High Altitude Chocolate Cupcakes

An easy recipe for high altitude chocolate cupcakes with rich and fluffy chocolate buttercream. These cupcakes are completely made from scratch, and they come together quickly with just a bowl and whisk. If you’re looking for a moist chocolate cupcakes recipe that’s high altitude tested, you’ll love these cupcakes!

Looking for more high altitude cupcake recipes? You’ll love these chocolate coconut cupcakes, cookies and cream cupcakes, red velvet cupcakes, and the best vanilla cupcakes.

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Perfected for High Altitude. One of the most frequently asked questions about cake recipes is, can this be made into cupcakes?  The answer isn’t always straightforward, because some cake batters simply bake better in cake pans than they do in individual cupcakes.  I’ve had cake batter that bakes beautifully in cake pans, but is a disaster as cupcakes. And for high-altitude bakers, the answer can be even more uncertain. With a cupcake, you want a batter that rises into a gentle dome, not spilling over the edges into a muffin top, and definitely not collapsing with the dreaded sunken center. Today’s chocolate cupcakes are based on my popular high altitude chocolate cake recipe, and they truly are perfect.

Moist for Days. One of the best things about these cupcakes is how moist they are, which means they can be made a day or two in advance, if needed, without fear of them drying out.  Whole milk, sour cream and vegetable oil add moisture and richness, and the result is a beautiful cupcake with a tender crumb that stays soft for days.

Pair with Any Flavor Frosting. A chocolate cupcake is delicious with chocolate buttercream, but it goes great with pretty much anything you want to put on top! Vanilla, peanut butter, espresso, caramel, coconut, they’re all amazing with chocolate.

Decorate for Any Occasion. You can change the whole mood of these cupcakes depending on the occasion. For a kid’s birthday party, add some colorful rainbow sprinkles on top. For the chocolate lovers in your life, decorate the cupcakes with a variety of milk and dark chocolate squares, mini chocolate chips, chocolate truffles or chocolate curls. You can even fill the centers of the cupcakes with creamy dark chocolate ganache.

See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.

Ingredients

• Cocoa Powder. I only bake with Dutch-processed cocoa powder, and if a recipe specifies Dutch, then you cannot substitute natural cocoa powder instead. A good chocolate cupcake depends on good cocoa powder, and I’ve been through several brands lately, but am currently using Rodelle Dutched Cocoa Powder.  The flavor is rich and deliciously chocolatey. Other favorites are Drost and Cacao Barry Extra Brute.
• Flour. I like to use cake flour in white cakes, but all-purpose flour works great in chocolate cakes. It’s still a very light and fluffy cake with a beautiful crumb.
• Sugar. Granulated sugar sweetens and moistens the cake.
• Baking Powder + Baking Soda + Salt. I use both baking powder and baking soda to leaven this cake. And of course, every cake needs salt to balance the sweetness and enhance the flavor of the chocolate. I use coarse Kosher salt in all my cooking and baking.
• Espresso Powder. Enhances the flavor of the chocolate.
• Eggs. Give the cake its structure, and add richness.
• Whole Milk + Sour Cream. A combination of milk and sour cream gives this cake flavor and moisture. Sour cream is just fantastic in cakes.
• Vegetable Oil. Most cake recipes contain either butter or oil. Butter, of course, has a superior flavor, but oil is known for making an incredibly moist and light cake.
• Vanilla. Flavor.

Instructions

Cupcakes

• Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Line your cupcake/muffin pans with 15 paper liners.
• In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt and espresso powder.
• Add the eggs, milk, sour cream, oil and vanilla, and whisk until well combined, about 30 seconds.

• Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to scoop the batter into the muffin pan, filling the cups about 2/3 – 3/4 full.

• Bake the cupcakes on the center rack for about 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool several minutes in the pan, then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

Buttercream

• In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter for 1 minute on medium speed until smooth.
• With the mixer on low, gradually add the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, meringue powder, salt and vanilla.  Increase speed to medium-high and whip for 4-5 minutes, scraping the bowl occasionally, until very light and fluffy, adding the milk as needed for desired piping consistency.

• Pipe the buttercream onto the cooled cupcakes and decorate with chocolate squares, mini chocolate chips or chocolate curls.

Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common questions with cake making, so that you can be successful in your own baking! I also suggest reading these comprehensive posts on making Perfect American Buttercream, How to Stack, Fill, Crumb Coat and Frost Layer Cakes and How to Use Piping Bags.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do these chocolate cupcakes stay moist?

These cupcakes can be baked 1 day in advance, and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and they will taste moist and fresh.  Bring to room temperature before serving. Keep them refrigerated for up to 3 days.

What piping tip did you use?

I used tip 1M. The buttercream recipe yields a generous amount of frosting for piping onto the cupcakes.  If you like to use less, you can certainly cut the recipe in half.

Will this recipe work at low altitudes, too?

This is a high altitude recipe, so you will likely need to make a few minor adjustments for low altitude, such as reducing the flour a little and increasing the leavening. This article provides good guidance on specific adjustments.

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