I absolutely LOVE LOVEEEE this chocolate frosting!! The sour cream makes it so creamy and you cant even taste there is sour cream in it! And what’s better than having real melted chocolate in your frosting? In fact, I reckon the frosting tastes just like chocolate mousse that melt in your mouth! SO TASTY!!
With a creamy frosting, a light but moist chocolate cupcake is the key to make this perfect combination. The cupcake recipe that I used is a lot like the one that I used in my mini caramel cupcakes and the lemon curd cupcakes. I love the oil base recipe – its so easy, leave no mess and the cupcakes always turn out light and moist!
I actually had quite a bit of frosting left, enough to frost a few more cupcakes, just as I wasn’t sure what I’m gonna do with the them, Andy came into the kitchen and polish it all! But I secretly wishing I could lick it all myself!
I took the cupcakes to work the next day for a girl’s birthday and they were a massive hit! Everyone loves it and said it was super-tasty! They all want the recipe for it! Though I soon regret giving out all my cupcakes, I ended up having one cupcake but really, I wanted six!! It was so good, I just wanted more…..
Chocolate Cupcakes (Make 30)
- 2 cups plus 2 tbsp. sugar
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup plus 1 tbsp. cocoa powder
- 1½ tsp. baking powder
- 1½ tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 cup boiling water
Method:
- Preheat oven to 180C (350F).
- Sift together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl.
- In another mixing bowl, combine the eggs, milk, vegetable oil and vanilla extract; whisk together.
- Add to the dry ingredients and mix with wooden spoon until mixture is combine.
- Add the boiling water and stir just to combine (batter will be thin).
- Transfer batter to prepared pans, filling each liner about 2/3 of the way full, approximately 1/4 cup of batter.
- Bake approximately 22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans about five minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes: I halved the cupcake recipe to make 12-15 cupcakes
Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting (for 12-15 cupcakes)
- 170g bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 4 1/2 tablespoon (64g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- 3 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
- Pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp. sour cream
Method:
- Melt the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Set aside to cool until just barely warm. (I melted my chocolate in the microwave, stir every 30s to avoid burning the chocolate!)
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter on medium-high speed until pale.
- Gradually mix in the confectioners’ sugar, cocoa powder and salt, beat until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the melted and cooled chocolate and then the sour cream.
- Continue beating until the mixture is smooth and well blended.
- Frost cupcakes immediately.
60 comments
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November 22, 2010 at 12:00 pm
Tes
The chocolate sour cream frosting sounds delicious! Your cupcakes look so adorable.
November 22, 2010 at 1:13 pm
tryityoumightlikeit
I can’t wait to try out that frosting. It looks amazing.
November 26, 2010 at 6:02 am
The Culinary Chronicles
Looks delicious! I, too, love sour cream in my frostings. 🙂
November 26, 2010 at 11:17 am
Amrita
I always add sourcream to my frosting’s and cakes….the ganache looks gorgeous!
November 26, 2010 at 6:02 pm
Ewa
Hey there! The cupcakes look fab! For the frosting recipe you say 4 1/2 butter…does that mean 4 1/2 sticks or cups?:)
November 26, 2010 at 6:45 pm
Gloria
This could become one of my favorite frostings, however, it calls for 4 1/2 unsalted butter. 4 1/2 what? I’m assuming Tablespoons, am I right?
November 26, 2010 at 9:03 pm
Rachel
Looks great for the frosting – one thing though. 4 1/2 of what for the butter for the frosting? Tablespoons?
November 27, 2010 at 9:58 am
kwanster
Hi Ewa, Gloria and Rachel,
Thanks for pointing out my mistype in the post!
It is 4 1/2 tablespoon (64g) of unsalted butter! 🙂
Glad you guys like the frosting!
November 27, 2010 at 12:23 pm
Nicole
Oh my! these look gorgeous!
