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Home » Cake & Cupcakes » Small Batch Chocolate Cupcakes

Small Batch Chocolate Cupcakes

Published: Oct 28, 2014 · Modified: Jan 27, 2021 by Allison · 237 Comments

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A small batch of 6 chocolate cupcakes, made in one bowl, and topped with vanilla buttercream frosting.

Chocolate cupcakes topped with vanilla frosting and chocolate sprinkles on a white platter.

My husband and I just celebrated our 10 year anniversary. TEN years! That makes me feel old – like a real grown-up. When the heck did that happen?!  I will say though, I’m so happy to be at the stage of life that we’re in. Even though we are going non-stop with the demands of our two young children, I know that these are the days I’m going to look back at fondly in years to come.

On our anniversary, we spent the day as a family. We made plans to go out for dinner, and I wanted to have a little something sweet to finish the day with. Since it was just the four of us (one of which doesn’t yet eat solid food), I didn’t want to make anything too big or labor intensive. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to make these small batch chocolate cupcakes.

Chocolate cupcake topped with vanilla frosting and chocolate sprinkles on a white plate.

Small Batch Chocolate Cupcakes

This is a super simple cupcake recipe made in only one bowl. The cupcakes are moist and light with a mild chocolate flavor. I topped them with a vanilla buttercream frosting because I love the combo of chocolate and vanilla together. And since I was making these for a special occasion, I took the extra step of making chocolate hearts to top the cupcakes with. Feel free to skip the chocolate hearts, or make another design of your choosing.

Chocolate cupcakes topped with vanilla frosting and chocolate sprinkles on a white plates.

To make chocolate shapes: Melt chocolate chips (I used ½ cup)  in a microwave or double boiler. Let cool for 5 minutes, then transfer into a plastic bag. Snip off a small corner of the plastic bag and squeeze the melted chocolate into desired patterns on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Transfer the baking sheet to the refrigerator for the chocolate to firm up.

MORE SMALL BATCH RECIPES:

Small Batch Vanilla Cupcakes
Small Batch Peanut Butter Cup Fudge
Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies
Small Batch Brownies
Small Chocolate Cake Recipe

Chocolate cupcakes topped with vanilla frosting and chocolate sprinkles on a white platter.

Small Batch Chocolate Cupcakes

A small batch of 6 chocolate cupcakes, made in  one bowl, and topped with vanilla buttercream frosting.
4.89 from 76 votes
Print Pin SaveSaved!
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Dessert
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 6 cupcakes
Calories: 329kcal
Author: Allison - Celebrating Sweets

Ingredients

Cupcake:

  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup all purpose flour
  • heaping ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg
  • 3 tablespoons milk
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup hot coffee, see note

Vanilla frosting:

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 ¼ cups powdered sugar, sifted
  • ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons milk, half and half, or cream

Instructions

For the cupcakes:

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 6 muffin cups or place 6 liners in a muffin pan. Set aside.
  • With a stand mixer or hand mixer, combine sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add egg, milk, oil, and vanilla extract and beat for 2 minutes. Add hot coffee or hot water, and beat until just combined. Batter will be thin.
  • Divide evenly between 6 prepared muffin cups. Bake for approximately 15 minutes, until the tops spring back when you touch them, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the frosting:

  • Beat butter and powdered sugar for several minutes, until smooth. Add vanilla extract and milk, and beat for several more minutes, until light and fluffy. If the frosting seems a little too thick, beat in a splash of milk. If it seems too thin, add another tablespoon of powdered sugar.
  • Frost the cooled cupcakes using a decorating tip or a butter knife. Garnish with sprinkles, if desired.

Notes

The flavor of the coffee will not come through in the cupcakes. The coffee flavor will help intensify the chocolate flavor. If you'd rather not use coffee, you can substitute hot water.

Nutrition

Calories: 329kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 118mg | Potassium: 116mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 41g | Vitamin A: 276IU | Calcium: 38mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.

Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!

