The Holiday season is here, and what better way to celebrate than with some dark chocolate peppermint cupcakes? These moist chocolate cupcakes are made with dark cocoa powder for a rich taste and topped with a fluffy peppermint buttercream frosting.
There is something about chocolate and peppermint that has always spoken to me. From the Andes mints I got at restaurants, to the peppermint hot chocolates that I would order from Starbucks during my breaks when I used to work retail at the mall, it has always been one of my favorite flavor combinations.
Add these to your list of holiday baking ideas!
Dark Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes
To elevate the classic chocolate peppermint cupcake, I created these dark chocolate peppermint cupcakes using dark chocolate cocoa powder. The same chocolate and peppermint we all love (or I’m sure you do since you’re reading this!), with a richer, deeper, chocolate flavor.
I love baking with dark chocolate and you’ll notice that it’s one of my go-tos when I share a chocolate recipe. I prefer the slightly less sweet, deeper flavor. Dark chocolate is actually what made me like chocolate in the first place!
This is my favorite dark chocolate cupcake recipe–one that I’ve spent the past two months perfecting! The cupcakes are tender, moist, and almost melt in your mouth. They are baked to perfection and topped with a fluffy peppermint buttercream frosting.
What You Will Need
For the Cupcakes:
- All-purpose flour, measured correctly: see here for a guide on how to properly spoon and level flour!
- Dark Cocoa Powder: I used Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa Powder. You could use regular cocoa powder, they just wouldn’t be dark chocolate cupcakes anymore (but still tasty!). 😉
- Boiling Water: to bloom the cocoa powder (more about that later).
- Granulated Sugar
- A neutral oil, such a vegetable oil or avocado oil. I love avocado oil for some healthier fats!
- One egg, at room temperature. If you need to quickly warm the egg, place it in a bowl of hot water for 5-10 minutes.
- Vanilla extract
- Plain greek yogurt and milk: alternatively you could use equal parts buttermilk.
- Baking soda, baking powder, and salt
- Optional: crushed candy canes for decorating!
For the frosting:
- Unsalted butter: softened and at room temperature
- Confectioners (powdered) sugar
- Peppermint extract and vanilla extract
- Salt
- A bit of milk
And that is what you will need to make these festive cupcakes! I would highly recommend the crushed candy cane garnish to 1) use up all the candy canes you may have laying around and 2) add some color, crunch, and more peppermint flavor.
What Does It Mean to Bloom Cocoa Powder?
When you scroll down and read the recipe, you’ll see that one of the first steps is to ‘bloom’ the cocoa powder. In short, what this entails is mixing cocoa powder with hot liquid. This dissolves the powder and releases the flavors contained within the solids.
Have you ever had a chocolate cupcake where the chocolate flavor was there but not very rich? An easy fix for this is to bloom the cocoa powder. Yes, it requires dirtying another bowl, but you’ll get a more intense and rich chocolate flavor!
Tips & Tricks
Don’t over-mix the batter: make sure to fold the flour into the wet ingredients only until it is just combined. The final batter will be quite runny, so don’t be alarmed by that!
Add some more flavor: While this recipe doesn’t call for it, you can add a few drops of peppermint extract to the cupcakes to add an additional layer of minty flavors.
Bake until just done: Start checking in on the cupcakes around 18 minutes, and then bake them until they are just set. You can test by gently tapping the tops, which will spring back once baked through. Or, do the ‘toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean’ test.
To make a cake: double the recipe to make a bundt cake or two single layer 9″ cakes! You will need to extend the baking time to 30-35 minutes for the cakes, or 50-60 minutes for a bundt cake.
Did You Make This Recipe?
If so, I’d love to hear from you! Feel free to leave a comment, rating, or take a picture and share it with me on instagram @toppedwithhoney. Looking forward to seeing your decadent cupcakes!
Craving more chocolate after this? Try these dreamy stuffed chocolate peanut butter cupcakes!
Save This Recipe for Later
Not ready to bake yet? No problem! Just click the pin icon in the below image to save it to Pinterest to come back to later.
Dark Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes
Ingredients
Dark Chocolate Cupcakes
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- ⅓ cup dark cocoa powder, such as Hershey's Special Dark
- ½ cup boiling water
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil or avocado oil
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- ¼ cup plain greek yogurt
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Peppermint Frosting
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- pinch of salt
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ tsp peppermint extract + more if desired
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1-2 tbsp milk
- crushed candy canes, for garnish
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare a cupcake pan with liners.
- Place the dark cocoa powder into a small, heatproof bowl, and pour the boiling water over it. Whisk these together until smooth and set it aside to cool until just warm to the touch.
- In a separate, larger bowl, whisk together the sugar, oil, egg, and vanilla extract until smooth. Then add the yogurt, milk, and cooled chocolate mixture until well combined.
- Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together, and then add them to the wet ingredients. Use a flexible spatula to fold the flour in until it is just combined. The final batter will be quite runny.
- Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake tins, filling to just over ¾ full. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until the cupcakes are set and a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring them to wire racks to cool completely.
Frosting
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and salt on medium-high speed together until combined (30 seconds-1 minute). Reduce the speed to low and add the powdered sugar, vanilla, peppermint, and milk. Gradually increase the speed up to medium-high, and then beat the frosting until it is light and fluffy (2-3 minutes).
- Optional: add additional peppermint extract for a stronger flavor and additional milk as needed to achieve your desired consistency.
- Frost the cooled cupcakes with a knife or piping bag and garnish with crushed candy canes. Enjoy!
Best,
Rools
Thee absolute BEST chocolate ? cupcake recipe I have EVER MADE!!