Moist Small Batch Chocolate Cupcakes with Buttercream

Dig into these rich, chocolatey Small Batch Chocolate Cupcakes! The recipe yields six incredibly moist cupcakes, each crowned with a thick layer of chocolate buttercream. A perfect pick for the chocolate lover in your life!

What makes this recipe special

• It makes a small batch of 6 chocolate cupcakes.
• Rich and incredibly moist!
• It's all CHOCOLATE!
• No leftover sweets lingering to tempt you!
• Ideal for tiny gatherings, birthdays, or a family after-dinner treat.
• You can top them with all sorts of extras, such as mini Reese's peanut butter cups, crushed Oreos, or chocolate jimmies (or sprinkles)!
• They're a great match for this creamy chocolate buttercream frosting!

I've really enjoyed adding these small batch recipes to my recipe box, and I hope you'll do the same! I know not everyone wants 24 cupcakes or a full-size tart. Even so, this small batch chocolate cupcake recipe is easy to double if you need more.

If you like these small batch chocolate cupcakes, you might also enjoy my Mini Strawberry Nutella Tarts, Small Batch Vanilla Cupcakes, or Single Layer Chocolate Cake!

Steps for Making the Recipe

Here's a broad overview of how to make this small batch chocolate cupcake recipe. The detailed directions, including the chocolate buttercream frosting, are in the recipe below!

For the cupcakes, you won't need a hand mixer or a stand mixer. Two mixing bowls, a whisk, and a spatula are all you need!

Step 1. Whisk the dry ingredients together. This step is quick, but it helps before the wet ingredients go in. Add the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to a mixing bowl and whisk until thoroughly blended.

Step 2. Whisk the wet ingredients together. In a separate bowl, combine the egg, milk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and hot water in which the espresso powder has been dissolved.

Step 3. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Begin whisking in the center of the bowl, then gradually draw in more of the dry mixture as you go. Scrape the bowl's sides with a spatula if needed.

Step 4. Fill the cupcake liners evenly. I poured the batter into a glass measuring cup, then spooned it into each liner to catch any drips.

Step 5. Bake the cupcakes. For this small batch chocolate cupcake recipe, bake at 350ºF for 18-20 minutes.

Step 6. Let them cool completely. Start by cooling them in the tin for 5-10 minutes. Then take them out and set them on a wire rack. Whether you frost them the same day or a day or two later, cooling fully matters.

Cupcake Storage

Unfrosted chocolate cupcakes can be made 2-3 days ahead and kept at room temperature in a tightly sealed container.

If the tops feel slightly sticky after storing, leave them uncovered for about 30 minutes before you add the frosting.

I prefer keeping cupcakes at room temperature. If the weather is very hot or humid, you can refrigerate them instead, but they tend to dry out more that way, so use a well-sealed container.

More Frosting Pairings for Chocolate Cupcakes

Want to try a different frosting on your chocolate cupcakes? Any of these other frosting recipes will work. Keep in mind that if you pair one with these small batch chocolate cupcakes, you'll need to use less frosting.

• Vanilla Buttercream Frosting – this one is already sized for a small batch!
• Strawberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream
• Peanut Butter Frosting
• Pumpkin Buttercream Frosting – a great fit for fall!

Helpful Baking Tips

• Put the cupcake liners in the two middle rows of your cupcake tin.
• Take care not to overmix the cupcake batter.
• Spoon the batter in with a cookie scoop, a large measuring glass, or a large and a small spoon.
• Fill each cupcake about 2/3 full. Once baked, they should rise slightly into a dome and reach right to the top of the liner.
• If you fill them a bit less, you can make 7-8 cupcakes in total.

Recipe FAQs

Yes, you can! Use the same amount listed for the espresso powder, and dissolve it in hot water before adding it to the cupcake batter.
Or you can leave out the espresso powder completely. The hot water still belongs in the batter, so don't skip it.

Unfrosted chocolate cupcakes can be made 2-3 days ahead and kept at room temperature in a tightly sealed container.

A few things can make chocolate cupcakes turn out dry. 1) Measuring ingredients inaccurately. 2) Baking them too long. I always suggest checking at the earliest recommended baking time. 3) An oven running at the wrong temperature. Keep an oven thermometer inside to confirm it's calibrated correctly.

This chocolate buttercream recipe makes enough for a nice, thick layer. I used an offset spatula to frost them, though a medium-sized piping tip works too. If you'd rather have just a thin coat, you can halve the recipe, and I'd recommend using only an offset spatula in that case.

Yes. This chocolate frosting can be made a day or two ahead. Let it sit at room temperature for 1-2 hours before frosting the cupcakes, then give it a quick turn or two in the mixer to bring it back to life.

More Small Batch Dessert Recipes

If you make this Small Batch Chocolate Cupcake Recipe or anything else from my website, I'd love for you to leave a star rating and tell me what you thought in the comments below. Thanks for stopping by!