Small Batch Chocolate Cupcakes

Ever find yourself with a craving for chocolate cupcakes but not quite ready to commit to making an entire batch of homemade cupcakes from scratch?

Small Batch Chocolate Cupcakes are the perfect easy homemade chocolate cupcakes for when you just NEED a cupcake but not an entire batch! Makes just 6 cupcakes! #smallbatchcupcakes #homemadechocolatecupcakes www.savoryexperiments.com


 

It happens to me more often than I’d like to admit, which is why I came up with these Small Batch Chocolate Cupcakes!

Made using a few baking hacks, these Small Batch Chocolate Cupcakes are the perfect easy chocolate cupcakes for when you just NEED a cupcake but not an entire batch!

Sometimes you just want a little bit of cake, but don’t feel like making a whole cake. Or a whole batch of cupcakes, for that matter. This cupcakes recipe is your solution: small batch chocolate cupcakes!

Small Batch Chocolate Cupcakes are the perfect easy homemade chocolate cupcakes for when you just NEED a cupcake but not an entire batch! Makes just 6 cupcakes! #smallbatchcupcakes #homemadechocolatecupcakes www.savoryexperiments.com

When I want a cupcake, I don’t feel like going through all the motions of baking. Lugging out the KitchenAid, waiting for butter to soften (although I do have these handy tips for softening butter fast!) or scalding milk.

Small Batch Chocolate Cupcakes are the perfect easy homemade chocolate cupcakes for when you just NEED a cupcake but not an entire batch! Makes just 6 cupcakes! #smallbatchcupcakes #homemadechocolatecupcakes www.savoryexperiments.com

My small batch chocolate cupcakes removes those steps by microwaving the milk (makeshift scalding) and then adding butter to the milk to help it soften.

You want to avoid fully melting the butter, otherwise it isn’t the right consistency for baking and your cupcakes will be sloppy and wet, never fully setting.

Small Batch Chocolate Cupcakes are the perfect easy homemade chocolate cupcakes for when you just NEED a cupcake but not an entire batch! Makes just 6 cupcakes! #smallbatchcupcakes #homemadechocolatecupcakes www.savoryexperiments.com

As long as the butter is soft enough, there is no need for a stand mixer, just a good, old fashioned spatula and arm strength. Talk about making these cupcakes from scratch easy!

The one step I don’t skip is sifting the dry ingredients. This leads to baking powder and salt not being equally distributed throughout the batter and lumps of flour. No one wants that in their chocolate cupcakes!

Small Batch Chocolate Cupcakes are the perfect easy homemade chocolate cupcakes for when you just NEED a cupcake but not an entire batch! Makes just 6 cupcakes! #smallbatchcupcakes #homemadechocolatecupcakes www.savoryexperiments.com

I tend to make these easy chocolate cupcakes when I have a random chocolate craving that just won’t go away but Small Batch Chocolate Cupcakes are a great recipe to have on hand when you just need to prepare dessert for a handful of people.

Small Batch Chocolate Cupcakes are the perfect easy homemade chocolate cupcakes for when you just NEED a cupcake but not an entire batch! Makes just 6 cupcakes! #smallbatchcupcakes #homemadechocolatecupcakes www.savoryexperiments.com

Now you have perfect homemade cupcakes and this is where I remind you that I am the worst cupcake decorator in the entire world. I buy frosting tips and watch the videos on Facebook with people decorating with ease and then mine look like a 2-year-old piped it out.

So, I compensate with sprinkles! Glorious, sprinkles! Or fun and festive icing like Oreo Frosting– to die for! Chocolate fudge frosting is also AH-mazing!

Small Batch Chocolate Cupcakes are the perfect easy homemade chocolate cupcakes for when you just NEED a cupcake but not an entire batch! Makes just 6 cupcakes! #smallbatchcupcakes #homemadechocolatecupcakes www.savoryexperiments.com

More easy cupcake recipes:

german chocolate cupcakes on a cooling rack

Stuffed German Chocolate Cupcakes

Decadent chocolate cupcakes with a coconut pecan filling and topped with a whipped chocolate frosting- the BEST German Chocolate Cupcakes!
See The Recipe!
Five Ingredient Banana Cupcakes are a fabulous alternative to making banana bread with overly ripe bananas. This easy cupcake recipe will blow your mind! #easycupcakerecipes #bananacupcakes #bananarecipes www.savoryexperiments.com

Banana Cupcakes

Five Ingredient Banana Cupcakes are a fabulous alternative to making banana bread with overly ripe bananas. This easy cupcake recipe will blow your mind with flavor and ease! 
See The Recipe!
peach cupcakes on a wire cooling rack

