Let’s skip straight to the punchline: These High Altitude Chocolate Cupcakes with Cocoa Buttercream are, if I may be so bold, perfection. If you live at high altitude and have struggled with making decent cupcakes, they may rock your world ever so slightly.
I’ve gotten a few requests for this recipe recently, and, well, any excuse to make cupcakes, right? But like many recipes I expect to be pretty straightforward, this one gave me all sorts of attitude. Turns out chocolate cupcakes are pretty finicky up here at 9,600 feet. I made seven (7) batches before I was satisfied with them.
The base ingredients for the cake are standard: all-purpose flour, eggs, sugar, baking soda, baking powder. And buttermilk, which almost always works high-altitude magic on baked goods.
I first made the cupcakes with cocoa powder and they were a little dry and flat-tasting. Added an egg for moisture – still dry. And they fell victim to one of the most common high-altitude plights – a sunken middle. The worst!
I often use oil instead of butter in chocolate cake recipes that contain cocoa powder, because it tends to improve the texture (butter contains some water, which evaporates during baking and can leave cakes dry). But the tradeoff is flavor. Butter just tastes so gooooood. So I tried a compromise of half butter, half oil. And while I was at it, I melted some chocolate in with the butter to boost the chocolatey-ness.
Bingo! Deep, rich flavor, a moist, tender crumb, and a nice rounded top.
To get that nice domed top, by the way, be sure to fill the cupcake liners about 3/4 of the way. Any less and they’ll rise just to the top of the liner (which some people actually prefer for frosting). And you don’t have to use liners, but I highly recommend them. Nothing worse than trying to pry your beautiful cupcakes out of a sticky pan. This is my favorite muffin tin, by the way.
After making seven batches of cupcakes (!), the buttercream was a breeze. I’ve made this recipe dozens of times (it’s also delicious on my Easy High Altitude Vanilla Cupcakes) and it’s super easy. Just sift together some powdered sugar with cocoa powder and add it to room-temperature whipped butter, along with a little vanilla and heavy cream or milk. Fluffy, velvety perfection.
You can apply the frosting any way you like, but using a piping bag makes for such pretty, fancy-looking results. And even if you’re only making these, quarantine-style, for a party of one (you), you deserve fancy. Especially then.
Here’s a tip for those who think piping bags are messy and hard to fill: place the bag in a tall drinking glass, fold the sides over, and fill it there. Easy! (To get the look you see in my photos, I used a Wilton 1M tip, but any extra-large tip will work.)
Looking at these photos, I’m suddenly sad I was so conservative with the frosting. Piling it on is really always the right answer. No one is going to complain.
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High Altitude Chocolate Cupcakes with Cocoa Buttercream
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 18 mins
- Total Time: 33 minutes
- Yield: 14-16 cupcakes
Description
Airy, rich, moist and tender, High Alitude Chocolate Cupcakes with Cocoa Buttercream are the bakery-worthy homemade treats of your dreams.
Ingredients
CUPCAKES
4 TB (half stick) unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1/3 cup (~2.5 oz) chocolate chips
1 cup plus 2 TB all-purpose flour
1/2 cup natural cocoa (such as Hershey’s)
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup neutral-tasting oil, such as avocado, grapeseed, or canola
2 tsp vanilla extract (not imitation)
3 large eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk*
BUTTERCREAM
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 1/2 – 3 cups sifted confectioners sugar
1/2 cup sifted cocoa powder
3 TB heavy cream or milk
2 tsp vanilla extract (not imitation)
pinch of fine sea salt
Instructions
For the cupcakes:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners.
2. In a small microwave-proof bowl, combine the butter pieces and chocolate chips. Microwave on high for 30 seconds and stir until both chocolate and butter are fully melted, combined, and glossy. If needed, microwave once or twice more for 10 seconds. (This can also be done on the stovetop with a double boiler or glass bowl set over a pot of simmering water) Set mixture aside to cool.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together sugar, vanilla and oil until the mixture is the texture of wet sand. Whisk in the eggs one at a time, then add the butter/chocolate mixture and mix thoroughly.
5. Add half the buttermilk to the sugar mixture and mix until combined, then add half the dry mixture, stirring until just combined with no pockets of flour. Repeat with remaining buttermilk and dry mixture, mixing just until the batter is fully combined. Overmixing will result in a tougher cupcake.
