Tuesday, October 9, 2012

The Best Moist Chocolate Cupcake Recipe



"The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit."

-Nelson Henderson


The recipe on my site that gets the most action is my Super Moist Red Velvet Cupcake Recipe. People often write me and ask if I have a regular chocolate cupcake recipe, so here it is!
This recipe has coffee in it, you melt the chocolate into the hot coffee. You cannot , I repeat, you absolutely can't taste it. I use the pour over method to make single cups of coffee.


In fact the reason that my blog is named, The Alchemist, is because of cupcakes. You see I used to bake for a small local coffee shop. I baked a lot of cupcakes. I baked many recipes of cupcakes looking for the best ones. One day I had baked too many for the shop, (these chocolate cupcakes were included as well as a few other varieties) so I gave the leftovers to my chiropractor at the time, since I had an appointment that day. He in turn took them home to his family. The next day his wife called me on the phone. She told me, "Melissa, you're an alchemist! These cupcakes are the best cupcakes I've ever had."


The chocolate melted into the coffee, before adding it to the batter
That was high praise coming from her. She is a successful and well traveled lady. That comment meant a lot to me.
I use this high fat cocoa from Penzey's, if you have a store near you I recommend it, if not another brand is fine.

That was probably 5 years ago and I haven't made another chocolate cake recipe since. This is my absolute 'go to' chocolate cake and chocolate cupcake recipe.

Before that, I went through a lot of trial and error. I made many chocolate cupcake recipes. I've never had a chocolate cake with as great as a texture as this one, or as moist without being heavy.


Whisking the dry ingredients together


These cupcakes are so amazing. The original recipe comes from a cake recipe from Epicurious. (I've tweaked it a little over time to suit my taste.) These cupcakes are super moist and light at the same time. It's like they melt in your mouth.

 They have a wonderful chocolate flavor. There is melted chocolate as well as cocoa powder in this recipe. The chocolate is melted into hot coffee.



For this recipe I like to use buttermilk (instead of sour milk I  sometimes recommend in cake recipes) I like this Bulgarian buttermilk due to it's higher fat content. It's rich and has more fat than low fat buttermilk.

I know that will worry some people. Don't worry. You cannot taste it at all. I mean it, at all. I promise. However, if it worries you, then don't use it. Just use hot water instead. But I believe it provides a depth of flavor you won't get otherwise.



I weigh the dry ingredients as I go, and note the weight for dry ingredients in recipes, for those of you who live in countries that don't use cups. Sometimes I'm asked why the weight measurements differ slightly sometimes in my recipes, this is why. A cup of flour weighs more or less dependent on the weather, moisture in the air etc.
Some people will want to leave out the coffee, if you are making them for children or if you don't consume caffeine.
Mixing up the batter

I've frosted these with a chocolate buttercream that comes from Cooks Illustrated. It's their Foolproof Chocolate frosting recipe.



The batter is on the thin side, so it's easier to pour it into the cupcake papers

I like it because it's satiny smooth with a great chocolate flavor. It's easy to make too. You can make it in a mixer or a food processor. I've noted both ways below in the recipe.


I used these fancy cupcake papers I purchased when traveling to Vancouver, B.C. There are so many beautiful cupcake papers out there these days, but beware. Don't buy cupcake papers from the dollar store or from a cheap no name brand. The grease bleeds through the paper and sometimes you can't even see the design. Make sure they say "greaseproof" or are from a brand you trust. Or you can use foil liners, those work great as well and are widely available in most stores, but they are usually located by the foil, and not in the usual baking aisle in most large grocery stores here in the U.S.


Right out of the oven

If you like your cupcakes moist like I do, look no further. I think you will love this recipe as much as I do!


The frosting recipe has corn syrup in it, if you spray the measuring cup with cooking spray first, it will come out of the measuring cup easier.

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I took a picture of the middle of the cupcake to try to capture the fabulous texture of these. They are super moist, as well as being light and fluffy. They just melt in your mouth.
If you are looking for a different flavor of frosting, try one of these other great frosting recipes.
Cream Cheese Frosting from my Super Moist Red Velvet Cupcake Recipe you could also make Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting by adding some cocoa in place of some of the powdered sugar
Caramel Buttercream (or make it salted caramel) that goes with my Apple Cupcakes
Antique Electra Pink Teacup available at my Etsy shop, House of Lucien.

