I’ve tried many a bad chocolate cupcake in my life and went on a sort of quest to perfect my own chocolate cupcake recipe. I think these chocolate cupcakes come pretty close to perfection – decadently dark and rich and not too sweet.

Ingredients
Devil’s Food Cupcakes
- 7 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp instant coffee powder
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 250 ml boiling water
- 125 g butter room temperature
- ⅔ cup caster sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1⅔ cups plain flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
Chocolate Ganache
- 285 g dark chocolate I used 70%
- ½ cup water
- 175 g butter
- ⅓ cup icing sugar
Instructions
Devil’s Food Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line 2 x 12 muffin tins with cupcake papers.
- Stir the cocoa powder, coffee and brown sugar in a bowl and pour over the boiling water. Whisk to mix and set aside.
- Cream the butter and caster sugar together until pale and fluffy and then add the vanilla extract.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Slowly add the flour, bicarb and baking powder. Pour in the cocoa/coffee mixture and beat until just combined.
- Spoon the mixture into prepared muffin tins and fill approximately ¾ full (this recipe should make around 18 cupcakes)
- Bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes or until the cupcakes slightly spring back when touched.
- Allow the cupcakes to cool slightly in their tin before turning out onto a wire rack.
Chocolate Ganache
- Melt the chopped chocolate with the water in short bursts in the microwave, stirring occasionally until melted.
- Cut the butter into small pieces and whisk them into the chocolate.
- Whisk in sifted icing sugar until completely combined and the ganache is smooth. If it starts to go grainy keep whisking – it will come good!
- Cool until spreadable, whisking occasionally. Pop in the fridge to speed up this process.
- Spoon icing into a piping bag and pipe swirls onto the cooled cupcakes.
9 Comments
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Hi!
I’m looking forward to making these cupcakes for Halloween (the midnight hue is too perfect). Can you let me know if the butter in the ganache is salted or unsalted?
Thanks much!
Hi Christina, I tend to you salted butter in this ganache purely because I think a bit of salt is perfect with dark chocolate! But you can use whatever you prefer :)