These Chocolate Cupcakes are moist, chocolatey, and topped with a mocha buttercream frosting for a delicious snack or dessert. They're quick and easy to make, and with no eggs, they're a great vegan treat.
Baking is not exactly a skill set I can proudly write to mama about, but occasionally, I like to roll up my sleeves and whip up baked goodies like I'm the next Sara Lee. There's just something about the aroma of freshly baked cookies or cupcakes that screams comfort food.
Although I don't bake as often as I cook, I have a few baking recipes in my back pocket I put to good use year-round. These super moist chocolate cupcakes with mocha buttercream frosting, in fact, are based on my favorite cake recipe which is probably the quickest and simplest one you'd come across.
The cake, which goes by many names such as cockeyed, depression, or wacky cake, is my go-to when I am craving something sweet and indulgent but don't have the time or energy to deal with dirty bowls after. All it needs is a minute of whisking and 30 minutes in the oven to come out moist and chocolatey EVERY TIME. The batter even gets mixed and baked in the same pan!
You can make this recipe in an 8 x 8 baking pan if you prefer a cake or in muffin tins for individual cupcakes. You get an amazing baked treat the whole family will love either way.
And if you're looking for a vegan treat, this is it! There are no eggs in the batter as the use of vinegar is where the magic lies. As an acid, it reacts with baking soda to produce carbon dioxide, which lifts the batter as it bakes.
Don't worry; the finished product will have no after taste, and no one would be able to tell there's vinegar in it.
Helpful tips
- To boost the chocolate flavor, add a teaspoon of instant coffee granules to the batter.
- I use distilled white vinegar but apple cider vinegar will work, too.
- If you're baking this as a cake, you can stir all the ingredients and bake in the same pan. There's no need to grease the baking pan.
- I included a delicious mocha buttercream frosting which really goes well with the chocolate flavor but you can just sprinkle the cupcakes with powdered sugar or use store-bought icing if you want to keep things simple.
How to serve
- Enjoy these chocolate cupcakes as a midday snack, after-meal dessert, or any time of the day you need a sweet goodie!
- You can store unfrosted cupcakes at room temperature for up to days. Keep in an airtight container to maintain freshness.
- Keep frosted cupcakes in the refrigerator to keep the buttercream from melting, especially during warmer weather. Please note that refrigeration will dry out the cupcakes faster.
More baked goodies
Moist Chocolate Cupcakes with Mocha Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons cocoa
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup water
- 5 tablespoons oil
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Mocha Buttercream Frosting
- 2 ounces baking chocolate chips
- ½ cup butter, softened
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners.
- In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk until well-distributed.
- In another bowl, combine water, oil, vinegar and vanilla extract. Add to flour mixture and stir together until just combined.
- Using a scoop or tablespoon, divide batter into prepared muffin pan.
- Bake for about 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to completely cool before frosting.
For the Mocha Buttercream Frosting
- In a microwaveable bowl, microwave chocolate on HIGH for about 40 to 45 seconds. Stir until just melted and cool to room temperature.
- In a small bowl, combine milk and instant coffee granules. Stir until dissolved.
- In a large bowl, combine butter, vanilla extract, and salt and beat for about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add melted chocolate and beat until blended, scraping occasionally.
- Gradually add powdered sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add coffee mixture and beat until desired consistency.
- Chill buttercream for a few minutes before piping cupcakes.
Notes
- To boost the chocolate flavor, add a teaspoon of instant coffee granules to the batter.
- I use distilled white vinegar but apple cider vinegar will work, too.
- If you're baking this as a cake, you can stir all the ingredients and bake in the same pan. There's no need to grease the baking pan.
Nutrition
I made these today and they were delicious! I'm actually a pastry chef/baker for a small bake shop and we always make everything from scratch- however, I was curious to see how good an eggless cupcake would taste (since we've been getting a lot of customers asking- for allergy reasons).
