These double chocolate birthday cupcakes have everything you want in a celebratory dessert: fluffy, moist chocolate cake, rich chocolate frosting that's just sweet enough, and plenty of rainbow sprinkles. The recipe makes 18 cupcakes, so it's perfect for birthday parties or any occasion that calls for an extra dose of chocolate!
Jump to Recipe
Why you'll love these double chocolate birthday cupcakes
- Soft & Moist Chocolate Cake:Â These cupcakes bake up impossibly soft with moist crumbs, making them the definition of indulgence.
- Silky French Buttercream: This is the dreamiest French buttercream! It's silky smooth in texture and packed with chocolate flavor.
- Chocolate on Chocolate: A rich chocolate cupcake paired with decadent chocolate French buttercream makes these cupcakes ideal for chocolate lovers and the perfect addition to my Chocolate on Chocolate series.
For more birthday recipes, try my Sheet Pan Chocolate Birthday Cake, Birthday Funfetti Cake, Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake, Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting, and Small Vanilla Cake.
Ingredient Notes
- Flour: Use high quality unbleached all-purpose flour for best flavor and overall result.
- Cocoa Powder: I recommend a mix dutch process and black cocoa powders for a rich chocolatey flavor.
- Oil: I recommend using an extra light tasting olive oil for this cake recipe.
- Butter: I highly recommend European-style butter, as it has a higher fat percentage and less water content than American-style butter. I use Kerrygold!
- Chocolate: French buttercream contains a lot of chocolate, so it's very important to use a high quality brand! I love Guittard semisweet or dark chocolate.
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 double chocolate birthday cupcake recipe! For the full ingredient list and method, see the recipe card at the end of this post.
Make the batter
In a medium bowl, add the sugars, oil, eggs, and vanilla, and whisk until smooth. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and mix until mostly combined. Lastly, add the milk and whisk until fully combined.
Bake the cupcakes
Pour the cupcake batter into the prepared cupcake pan, filling each only halfway full. Bake the cupcakes for about 20-22 minutes or until the centers spring back when you touch them and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow them to cool completely before decorating.Â
Make the frosting
Whisk the egg yolks and sugar on high speed until foamy while you make the sugar syrup. Heat the remaining granulated sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat until it reaches 240 degrees F. Slowly pour the sugar syrup into egg yolks while mixing to temper the eggs. Continue mixing for 1-2 minutes until the mixture cools. Add the butter to the mixture a few cubes at a time, allowing them to fully incorporate before adding more. Lastly, add the cooled melted chocolate. Continue mixing until the buttercream is completely smooth.
Decorate!
Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag with a large round piping tip. Pipe the buttercream onto each cupcake, and top with rainbow nonpareils sprinkles.
Expert Baking Tips
- Black cocoa powder substitute: If you do not have black cocoa powder, you can use an equal amount of dutch process cocoa powder, making it a total of 42g or ½ cup.
- Use a cookie scoop to portion the batter. To add an even amount of batter to each cup, use a cookie scoop. I used a 3 tablespoon scoop to fill each cup about ½ full.
Recipe FAQs
Dutch process cocoa powder is THE best cocoa powder for baking. Because it's neutralized with an alkalizing agent, it has a smoother flavor and creates the most fudgy and chocolatey baked goods! Black cocoa powder is similar to dutch process, but richer in flavor and darker in color. It is typically used in small amounts alongside another cocoa powder to enhance the color and flavor of the baked good. It smells like actual chocolate cake and is just magical to bake with!
Store these cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, in the fridge for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Baking in Grams
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.Â
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
Other cake & cupcake recipes to try
If you tried this recipe, I'd love to know how it turned out for you! Leave a star rating & review below and post a picture (or video!) on Instagram and tag me so I can see your bakes! Not ready to make this recipe yet? Click the heart button on the right of your screen to save it for later 🙂
📖 Recipe
Double Chocolate Birthday Cupcakes
Equipment
Ingredients
For the chocolate cupcakes:
- 90 g (¾ cup) all-purpose flour
- 21 g (¼ cup) Dutch process cocoa powder
- 21 g (¼ cup) black cocoa powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 100 g (½ cup) granulated sugar
- 106 g (½ cup) light brown sugar
- 74 g (¼ cup + 2 tbsp) neutral oil
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoon vanilla
- 113 g (½ cup) whole milk
For the chocolate French buttercream:
- 227 g (8 oz) semisweet chocolate, melted
- 6 egg yolks
- 124 g (½ cup + 2 tbsp) granulated sugar, divided
- 42 g (3 tablespoon) water
- 227 g (16 tablespoon) unsalted butter, room temp
- rainbow nonpareil sprinkles, for decorating
Instructions
For the chocolate cupcakes:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Add liners to 18 wells across two cupcake pans. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powders, baking powder, and salt.
- In a medium bowl, add the sugars, oil, eggs, and vanilla, and whisk until smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and mix until mostly combined.
- Lastly, add the milk and whisk until fully combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cupcake pans, filling each only halfway full. Use a 3 tablespoon cookie scoop to make each cupcake even, and do not overfill or they will spill over in the oven!
- Bake the cupcakes for about 20-22 minutes or until the centers spring back when you touch them and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before decorating.
For the chocolate French buttercream:
- In a medium bowl, add the chocolate and microwave in 20 second increments until fully melted. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the egg yolks and 24g (2 tbsp) sugar and use an electric hand mixer to beat on high speed until foamy while you make the sugar syrup.
- In a small saucepan, combine the remaining 100g (½ cup) granulated sugar and water, and place over medium heat until it reaches 240 degrees F.
- Slowly pour the sugar syrup into egg yolk mixture while mixing to temper the eggs. Continue mixing for 1-2 minutes until the mixture cools.
- Add the butter to the mixture a few cubes at a time, allowing them to fully incorporate before adding more.
- Once all of the butter has been mixed in, add the cooled melted chocolate. Continue mixing until the buttercream is completely smooth.
For assembly:
- Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag with a large round piping tip.
- Pipe the buttercream onto each cupcake, and top with rainbow nonpareil sprinkles.
Notes
- Black cocoa powder substitute: If you do not have black cocoa powder, you can use an equal amount of dutch process cocoa powder, making it a total of 42g or ½ cup.
- Use a cookie scoop to portion the batter. To add an even amount of batter to each cup, use a cookie scoop. I used a 3 tablespoon scoop to fill each cup about ½ full.
Comments
No Comments