Chocolate Cupcakes with Burnt Sugar German Buttercream

The german buttercream does require several steps, but the cupcakes are made with a simple one bowl recipe. I used to not like frostings very much, but when I made german buttercream for the first time about one year ago, I fell in looooovvveee. As a buttercream with a pastry cream base, I find that it has the perfect balance of sweet and buttery. The burnt sugar gives it such an amazing depth of flavor that you'll want to eat it by the spoonful. 

For more unique cupcake recipes, try Coconut Cupcakes with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting, Fudgy Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes, Small Batch Vanilla Cupcakes with Dark Chocolate Frosting, and Lemon Meringue Cupcakes.

Ingredient Notes

• All-Purpose Flour: You'll a little more than 1 ½ cups of flour.
• Dutch Process Cocoa Powder: Dutch process cocoa powder provides the best rich, chocolate flavor in this recipe.
• Granulated Sugar: You'll need a little less than 1 cup of sugar.
• Espresso Powder: The espresso powder only amplifies the chocolate flavor, you will not be able to taste it in the cupcakes. You can omit if you would like.
• Baking Powder: Be sure your baking powder is fresh by testing it in water!
• Baking Soda: Be sure your baking soda is fresh by testing it vinegar!
• Neutral Oil: Use vegetable oil, canola oil, or a light-tasting olive oil. 
• Whole Milk: Whole milk provides the best flavor in baked goods.
• Plain Whole Milk Yogurt: Similar to milk, full-fat yogurt is best for baking. 
• Eggs: Bring your eggs to room temperature by placing them in a bowl of warm water. 
• Vanilla Extract: Never skip the vanilla!
• Boiling Water: Freshly boiled water is added to the batter last to "bloom" the chocolate, amplifying the flavor.
• Egg Yolks: You'll need 4 egg yolks for this recipe.
• Granulated Sugar: You only need a ½ cup of sugar for the pastry cream, because the burnt sugar will be added later to the buttercream. 
• Cornstarch: Cornstarch is used to thicken the pastry cream.
• Whole Milk: Whole milk will provide the best flavor.
• Unsalted Butter: You'll need two sticks of unsalted butter at room temperature.

See recipe card for full information on ingredients and individual quantities.

Step by Step Instructions

Here are step by step photos and instructions on how to make this chocolate cupcake recipe! For the full ingredient list and method, see the recipe card at the end of this post.

STEP 1: Make the cupcakes. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients, then add the oil, milk, yogurt, eggs, and vanilla, and mix until fully combined. Mix in the freshly boiled water, then transfer the batter to the cupcake pan, filling each about ⅔ full. Bake the cupcakes for about 16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before decorating.

STEP 2: Make the buttercream. Start by making the pastry cream over the stovetop, then chilling overnight in the fridge. Once fully chilled, beat the pastry cream for about 10 minutes on low speed until it warms up to about 70 degrees. Add the butter, a few cubes at a time, and beat on medium speed. If it looks curdled at all, continue beating on low speed until smooth. Blend the burnt sugar into a powder and add to the buttercream, mixing until fully combined. 

Expert Baking Tips

• For the pastry cream, it can be difficult to tell when milk is simmering, so a good rule of thumb is to simply bring it to about 195-200 degrees F. 
• I recommend making the pastry cream the day before so it has time to cool down overnight.
• You can also make the burnt sugar the day before, just be sure to store the pieces in a ziplock bag and store them in the fridge so they do not become too soft and stick together. 

All of the recipes on this blog are carefully developed with gram measurements so you can easily recreate them in your own kitchen with success. Volume measurements are extremely inaccurate and leave room for significant errors. Not all measuring cups are made equally, so your one cup of flour will be different from my one cup of flour. By providing precise measurements in grams (aside from minor ingredients, which are given in tsp/tbsp), you can make these recipes accurately and with less cleanup! All you need is this kitchen scale. 

If this still isn't enough to convince you, I have provided volume measurements in the recipe card. If you are interested in understanding the conversions, this is the best conversion chart.

But trust me, once you try baking in grams you'll never turn back!

Happy baking! x