 
The Best Moist Chocolate Cupcake Recipe
This recipe makes more than a standard cake recipe, about 30-34 standard size cupcakes
Ingredients
3 oz. (85 g.) semi sweet chocolate - I usually use semi sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups (355 ml) hot brewed coffee - or if you absolutely cannot have coffee, substitute hot water, or decaf coffee - but the coffee does bring a depth of flavor that water alone won't
3 cups (620 g.) sugar
2 1/2 cups (337 g.) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups (172 g.) unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3 large eggs

3/4 cup (177 ml) - 1 cup (236 ml) vegetable oil ( I use 1 cup, but the original recipe calls for the lesser amount) the higher amount makes them even more moist, (the lesser amount is also moist)
1 1/2 cups (355 ml) well-shaken full fat buttermilk (if you can find it, if not use low fat buttermilk)
2 teaspoons vanilla
Directions
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit, 150 degrees Celsius, Gas Mark 2.
Finely chop chocolate (if using chocolate chips you don't have to chop it) and add it to the hot coffee to let it melt. Meanwhile, Into a large bowl whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat eggs until thickened slightly, and lemon colored, about 3 minutes in a stand mixer, or 5 minutes with a hand mixer. Stir the chocolate mixture until all the chocolate is melted and combined. Slowly add the oil, vanilla, buttermilk and chocolate mixture, beating until combined well. Add a quarter of the dry mixture then blend until incorporated, then add another 1/4 and combine, and repeat until all of the dry ingredients are just incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and blend again just until that is all incorporated.
Mixture will be like a thick liquid. Prepare cupcake tins with liners. Pour batter into a measuring cup with a pouring spout. Pour batter into cupcake liners filling about half to 2/3rds of the way full. Don't overfill. These rise quite a bit. Bake for about 28-32 minutes. If the center still looks caved in, or wet in the middle, they are not done. The top should look slightly rounded. They are done when they pass a toothpick test. But don't test them until they look rounded. If you do, they could cave in or fall and never rise again. For this recipe, I don't open the oven till they have been in for 28 minutes or so, or until they look done. Keep in mind the oven temperature is lower than in most recipes, so they take longer. This is especially true when using the higher amount of oil. Also when you prepare the batter, use it right away. While cupcakes are baking, prepare frosting below.
Cool on wire racks, and frost when they are completely cool.
Chocolate Buttercream
NOTE - If you are piping on frosting like I did, you will need to double this recipe. If you are just spreading it on, this amount will probably work.
Note: I made this frosting in a stand mixer, but the original recipe was written to be made in a food processor, I noted both instructions below.
Ingredients
20 TBS (2 1/2 sticks or about 10 oz) (283 g.) unsalted butter, softened

4 oz. (about 1 cup) (115 g.) confectioner’s sugar

3/4 cup (80 g,) dutch-processed or natural cocoa powder - I used natural

pinch of fine table salt

3/4 cup (177 ml) light corn syrup or (Lyles Golden Refiner’s Syrup and 1 TBS of water)

1 tsp vanilla extract

8 oz (227 g.) chocolate - milk, semisweet, or bittersweet - melted and cooled to 85-100 degrees Fahrenheit, (29-38 degrees Celsius) I used semisweet chocolate chips
Directions
In a stand mixer: Cut butter into about 5 pieces per stick, and add to bowl of mixer. Add confectioners sugar, cocoa powder, salt and blend on low. Slowly add the corn syrup while mixer is going on low. After it's all added, turn it up to mix it until it's incorporated, then add the vanilla and the melted chocolate. Mix well until completely blended. You can make this up to 3 hours in advance. For longer storage, refrigerate the frosting, covered, and let it stand at room temperature for 1 hour before using.
In a Food Processor: In a food processor, process butter, sugar, cocoa, and salt until smooth, about 30 seconds. Scrape the bowl as needed. Add the syrup and vanilla and process until just combined, about 5-10 seconds. Scrape down the bowl, and then add the chocolate and pulse until smooth and creamy, about 10-15 seconds. The big key to this recipe is using a light hand with the processor and not over mixing it. You can make this up to 3 hours in advance. For longer storage, refrigerate the frosting, covered, and let it stand at room temperature for 1 hour before using.

