These Chocolate Cupcakes are incredibly moist and decadent, frosted with a silky smooth chocolate buttercream and topped with fresh raspberries! Wow your special person with these fun and flirty cupcakes, they’re ready in just 30 minutes and don’t require any special skill!

Chocolate Cupcakes

Today I’m sharing with you my master Chocolate Cupcake recipe, the one that I’ve been using for years to make cupcakes for friends and family. It’s no-fail.

You’ll love how moist and chocolatey these cupcakes are, it almost feels like eating a delicious fudgy brownie instead of a cupcake. They’re just so so good.

They’re frosted with my classic chocolate buttercream which is silky smooth, creamy, and rich and topped with fresh raspberries for some fun.

These are perfect for chocolate lovers, as a romantic date night dessert, or as Valentine’s Day cupcakes along with a glass of rose! Just ⏤ YES!

Although they might look fancy, they’re actually very easy to make ⏤ no skills needed, not even for piping the buttercream, I promise. I kept it real simple with a classic large round tip (here‘s the one I used) so all you have to do is apply some pressure to the piping bag and boom, you’re done! ✨

Let’s make a batch!

Ingredients for Chocolate Cupcakes

Check the recipe card down below for the full list of ingredients + instructions!

Instant coffee. You won’t be able to taste the coffee *at all* so these cupcakes are kid-approved and picky-eaters approved. I don’t even drink coffee and I can gobble down half a batch of these! The coffee is there to heighten the natural flavor of chocolate. Many extra moist and decadent chocolate cakes, loaves, or cupcakes out there use coffee as a base because it’s that one secret ingredient that truly takes your chocolate dessert to the next level. This is a little professional baker tip that you can easily follow at home! That being said, make sure you use a high-quality brand for best flavor. Alternatively you can use freshly brewed coffee, just make sure it cools down a bit before adding it to the batter. 🙂
Water. You’ll need the water in order to dissolve your instant coffee. Skip this if you’re using brewed coffee.
Cocoa powder. Use unsweetened cocoa powder for this recipe. We’ll use plenty of sugar + the cupcakes are topped with buttercream which is naturally sweet so don’t worry! Make sure to sift the cocoa powder to keep it from clumping up when added to the wet ingredients. Also, make sure you have plenty as you’ll also need it for the frosting!
Flour. Stick to all-purpose flour for this recipe!
Sugar. You’ll need white granulated sugar!
Baking powder. Some good old baking powder so your cupcakes can rise tall!
Salt. Just a pinch!
Milk. Make sure it’s room temperature. I recommend whole milk for this recipe.
Oil. I recommend sunflower, vegetable or canola oil.
Eggs. Make sure they’re room temperature.
Vanilla extract. For extra flavor!
Butter. You’ll need this for the buttercream frosting.
Powdered sugar. Same as above, you’ll need this for the chocolate frosting.
Raspberries for topping. You can also carve your baked cupcakes and stuff them with fresh raspberries for a fun surprise! I don’t recommend adding them to the batter as adding fruit means adding extra moisture and these cupcakes don’t need any extra moisture! You can also top these with strawberries, tangerines, cherries, or just plain sprinkles if you’re not a fan of raspberries.

best chocolate buttercream frosting recipe

How do you make chocolate raspberry cupcakes

Check the recipe card down below for the step-by-step instructions!

Preheat the oven and line a 12-cupcake baking sheet with cupcake liners. Any color will work but I like using black ones for a fancier look!
Prepare the coffee and chocolate mixture. Please refer to the above paragraph to learn why we’re using coffee (you can’t taste it, promise!). Dissolve the instant coffee in water and mix until fully dissolved. Alternatively, brew some coffee and allow it to cool down to room temperature so it won’t scramble the eggs in the batter. Add the sifted cocoa powder to the coffee and mix until fully combined and smooth. The mixture will be quite thick. Set it aside.
Whisk together the dry ingredients and set them aside.
Mix together the wet ingredients until fully combined, then transfer half of the wet ingredients into your dry ingredients and mix until light and fluffy. Then add the chocolate mixture into the remaining wet ingredient mixture, mix until combined, and pour into the batter. Mix until just combined. Do not overmix!
Bake. Fill each cupcake liner until 2/3 full. The batter will be very wet. Pop into the oven and bake at 425F for 10 minutes then at 325 for another 13-15 minutes. I like mine at 13 minutes but depending on your oven, they may take a little less or more time. You can do a toothpick test if you’re not sure: simply poke the center of one of the cupcakes with a toothpick, if it comes out clean with just a few moist crumbs, they’re done. Take them out, remove them from the baking sheet and allow them to cool down completely before frosting.
Make the buttercream frosting. You can frost these with any frosting of your choice or enjoy them plain. I went with my classic chocolate buttercream frosting which is rich and chocolatey and ready in just 5 minutes. Simply beat the butter until soft, then add the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and salt and beat again.
Frost. Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip (here‘s the one I used) and gently squeeze the piping bag while keeping the tip close to the cupcake (no need to move around or anything). Keep piping until a dome starts forming, then stop squeezing and lift the piping bag completely. You’re done!
Decorate. Top each cupcake with a fresh raspberry and dust with powdered sugar, if desired.

Can I use a different fruit?

Yes! These are your cupcakes so feel free to choose your favorite berry or fruit. You can also use a different flavor of buttercream and even fill them with Nutella, chocolate ganache, or raspberry jam!

My favorite options for fruit would be strawberries, cherries, blackberries, tangerines, or a fresh slice of pear.

Can I make these ahead of time?

Yes! I recommend making the cupcakes on day 1 and frosting them on day 2 which is what I did with the cupcakes that you see in the pictures. As you can tell, the cupcakes are still perfectly moist and delicious!

You can make them up to 2-3 days ahead of time and store them covered or in an air-tight container at room temperature. I don’t recommend chilling them as they will slightly dry up in the refrigerator.

Can I freeze them?

Yes, you can freeze your unfrosted cupcakes for up to 1-2 months and let them come down to room temperature the day you plan on frosting and serving them.

HAPPY BAKING!! I hope you’ll love these easy moist chocolate cupcakes with raspberries as I do!

PS: Please leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating ⭐️ if you make it! Your comments make my day!! You can also tag me on Instagram @itsdamnspicy 🌈💘

Chocolate Cupcakes