Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes

A stout decadent chocolate fudge cupcake with chocolate frosting with the wrapper pulled down

5 from 7 votes

These Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes are a chocoholic's dream come true! They have a soft chocolate cake, they're filled with a silky chocolate ganache and topped with a luscious chocolate fudge frosting. If that wasn't enough, they're gluten free, nut free, eggless and can easily be vegan!

Prep Time1

Cook Time24

Assembly Time20

Total Time1 44

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan

Servings: Cupcakes

Calories: 465kcal

Author: Lee

Ingredients

For The Chocolate Ganache

6 ounces chocolate chips
½ cup heavy cream

For The Chocolate Cupcakes

½ cup milk
½ tablespoon white vinegar
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons of a multipurpose gluten free flour (I use a gluten free multipurpose flour with xanthan gum already in it)
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons cocoa powder (I use 3 tablespoons natural unsweetened and 3 tablespoons dark)
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
¾ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon plus ⅛ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon plus ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
2 rounded tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 3 tablespoons of water
½ cup warm water (microwaved for about 30 seconds)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the Chocolate Fudge Frosting

¾ cup unsalted butter or vegan baking sticks, room temperature
3.5 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup cocoa powder (I use ½ cup natural unsweetened and ½ cup dark)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
½ cup water , room temperature (you may not use it all)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For the Chocolate Ganache

Pour the 6 ounces of chocolate chips into a large heat safe bowl and set aside.
Pour the ½ cup heavy cream in a saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly. Once it begins to simmer around the edges, immediately pour the cream over the chocolate chips.
Immediately pour the heavy cream over the chocolate chips and let stand for 1.5 minutes. Do not mix!
If you mix right away your chips won't melt and your ganache will be chunky!
After 1.5 minutes, whisk until combined and smooth.
Let the ganache cool a little on the counter. About 15 min.
After 15 min, whisk again.
After the bowl of the ganache is no longer piping hot, place the bowl in the fridge and let the ganache cool while you are making the cupcakes.

Make the Chocolate Cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a 12 cup regular size cupcake pan with cupcake liners. Set aside.
In a large measuring cup, measure out ½ cup of milk. Add in ½ tablespoon of the white vinegar and stir.
Let sit 5-10 min and stir again, It will appear chunky; that's normal. Set aside.
In a large bowl whisk together the ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons multipurpose gluten free flour, ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, ¾ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon plus ⅛ teaspoon baking powder and ¼ teaspoon plus ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt.
In a small bowl, using a spoon, mix together the 2 rounded tablespoons cornstarch and 3 tablespoons water until thin and watery. It will be thick and tacky at first.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add in the cornstarch water mixture, the homemade buttermilk, the ½ cup warm water, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract.
Whisk until smooth and combined. If the batter appears very thin and liquidy, let it sit 10 minutes; it will start to thicken.
Use an ice cream scoop to fill the cupcake tins ¾ way to the top. Smooth the tops with a small knife. You should have 12 regular size cupcake tins filled.
Bake the cupcakes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 24 minutes or until the tops of the cupcakes spring back at you when carefully touched or when a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Let the cupcakes cool almost completely in the pan (about 15 minutes) before trying to remove them and placing them on a cooling rack.

Make the Chocolate Fudge Frosting

While the cupcakes are baking, make the frosting.
In the large bowl of an electric mixer or using a hand held mixer, beat the ¾ cup unsalted butter until smooth and creamy. About 2 minutes.
With the mixer on very low speed, slowly add in the 3 ½ cups confectioners' sugar, 1 cup of cocoa powder and 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract. Beat until combined.
While the mixer is on, slowly add in the ½ cup water a little at a time until you get the desired consistency. You may not need to use all the water.

Assemble the Cupcakes

Once the cupcakes have cooled, we are going to make the holes for the ganache filling.
If you have piping bags with tips, you can use that to make the holes.
If not, using a clean thumb, simply push down in the center of the cupcakes but not all the way to the bottom.
Take the ganache out of the fridge. You want it to be liquid enough to spoon into the cupcake holes.
If it is too thick, microwave the bowl of ganache in 5 second increments, stirring after each time until you get the desired consistency.
Fill the holes in the center of the cupcakes with the chocolate ganache, all the way to the top.
If it overflows a little that's ok because we will be frosting these.

Decorate the Cupcakes

If you have piping bags, pipe the chocolate frosting on top of each cooled cupcake.
If you don’t have piping bags, put a thin layer of frosting on top of each cupcake.
If you frosted the cupcakes by hand, pop the cupcakes in the fridge for 15 minutes to let that thin layer harden.
This is your crumb layer so that when you frost the tops of the cupcakes, the ganache doesn’t ooze out and get all over the place.
If you have a piping bag, you don’t need the crumb layer or this step.
Immediately after finishing frosting the cupcakes, add the chocolate sprinkles so they stick to the frosting. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

Vegan: Use a dairy-free gluten free flour, vegan sugar, vegan baking sticks, non-dairy milk, vegan chocolate chips, vegan heavy cream and vegan sprinkles.

If you can't find a vegan heavy cream, check out my FAQ section in my blog post for how to make a vegan ganache with vegan baking sticks.

All Purpose Flour: I cannot test this due to celiac disease, but use ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoon packed AP flour (147 grams) and packed cocoa powder (43.5 grams).

Storing: Store the cupcakes in an airtight container or wrapped in foil in the fridge for up to 2 days, or in the freezer for 30 days.

When ready to eat, let the cupcake sit on the counter, until it is room temperature and soft. If desired, warm each cupcake in the microwave for 5-10 seconds prior to eating. Be careful not to burn your mouth.

Nutrition: The info below is a generated estimate and is not guaranteed to be accurate.

Nutrition