November 28, 2010 at 6:28 am
Jenn@eatcakefordinner
That picture of the inside of the cupcake is mouthwatering!! Looks so good. Every time I try to add melted chocolate to my frosting, I always end up with chocolate bits. What is the secret to make it smooth with no chunks like yours? So, you said this is the base cupcake recipe? If you want regular cupcakes, you just leave out the cocoa? Do you add anything else? I have been searching for the perfect vanilla and chocolate cupcake recipes and I think this could be it?
November 28, 2010 at 1:05 pm
kwanster
hi Jenn!
This is a basic chocolate cupcakes recipe that i use and LOVE! It has never failed and always come out light, moist and fluffy! And the frosting is to die for! This definitely is one of the best chocolate cupcakes I have had!
I also have a basic vanilla cupcakes recipe that i turn to all the time, you can find it on my mini caramel cupcakes post, this recipe has a very similar texture to this chocolate cupcakes, so if you like a light and fluffy cupcakes, you will like this recipe, otherwise, if you prefer a denser, more tender cupcakes, then try the recipe from my vanilla cupcakes post!
As for the frosting, make sure the buttercream (the butter, icing sugar and cocoa powder mixture) is nice and smooth before you added in the melted chocolate (of cause, the choco has to be completely melted, smooth and free of lumps too!), that way you should have a very smooth and chunk-less frosting!
i hope that helps!
let me know how you go!
thanks for leaving a comment!
xox
November 28, 2010 at 10:30 pm
Jenn@eatcakefordinner
Thanks for the info. I prefer light & fluffy cupcakes. Sorry one more thing, now that I am writing this recipe down, I can’t find a baking temperature. I am assuming 350 degrees?
November 29, 2010 at 2:11 am
kwanster
yep! Set oven to 180C (350F)! Sorry about that!
November 29, 2010 at 2:45 pm
Sandra
Hi,
Your cupcakes look delicious!!!
I will bake them this week for my cousin 1st birthday party.
Thank you for the metric measures…
Sandra
December 1, 2010 at 2:09 am
the urban baker
those are beautiful. i can smell them through the screen!
December 1, 2010 at 6:47 pm
Gali
Just sour cream and pure cocoa powder is my “chocolate mousse” dessert of choice so frosting with both ingredients is definitely something to try.
December 24, 2010 at 9:38 pm
Jen
Arrgh! It didn’t work for me! The flavor is really really good, but the texture is all bumpy/lumpy/gritty. The butter never really vame together with the sugar/cocoa. It was like there wasn’t enough butter to overcome the powdered ingredients. What did I do wrong?? I know I measured everything correctly…
December 26, 2010 at 3:07 am
kwanster
Hi Jen
oh no! I am soooo sorry that it didnt work out for u! 😦
might i suggest adding the icing sugar in 1/4 cup at the time, so the butter can incorporate little bit of icing sugar at the time, it will help to create a smoother/non-lump frosting. And prehaps, increase the butter to 90g and just use 1 cup of icing sugar + 3 tablespoon of cocoa powder first to see how the buttercream turns out, if the consistency is good then go ahead with the rest of the ingredients, if u find it is still a bit wet then add 2 tablespoons of icing sugar at a time to reach a smooth/firm consistency. (and make sure that the butter is beat to a pale and fluffy stage before adding the powder mixture in). I am away on holidays at the moment but i will definitely make this again and let you know if any changes need to make! I hope that helps!!
January 1, 2011 at 9:00 am
a
hey i tried the cupcake recipe and they were really good! 🙂 I haven’t tried the frosting though.. i never really tried making frosting before but yours seem really tempting! Guess i’ll be trying them soon 🙂 thanks for sharing!
March 4, 2011 at 1:49 pm
Megan
These are gorgeous cupcakes!
March 23, 2011 at 9:33 pm
Rachel
These are devine, thank you!!!!
I really wanted to do half dark half white chocolate but the white chocolate didn’t work out! So strange! Any suggestions?
March 28, 2011 at 12:03 pm
kwanster
Thanks Rachel!
I have never tried using white chocolate, so I’m not why wouldn’t it work out!
I might have to try it out myself to see!