112 comments:

Our Pinteresting Family said...

These look amazing! Found you at the party at High Heels and Grills. :) Megan

JoAnn SweetPepperRose said...

Coffee? I'm sold! the more the better!

Winnie said...

Gorgeous cupcakes, and not doubt - taste heavenly

Mindy said...

Okay, you're sellin' it and I'm COMPLETELY buyin' it. I needed a yummy cupcake recipe for my daughter's birthday this month and I'm all over these. Thanks for sharing!

{Steph} said...

Wow, these look so good! I'm definitely going to try this recipe. And those paper wraps are too cute! ;)

~Steph @ Silver Boxes

Carolina HeartStrings said...

Love your blog. Very nice. This recipe looks fantastic and cannot wait to try this recipe. Your photos are fantastic. Please visit us. We would love to have you and we are having a great giveaway this week. Register to win - it is under the Televenge post!

Unknown said...

Uh... YUM!!!! I'm printing the recipe now! I might just have to run up to the store to make these tonight! They look fabulous! Thanks soooo much for sharing!

Sarah Leonard said...

These look so yummy they are sinful! Lovely.

Sarah
http://acatlikecuriosity.blogspot.co.uk

More Sister Stuff said...

Oh my goodness! That looks amazing!! Thanks for sharing! http://moresisterstuff.blogspot.com/

More Sister Stuff said...

Also, we nominated you for the Liebster Award. You can check it out here:

http://moresisterstuff.blogspot.com/2012/10/we-were-nominated-for-liebster-award.html

Also, if you wanted to swap buttons you can leave a comment on the post!

Lindsey said...

These look so moist and delicious...and I usually don't like chocolate cupcakes! I just might try these and change my mind. :) Thanks for posting at Foodie Friends Friday!

Unknown said...

I can't wait to try these, they look and sound delicious. My current chocolate recipe also has coffee in it and I love it. Thanks for sharing on Super Sweet Saturday.
Stephanie
swtboutique.blogspot.com

linda @ Axiom at Home said...

Wow! These look amazing. I am definitely going to give them a try.

crunchyfarmbaby said...

Boy these look delicious!! Thanks for linking up to Snacktime Saturday!

Miz Helen said...

The Coffee in this recipe is just calling me, it looks awesome! Hope you are having a great fall weekend and thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen

Katy said...

Hi, new to your blog really like the recipe looks delicious. I'm new to blogging trying to make some friends:-)

http://mummygibsonadventures.blogspot.co.uk/

Christina at I Gotta Create! said...

They sound divine! Coffee and chocolate... Score! ;)

Thank you for linking up at the Wildly Original party.
<3 Christina at I Gotta Create!

Martha said...

Thanks for sharing your special recipe with us!

Ivy, Phyllis and Me! said...

Good morning Alchemist, These cupcakes make me want to reach into my screen and choose one to enjoy with a cup of coffee. Oh dear, I will have to wait until I can make them. They look gorgeous. I have found you via StoneGable OTMM and have become a new follower as I love baking. Have a lovely day. Best Wishes from England. Daphne

Mariel said...

Yay! I can't wait to try these. I have a cake addiction...and moist cake?? Hello.

I would love to have you stop by ‘Or so she says…’ today and share some of your great ideas with my readers! The ‘Your Great Idea’ link party runs every Sat through Tuesday. Hope to see you there! http://www.oneshetwoshe.com

* Also, we’ve got a great giveaway going on with over $500 in prizes!

DeeAnna said...

I live in Denver, do you deliver? Yummmm!!

Kathryn Ferguson Griffin said...

OMGosh! These look so amazingly good. Thank you for sharing. Visiting from Stone Gable. Would love it if you would share this at my Make it Pretty Monday party at The Dedicated House. http://thededicatedhouse.blogspot.com/2012/10/make-it-pretty-monday-week-19.html Hope to see you at the bash! Toodles, Kathryn @TheDedicatedHouse

Cheerios and Lattes said...

