Devil's Food Cupcakes with Dark Chocolate Frosting recipe (2024)

Indulge yourself with this recipe for Devil’s Food Cupcakes with Dark Chocolate Frosting. It’s a heavenly moist and fudgy chocolate cake topped beautifully with dark chocolate, cream cheese frosting.

Don’t you just love a good cupcake?There’s just something about a cupcake that just fills me with nostalgic excitement. I got the inspiration for these from my amazing Classic Devils Food Cake with Ganache Frosting, and gave these cupcakes a cream cheese icing twist!

And when a cupcake is pretty – it just screams ‘Taste Me, you won’t be disappointed’ and I promise you these little beauties will taste as good as they look.

The best part of these cupcakes is the deep chocolate taste with just the right amount of sweetness.

These decadent cupcakes are perfectlychocolaty with a softand moist crumb and that dark chocolate, cream cheese frosting – try not to eat it by the spoonful before you topthe cupcakes!

Why This Recipe Works

Using Dark Chocolate instead of milk chocolate deepens the flavor of the frosting.
Using extra cocoa powderinstead of sugar thickens the frosting without the added sweetness.
Adding coffee to the batter enhances the deep chocolate taste of the cake.

How to Make The Perfect Cupcake

Use Room Temperature Ingredients

When you use eggs or milk straight out of the refrigerator, they won’t combine as well with the dry ingredients that are at room temperature. Poorly combined ingredients can also cause cupcakes to be too dense rather than fluffy and light.

Don’t Over Mix

Over mixing the batter will result in a cupcake that’s denser, with a tighter grain (almost bread-like). So be careful not to overbeat the batter.

To ensure proper mixing, beat cake batter on low until ingredients havejustcombined or when in doubt, use a wooden spoon once the butter and sugar are creamed.

How Far To Fill The Cupcake Papers

There is much debate on how much to fill a cupcake liner. Many recipes will say to fill them 3/4 of the way full, but not all ovens are created equally and the cake rises differently depending on the oven.

I fill mine almost to the top and use an ice cream scoop to fill the papers with batter. This ensures the cake fills the paper and a uniform size across the entire batch.

Keep That Door Closed!

Avoid opening the oven door during baking. Opening the door lets heat escape and lets in the cold air causing uneven baking, especially with cupcakes. If you want to check on them as they bake, just peek through the oven window.

You should also Bake cupcakes on the center rack in the middle of the oven for the most even baking.

How to Tell When A Cupcake Is Done

There are several ways to tell if a cupcake is ready to come out of the oven, but it’s not always easy to judge. I’m here to make things a little clearer.

Test your cupcakes by gently tapping the top. If they feel springy and bounces back, you know they’re done.

If the cupcakes jiggle in any way, it means they need more time in the oven.

If you’re new to baking and want to double-check, you can also use a cake tester by sticking it into the center of the cupcake. If it comes out clean, your cupcakes are done.

Cool Out Of the Pan

Remove the cupcakes from the pan to cool. Once your cupcakes are out of the oven, transfer them to a wire rack to cool out of the pan. Keeping them in the pan will allow them to continue baking and may dry them out.

These are some of the most amazing cupcakes (or cakes) I’ve ever made! They are light, moist,and oh so irresistible!

I know I do a lot of chocolate cake recipes, but this is one of my new favorites!

Here’s how to make them:

Add cocoa powder, instant coffee, and brown sugar to a mixing bowl.

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Let's Make Devil's Food Cupcakes with Dark Chocolate Frosting

These deep chocolate cupcakes with a dark chocolate, cream cheese topping are light yet wonderfully chocolaty.

4.66 from 52 votes

Prep30 minutes minutes

Cook25 minutes minutes

Total55 minutes minutes

Serves: 12 cupcakes

Rate

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

▢ ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
▢ ½ cup light brown sugar packed
▢ 1 teaspoon instant coffee
▢ 1 cup hot water
▢ 1 stick softened butter plus some for greasing if not using liners
▢ ¾ cup sugar superfine or granulated
▢ 1½ cups all-purpose flour
▢ ½ teaspoons salt
▢ ½ teaspoon baking powder
▢ ½ teaspoon baking soda
▢ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
▢ 2 eggs at room temperature

For the frosting:

▢ ½ cup butter softened
▢ 4 ounces cream cheese softened
▢ 4 ounces Dark chocolate melted (see recipe notes)
▢ 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
▢ ¼ teaspoon salt optional (to cut sweetness)
▢ ½ cup unsweetened dark or black cocoa powder sifted
▢ 1½ cups powdered sugar sifted
▢ Black gel food coloring optional (as needed)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For the cupcakes:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F/180 C.
In a mixing bowl whisk together the cocoa powder, instant coffee, brown sugar, and hot water. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, mix the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together and set aside.
Cream the butter and sugar together, beating well until pale and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract.
Add eggs, one at a time with a cup of the flour mixture in between eggs. Mix in the half the flour mixture followed by half the cocoa mixture followed by the cocoa mixture (alternating until fully combined).
Divide the batter evenly into 12 cupcakes and bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.
Cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting:

In a large bowl, beat the melted chocolate with the softened butter and cream cheese.
Add the cocoa, vanilla extract, salt and ½ cup of the powdered sugar adding another ½ cup of the sugar until smooth and desired consistency. If using, add the black food coloring a little at a time (mixing in between) until the color deepens to your liking.
Pipe onto cooled cupcakes.

Tips + Notes

What chocolate? Use dark chocolate that is between 54-66% cocoa solids. In the US, bittersweet chocolate works well. IuseCouverture Dark Chocolate Callets (54.5%Cacao). It’s the only chocolate I bake with. You can get it on Amazon by clickinghere or in the UK click here (As an Amazon Associate, a small commission is made from qualifying purchases)

Chocolate higher incocoa percentage would probably be too bitter. I would also avoid milk chocolate unless you have a real sweet tooth.

This recipe makes 12 large cupcakes.

Tips:

Be careful not to over beat the batter. To ensure proper mixing, beat cake batter on low until ingredients have just combined. Overmixing the batter will result in a cupcake that's denser, with a tighter grain (almost bread-like).
Always bake with ingredients that are at room temperature.When you use eggs or milk straight out of the refrigerator, they won't combine as well with the dry ingredients that are at room temperature. Poorly combined ingredients can also cause a cake to be too dense rather than fluffy and light.
Avoid opening the oven door. Opening the door lets heat escape and lets in the cold air causing uneven baking, especially with cupcakes. If you want to check on them as they bake, just peek through the oven window.
Bake cupcakes on the center rack in the middle of the oven for the most even bake.
Remove the cupcakes from the pan to cool. Once your cupcakes are out of the oven, transfer them to a wire rack to cool out of the pan. Keeping them in the pan will allow them to continue baking and may dry them out.

Nutrition Information:

Nutritional Data Disclaimer

Author:Erren Hart

Course:Dessert

Cuisine:American

Keyword:chocolate cupcakes, cupcakes recipe, devil's food cupcakes

Follow Me on SocialMention @ErrensKitchen or tag #ErrensKitchen on Instagram

Update Notes:This post was originally published in Jan of 2017, but was republished with an updated recipe, new photos, step by step instructions & photos, baking tips, and a video in September of 2018.