March 19, 2012 at 8:06 pm
Rita
I tried my own chocolate icing with white instead of dark chocolate and it didn’t work out either, I think white chocolate is just different, don’t know what exact…
April 15, 2011 at 4:13 pm
Mike
When I read that this frosting was like chocolate mousse on Tastespotting I had to check it out. It looks delicious!
April 15, 2011 at 5:50 pm
Jennifer @ Licious Food
These look delicious!
April 15, 2011 at 6:28 pm
Renea west
Looks so good, I am definitly going to try this,
Thanks for the recipe!
April 16, 2011 at 2:05 pm
Krystyne
Can’t wait to try this recipe out! Sounds yummy! Thanks for sharing.
May 8, 2011 at 5:37 pm
Sarmin
Your cupcake looks awesome! I wanted to make these cupcakes for a wedding and was wondering how long can I leave the frosting out for and also would I be able to make the frosting a day before? I know you say to frost immediately, is there a reason for that?
May 8, 2011 at 11:29 pm
kwanster
Hi Sarmin
The reason to frost immediately and prefer to eat on the same day is because the frosting contains sour cream in it, so if you leave the frosting out over night, the sour cream in it might go bad. You can frost the cupcakes and store them in the fridge, take the cupcakes out 30mins before you want to serve (so they can return to room temperature). And you can also prepare the frosting in advance and store it in the fridge, when you are already to use it on the day, take out the frosting and give it a quick whip again and then it will be already to pipe! Hope that helps!
Good Luck and let me know how you go! 🙂
May 9, 2011 at 11:07 pm
Sarmin
The cupcakes turned out absolutely amazing! I don’t think I’ve ever tasted such great chocolate cake before. I had a little problem with the frosting. It didn’t turn out smooth, it had bits of chocolate in it. It tasted great though! Any suggestions as to why this would happen?
May 10, 2011 at 12:01 am
kwanster
Hey Sarmin! I am glad the cupcakes turn out great for you! As for the frosting, make sure when you beat the butter and icing sugar together, they are completely combined, smooth, light and fluffy before you beat in the melted chocolate (make sure that it is completely melted and has no lump of chocolate in it too). That should give you a smooth frosting! 🙂 I hope that would help!! Thanks again for trying out my recipe!
November 7, 2011 at 3:57 am
Emily V
I have used this recipe twice and found that if I let my sour cream and butter both get to room temperature then my frosting turns out lump free and oh so delicious!!!
November 7, 2011 at 7:12 am
kwanster
What a great tip! Glad you like the frosting!
July 19, 2011 at 4:29 pm
Rufus' Food and Spirits Guide
That frosting looks perfect.
July 19, 2011 at 5:23 pm
thedrivencook
Just curious but with the sour cream, do these need to stay refridgerated? They look so good!
July 19, 2011 at 11:21 pm
kwanster
Hi there! When I did mine, I jus had them sit in room temperature overnight and finish the rest of the cupcakes the next day, but it was a cool night then!
i think storing them in the fridge will be the safest option, bring them back to room temperature to serve! 🙂 Hope that helps!
August 16, 2011 at 11:30 pm
lovelaughmirch
these look lovely… i like the idea of using sour cream rather then cream cheese … must try this frosting!
August 24, 2011 at 10:31 am
Zaa.miss.bowtie
ah!!!!!!!!!! I want to make these 🙂 I’ve already bought the cream 😛
September 8, 2011 at 10:02 am
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September 21, 2011 at 7:15 pm
Kay aka Babygirl
These chocolate cupcakes look out of this world. And that frosting.. I am such a choco-aholic and this is not helping me lol. Really love this post.
January 15, 2012 at 8:36 am
cancat
I made the cupcakes for a family picnic and they were a hit, thanks for the photos it helped heaps and I must say I was worried about the boiling water at first as the mixture turned to thick liquid….on the plus side though iy was mess free to fill the cupcake holders as I used a pouring jug and the cupcakes…….well they were DEVINE!! Thanks for sharing and I doubt I’ll ever try another recipe this one was perfect!
January 18, 2012 at 3:49 pm
kwanster
Thank you so much!! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂 xo
January 19, 2012 at 9:39 pm
After Taste
Oh my goodness, heaven!
