Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream

Chocolate cupcakes with vanilla buttercream are a simple dessert recipe perfect for that cupcake craving, or to dress up easily for any occasion. Soft, tender, chocolatey cake made without buttermilk is an easy, fast recipe to throw together.

If you’re familiar with my other cupcake recipes like my pumpkin or spice cupcakes, you know when it comes to decorating I’m a fan of simple, 100%. These chocolate cupcakes with vanilla buttercream are basically my ultimate simple recipe. 

When I need a moist chocolate cupcake, these are it. When I need a frosting I can toss together, my simple vanilla frosting never fails. And since they’ve got a beautiful classic appearance, I can add sprinkles, marzipan, or color to the frosting to make them festive for any occasion. If you’re more artsy than I am and want to go all out, these would also make a fantastic cupcake cake!

And, since this is buttermilk free, requires no whipped egg whites, or anything else complicated, they come together in just 10 minutes.

Ingredients

The ingredients that go into making this are very similar to any other type of quick bread – because that’s really what it is! They’re leavened with baking powder and soda, and use really common ingredients to make a moist, tender chocolate cupcake.

• AP Flour – I haven’t tested this with cake flour or gluten free flour, if you do, let me know how it goes!
• Cocoa powder – you can use either dutch processed or natural cocoa powder. You can read more about them in my ‘cooking with chocolate guide’!
• White sugar – As much as I love brown sugar with chocolate (like my hot cocoa mix), it doesn’t give the best texture in this recipe. Cane sugar works well.
• Salt – A finely ground sea salt is perfect in this. 
• Baking powder & soda – you need both to get the perfect rise and fluff. 
• Eggs – 2 large ones!
• Vegetable oil – I tried this recipe with butter over and over, the moment I switched to oil, it was perfect. Go for a neutral flavored oil like canola, vegetable, or grapeseed. 
• Greek yogurt – You could also use sour cream.
• Vanilla extract – if you aren’t already making your own, check out my post on how to make vanilla. (Save money and it tastes great!)

When it comes to the super simple vanilla buttercream frosting, it doesn’t get much easier than 3 ingredients – butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla.

How to Make Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream

• Use a scale – I always recommend a kitchen scale for baking, even though I provide both weight and volume measurements. It’s the best way to be accurate every time.
• Don’t overfill your cupcake tin – This makes 12 exactly. If you have batter left in the bowl, find the ones that look shallow and add it in. If you’re missing one, they’re too full. 
• Don’t let them cool in the pan – There’s a lot of differing advice out there, but I always find that the cupcake liners come away cleaner and the cupcakes keep a better texture when I pull them out of the tin and let them cool on a rack. 
• Don’t frost until completely cool – I’m as impatient as the next person, but really, don’t do it. I usually pull my butter out when I start making these, and by the time it’s soft and ready to make into vanilla buttercream, the cupcakes are cooling/mostly cool. 
• Store at room temperature – No need to refrigerate these, even after frosting. If you’re wanting to freeze them, do that unfrosted for up to 3 months.

How to Make Them Festive