Peach Cupcake Recipe

Peach Cupcakes embody all that is summer. Sweet and juicy peaches make these light cupcakes with peach cream cheese frosting just perfect!
See The Recipe!
Small Batch Chocolate Cupcakes are the perfect easy homemade chocolate cupcakes for when you just NEED a cupcake but not an entire batch! Makes just 6 cupcakes! #smallbatchcupcakes #homemadechocolatecupcakes www.savoryexperiments.com

Also try our Small Batch Vanilla Cupcakes!

close up of small vanilla cupcake
Small Batch Chocolate Cupcakes are the perfect easy homemade chocolate cupcakes for when you just NEED a cupcake but not an entire batch! Makes just 6 cupcakes! #smallbatchcupcakes #homemadechocolatecupcakes www.savoryexperiments.com

Small Batch Chocolate Cupcakes

4.62 from 18 votes
Made using a few baking hacks, these Small Batch Chocolate Cupcakes are the perfect easy chocolate cupcakes for when you just NEED a cupcake but not an entire batch!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Cooling Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 6 cupcakes

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line muffin tin with 6 cupcake liners.
  • Heat milk in a microwave safe bowl for 30 seconds. Add chopped butter and stir. Allow to sit for 2-3 minutes so the butter further softens.
  • While milk and butter rests, sift together cocoa flour, baking powder and fine sea salt.Set aside.
  • Add sugar, vanilla and a lightly beaten egg to the milk mixture. Stir well, mixture will be lumpy.
  • Add dry ingredients and blend until you no longer see streaks of butter, about 50-ish strokes.
  • Equally divide cupcake batter into 6 muffin liners, filling about 3/4 of the way.
  • Bake for 15-17 minutes or until they pass the toothpick test. Remove and allow to cool fully.
  • When cool, frost and decorate as desired.
  • If you’ve tried this recipe, make sure to come back and let us know how it was! 

Notes

Recipe adapted from Land o Lakes. Chocolate frosting below is suggested by Land O Lakes. *For frosting, blend together 4 tablespoons butter, softened with 1 cup powdered sugar and 1/4 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa. After well blended, add 1/2 ounce semi-sweet chocolate, melted and 2 tablespoons cream or whole milk until a spreadable consistency.

Nutrition

Calories: 318 kcal, Carbohydrates: 44 g, Protein: 3 g, Fat: 15 g, Saturated Fat: 7 g, Cholesterol: 48 mg, Sodium: 134 mg, Potassium: 195 mg, Fiber: 1 g, Sugar: 34 g, Vitamin A: 290 IU, Calcium: 46 mg, Iron: 1.5 mg
Author: Chef Jessica Anne
Calories: 318
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: small batch chocolate cupcakes
Did you make this recipe?I’d love to see your recipes – snap a picture and mention @savoryexperiments or tag #savoryexperiments!

We love CHOCOLATE!!!!! And thus, we love celebrating National Chocolate Day! I’m part of a fun group of bloggers who celebrate our favorite food holidays by making some pretty delicious and inventive recipes. Here are the recipes we’ve come up and also some other fabulous chocolo-holic recipes.

And even more chocolate recipes!

Jessica Formicola in her ktichen

About the Author

Chef Jessica Anne Formicola

Jessica the mom, wife and chef behind Savory Experiments. You might see her on the Emmy- nominated TV show Plate It! or on bookshelves as a cookbook author. Jessica is a Le Cordon Bleu certified recipe developer and regularly contributed to Parade, Better Homes & Gardens, The Daily Meal, Mashed and more!

Read More About Jessica

4.62 from 18 votes (13 ratings without comment)

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Questions and Reviews

  1. 5 stars
    Made these today and substituted GF All-purpose flour. They turned out amazing! Light and fluffy texture with a perfect cake crumb. Paired with homemade chocolate buttercream frosting, they were perfect. Everyone enjoyed them and no one even suspected that they were gluten free.

  2. 5 stars
    What a brilliant idea! I’m always bringing my leftover baked goods at the office because I don’t trust myself not to eat everything in one sitting, but this is even better because I won’t have any leftovers in the first place. (My coworkers might disagree about whether or not that’s a good thing, though.)

  3. Heat cup in a microwave safe bowl for 30 seconds. Add chopped butter and stir. Allow to sit for 2-3 minutes so the butter further softens.
    While milk and butter rests,

    Did I miss something? Should I add the milk to the butter?

    1. Thanks for catching that, Karen! It is supposed to be heat MILK in microwave safe bowl. It is fixed.

  4. 5 stars
    The main reason I hardly ever make cupcakes is because I hate ending up with a huge batch. Leftovers just scream at me to eat them! This would be a perfect solution. They look super yummy too, especially with homemade chocolate frosting!

  5. 5 stars
    Oh, man! These are totally dangerous! The only thing that stops me from eating cupcakes every day is that I would have to make a huge batch. If I can make a small batch, then there’s really no reason not to be eating cupcakes pretty much all of the time. 🙂 These cupcakes look so chocolatey and delicious, and I can’t wait to try them!