These were incredibly moist, not overly sweet and baked beautifully. The only change I made was reducing the amount of salt since I saw some comments saying that they may have been too salty.
They were wonderful! Thank you for sharing this recipe 🙂
I am glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Hi Lalaine, may I know why it didn’t actually rise? Is it because I used more than 1 scoop per muffin liner? It’s actually my first time baking from scratch. I always use pre-mixed batter..
Thanks in advance!
The size of the scoop shouldn't really stop the cupcakes from rising. Was the baking soda expired maybe?
The cupcakes was salty:( i can't eat them. Yhe frosting was okay though
I am not sure why they'd come salty as the recipe only calls for 1 teaspoon and makes 12 cupcakes. Were the ingredients popularly measured? Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate, though, and maybe you're sensitive to it?
Hi Ms Lalaine,
Can I used baking pan instead of cupcake molder cause I don't have one? Thank you.
Yes, you can bake this in a cake pan 🙂
I never realized how important baking soda is until I made my first batch of these cupcakes. Take about solid as a rock! Yikes. Anyway, I started over and actually included the baking said and they cane out amazing! At first I was wondering about the vinegar but then I remember my great grandma used to make the yummiest vinegar sweet rolls and I also use a pie crust recipe that calls for vinegar. Vinegar is our friend!
Yes, vinegar and baking soda work together here to help the cupcakes rise. Vinegar sweet rolls sound amazing 🙂
Hi Lalaine! Thank you for this recipe. I just made this & it was perfect! I just made the sugar 1 1/2 cups so it'll be sweet enough as i didnt have enought time to make the frosting but next time i will def try it with the frosting. Thank you again!
Aren't they delicious? These are my go-to cupcakes and I am glad you enjoyed them as much as I do 🙂
Hi ms lalaine..kaht ano po brand ng vinegar? Thank u
Yes, you can use any brand of distilled white vinegar or even apple cider vinegar.
I made the frosting- it was delicious. The only change I made was using espresso powder instead of the instant coffee. Yummmy. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for the feedback, Rosemarie. I am glad you enjoyed the cupcakes. I'll try espresso powder next time, I am sure it has a more intense coffee flavor. 🙂
I can taste the baking soda and salt .i measured correctly, your measurements are off. I wonder what can be done so it doesn't taste so salty, the texture is good
I am sorry the recipe didn't work well to your liking. I've made these cupcakes many times for family and friends and nobody has really complained about them being salty. Please feel free to modify the amount of salt to your taste.
The measurements are not off if the cupcakes rose and have a good texture as you said. I am thinking maybe some people might be a little bit more sensitive to baking soda?
how come it does not have eggs on it?
Hello Karla,
The recipe doesn't use eggs, that's why it's very unique. 🙂 The vinegar and the baking soda will help with the rising.
Hi, we made these cupcakes tonight and they are really salty. We doubled the recipe to have 24 cupcakes. Not sure if that was the reason?
I am not really sure why they would turn out salty, as they should be very sweet. May I ask if the ingredients were measured correctly?
So simple yet so delicious! Love this cupcake recipe!
Thanks, Peachy 🙂
That looks so good, you made me crave for some chocolate cupcakes! I would love to keep this recipe. It's not just perfect for making at home, you can give these as gifts as well.
Hi Ms. Lalaine! The cupcakes looks delicious and moist. Would love to try it .Can this be bake using a cupcake maker?
Hello Jenelyn
I've never tried a cupcake maker but I don't see why it shouldn't work.
Your chocolate cupcakes look really delicious! I like that they are easy and fast to make. It's a great idea to use the slider bags for piping,
I'm the same way, I love to cook more than I love to baking. I like the idea of baking, but it can be so time consuming. But there is nothing like creating that perfect cookie, cake or cupcake that makes you feel so amazing.
Those look so good! There's nothing better than a moist chocolate cupcake! It's perfect for the season as well. It's easy to make and it's something that everyone loves! Awesome!