Chocolate Lover’s Mini Chocolate Cupcakes

Attention chocolate lovers. You’re going to need to make these mini chocolate cupcakes with whipped ganache ASAP! Made with rich chocolate cake and 3-ingredient ganache frosting, they’re super easy, super chocolatey, and 100% made from scratch. And, this recipe makes 72 cupcakes so they’re amazing for parties and get-togethers!

Back when I was a very cool teen (this is sarcasm, in case you didn’t pick up on that), I had a cupcake business where I made gourmet cupcakes for literally anyone who would let me. Weddings, birthday parties, graduations, you name it, I fully capitalized on the cupcake era of 2012.

And even though I had all kinds of gourmet, lovingly-developed flavors that I came up with when I was in pastry school, the real star of the show was always the humble mini cupcake. Because honestly. Just like teacup Yorkies and Polly Pockets, people lose their shit over a mini cupcake.

If you have a party, wedding, or get-together coming up anytime soon, I implore you to give this recipe a try! As a self-proclaimed chocolate cake snob, I can tell you that these pass the test every time. And if you’re looking for even more mini desserts, start with these super chewy brownie bites or mini chocolate chip cookies!

Who doesn’t love a mini cupcake?

More than anything, what I love about this recipe is that it makes a big batch of bite-size treats – 72 to be exact. That means no slicing cakes, no half-eaten cupcakes, no washing forks. But of course, there’s plenty of other reasons to make these cupcakes too!

• The cake is a one-bowl recipe. And you don’t even need a hand mixer.
• The whipped ganache frosting tastes like fudge. Enough said.
• Since they’re two-bite, these cupcakes have just the right amount of richness and chocolate flavor. They’re the best!
• They’re cute and pretty which makes them amazing for any event, holiday, or gathering.

Oil-based cake

Chocolate cake has a reputation for being a drier cake. So even though I usually choose butter over oil, I live and die by an oil-based chocolate cake. It’s a foolproof way to ensure that the cake comes out moist, light, and rich every single time. For this recipe, use a neutral oil like canola, vegetable, or avocado.

Aside from neutral oil, you will also need sugar, buttermilk, eggs, vanilla extract, all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and Morton’s Kosher salt. For the ganache, you will need a semi-sweet chocolate wafers (or a chopped bar) and heavy whipping cream. Use good-quality chocolate and cocoa powder because it’ll make a big difference in the flavor of this recipe!

If you don’t want to buy buttermilk, try this hack I learned in pastry school! Measure out 1 cup (240 milliliters) of whole milk and then remove 1 Tablespoon (15 milliliters). Add 1 Tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice. Give it a whisk and let it sit for about 10 minutes, until it’s slightly curdled. The end!

Cupcake directions

1. Add the sugar, buttermilk, oil, eggs, & vanilla extract to a large mixing bowl.
2. Whisk the wet ingredients until they’re nice and smooth.
3. Pour the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into the wet ingredients.

Make sure to sift the cocoa powder to get rid of any lumps. Otherwise, you’ll end up with pockets of cocoa powder in the cupcakes themselves.

4. Mix the batter just until it comes together. Don’t over-mix or the cupcakes will come out dry and dense!
5. Divide the batter into mini muffin liners. Bake the cupcakes at 350°F (177°C) for 11-12 minutes.

Ganache frosting

1. Bring the cream to a gentle simmer until it’s hot. Don’t let it boil!
2. In a medium mixing bowl, pour the hot cream over the chocolate.
3. Then, let it sit for about 5 minutes. Stir the ganache until smooth.

4. Let the ganache cool until it’s nice and thick.
5. Next, whip the ganache until stiff peaks form.
6. Lastly, use a piping bag to frost the cooled cupcakes.

The ganache needs to be cool or it will not whip into peaks. It’s ready when it’s about the consistency of canned frosting. If it’s the consistency of pudding, it’s still too warm! To speed up the process, you can pop it in the fridge for a few minutes. But don’t let it get too cold or it will make the ganache grainy.

Mini muffin pan

To make these cupcakes, you will need some kind of mini muffin pan. I really love the pans from Williams Sonoma because they distribute heat well! But whatever you have will work great.

If you don’t have a mini muffin pan, try silicon mini cupcake liners. They are sturdy enough that they will hold up the batter without falling over. Just place them on a sheet pan!

Storing & freezing tips

If you have leftovers, place them in an airtight container and store the cupcakes at room temperature for up to 2 days. And don’t worry about the cream in the frosting! The sugar and fat in the chocolate keeps bacteria from growing. But, if you still want to refrigerate them, that’s ok too.

These cupcakes also freeze really well. Just pop them into a freezer-safe airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temp for a few hours before eating.

Decoration ideas

I like to keep these cupcakes simple with pretty piping, but you can honestly get as creative as you want here! These are just a couple ways to dress up these cupcakes.

• Add chocolate, rainbow, or gold sprinkles
• Decorate the cupcakes with chocolate shavings
• Sprinkle them with chopped pecans or almonds
• Add a mini Oreo or crushed Oreos on top
• Sprinkle them with chopped candy like malt balls or peanut butter cups

Recipe yield

This recipe makes 72 bite-sized cupcakes. You’ll want to plan on making 1-2 cupcakes per person. But, I’ve halved this recipe dozens of times and it always works great. So if you only need 36 cupcakes, go for it! If you need more cupcakes, I would make multiple batches of batter instead of doubling or tripling the recipe. Baking recipes don’t always multiply well!

When it comes to baking recipes, I always recommend using a kitchen scale instead of measuring cups! A scale is the only way to get a recipe 100% accurate every time. But if you don’t have a scale, at least make sure you’re measuring the flour & cocoa powder correctly. Fluff the flour & cocoa powder with a whisk, spoon the fluffed flour & cocoa powder into measuring cups, and level them off without packing them in.

If you make this recipe, I would love it if you left a star rating and review! I read every single comment and love hearing what you think about my recipes. Thank you for supporting Sunday Table!

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