These dark chocolate cupcakes with fresh blackberries are a chocolate lover’s dream dessert! Consisting of perfectly moist dark chocolate cupcakes topped with a rich chocolate frosting, these dark chocolate cupcakes with fresh blackberries are packed with chocolate flavor and are absolutely delicious! To balance out the overall richness of these cupcakes, they are adorned with fresh blackberries.
Dark Chocolate Cupcakes From Scratch
These dark chocolate cupcakes are rich in chocolate flavor and super moist in texture. For the best chocolate flavor, I used Hersey’s Special Dark Unsweetened Cocoa Powder which worked beautifully in these cupcakes; however, any good quality Dutch-Processed unsweetened cocoa powder will work as well. To make these cupcakes, you will need:
Key Ingredients
- Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- Dutch-Processed Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- Egg
- Sour Cream of Plain Whole Milk Yogurt
- Strong Brewed Coffee
- Neutral Flavored Oil i.e. Vegetable Oil
- Vanilla Extract
The batter for these dark chocolate cupcakes comes together quite easily. Simply mix the sugar, oil and sour cream (or yogurt) together to combine before beating in the egg. Next, mix into the wet batter half of the dry ingredients followed by all of the coffee and vanilla extract and lastly the remaining dry ingredients mixture. Scrape down the sides and base of the mixing bowl before giving cupcake batter a final mix to ensure a smooth batter consistency without any lumps or unmixed ingredients. So easy!!
Rich Chocolate Buttercream Frosting Recipe
This chocolate buttercream recipe is so creamy, chocolatey, and downright delicious. More importantly, it only requires 6 ingredients and is so easy to make! Here is what you will need to make chocolate buttercream recipe:
Key Ingredients
- Unsalted Butter
- Confectioners’ (Powdered) Sugar
- Dutch-Processed Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- Heavy Whipping Cream
- Salt
- Vanilla Extract
Tips For Making Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- Use Room Temperature Butter – the goal here is to use room temperature not softened butter. Using softened butter will result in a buttercream that this too soft to pipe. You can tell if butter has reached room temperature consistency by gently pressing your finger into the butter. If action results in an indentation that does not go all the way through the butter, then butter has reached room temperature consistency.
- Properly Cream Butter – once butter has reached room temperature consistency, it needs to be creamed until smooth before mixing in the remaining ingredients. I find that the best speed to cream room temperature butter is medium high using a stand or hand-held mixer.
- Mix at Low Speed – to avoid your kitchen being covered in powdered sugar and cocoa powder, these ingredients should be mixed into creamed butter at low speed gradually increasing mixer speed once all of the sugar and cocoa powder have been mixed into creamed butter.
- Add the Heavy Cream a Little at a Time – when mixing in the heavy cream into buttercream mixture, do not add all of the cream at once. For example, this recipe calls for 3-4 tablespoons of heavy cream. So, I would start off by mixing in 3 tablespoons of cream into buttercream mixture and only add the remaining cream 1 teaspoon at a time as needed. The goal here is not to add too much cream just enough to help mix the buttercream into a smooth and thick but pipeable consistency.
How to Make Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Fresh Blackberries
- Bake and cool dark chocolate cupcakes to room temperature.
- Prepare and spoon chocolate frosting into a pastry bag fitted with desired pastry piping tip. I used a Wilton 8B pastry tip.
- Pipe chocolate frosting in a swirl design over cooled dark chocolate cupcakes. Here is a great video guide on how to pipe swirl design on cupcakes.
- Top piped chocolate frosting with fresh blackberries and fresh herbs (optional) before serving.
How to Store Dark Chocolate Cupcakes
- Dark chocolate cupcakes with fresh blackberries are best eaten the day it is prepared. However, cupcakes stored in an airtight container will last 2-3 days in the fridge 1-3 months in the freezer. When ready to eat frozen cupcakes, simply thaw in the fridge overnight to restore soft texture. .
- Baked, unfrosted dark chocolate cupcakes individually wrapped in plastic wrap will stay fresh 2-3 days in the fridge and 1-3 months in the freezer. When ready to use frozen cupcakes simply thaw in the fridge overnight to restore soft texture.
- Chocolate buttercream frosting stored in an airtight container will last up to 1 week in the fridge. When ready to use, thaw at room temperature to soften up and then re-whip at medium high speed in a stand mixer or with a hand-held mixer to restore thick, fluffy texture.
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If you make this recipe, please make sure to let me know by tagging me @nourishedendeavors on Instagram or by leaving a comment in the comment section down below so I can find out how this recipe turned out for you! If you have any questions, ask away! I would love to answer your questions! Happy baking!
PrintDark Chocolate Cupcakes with Fresh Blackberries
These dark chocolate cupcakes with fresh blackberries are a chocolate lover’s dream dessert! With perfectly moist dark chocolate cupcakes topped with a rich chocolate frosting, these dark chocolate cupcakes with fresh blackberries are packed with chocolate flavor and are absolutely delicious! To balance out the overall richness of these cupcakes, they are adorned with fresh blackberries.
