Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes!
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Easy, delicious and super insane chocolate fudge cupcakes with the ultimate chocolate buttercream frosting!
Chocolate fudge cupcakes
So the time has come, to morph my chocolate fudge cake into the very sort after chocolate fudge cupcakes. Honestly, this has been SO requested that I apologise that it’s taken so long. These are the most incredible cupcakes, so here they are.
From the start I will say that these are quite a bit more intense than the classic ‘chocolate cupcake’. If you are after something delicious, but easier and more basic, then check out my chocolate cupcakes recipe! They’re more chocolate Victoria sponge based, whereas these beauties are intense and wonderful and super fudgy like they should be.
The cupcakes
For the cupcake sponges, you need to use dark chocolate in the cake sponge as this is part of what makes it so fudgey, so PLEASE don’t switch it to milk chocolate. Don’t worry if you don’t like dark chocolate, they don’t taste bitter – they taste like a rich and delicious chocolate cake.
The cupcakes features coffee and even if you don’t like coffee, you need to use it – they don’t taste like coffee, it just makes the cupcakes super chocolate and heavenly.
The cupcakes use buttermilk which helps create moisture and creates the rise in the cupcakes and it’s great. Don’t worry if you can’t find it in the shops though, you can make it yourself – mix 1tbsp lemon juice with 250ml whole milk to create your own.
This sort of cake mixture is a lot thinner once you have made it, in comparison to a normal cake batter like a chocolate Victoria sponge. When I make it, I really just use my hand and a whisk and a spatula… there is no need for an electric mixer for these cupcakes as the batter is so easy to mix together.
Simple method
Melt the chocolate and butter, add in the dissolved coffee, whisk all the dry ingredients together, and whisk the eggs, vanilla and buttermilk together and you have a cake! They bake for about 20 minutes at 160ºfan, (or 30+ at 140ºc) and they are gloriously easy to create.
For the frosting, it’s just basically a cocoa powder American buttercream frosting, but mixed with evaporated milk. This is basically all that makes it special, but IT IS WORTH IT.
The evaporated milk is 100% worth the investment because it levels up the frosting so much. I tend to buy the mini tin size, so as there isn’t as much wastage, but with this recipe there is about half a tin left. I then use it up in another batch of cupcakes or use it in another recipe.
Decoration
The decoration of cupcakes like this is so easy, and I just adore something that is quick and easy to achieve. I went for adding my delicious chocolate fudge frosting to a large piping bag with my favourite piping tip, and swirled it onto the cupcakes.
I used a mixture of sprinkles on top as I love how it looks, but it’s entirely up to you how you decorate them – add fruit, a drizzle of chocolate, chocolates etc and you will have a winner.
Tips & Tricks
- This recipe is based on my chocolate fudge cake with a few changes to suit the cupcakes
- I used this medium 2D closed star piping tip
- And I used these gorgeous baking cups from Iced Jems
- The evaporated milk cannot be switched to condensed milk.
- The soured cream can be used, or the buttermilk.
- These cupcakes will last for 3+ days at room temperature
- These cupcakes will freeze for 3+ months easily
Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes!
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes!
- 100 g dark chocolate
- 100 g unsalted butter
- 1 tsp instant coffee
- 75 ml boiling water
- 100 g plain flour
- 20 g cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 200 g light brown sugar
- 2 medium eggs
- 75 ml buttermilk (or soured cream)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla (optional)
For the Frosting!
- 150 g unsalted butter (room temp - not stork/spread)
- 300 g icing sugar
- 35 g cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp vanilla (optional)
- 75-100 ml evaporated milk
Decorations
- Sprinkles
Instructions
For the Cupcakes!
- Preheat your oven to 160C/140C fan, and get your cupcake cases ready.
- In a microwave proof bowl, add your chocolate and butter and heat and mix until melted. I usually do 30 second bursts!
- Pour the boiling water onto the coffee granules and mix until smooth - add the coffee mix into the chocolate/butter mix until smooth.
- Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and sugar to a large bowl and whisk until distributed.
- Mix together the buttermilk, eggs and vanilla.
- Add the three mixes together - I pour the chocolate/coffee mix and the egg/soured cream mix into the dry ingredients and fold until smooth.
- Split the mixture evenly between the baking cases. I use regular baking cups from Iced Jems, and I fill them 2/3 full.
- Bake in the oven for 28-32 minutes, or until baked.
- Leave to cool fully once baked!
For the Frosting!
- Make sure your butter is at room temperature!
