store cupcakes for up to 3 days at room temperature. To freeze, do not add the buttercream and freeze well-wrapped for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw at room temperature before adding the buttercream.

Change things up with orange, lemon or vanilla buttercream icing for a different flavour and look.