April 5, 2012 at 10:52 am
Ilovecake
I made the frosting to go on a birthday cake I made and it was delicious!! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
June 17, 2012 at 9:20 am
lauren
Was so excited to find this recipe, been looking for a good chocolate frosting for a while. Made it this morning to go on some roasted blueberry cupcakes & it went very very lumpy. I followed the instructions, made sure it was all smooth then all of a sudden the chocolate went lumpy. I had to sieve the whole lot, boy my arm ached! I put it in the piping bag straight away but it had already started to get lumpy again. I just swirled it out as quick as I could & put them in the fridge. Such a shame as it tastes gorgeous, it’s just got little hard chocolaty bits in
June 17, 2012 at 11:37 am
kwanster
Oh no! I am so sorry to hear that 😦 I hope you will try this again and hopefully it will work out next time!
July 3, 2012 at 1:06 pm
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July 22, 2012 at 6:39 pm
Kay
I have been looking for a yummy Sour Cream Frosting. I used to buy it ready-made but haven’t been able to find any. This recipe is soooo much better. I made a Texas Chocolate Sheet cake today for my dad’s 86th birthday and instead of the recipe for the frosting that I have for that, I used yours. I use an 11 x 15″ pan for the cake so I needed more frosting than the recipe, so I bumped the ingredients up. Here’s what I used:
1 – 10 oz bag Ghiradelli Bittersweet Chocolate
1 stick of unsalted butter, at room temperature
2-1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
5 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
1 cup of sour cream, at room temperature
INCREDIBLE!!!!!!
No problems with lumps. I beat the heck out of it. LOL! Thanks so much for such a great recipe!!
Kay from Texas
July 23, 2012 at 3:03 am
kwanster
That’s wonderful!! So glad you like this recipe frosting! and thanks for your update on a large cake as well! It sure will be very handy for me!
December 15, 2012 at 5:37 pm
Bella
I just made this frosting it’s DELICIOUS!!! thank you so much for sharing it! I’ve been looking for a chocolate frosting that is not a simple ganache yet also not too sweet, and I FINALLY FOUND IT! thank you thank you thank you! this will be my go-to chocolate frosting now! simply amazing!
December 16, 2012 at 8:46 pm
kwanster
Thank you so much Bella! I am so glad you like this recipe! In fact, I just made this cupcake recipe this weekend too!! The frosting really is to die for!
January 24, 2013 at 7:10 am
Jacqueline
I made the cupcakes for my hubby’s birthday at work made 90 cupcakes everybody loved it,definitly the best moist cake i give it 5 stars .thank you so much
February 7, 2013 at 9:32 pm
Luisa
Hi! The frosting looks delicious! I’ll try it someday! Thank u for the recipe!
To all u Girls that had problems with the chocolate going lumpy; my thoughs are that maybe when u incorporate the warm chocolate to the butter mixture and then the sour cream, the sour cream and the butter must be at room temperature because if u pour in a cool ingredient into warm or hot chocolate the chocolate will inmediatly solidify with the suden change of temperature. Try it again and let me know if it worked!
February 10, 2013 at 10:18 pm
kwanster
Hi Luisa! What a great tip! Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts!
February 28, 2013 at 8:21 pm
Paula
Hi, exactly how much chocolate is 170grams. I’m planning to try this recipe this weekend.
March 1, 2013 at 12:09 am
kwanster
It is about 1 cup or 6 ounces. Hope you enjoy this recipe!
March 13, 2013 at 2:07 pm
Catherine Chong
I have a fav sour cream chocolate cupcakes recipe, but i dun like the buttercream, from the picture above i can see this buttercream is so smooth yet can hold it’s shape nicely..i will try this soon…thanks for sharing the recipe ^^
March 17, 2013 at 8:05 am
Renee
A great, simple and foolproof recipe! I love the quick cooking time and fluffy freshness! I do candy buffets and was recently told by a (very fit and healthy eating) man that they were the best cupcakes he’d ever eaten! So compliments all round!
May 10, 2013 at 11:14 pm
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