Double Chocolate Valentine’s Day Cupcakes

Looking for an easy dessert to celebrate a holiday? Try these Double Chocolate Valentine’s Day Cupcakes. A soft, tender, foolproof chocolate cupcake recipe.

I was reminiscing to Kinslee the other day how much I miss Valentine’s Day when the kids were younger. We weren’t yet worrying about boyfriends and flowers and dates. Our biggest concern was what we’d have for dessert after eating a heart shaped pizza.

Whether you have kids, grandkids, schoolkids or just a significant other you want to make smile, we have an easy chocolate cupcake recipe for you to try. 100% from scratch. Easy peasy.

A close up of a chocolate cupcake with frosting

Easy Chocolate Cupcakes

This recipe is similar to our favorite chocolate cake. It’s homemade, but if you’ve never been brave enough to try your own homemade cake, this is definitely the one to start with. We’ve never had it turn out poorly!

This recipe takes no strange ingredients. They are all pantry staples. You’ll need to mix the dry ingredients separately. I know, I know…it dirties two bowls but if you want the best results, this is the way you should do it.

collage of cupcake ingredients in a bowl

Tips for Making Chocolate Cupcakes

Here are a few tips to remember when making homemade cupcakes:

  • Large Eggs. Large eggs are a standard when baking. If the recipe doesn’t specify what size eggs, use large. If it mentions medium or XL eggs, then definitely use those.
  • Vegetable Oil. We’ve also used melted coconut oil in this recipe. It’s delicious!
  • Buttermilk. We recommend buying buttermilk in the refrigerator section of the store. If you are in a pinch and don’t have any buttermilk, add one tablespoon of white vinegar to a measuring cup, then fill the cup the rest of the way with milk. Allow this mixture to sit for a few minutes and use it as buttermilk in this recipe.
  • Boiling Water. Hot water helps the cocoa powder mix into the cake batter.
cupcake batter in mixing bowl

Pro Tip: Instead of boiling water, use strong hot coffee. It enhances the chocolate flavor, but you won’t taste the coffee. It’s so good!

  • Use a mixer. We have used both a stand mixer and a hand mixer for this recipe. The ingredients mix together better when using more than just a hand whisk.
  • Fill cupcake liners half way. If you want the cupcakes to have a pretty shape and not overflow the liners, only fill them halfway. This gives them plenty of room to rise.

What frosting is best for cupcakes?

We used a simple vanilla frosting on these homemade cupcakes. It doesn’t have as much butter as a standard buttercream, so it’s a little sweeter. If you’d like to cut back on the sweetness, add a dash of salt.

Here are a few other options for cupcake frosting:

A close up of a plate of birthday cupcake on a table

How to Store Cupcakes

Cupcakes are best stored at room temperature in an airtight container. You can keep them at room temperature for up to 3 days. If you want to keep them longer than that, freeze them.

Frosted Double Chocolate Valentine's Day Cupcakes
Frosted Double Chocolate Valentine's Day Cupcakes

Double Chocolate Valentine’s Day Cupcakes

4.50 from 6 votes
Homemade chocolate cupcakes with chocolate chips, all dressed up for Valentine's Day!
Servings 24
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes

Ingredients
 

For the Cupcakes:

For the Frosting:

  • ½ cup butter (softened)
  • 1 2/3 cups icing sugar (sifted)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 3 tablespoons heavy cream
  • valentine sprinkles

Instructions
 

Make the Cupcakes:

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two 12-cup muffin pans with cupcake liners. Set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl beat together the eggs, sugar, butter, oil, cocoa, buttermilk and vanilla.
  • In a medium bowl stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
  • Gradually stir flour mixture into the wet egg mixture.
  • Add the boiling water and mix well.
  • Fold in the chocolate chips.
  • Pour or spoon the batter into the prepared liners filling each about halfway.
  • Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  • Allow to cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.

Frosting:

  • In a large bowl cream together the butter and icing sugar.
  • Add the vanilla and half-and-half and blend until smooth.
  • Frost the cupcakes when they have cooled completely and sprinkle with Valentine sprinkles.

Notes

The calories shown are based on the recipe making 24 cupcakes, with 1 serving being 1 frosted cupcake. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information.**

Nutrition

Calories: 198kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 129mg | Potassium: 78mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 217IU | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 1mg
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Calories 198
Keyword birthday cupcakes, easy cupcake recipe, valentines day
pile chocolate cupcakes with white frosting

About Julie Clark

We are Julie, Maddie, and Kinslee – a mother and daughter team sharing with you the best cakes to satisfy any need or sweet craving that you may have. Welcome to our family’s kitchen!

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