Thanks for linking up on Saturday Show and Tell. I hope you'll be back again this week with more great stuff.
-Macknezie
http://www.cheeriosandlattes.com

Unknown said...

You made me wish to jump up and make these right now! These look so good. And then all the additional suggestions, perfect:)
I am now following via Facebook and GFC:)

Thank you for sharing at Freedom Fridays!

Margaux said...

I am drooling! So glad you shared at Snacktime Saturday, hope to see you back this weekend :)

Unknown said...

Just made these “cupcakes” and followed the recipe to the letter! They DIDN'T turn out! They were awful and mushy. I kept them in the oven at 300 degrees for over 45 minutes and they still did not cook all the way through. I thought the batter was way too runny from the start! Maybe you need to re-check the amount of wet ingredients you posted. There has to be a typing error.;-)

The Alchemist said...

Susan- I am so sorry they didn't turn out for you. I have experienced them being wet in the middle still when I have checked them too early, they have fallen in the middle and they never rise again. I edited the recipe to note this. I didn't originally note it because I make these very often and it's happened maybe once. The liquid ingredients are correct. I adapted this recipe from Epicurious. The link to the original recipe is at the top of the recipe if you want to see it yourself. My recipe has a few minor changes. The biggest change being the oil amount. I increase the oil by 1/4 cup. I edited the recipe to note both the oil amounts now.

Again, I am so sorry they didn't turn out for you.

Unknown said...

MMmm! Would love if if you linked up on my blog hop www.w-t-fab.com/search/label/bloghop. Also let me know if you'd like to follow each other!

Charlene@APinchofJoy said...

Sounds amazing! Loved hearing how your blog got its name, too. Thanks so much for sharing on Busy Monday!

Carrie said...

Oh, those sound wonderful. I'll have to try it for my husband's birthday since he is the chocolate cake eater in my house. Thank you for sharing at Sharing Saturday!! Sorry for the late comment/visit!

Valeria said...

Can the AP flour be replaced for cake flour?

The Alchemist said...

Valeria- I'm not sure, I've never done it. Sorry I can't be of more help.

Margie255 said...

Hi...this is the 1st time for me making cake with no butter. Its so yummy. I put Indonesian Java Espresso too....so good. And the cake is perfectly rounded too. Thanks so much

Bel said...

I tried this recipe to the T and it turned out moist, delicious, and amazing. For the oil I went with 1 cup, only I should have done in half the quantity as we just 5 of us. But it's sure a wonderful recipe & m sure I'll b asked to make it again. Thanks for the wonderful recipe

Thanks
Izabel

FarSeaShore said...

I made these today. Wow! They're like little chocolate bombs! The cupcakes are very intense chocolate. The frosting is satiny & luscious. The frosting will be my new go-to chocolate frosting <3

I used pretty strong coffee and the 3/4 cup oil. The recipe made 30 regular cupcakes plus 24 mini cupcakes for me.

Thanks for sharing!

Lous Lake Views said...

WOW! I spotted this recipe this morning and made them this afternoon. I am new to baking so I followed this recipe with microscopic precision and Oh My Goodness! they are awesome. In fact they are so good I had to blog about them instantly. Thank you so much! I can see I'm going to be spending a lot of my time checking out your blog :-D

http://louslakeviews.com/?p=227

The Alchemist said...

Lous Lake Views- Thank you so much! I'm so glad the cupcakes worked out well for you, it's so nice to know, so thanks so much for letting me know!

Unknown said...

Made 200 of these cupcakes in miniature form for a club event, worked greats.
Thank you for the recipe.
-Konrad

Unknown said...

Look very tasty and perfect for a <a href="http://www.chocolatefan.co.uk>chocolate fan</a> like me. Thanks for this great blog.

Unknown said...

Tried this recipe yesterday! :) You're absolutely right, wonderful and moist cupcakes! My family loved them. Thank you.

Unknown said...

Hi!
How long would you recommend baking them if you're making mini cupcakes for the whole batch?Also, can I use canola oil instead of vegetable? I can't wait to try this!

The Alchemist said...

