These incredibly moist chocolate cupcakes are my daughter Estelle’s favorite recipe from my newest book, “Cupcake Cookbook for Kids“.
We made them for her ninth birthday, then again, and again. The tender cupcakes are so perfect when topped with this subtle and not-too-sweet peanut butter frosting but you can add any type of frosting you love. Here are two of my favorites:
What makes these chocolate cupcakes so moist?
There’s a combination of tricks that give these cupcakes their incredible texture:
- Buttermilk
- Butter
- Adding wet and dry ingredients separately
You might be surprised to hear that the only chocolate involved is a humble third cup of unsweetened cocoa powder. It still packs a (delicious) punch, believe me.
Get the recipe for super moist chocolate cupcakes
PrintSuper Moist Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting
These chocolate cupcakes are rich, tangy and moist, just waiting to be loaded with your favorite frosting. In this case, we picked peanut butter.
Excerpted from my book, “Cupcake Cookbook for Kids” available at bookstores everywhere.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 18 minutes
- Total Time: 38 minutes
- Yield: 12 cupcakes 1x
Ingredients
FOR CUPCAKES
4 tablespoons butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1 large egg (or 2 medium eggs)
FOR PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup creamy peanut butter (not “natural”)
2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons whole milk
Instructions
FOR CUPCAKES
- Preheat the oven. Set the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin pan with paper liners.
- Cream the butter. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or large mixing bowl with electric beaters, cream together the butter and sugar on medium speed for about 3 minutes until fluffy, stopping partway through to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
- Mix the wet ingredients. In a glass measuring cup with a spout, measure the buttermilk. Add the vanilla, stir and set aside.
- Mix the dry ingredients. In another large bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Using a spatula, stir about 10 times to combine well. Set aside.
- Add the egg. Crack the egg into a small bowl. Add the egg to the butter mixture. Mix on medium speed for 1 minute.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Add half the cocoa mixture to the butter mixture. Mix on medium-low speed for 30 seconds until combined. Add half the buttermilk mixture and mix. Repeat until all the ingredients are combined.
- Fill the pan. Using an ice cream scoop, divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin pan, filling each about three-quarters full.
- Bake. Carefully place the pan onto the center rack of the preheated oven. Bake for 18-20 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through to ensure even cooking. They are ready when you can press your finger into the top of a cupcake and it springs back.
FOR FROSTING
Combine butter and peanut butter in a mixer, beating on high for 1 minute. Add powdered sugar, slowly, beating on low. Add milk as needed, one tablespoon at a time. Cool in refrigerator until the cupcakes have completely cooled, about 1 hour. (Store any leftover frosting in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.)
If you like the look of these moist chocolate cupcakes, you’ll find dozens more easy cupcake ideas in my new book, “Cupcake Cookbook for Kids“! 
We just made these, but they’re still baking. I noticed the directions say to add salt, but it doesn’t tell how much in the ingredient list. I just guessed, and hope they aren’t too salty. Can’t wait to try them.
Well that won’t do! Sorry about that. I updated above. Hope you’ll circle back to tell us how yours turned out!
These were excellent! Making more today!
Opps! Over cooked them and they were on the dry side. Not enough to deter my 11 yo, though. He frosted them with chocolate buttercream and ate three of them. Then he ate a fourth cupcake to which we added a layer of peanut butter frosting to the middle. A much lighter chocolate than your other chocolate cake recipe (which makes 24 cupcakes).