- Beat the butter on it's own for a few minutes to soften!
- Add in the icing sugar and cocoa powder 1/2 at a time, and beat until combined.
- Add in the vanilla if using, and then the evaporated milk a little at a time beating fully in-between each go!
Decoration!
- Pipe onto your cupcakes how you please! I used a medium 2D closed star piping tip.
- Sprinkle on your favourite sprinkles and enjoy!
Notes
- This recipe is based on my chocolate fudge cake with a few changes to suit the cupcakes
- I used this medium 2D closed star piping tip
- And I used these gorgeous baking cups from Iced Jems
- The evaporated milk cannot be switched to condensed milk.
- The soured cream can be used, or the buttermilk.
- These cupcakes will last for 3+ days at room temperature
- These cupcakes will freeze for 3+ months easily
Find my other recipes on my Recipes Page!
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J x
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I am making these today however I, only have dark brown sugar in just now, would it be okay to use that instead of light?
🙂
Yes that will work!
I ended up doing a 2/3 dark brown and 1/3 caster. Worked out delicious!!! 😻👌
Would Vanilla extract be ok ? Xxx
Yes! Nielsen Massey is the best. x
Hi, can these cupcakes be frozen (prior to adding buttercream obviously)? I’d like to make them for work on Thursday but would be much easier if I could bake over the weekend and then just decorate Wednesday evening? Thank you!
Hi Jane! can i ask what brand of cocoa powder you use? When I try to make chocolate frosting the texture looks not-so-smooth and dotty when i use cocoa powder :,D
That shouldn’t have anything to do with the cocoa powder.. I use any from the supermarket that I have! Are you sure you are using cocoa powder and not hot chocolate powder?
These look amazing, can you make these in advance and freeze? Want to make them.for the adults that will be at my sons party and want to pre-make them?
Made these today with my daughter, the sponge is so light. We’d run out of plain flour so used self-raising instead and didn’t have any unsalted butter but they still tasted great.
Was going to make your lemon drizzle cupcakes in the morning but now im torn between both 🤔
Definitely both!
Hello! Thanks for sharing. These were delicious. Just wondering do you think adding evaporated milk to other flavour buttercreams eg lotus or vanilla, would work? Thanks
Hi,
These look so yummy. I was wondering if it’s essential to use the melted dark chocolate, I’m about to make these and I’ve realised I’ve forgotten to buy dark chocolate.
Yes, its quite key to the bake!
How can you store the cupcakes after they’ve been made? I’m making them for a picnic the day before, so I would need to store them overnight.
Thank you
A cake storage tin, cupcake box, Tupperware container – room temp is best!
Rave reviews from 6 totally independent parties! Your recipes never fail, thank you for sharing them all.
Ahh that’s amazing!! Thank you so much!
Hi Jane, just wondering if you have any preference on cocoa powder at all, whether some work better than others? I was looking online at Hershey’s, although a little more expensive I quite liked the idea that it is just cocoa and doesn’t go through other processes some do, have you tried Hershey’s in any recipes? Thanks in advance. The cupcakes look scrum, I’ve never thought of adding evaporated milk before & must give it a go! x
I use Cacao Barry Extra Brute cocoa powder from Makro as I bulk buy, but if I ever use supermarket stuff, I prefer Dr Oetkers Extra Dark cocoa powder, or Tescos own!
Hi Jane,
I am just wondering whether the coffee comes through in the taste.? Not the biggest fan of coffee however I see Instant Coffee in lots of fudge cake recipes. They look divine by the way and can’t wait to try this one out for myself.
Thank you.
Lisa
No, it doesn’t. It just enhances the chocolate flavour and gives them a wonderful texture too!
Looks so yummy…just wondering…can these be made with Stork instead of butter?
The cupcake can, the buttercream really must not.
Im a cake maker and Ive used this recipe a few times for my cupcakes and customers loven them. Although i tried tripling the ingredients as i needed to make 36 cupcakes and the batter was more runny than when i only doubled it🤷🏻♀️ They also were slightly crispy on top. And the batter had alot of lumps as i was only folding thru rather than using the mixer? They tasted ok but not as good as before trys🤷🏻♀️
Tripling is quite a lot of mix – so you probably won’t have mixed it correctly, especially if you still had lumps. x
Just tried these little slices of heaven! Definitely worth a try! First test batch a success 👍🏻Will be making another batch tomorrow for the work guinea pigs 🐹
Don’t worry I won’t have eaten them all myself 🙈
Yummy 😍
Thank you!!