Double Chocolate Birthday Cupcakes
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!
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.
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 1cupcake | Calories: 325kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 112mg | Sodium: 85mg | Potassium: 147mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 445IU | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 2mg
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