Easy chocolate cupcakes are the perfect solution to any chocolate craving! This old-fashioned, egg-free recipe makes twelve tender cupcakes for topping with your favorite frosting.
The first time I made this recipe was twelve years ago, for our niece’s first birthday party. Said niece is now 13 years old and participating in competitive dance and is a master at rolling her eyes at her aunt and uncle (though she is great at playing with her little cousin).
The requested cupcake flavor for that long-ago party was chocolate with strawberry buttercream frosting. Being that I didn’t have a good basic chocolate cake recipe in my repertoire at the time, I did what any grown woman would do: I texted my mom for help.
After rooting around in my great-grandmother’s recipe box, Momma pulled out this recipe and sent it my way. I gave it a try, piped some homemade strawberry frosting into rosettes, and they were the hit of the party.
About this easy chocolate cupcake recipe
The original cake recipe that I used for these easy chocolate cupcakes is known as a “wacky cake,” sometimes also called “crazy cake” or “Depression cake.” It is a style of chocolate cake that became popular sometime during the Great Depression or WWII because it does not use eggs, butter, or milk, all of which were in short supply at the time.
I did tweak the original recipe slightly, swapping in melted butter for the called-for shortening and simplifying the directions a tad.
Don’t let the fact that it’s an egg-free (and can be a dairy-free) recipe fool you. These are tender chocolate cupcakes with a moist crumb and can be whipped up in a matter of minutes.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Quick and easy: No creaming butter or sugar or alternating adding wet and dry ingredients. Just mix the batter together in one bowl, divide into cupcake wells, and bake!
- Allergy friendly: These easy chocolate cupcakes are already egg-free and can easily be made dairy-free by swapping the butter for dairy-free butter or shortening.
- Just 12 cupcakes: One batch makes 12 cupcakes, instead of many recipes which make twice as many. Just 12 cupcakes for a small birthday celebration, Valentine’s Day treat, game-day dessert, or just because you’re craving chocolate cupcakes. (You can double or triple the recipe if needed!)
Ingredients you’ll need
For full measurements and step-by-step instructions, scroll down to the printable recipe card.
The ingredients for these chocolate cupcakes are super simple. Since you don’t need any eggs or milk, you probably have what you need right in your pantry!
As with most of my cake recipes, you’ll need all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, fine sea salt, and vanilla extract.
The chocolate in the cupcakes come from unsweetened cocoa powder. This is sometimes called natural cocoa powder. If you only have Dutch-process cocoa, it may work, but I have no personally tested it.
We’ll use baking soda as our leavening in this recipe, since it has the acidity from the inclusion of white vinegar. The vinegar plays a similar role that buttermilk plays in raspberry almond coffee cake or sour cream plays in sour cream coffee cake. It adds lift and helps keep the cupcakes moist.
The original wacky cake recipe calls for melted shortening, but I like to swap that for melted unsalted butter. If you only have salted butter, you can reduce the salt to a heaping 1/4 teaspoon.
The final ingredient is warm water. Yes, make sure it’s warm! No, I’m not sure exactly why that works better, but let’s just trust the process on this one.
How to make these easy chocolate cupcakes
Ready to see how easy this recipe is?
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Add the vanilla, vinegar, melted butter, and warm water and stir until the cupcake batter is just combined.
You don’t need to whisk the wet ingredients separately—just add them right into the bowl and stir. The batter will be thin.
Portion the batter into 12 lined cupcake wells, using about 1/4 cup of batter per cupcake. I like to use a 2-ounce ice cream scoop to do this.
Bake the chocolate cupcakes at 350°F for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean.
Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating as desired.
Serving suggestions
The great thing about these moist chocolate cupcakes is they can be paired with pretty much any frosting you like best.
Obviously strawberry buttercream is a great option for a chocolate-covered-strawberry vibe. And vanilla frosting is always a classic favorite. For the chocolate lovers, go for double the chocolate with chocolate buttercream.
The peanut butter cream cheese frosting from my peanut butter cake would also be a delicious combo!
You could even use a marshmallow meringue frosting and garnish with some graham cracker crumbs for a s’mores vibe.
Storage tips
Store unfrosted cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. You can also freeze them for up to 1 month.
Once they are frosted, storage will depending on the type of frosting you used. Cupcakes topped with cream cheese frosting should be stored in the fridge, while buttercreams can often be kept at room temperature.
FAQs
Yes! Pour the batter into an 8-inch cake pan and bake at 350°F for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If you want to make a layer cake, double the recipe and divide the batter into two pans.
