Moist Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes

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Moist chocolate cupcakes are topped with a rich, fudge frosting for the best Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes. These light and fluffy cupcakes are the perfect balance of sweetness and decadence!

Chocolate fudge cupcake on an upside down muffin tin with cupcakes around.

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Rich and decadent fudgy chocolate desserts are always a hit. Fudge cake and birthday cake brownies are some of our favorites, and now we're adding chocolate fudge cupcakes to the list!

You don’t need a pastry chef to make these impressive double chocolate cupcakes. These light and airy cupcakes, topped with a fudge frosting, are easy to make. You can double the recipe for parties and make them ahead of time.

If you love chocolate as much as we do, try making chocolate coffee cake and fudgy white chocolate chip brownies (they're made with three types of chocolate!).

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Made with a decadent fudgy frosting that's light and airy and doesn’t weigh down the cupcakes.
The perfect balance of sweetness, richness, and decadence without being overpowering.
Impressive cupcakes for hosting friends and family, birthday parties, and even more formal events.

Before You Begin

Take out the following baking equipment:

Cupcake pan
Cupcake liners
Digital kitchen scale
Measuring spoons
Whisk
Large mixing bowl
Medium mixing bowl
Cookie scoop
Small mixing bowl
Mixer
Pastry bag and pastry tip (optional for decorating cupcakes)

Allow all your ingredients to come to room temperature.
Read the recipe from start to finish.

Ingredients Needed

Ingredients for chocolate fudge cupcakes. — Ingredients for chocolate cupcakes.

Ingredients for fudge frosting. — Ingredients for chocolate cupcakes.

All-purpose flour: gives the right amount of tenderness to the cupcakes (not too dense and not too cakey).
Granulated sugar: sweetens the cupcake batter.
Dutch process cocoa powder: adds a rich chocolatey flavor to the cupcakes and frosting.
Baking soda and baking powder: contribute to the rise of the cupcakes for a light and fluffy texture.
Salt: enhances the sweetness of the cupcakes.
Buttermilk: adds a rich taste and makes the cupcakes moist.
Coffee: enhances the flavor of chocolate without adding a coffee flavor to the cupcakes.
Vegetable oil: produces a moist cupcake.
Egg: adds richness (especially the extra egg yolk) and contributes to the rise of cupcakes.
Vanilla: always use PURE vanilla extract for the best flavor.
Powdered sugar: the main component of the frosting.
Chocolate: semi-sweet chocolate adds the perfect richness for fudgy frosting.
Heavy cream: thins out the frosting to create the perfect creamy texture while adding flavor.

How to Make Chocolate Cupcakes (Step-by-Step)

Whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, coffee, vegetable oil, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla.

Whisked dry ingredients for chocolate cupcakes in a bowl. — Whisk together dry ingredients.

Whisked wet ingredients for chocolate cupcakes in a bowl. — Whisk together dry ingredients.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk for 1 minute.
Fill cupcake liners halfway with batter.

Chocolate cupcake batter in a bowl. — Combine wet and dry ingredients and whisk.

Chocolate cupcake batter in muffin tins. — Combine wet and dry ingredients and whisk.

Bake in a preheated 350°F/177°C oven for 18-20 minutes.

How to Make Fudge Frosting (Step-by-Step)

Sift the powdered sugar and cocoa powder.
Beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Add the cocoa powder mixture and beat to combine.
Beat the melted chocolate and enough cream into your mixture until you have your desired consistency. Mix in the vanilla.

Powdered sugar, cocoa powder and butter mixed in a stand mixer bowl for fudge frosting. — Butter and cocoa powder mixture combined.

Melted chocolate and vanilla added to powdered sugar, cocoa powder and butter mixer for fudge frosting. — Butter and cocoa powder mixture combined.

Note: Make sure the melted chocolate is added while still warm or else it can cause tiny clumps when mixed with the butter depending on the butter temperature.

Beat ingredients for 5 minutes.

Whipped fudge frosting for chocolate fudge cupcakes in a stand mixer bowl. — Fudge frosting mixed for 5 minutes.

How to Bake the Best Cupcakes

Cupcakes are an easy recipe to make but here are some steps you can take to ensure they're the perfect cupcakes!

Use room temperature ingredients. This will create light and airy cupcakes!
Preheat the oven. It should take about 20 minutes to fully preheat. You can set an oven thermometer on the oven rack to ensure your oven is calibrated correctly.
Do not overmix the batter. Mix until the ingredients are incorporated to create light and fluffy cupcakes.
Do not fill your cupcakes more than ½ full otherwise, the cupcakes will spill over.

Overhead shot of chocolate fudge cupcakes with fudge frosting and chocolate sprinkles.

Chocolate Cupcake Frosting Options

When I make large batches of cupcakes, I like to make a variety of frostings for fun cupcake options. Chocolate cupcakes and tangy cream cheese frosting is a classic combination.

In the spring and summer, I love pairing strawberry cream cheese frosting with chocolate cupcakes when strawberries are in season and perfectly sweet! Check out my strawberry cupcakes for that recipe.

And my go-to frosting for any cupcake is vanilla buttercream. You can use the recipe from my funfetti cupcakes!

How to Store Cupcakes

Keep chocolate fudge cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day or in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

To freeze, individually tightly wrap unfrosted cupcakes with plastic wrap. Store in a freezer-safe container or bag and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, thaw in the refrigerator overnight and frost.

Bite out of a chocolate fudge cupcake with fudge frosting.

FAQ

Can I use unsweetened cocoa powder instead of dutch process?

In this fudge chocolate cupcake recipe, I would not alter the cocoa powder. Because this recipe uses baking powder, the dutch process cocoa powder will produce the best cake texture.

What can I substitute for the buttermilk?

You can make your own buttermilk by pouring 1 ½ teaspoons of vinegar into a measuring cup, adding milk to the ½ cup line, and allowing it to sit for 5 minutes. Otherwise, you can substitute the buttermilk with ½ cup sour cream or Greek yogurt.

Can I make these fudge chocolate cupcakes into a cake?

If you’d like to make a cake, try my Chocolate Sheet Cake recipe and top it with the fudge frosting recipe from these cupcakes.

How do I know when the cupcakes are done baking?

These cupcakes will have a nice even dome and when you gently push down on the tops, the cupcakes will spring back.

Chocolate cupcake with fudge frosting and chocolate sprinkles with cupcakes wrapper undone.

Baking Success Tips & Takeaways

Use high-quality cupcake liners. It’s definitely worth it. Using grease-proof liners prevents your chocolate fudge cupcakes from sticking to the wrapper’s sides.
Sift your cocoa powder before adding it to the dry ingredients. Typically cocoa powder has large clumps that won’t break up just with whisking.
Use a cookie dough scoop or pastry bag to distribute the batter between each cupcake liner evenly. This will minimize any mess!
Frost the entire cupcake. This will help prevent leftover cupcakes from drying out too quickly.

More Cupcakes You'll Love

Please leave a starred rating and comment below if you make these Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes. I love reading your feedback! And if you’d like to make this recipe later, don’t forget to pin it on Pinterest! Happy Baking!