Hi Vanessa, yes you can use canola oil. About the mini cupcakes, I'm not sure, I don't make mini cupcakes often. But Baking Bites has written a post about turning regular cupcakes into mini ones here

http://bakingbites.com/2011/03/how-to-turn-cupcakes-into-mini-cupcakes/

Good luck!

Unknown said...

Your cupcakes look delish! I can't wait to try them! Do you know if this recipe converts into a cake? If yes, what would be the best baking tin(s) and timings? THANK YOU!!

The Alchemist said...

Hi Kellie, yes, this recipe is based on a cake recipe from Epicurious. Here's the link to that recipe. (It's also listed below the title.)

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Double-Chocolate-Layer-Cake-101275

This makes a 10 inch cake, but if you wish to make a 9 or 8 inch cake, just pour in the batter till the pans are 1/2 to 2/3rds full, and use the extra batter to make a few cupcakes.

Do grease the pans and I would also line parchement paper on the bottoms of the pan, then grease the paper.

Good Luck!

Unknown said...

Fantastic - THANK YOU!!! Can't wait to get in the kitchen and try this out!

Mary said...

Wow these are amazing! Thank you for the recipe - I followed it exactly and they are so light and rich and chocolatey. So glad to have finally found a good chocolate cake/cupcake recipe!

The Alchemist said...

Mary - I love them too, and I think that's a perfect description! I'm so glad to hear you like them! Thanks for letting me know!

Melissa @ The Alchemist

Unknown said...

Hello Melissa. I have been Baking for years and have always been on the lookout for great recipes. I found this one and I really don't think I have to look any further for a Chocolate cupcake recipe. These were AWESOME. They were rich in Chocolate, yet light and had the perfect balance of flavor. Every person I shared them with has told me the same, they are the best chocolate cake recipe they have had. Thank you for posting this recipe.

~Tracy

PS. The recipe, when I made it, turned out 49 perfect standard sized cupcakes... a few more than the 30-34 I was expecting. Any ideas on the drastic number difference?

The Alchemist said...

Hi Tracy, I'm so glad you liked the recipe!

I'm not sure why the yield was off my so much. Maybe my pans are larger than yours or perhaps I fill them more.

Unknown said...

This is by far the best recipe I have tried! So moist and spongy - Absolutely love it! And the coffee adds a new dimension to the flavour.

I was surprised how much they raised though, so I only poured in 1/2 instead of 2/3.

Anyway thank you for sharing!

Lea

Unknown said...

My daughter made these today, frosting and all... and they were delicious! Actually beyond delicious!! My only complaint is that my hips are going to be getting bigger!! ;)
thanks for the great recipe!
Krista

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
cncw said...

The Alchemist: thank you very much for posting your recipe. The cupcakes turned out perfectly and are simply devine!

I'm not a baker by any stretch of the imagination, but your instructions helped me to pretend to be one.

These cupcakes are for a birthday party and I'm sure they'll be a hit!

Thanks again for the inspiration, the help and blissfully decadent dessert.

Kristen said...

I made this recipe according the exact directions (I even weighed out all my dry ingredients), today.

These cupcakes are Sooooo freaking good and I don't even like chocolate cakes!

It was sort of a time consuming effort, but the flavor and moisture of the cake was so worth the time. 30 minutes in my oven produced perfectly consistent cooked cupcakes.

I can't wait to serve these at Easter, tomorrow. This recipe will be kept in my repertoire.

Thanks! :)

co.arianne said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
co.arianne said...

I'm trying to double the recipe, I'm just wondering if I need to double the volume of coffee as well or will it make my cupcakes too watery? Thanks :)

The Alchemist said...

co.arianne - When doubling the recipe you need to double all ingredients, including the coffee.

Happy Baking and good luck!

jacquisbakingsomething said...

Hi The Alchemist.
Love your blog.
I recently bought a Kitchenaid and my cakes are turning out dry.I beat my batter the same way I do with my Kenwood. I have been using a Kenwood Chef.
I read from the web if one is using a Kitchenaid, mixing time should be half.
What is your advise?

What is the best speed to beat egg yolf and sugar till pale and fluffy and egg whites tili stiff and shiny?

Thank you for your advise.

Jacqui

jacquisbakingsomething said...