Easy Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1 cup warm water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 12 standard cupcake wells with liners. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Add the vanilla, vinegar, melted butter, and warm water; stir until just combined.1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup granulated sugar, 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon white vinegar, 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 cup warm water
- Measure about 1/4 cup of batter into each cupcake liner. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
- Allow cupcakes to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
Notes
- Store unfrosted cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days or freeze for up to a month.
- The butter can be substituted with dairy-free butter/margarine or shortening for a dairy-free version.
- Make this batter into a cake by baking in an 8-inch cake pan at 350°F for 30-35 minutes.
Nutrition
See, I had to follow the directions just like Ma-Ma said. I made three little holes in the flour for each liquid ingredient, thinking all the while “why? What difference would this make?” Clearly, the answer is no difference at all. Bam! This cake was easy and so good. Told you Ma-Ma never fails us. 🙂
Momma to the rescuuuuuue! ^ ^ ^ Will always have all the answers in my book. If I ever need a baking recipe, I know your family has the most wonderful arsenal of yum at my disposal! These cupcakes are GORGEOUS, Stephie!
Seriously though. We’re like walking baking encyclopedias. That’s a fun visual.
I now have this visual in my head, and it’s creepily similar to the piece of bread, only it’s a big encyclopedia with curly heads on top, walking around with cooking utensils in our hands. Thanks.
I’m like you—I’d obsess about the food as opposed the cleaning. So sweet that you made these for Alex’s niece! They look SUPER pretty and suuuuper tasty-can’t believe they’re egg-free!
I know! I was impressed with ma-ma going egg-free before it was cool.
I’m all about the food and tend to forget the house. My mom usually helps with that. These cupcakes look delicious. I love the pretty rosettes.
My mom is all about the food, too. We just hope to impress so much with food that no one notices the house.
Those rosettes are beautiful- perfectly done! I love using family recipes, especially when they’re super simple like this one.
I truly cherish using my great-grandmother’s recipes. That woman knew her stuff!
You are a piping MASTER. Please come frost every cupcake I ever bake.
Family recipes are just the best best. About this no chocolate thing of yours–looks like we will have to order two desserts wherever we go!
I kiiiiinda want to bake a layer cake just to try the rosettes out all over it. Now I just need an excuse. Give me one? 😉 ps, is ordering two desserts ever a real problem??
So cute! And the frosting looks so perfect! I need to take some notes from you. 🙂
Thank you! I think this is probably the most impressive thing I can do, but I’m happy to share what knowledge I have. 🙂
You combined two of my absolute favorite flavors. I have to admit I don’t eat chocolate often but sometimes it just makes for the perfect base, right?! Not to mention how much I love the strawberry frosting…it looks so fresh and delicious! But I guess I’ll have some problems getting the rosettes out right! Well…practice makes perfect….
xo, Elisa
I promise, they’re so much easier than they look! Once you get the hang of it, you’ll be rosette-ing everything you see!
These sound fabulous! And I love that they’re egg-free, because I often forget to buy eggs!
Seriously, nothing worse than craving cake or cookies or (insert baked good here) and realizing you’re out of eggs.
I can confirm that these cupcakes were the bomb!! So appropriate for Miss Anna’s first birthday. You’re the greatest Stephie!!
xoxoxo
Please send me your cupcake-baking and decorating talent vibes. And also some of these cupcakes.
I’m trying to fit all of that in an envelope right now.
It’s making a mess. 😉
Stephie, I just whipped up these cupcakes on a lovely snowy night, and they passed Shan’s taste buds!
Junion
Hooray! I’m so glad you made them and that they passed the test. 🙂
Hola tus recetas no lo pones en español?
Hola Veronica – Pues, aunque hablo el español, no pongo mis recetas en español por dos razones: La mayoría que leen no lo hablan y mi español no es perfecto y no quiero hacer errores que podrían afectar la comida. Pero, si necesitas ayuda con una de mis recetas, puedes mandarme un email y yo puedo ayudarte.
Love it when two people have complimentary strengths and weaknesses… perfect way to get the job done without having to over-stress! By the way, can I borrow your sister-in-law? My house needs cleaning and I’m waaay too busy baking cake! 😉
Anyway, back to this gorgeous cupcakes. Yay for an egg free delicious recipe… I have a friend with a serious egg allergy who always seems to miss out on sweets (aw, poor bloke) so I might just make these especially for him! With extra rosettes, just because… well, he’s so masculine and all. Love it Stephie, another gorgeous post! xxx