They taste every bit as good as they look!
Best Chocolate Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
The easiest and yummiest gluten-free chocolate cupcakes! Based on our family's amazing chocolate cakes recipe, the cupcakes are moist, soft & fluffy and super chocolatey! Options for chocolate, vanilla or strawberry buttercream frosting.
Author: Healthy Gluten-Free Family
Recipe type: Dessert, Birthdays, Holidays, Cake and Cupcakes
Cuisine: Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free optional, Nut-Free
Serves: 12 cupcakes
Ingredients
Chocolate Cupcakes
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup + ⅓ cup all purpose flour (I use GFJules) (affiliate link)
- ⅓ cup Hershey’s Cocoa
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- ½ cup strong black coffee (I used decaf)
- ½ cup buttermilk or sour milk (to sour milk: use 2 teaspoons white vinegar plus milk to equal ½ cup)
- ¼ cup canola oil
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Vanilla Frosting (recipe halves well)
- 1 box confectioner sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- ½ stick butter or dairy free butter, softened
- 4½ tablespoons milk or dairy free milk
Chocolate Frosting (recipe halves well)
- 6 Tablespoons butter or dairy free butter, softened
- ¾ cup Hershey’s Cocoa
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 2⅔ cups powdered sugar
- 4 to 6 Tablespoons milk
Strawberry Frosting (recipe halves well)
- 1 box confectioner sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ stick butter or dairy free butter, softened
- 1-2 tablespoons milk* (For a deeper strawberry flavor, skip or use less milk and more strawberry puree)
- 3 tablespoons strawberry puree (I mashed strawberries, then strained out the juice with a strainer)
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Heat oven to 350 degrees F and line muffin tins with baking cup liners.
- In large mixer bowl, blend sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Add egg, coffee, buttermilk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed for 2 minutes (batter will be thin).
- Pour or spoon batter into prepared muffin tins. Bake 17 mins, then cover loosely with foil and bake another 5-10 minutes or until tooth pick inserted in center comes out clean.
- Cool completely. Frost as desired.
Vanilla Frosting
- In a small mixing bowl, beat butter. Add remaining ingredients, and mix until combined and creamy. Makes 2 cups frosting.
Chocolate Frosting
- In small mixer bowl, beat butter. Add powdered sugar and cocoa alternately with milk; beat to spreading consistency. Blend in vanilla. Makes about 2 cups frosting
Strawberry frosting
- In a mixing bowl, beat the butter. Add remaining ingredients* and mix until well combined and creamy. Makes 2 cups frosting.
These cupcakes are unbelievably delicious. I’m wondering if recipe can be baked as a cake also? In an 8×8 pan perhaps? Thanks.
Yes! It is based on a cake! Here’s the link to The Best Chocolate Cake! We loooove this cake!
Thanks so much. Will make this for next family birthday.
Great! Hope you love it!