- Prep Time: 1 Hour
- Cook Time: 18 Minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 18 minutes
- Yield: 12–14 Cupcakes 1x
Ingredients
Dark Chocolate Cupcakes
- 1 Cup (125 g) Unbleached All-Purpose Flour, Spooned and Leveled
- 1/4 Cup (20 g) Dutch-Processed Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
- 2/3 Cup (134 g) Granulated Sugar
- 1 Large Egg, Room Temperature
- 1/2 Cup (113 g/4 oz) Sour Cream or Plain Yogurt (Whole Milk), Room Temperature
- 1/2 Cup (120 ml) Strong Brewed Coffee, Room Temperature
- 1/3 Cup (79 ml) Neutral Flavored Oil i.e. Grapeseed/Vegetable Oil
- 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- 1 1/4 Cup (283 g/2 1/2 Sticks) Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature, Slightly Firm to Touch
- 2 1/2–3 Cups (300–360 g) Confectioners’ (Powdered) Sugar, Sifted
- 1/4 Cup + 1 Tablespoon (25 g) Dutch-Processed Unsweetened Cocoa Powder, Sifted
- 2 1/2–3 Tablespoons (38–45 ml) Heavy Whipping Cream, Room Temperature
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Assembly
- Fresh Blackberries
- Fresh Herbs of Choice i.e. Mint/Thyme, Optional
Instructions
Dark Chocolate Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350F(175C). Line (2) cupcake baking pans with 12-14 cupcake/muffin liners. Cupcakes may be baked in batches with (1) baking pan.
- In a medium mixing bowl, add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk ingredients together to combine.
- In the bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment or with a hand-held electric mixer and large mixing bowl, add the oil and sugar. Mix ingredients together at medium high speed to combine, about 1 minute.
- Next, mix in the sour cream (or yogurt) into oil-sugar mixture to combine.
- Beat the egg into wet batter at medium high speed until fully incorporated, about 30-60 seconds.
- Reduce mixer speed to low. In an alternating fashion, starting and ending with the dry ingredients, mix half of the dry ingredients into wet batter followed by the coffee and vanilla extract and ending with the remaining dry ingredients.
- Stop the mixer and use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides and base of the bowl to catch any unmixed ingredients.
- Resume mixing chocolate cupcake batter at medium speed for an additional 30-60 seconds. The resulting batter should be slightly thick and smooth.
- Equally divide cupcake batter into prepared baking pans.
- Bake cupcake batter rotating the pan halfway through bake time for 16-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cupcakes comes out clean.
- Allow cupcakes to cool in the pan for 4-5 minutes before transferring to a cooling track to cool completely to room temperature.
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment or with a hand-held electric mixer and large mixing bowl, cream the butter and salt at medium high speed until smooth and fluffy in appearance, about 2-3 minutes.
- Reduce mixer speed to low and mix in 2 1/2 cups of the confectioners’ sugar and cocoa powder into creamed butter. Gradually increase mixer speed back to medium.
- Once all the dry ingredients have been incorporated into creamed butter, mix in the vanilla extract and 2 1/2 tablespoons of heavy whipping cream into buttercream until fully incorporated.
- If buttercream appears to be on the soft side, mix in the remaining confectioners’ sugar 1/4 cup at a time until a thick but pipeable consistency is reached.
- If buttercream appears too thick, mix in remaining heavy whipping cream, 1/2 teaspoon at a time until the desired consistency (thick but pipeable) is reached.
- Increase mixer speed to medium high and mix chocolate buttercream frosting for an additional 30-60 seconds. The resulting frosting should be smooth and fluffy in appearance.
Assembly
- Fill a large pastry bag fitted with desired pastry tip with chocolate buttercream frosting. I used a Wilton 8B pastry tip.
- Pipe frosting on cooled cupcakes in a swirl design. Here is a video reference.
- Top piped frosting with fresh blackberries and herbs of choice (optional) before serving.
Notes
- Dark chocolate cupcakes with fresh blackberries are best eaten the day it is prepared. However, cupcakes stored in an airtight container will last 2-3 days in the fridge and 1-3 months in the freezer. When ready to eat frozen cupcakes, simply thaw in the fridge overnight to restore soft texture.
- For the best chocolate flavor, I used Hersey’s Special Dark Unsweetened Cocoa Powder; however, any good quality Dutch-Processed unsweetened cocoa powder will work as well.
- I topped dark chocolate cupcakes with fresh blackberries to balance out the overall richness of these cupcakes but any fresh berries or fruits will work. Alternatively, cupcakes may be topped with sprinkles, finely chopped nuts or your desired topping.
- I used a Wilton 8B pastry tip for piping frosting onto cupcakes.
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