Chocolate Cupcakes (small batch)

My sweet tooth has been a little out of control lately. Since James is a chocolate fan, I decided to make chocolate cupcakes with a chocolate buttercream frosting. If you prefer vanilla, you may like our small batch vanilla cupcake recipe.

As a family of two, large batches of baked goods can be problematic. We either eat all of the treats (bad for the waistline) or don’t eat all of the treats (waste of food and money). So, this recipe is perfect for us. It makes four cupcakes that cost about $0.37 a piece (see below for a cost analysis).

Cost Analysis:

Note: The costs are based on what I paid for ingredients in 2020. Your total cost may differ.

Picture Tutorial:

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For the frosting:

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Recipe:

Small batch chocolate cupcakes

• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 15 to 20 mins for the cakes + 10 minutes for the frosting
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

These dark chocolate cupcakes with thick chocolate buttercream frosting are rich and delicious. The recipe only makes four, so you could eat the whole batch…

Ingredients

For the cake:
• 6 tablespoons flour
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons softened butter
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg (at room temperature)
For the frosting:
• 2 tablespoons softened butter
• 7 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 1/2 tablespoon milk
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

For the cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Sift together flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder
2. Beat softened butter into the mixture of dry ingredients.
3. Beat in water and vanilla for 2 minutes. If using a hand mixer, set it to medium speed.
4. Beat in egg for an additional 2 minutes.
5. Line a muffin tin with paper liners (or grease) and pour batter into cups. Fill the cups 1/2 to 2/3 of the way full. If you would like over-sized cupcakes, the batter should make 4 cupcakes. Otherwise, it will make 5-6 regular-sized cupcakes. Note: filling beyond 1/2 of the way full may cause your cupcakes to form a muffin-like top. If you prefer cupcakes without this, only fill 1/2 of the way full!
6. Bake for 15-18 minutes. Check with a toothpick. It should come out relatively clean when the cupcakes are done.
7. Remove from oven and allow to cool in the muffin tin for 1 minute. Remove cakes from muffin tin and allow them to cool completely before frosting.
For the frosting:
1. Combine softened butter, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, milk and vanilla in a medium-sized bowl and mix with a mixer. After a minute or two, it should form a thick buttercream. If it is too thick, add a little bit of extra milk and mix until smooth.
2. Frost cooled cupcakes.
3. Enjoy!

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