Hi The Alchemist.
Love your blog.
I recently bought a Kitchenaid and my cakes are turning out dry.I beat my batter the same way I do with my Kenwood. I have been using a Kenwood Chef.
I read from the web if one is using a Kitchenaid, mixing time should be half.
What is your advise?

What is the best speed to beat egg yolf and sugar till pale and fluffy and egg whites tili stiff and shiny?

Thank you for your advise.

Jacqui

The Alchemist said...

jacquisbakingsomething - I'm not familiar with the mixer you mentioned.

Generally speaking the mixing time is a little less in a kitchen aid. In regards to your question about mixing butter and sugar and egg whites, I'm not sure how to answer the question since the question isn't about this recipe, since this recipe uses oil and doesn't call for seperated eggs.

Unknown said...

I love these cupcakes and so do my coworkers!!! I wanted to make them for a friends birthday. However she's allergic to eggs. I was wondering if there was anything I could substitute for the eggs that wouldn't change the taste or texture of the cupcakes? Thanks for your help.

The Alchemist said...

Hi Kristin, I'm so glad you've enjoyed the cupcakes!

I'm sorry I don't know of a substitution for the eggs in this recipe, it's been my experience from other baking recipes, that there isn't a substitution that works the same as eggs. If I make a cake for someone who can't eat eggs I use a vegan chocolate cake recipe, but it doesn't turn out out the same as this. Sorry I can't be of more help!

Unknown said...

Hello,

it looks awesome!!!

I want to try it but I'm kind of a beginner and I only want to make 12 cupcakes
do you have the measures for 12 or should I split all the measures in half? what about the eggs? 1 or 2?

thank you for sharing your recipe :)

The Alchemist said...

Hi Candela - Yes, just halve the recipe. I would use 2 eggs.

Good luck!

Melissa @ The Alchemist

Cara said...

I made these cupcakes the other night and oh my god is all I can say!! I didn't know cupcakes could be this good!!! So now, I'd like to use this recipe to make my daughter's birthday cake. It's going to be the big skirt portion of a princess dress, and then I put a doll in the top to complete the princess. Just wondering what you'd recommend for baking time? Would it be the same as with cupcakes? Thanks so much!!

Edie said...

Can these cupcakes be frozen and brought out at a later date to be frosted and eaten?

The Alchemist said...

Cara - I'm sorry I haven't answered this sooner. The baking time will probably be much longer, but it's hard for me to estimate since I don't know the size exactly. But it will probably take much longer.

Edie - Yes, they can be frozen without the frosting. First let them cool completely. Then freeze them so they get hard, then wrap them well. Double wrapped in plastic and then put into a gallon sized ziplock would be good. Make sure the air is all the way out of them so they don't get freezer burn.

Unknown said...

My friend made these and I got to sample them. They are definately the best cupcakes I have ever tried! I won't be looking any farther for another receipe!

Unknown said...

hi i dont find buttermilk in the supermaarkets near me i have use milk+ vinegar and didnt like the results. do you think i can ommit the buttermilk without affecting the final product.

The Alchemist said...

Hi Roberto - Don't omit the buttermilk, it's way too much to omit. You can try using regular milk instead, that may work. Though, I'm not sure since I've never done it. Good luck!

baking obsessed said...

Thanks so much for sharing the excellent recipe. I didn't have buttermilk, so I soured some milk and it turned out just fine. I made them to bring to school and iced them with raspberry italian meringue buttercream. They were pretty fantastic. Here's what a friend said: "Holy crap-aloa! These cupcakes are frigin fantastic! You should open a catering company."

mels stuff said...

Hi I tried these as i just made your fluffly white cup cakes they turned out great, and they didn't work out very well for me. Rock hard crust and sort of chewy in the middle it might be that they were overcooked. I am fairly new to baking and because were in the oven for 65 minuted as every time i put toothpick in it to test it would come out with crumbs on it. So my question is why? i used the greater amount of oil also i halved the recipe to make less cupcakes so i could put the 2 tins in at the same time and the other thing is my oven doesn't seal very well so temp could be off could you shed some light on this please thanks

The Alchemist said...

mels stuff - I'm so sorry you had problems with this recipe. This is the first time I've heard of this recipe not working, so I'm sorry it happened to you.