Chocolate hearts inspired by Uproot from Oregon

« Candy Bar Cookie Pie
Creamy Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup »

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Comments

  1. Ama

    August 19, 2021 at 10:05 am

    Hi! Is the calorie count icing included or just the cupcake?

    Reply
    • Allison

      August 20, 2021 at 10:06 am

      I just updated the nutrition information. It is for one serving with icing. Enjoy!

      Reply
  2. Kiran

    December 25, 2021 at 1:08 pm

    5 stars
    These cupcakes were perfect! So decadent and moist! I did add a bit more milk (1-2 tablespoons) for extra moistness. This recipe made 9 cupcakes (yay for extras!)

    Thank you!

    Reply
    • Allison

      December 29, 2021 at 6:35 am

      You’re welcome. I’m glad you enjoyed them. 🙂

      Reply
  3. Wendi Romero

    March 14, 2022 at 4:33 pm

    Can I mix cupcake batter and frosting by hand ?

    Reply
    • Allison

      March 15, 2022 at 9:36 am

      You can prepare the cupcake batter by hand, just use a whisk. The frosting will be a bit more difficult though, as it’s fairly thick. You can try it. Enjoy!

      Reply
  4. Megan Jenkins

    March 30, 2022 at 8:14 pm

    5 stars
    These cupcakes are perfection. I live in Denver (altitude 5280′) and I always have to adjust chocolate cupcake recipes, particularly thin-battered ones like this. I used 1 TBSP less sugar, 2 TBSP additional flour, 1/4 TSP Baking Powder, 1/8 TSP baking soda, and 5 TBSP milk (I even used almond milk and it turned out great!). All of these are following the very helpful guides on the King Arthur Flour website for high altitude baking. I also raised the temp to 360 degrees and baked for somewhere between 13 and 14 minutes. I will say this recipe gave me 8 cupcakes and that was with a generous scoop using a standard cupcake scoop. My batter was about 3/4 full in each cupcake liner and they rose and domed beautifully. The cupcake itself was moist, dense but also fluffy, rich, and delicious. Would definitely make them again, especially when in need for a small amount of cupcakes that come together SO fast (you could easily be eating one of these in half an hour). Thanks for the great recipe!

    Reply
    • Allison

      April 01, 2022 at 2:44 pm

      You’re welcome. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. 🙂

      Reply
  5. Shelley B

    April 23, 2022 at 6:27 pm

    4 stars
    Good recipe. I was out of canola oil so I used two T of lightly melted butter. Used a little less baking powder since you included the soda. Mine needed to bake a total of 18 min.
    After cooling them, Had a little leftover cream cheese icing so I used a light smear of that and they were perfect .

    Reply
    • Allison

      May 02, 2022 at 8:14 am

      Thanks for sharing. I’m glad you enjoyed them. 🙂

      Reply
  6. pavani

    May 15, 2022 at 2:02 am

    5 stars
    the cupcakes were the best!

    Reply
  7. Nilam

    June 06, 2022 at 6:03 am

    Please share eggless chocolate cupcakes recipe serving 6

    Reply
  8. Timie

    June 27, 2022 at 5:42 pm

    5 stars
    These are amazing! Granddaughters wanted chocolate frosting so I zapped a tablespoon of milk chocolate chips for about 45 seconds, Then I followed the rest of the instructions. I kid you not the frosting taste like Wendy’s frosties. So yummy and I love the small recipe.

    Reply
    • Allison

      June 29, 2022 at 1:41 pm

      I’m glad you enjoyed them!

      Reply
  9. Mel

    October 08, 2022 at 10:51 am

    I had to double the water because as-is, it was very very thick!!
    it came out perfectly when i doubled the water

    Reply
  10. Lauren Caplan

    January 13, 2023 at 10:50 am

    5 stars
    Can I double the cupcake recipe to make 12 cupcakes?

    Reply
    • Allison

      January 16, 2023 at 9:09 am

      Yes. That should be fine.

      Reply
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aboutHi, I'm Allison! I'm a busy wife and mom with a passion for cooking and baking. This is where you'll find my favorite homemade recipes, designed to help you make every day delicious! Read more....

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