The Best Easy Mini Chocolate Cupcakes
Need cupcakes for a party? Then you're going to need to make these mini chocolate cupcakes ASAP! With rich chocolate cake and whipped ganache frosting, they're super easy, super chocolatey, and 100% made from scratch. And, this recipe makes 72 cupcakes in just 40 minutes!
Ingredients
Mini Chocolate Cupcakes
- 250 grams sugar (1 1/4 cups)
- 240 milliliters buttermilk (1 cup)
- 140 milliliters neutral oil, like canola or avocado oil (2/3 cup)
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 180 grams all-purpose flour (1 1/2 cups)
- 48 grams unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch process, sifted (1/2 cup)
- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
Whipped Ganache Frosting
- 240 milliliters heavy whipping cream (1 cup)
- 225 grams semi-sweet chocolate wafers, or a finely chopped bar (8 ounces)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of Kosher salt
Equipment
- Kitchen scale (or measuring cups)
- Mini cupcake pan
Instructions
Mini Chocolate Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 24-cup mini muffin pan with mini cupcake liners. Set aside.
- Add the sugar, buttermilk, neutral oil, eggs, and vanilla extract to a large mixing bowl. Whisk until smooth.
- Then, add the all-purpose flour, sifted cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk just until the batter comes together and there are no more streaks of flour.
- Using a #60 scoop, fill the mini cupcake liners until they're about 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 11-12 minutes, until an inserted toothpick has just a few moist crumbs on it. Let the cupcakes sit in the pan for about 5 minutes and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat the above steps with the remaining batter.
Whipped Ganache Frosting
- Pour the heavy whipping cream into a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, stirring often. Don't let it come to a boil!
- Meanwhile, add the semi-sweet baking wafers or chopped chocolate bar to a medium mixing bowl. Once the heavy cream is hot, pour it over the chocolate and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Then, stir the ganache until it's very smooth.
- Let the ganache cool until it's thick, about the consistency of canned frosting. If it's not thickening, pop it in the fridge for a few minutes but don't let it harden.
- Once the ganache is thick and cooled, use a stand mixer or hand mixer with a whip attachment to whip the ganache into stiff peaks. It should take about 1-2 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and salt and mix just until combined.
Assemble the Cupcakes
- Once the cupcakes are cool, fit a piping bag with your favorite tip. Spoon the frosting into the piping bag.
- Pipe the whipped ganache frosting on the cupcakes. Store the cupcakes in an airtight container or serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
I recommend using a kitchen scale instead of measuring cups to make sure the recipe comes out 100% accurate. 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 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.
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.
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.
Serving: 1mini cupcake, Calories: 72kcal, Carbohydrates: 8g, Protein: 0.9g, Fat: 4.5g, Saturated Fat: 1.8g, Cholesterol: 10mg, Sodium: 45mg, Potassium: 33mg, Fiber: 0.5g, Sugar: 5.4g, Calcium: 9mg
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