I love chocolate…
So naturally, when I started experimenting with baking cupcakes from scratch (several years ago) I began a quest for the perfect chocolate cupcakes. I worked through several dozen recipes and of course, didn’t have too much trouble finding people willing to eat my “experiments.”
I finally found a recipe titled Hershey’s “Perfectly Chocolate” Chocolate Cake, hmm, “…Perfectly Chocolate”, sounds about right to me! The first time I made it, I used Hershey’s unsweeted cocoa (as the recipe calls for). They turned out pretty good. The next time I made them, I used Ghirardelli brand unsweetened cocoa, and… perfect! The Ghirardelli brand gave a much deeper chocolate flavor. So I’d highly recomend using either Ghirardelli brand unsweetened cocoa, or the best quality brand you can find. You can really taste the difference. Since discovering this recipe, I’ve made it dozens and dozens of times. And every time, it’s delicious! The cake has a nice light and fluffy texture and a rich chocolate flavor.
Perfectly Chocolate Cupcakes
(makes 24-27 standard sized cupcakes)
2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa (best quality available)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (best quality available)
1 cup boiling water
Directions-
Line muffin tin with paper liners. Heat oven to 350*F.
In a large mixing bowl, stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Beat on medium speed for one minute.
Stir in boiling water (the batter will be thin, don’t worry, this is right).
Fill liners 2/3 full with batter. (I usually put the batter into a large measuring cup with a pour spout, and then pour the batter into the liners.)
Bake cupcakes for aproximately 18-22 minutes.
Cool completely on wire rack before frosting.
Recipe source- Hershey’s
Try the recipe HERE for either vanilla or chocolate (my favorite!) cream cheese frosting.
Perfectly Chocolate Cupcakes Recipe
Perfectly Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa best quality available
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract best quality available
- 1 cup boiling water
Instructions
- Line muffin tin with paper liners. Heat oven to 350*F.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Beat on medium speed for one minute.
- Stir in boiling water (the batter will be thin, don’t worry, this is right).
- Fill liners 2/3 full with batter. (I usually put the batter into a large measuring cup with a pour spout, and then pour the batter into the liners.)
- Bake cupcakes for approximately 18-22 minutes.
- Cool completely on wire rack before frosting.
Can i know boiling water here means hot water?
for the chocolate cupcake, could you use coffee in place of the water?
Yes. Coffee would be good.
In fact, my grandmother’s old “pioneer” chocolate cake recipe is pretty strange—it doesn’t use any eggs, but does call for a cup of boiling coffee right at the end. You cannot really taste the coffee, though; if you really want a coffee flavor in the cake, consider adding a tablespoon or two of instant coffee or espresso powder to the batter.
Hi, this is the second time I make these cupcakes, and they turned out perfectly both times! Your experimenting has really paid off! My husband, and the girls at work just absolutely love them! From a Canadian that loves to bake, working/living in the Netherlands!
I have been using this recipe for 5 years now and it turns out PERFECT, rich, moist cupcakes or a whole cake EVERYTIME! It has never let me down and I have people begging for the recipe every time without fail! Such a great thing you are onto here- thank you for sharing, I don’t think I will ever change from these chocolate cupcakes! x
If I only want to make 12 cupcakes is there any way to save the rest of the batter?
The most popular recipe would still be chocolate cake recipes. If you search in the Internet, you will come up with thousands of different chocolate cake recipes. http://recipeslearn.com Pictures would should you sumptuous looking cakes to the most intricate ones.
I absolutely love all of your recipes. These chocolate cupcakes are divine! Sometimes i like to add a bit of melted 60% cacao as well. I makes then the perfect dark chocolate cupcakes. Also very versatile recipe! Thank you for your infinite sharing wisdom!
This recipe is the same recipe on the back of the “HERSHEY’S COCOA” Canister …been making this cake for years it is a great recipe and an absolute hit every time I make it..no worries if you ever misplace your recipe people go to your nearest grocery store pick up a can of Hershey’s Cocoa in the baking Aisle and look on the back there it is plain as day. Oh forgot to mention on the back of the canister the recipe reads and it has for many many years ….HERSHEY’S “PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE” CHOCOLATE CAKE….
Yes, this is the Hershey recipe, as I mentioned in the top of the post. It’s a long time favorite in our house! =)
This recipe is the same recipe on the back of the “HERSHEY’S COCOA” Canister …been making this cake for years it is a great recipe and an absolute hit every time I make it..no worries if you ever misplace your recipe people go to your nearest grocery store pick up a can of Hershey’s Cocoa in the baking Aisle and look on the back there it is plain as day.
Hi Gloria,
When you say “2 cups Sugar” is that normal sugar we use for tea/coffee? Or icing suga/pure icing sugar? Please reply soon ☺ cheers
In the U.S. any recipe that calls for “sugar” is referring to white granulated sugar.