6. Using a large cookie scoop or spoon, fill the paper liners 3/4 full. Bake at 400 degrees for 5 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and bake an additional 13-15 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean and the tops of the cupcakes spring back to the touch. Avoid overbaking, which can lead to dryness.
7. Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan (make sure they’re fully cooled before frosting).
For the buttercream:
1. In a stand mixer fitting with either the paddle or whisk attachment, or using a handheld mixer, whip the butter for a minute or two.
2. Scrape down the bowl and add 2.5 cups of powdered sugar along with the cocoa, salt, vanilla, and milk or cream. Mix on low until all ingredients are incorporated, then increase speed to med-high and continue to whip until the frosting is light and fluffy. If the mixture seems too loose, add a little more powdered sugar; if it’s too thick, add a splash of cream.
9. Use a piping bag to pipe frosting onto fully cooled cupcakes, or simply spread on with a knife or spoon.
If you have cupcakes that won’t be consumed immediately, store in an airtight container and frost when ready to eat. Frosting can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. When ready to use again, bring to room temperature and whip slightly before use.
Notes
… If you don’t have buttermilk and want to avoid a trip to the store, add 1 TB lemon juice to 3/4 cup of milk (any variety but skim). In a pinch, you could also use an equivalent amount of sour cream thinned with a bit of milk or water.
… this recipe makes slightly more than a dozen cupcakes, which is an awkward amount when baking with a 12-cup muffin tin. If you don’t want to dirty another full-size tin, consider using a few stand-alone baking cups (such as these) which can be placed on a baking sheet directly in your oven.
This sounds like an amazing recipe. Did you mix by hand? Thanks for sharing.
Yes, I mixed all by hand. You can use a stand or hand mixer if you wish, though.
YUMMMMMM….cant wait to try these! Thank you Robyn! I have been having hard time baking anything up here in Breck. Thank you for doing all the work of testing these recipes for us!
It’s truly my pleasure! 🙂
Thank you for testing these so many times until they worked up here. I’m making these for a birthday (mine!)
LOL 🙂
p.s. if you’re bored (ha!) and need something to do … how about a cinnamon roll recipe?
Anna in Silverthorne
Happy birthday to you! I’ve got cinnamon rolls on tap – stay tuned.
Great recipe! Absolutely scrumptious and a crowd fave!
I added the 13th cupcake worth of batter to the dozen. If you’re striving for perfection, don’t do this as it creates flat ledges. 😊
Thanks, Erin! Yep, filling the tins 3/4 full is best for this recipe.
Best homemade chocolate cupcake I’ve ever had, hands down!👍👍
Big hit with the family. This dessert is in my permanent rotation from now on.
Love to hear that!
What type of chocolate chips do you recommend? Milk chocolate? Semi-sweet?
I use semi-sweet, but the recipe will work with any variety.
They work perfectly at 4500 feet! Thanks for all of your efforts and batches to get this just right!
Fantastic! So glad they worked for you.
Should I do anything different at 11,300 feet elevation? Can’t wait to try these!!!!
These should work at your elevation!
Hi! I’m so excited to try this. I’m just wondering what adjustments I should make if I wanted to do a full cake instead of cupcakes? Thanks so much, and thank you for sharing your recipes with us!
These are wonderful cupcakes – they get rave reviews every time I make them (and I always give you the credit)! I saw a question from Jess that I don’t see an answer to and I have the same question – I have two birthday boys to celebrate this week, and they prefer cake to cupcakes. Are there any changes you would make to bake in cake pans? Or should it turn out just was well! Thank you in advance.
Yes, you can make the batter into cake layers. They will take a bit longer to bake – add 7-10 minutes longer in the oven and check with a cake tester.
Have you ever tried this with mini cupcakes? I’m fairly new to high altitude baking, how much would I need to decrease the bake time?
Have you ever made these with gluten free flour? I’ve made them with regular flour and they turn out great! Now today, with gluten free flour, the centers sink. They taste delicious, and I guess they will have extra icing in the middle, so that’s not all bad! Until you bite into them, you won’t know the centers sunk.
I’m new with trying to bake gluten free and wondered if you have any tips.
Thanks so much!
I made these cupcakes today and followed the directions exactly. Every one of them sank in the middle! They taste good, but I was planning on taking them to my book club tomorrow, but I don’t think I will. Don’t know what caused the failure. I live at 9300 feet, but you indicated that shouldn’t be a problem. And they sank within the first 5 minutes in the oven.
Can powdered Buttermilk be used in the place of liquid Buttermilk?