It's extremely difficult to determine what went wrong when not being there to see what happened step by step. The cooking time is way too long, so I'm sure they are overcooked. Since your oven doesn't seal well it's hard to determine what the cooking time would be. If you decide to make them again, I would use the lesser amount of oil, and raise the temperature of the oven to 325 instead of 300, or even 350, and cook them for less time. If there are a few crumbs on the toothpick that's fine, just make sure the middle is not wet, and the middles of them look rounded or done when you look at them, and not caved in in the center.

I hope that helps.

Good luck and happy baking!

Also since you are new to baking, don't let this stop you. (I mean if you enjoy it and wish to continue.) As you get more experience you will learn. You will learn how your oven is, and learn to work with it, and you will learn other tips and tricks that will make things easier. I still have failure in the kitchen once in a while, I think everyone does. But it's the joy I get and the other successes that makes me keep doing it.

Also if I were you, and you want to try the recipe again I would bake only one or two cupcakes first, and take them out much sooner, when they look done, even though there might be a few crumbs, let them cool, then taste it and see if it's good, and done in the center. This is what I do almost all the time when trying a new recipe to determine the correct cooking time and to test the recipe. Then I proceed with baking the rest of the recipe.

Unknown said...

Thanks for sharing!!!
Im defenitely gonna try it!!
I just hope to find the same ingredients that you mentioned in your fabulous recepi or at least the most similar/alike ones.
Grettings from Mexico.

papillon said...

Hi. I am going to make half of this recipe. About the coffee, if i am going to use granulated coffee what is the exact measurement of the water and coffee to make 3/4 cups? Thank you!

The Alchemist said...

papillon - When you say granulated coffee, do you mean instant coffee? I would just follow the directions on the package to make a cup of coffee and only use 3/4 of a cup. Good luck!

Unknown said...

Does this recipe halve well? I read the comments about using 2 eggs but I'm afraid that it'll be too watery.

The Alchemist said...

Joey - Yes it does halve well. The 1/2 an egg won't really make a difference. When I halve this recipe I do add 2 eggs and I can't tell the difference. If it bothers you then beat an egg and add half of it to make it exactly like the recipe. Also an egg won't add to it being too watery, since when you cook eggs they turn solid.

Good luck!

Unknown said...

Can these cupcakes be made the day before, iced and refrigerated? If so how would you recommend I store it?

The Alchemist said...

Unknown - Yes, but I'd only do it one day in advance. Store them as air tight as you can in the fridge. Bring them to room temp. before serving.

Thilo said...

I made these cupcakes 2-3 months ago and they were amazing. loved the texture,flavor and the frosting was so delicious.But i made these last week and it didnt come out very well. It was still good but had a sticky layer of cake on top.felt like it was half baked. I baked it for 32min. and some more min. coz it had that layer on top. Dont know what was wrong. Only difference i did was first time i baked 6 cupcakes and this time it was 12.

Laura Beth said...

These cupcakes were phenomenal. I can't say enough positive things about both the cupcakes and frosting. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe!

The Alchemist said...

Thilo - I know what you mean. That's happened to me before when I've used the higher amount of oil. I suggest using the lesser amount next time. Hope it works well. Happy baking!

Unknown said...

I've baked these thrice now and they're absolutely delicious and yum! I've made my own post about them too now! Thanks for the great receipe!

http://spellboundkitchen.blogspot.de/2013/11/the-best-moist-choco-cupcakes-youll.html

The Alchemist said...

Martusia - Awesome! I'm so glad you like them! I saw your blog post, that's great! Thanks for letting me know.

Unknown said...

Hi there, I am looking to use this recipe and your white cupcake recipe for 9 x 13 cakes. Any idea if these recipes make 1 cake? More? Baking time?

The Alchemist said...

Hi Tara,

For the chocolate cake you will have extra batter. I would fill it to 2/3rds full and use the rest of

the batter for cupcakes. Make sure you grease the pan well.


For the white cake it should be about right, but just make sure you don't fill the cake pan too much, keep

it to 2/3rds or 3/4 at most, again make sure you grease the pans well.


The baking times will be longer, I would follow other 9x13 cake recipes for a general idea of how long it will take.

I hope they turn out great!

Unknown said...

Wow Melissa...these cupcakes are AMAZING!! I split the recipe in half (although it was quite interesting splitting 3 eggs to 1.5 eggs lol) I was able to make 12 regular size cupcakes and a 6 inch cake. They were not greasy AT ALL!! I would suggest anyone making these to buy quality baking cups or the ones with the foil on the inside. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING YOUR WONDERFUL RECIPES!!!

Jennifer said...

Hi! I'm planning on making these for a kids birthday party (1st graders). Would you suggest I leave out the coffee, use decaf or regular coffee?

Thanks!

The Alchemist said...

Jennifer - sorry for the late reply - I would probably leave it out and sub water. but even if you use coffee it's so little in relation to how many cupcakes there are, I'd say each child would just be ingesting a tablespoon of coffee, or less. And chocolate has caffeine in it, so I don't know. But I don't have kids. So it's really your call.

Sheyla said...

Hi, I just wanted to say that I just made these and they came out incredibly delicious. I actually substituted the vegetable oil for coconut oil and it totally enhanced the flavor. Thank you so much for sharing your recipes with us.

Unknown said...

Hi! I'm making cupcakes for a crowd tomorrow and am going to make your lemon and these chocolate cupcakes. I want to make them without papers and in larger cupcake tins. Any advice? Hopefully you'll get to this sooner rather than later :^) SO glad I found your blog!

meggypretty said...

Hi melissa! I made these cupcakes just now and they taste amaziiiiing!!! However, I wouldn't describe them as light and fluffy like you mentioned... They're more on the dense side (I had a hard time filling them up w/ peanut butter filling from your other recipe). Any idea why? Thanks!! :)

The Alchemist said...

meggypretty- Oh darn. Something that happens with this recipe often is that they are easily overfilled. When you filled them did they overflow in the cupcake liners? If you don't fill them 1/2 full or so, they often go over and it changes them completely. They can't rise and stay risen like they should. That's the first thing that comes to mind.

meggypretty said...

Hi melissa, they didn't overflow... I'll try again and make sure it's just 2/3 full. Maybe i put too much batter in the liners.

Unknown said...

hi, u called for how brewed coffee. i do not have that.i have normal nescafe packet ones which i can dissolve in hot water. can u tell me how much coffee i need to dissolve in how much water? please reply i want to make these cupcakes. thanks

The Alchemist said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
The Alchemist said...

Shreya Chaddha - I hope the cupcakes turned out well. I apologize for the late reply, but I can't always reply quickly.

I would just follow the directions on the package to reconstitute the coffee for the amount given in the recipe. 1 1/2 cups.

Happy Baking!

Mrs. L said...

Oh my goodness. These cupcakes are DELICIOUS. My friend's eight year old daughter declared, "These are better than the kind you buy at the store!" If I'm not mistaken, that's the highest honor one's baking can receive. Thank you, Miss Melissa. I think I love you.

Unknown said...

I just made your chocolate cup cakes, they are the best chocolate cupcakes I have ever tasted. I have spent years trying to find the perfect cupcake recipe, finally I have found it, thank you for sharing!!!!

Unknown said...

It's birthday time at our house and I'll be making these cupcakes tomorrow... I saw foil lined cupcake holders in the store and wonder if they will alter the baking time with the foil lining, or will it be just fine and a good option for preventing the grease soaking through? Would love to know your opinion! Thanks! :)

The Alchemist said...

Hi Cara, Yes, the foil liners work great. I'm going to edit this to mention them, thanks for thinking of them!

Unknown said...

Out of all the desserts and cakes that is in the market, chocolate cakes are my favorite.
Chocolate Cake Recipe

Jan said...

They came out perfect for me. I have made cupcakes and a cake. But don't over mix when adding dry ingredients

Unknown said...

So I tried these and stuck exactly to the recipe -I used the metric measurements though - and mine turned out sort of mushy - even after baking them for 45 minutes :( they tasted bitter and not sweet enough - and I feel like they tasted more salty :( I did not mix up salt with sugar though...what did I do wrong :(((

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