A chocolate lover’s dream, these rich and moist chocolate sour cream cupcakes are covered with a smooth and creamy chocolate buttercream.
Photos Updated August 2015
Originally posted March 13, 2008 – I think that everyone needs a go-to chocolate cupcake recipe in their arsenal. I’ve had to play with this recipe a bit over the years to get it to be consistent for me (because I had some issues with it in the beginning if you read below), but now I can call it my go-to. The texture of this cupcake is perfect – nice and moist from the sour cream, with the perfect amount of chocolate flavor. And the buttercream? Even my frosting hating husband will eat this stuff. It’s that good.
The original post follows:
I am turning into a cookbook junkie. I definitely don’t own as many as some other bloggers do, but in the last year of blogging, my cookbook collection has at least doubled. Not only do I love to have the cookbooks to read through and cook from, but I’m a sucker for recommendations made by other people. When I read a blog and the blogger raves about a certain cookbook, I end up thinking about that book until I just have to go and order it.
So when I see a cookbook pop up on multiple blogs, you can pretty much guarantee that sooner or later, that book will be on my bookshelf. That’s what happened with this cookbook – cupcakes! by Elinor Klivans. With cupcakes like this, this, this, this, this, this (I could go on and on!!) I just had to buy it. And I’m really glad that I bought it, because it has some very different recipes in it, but I did have a bad start with the book.
It all started back in January. I had a birthday at work to bake for, plus it was my brother’s birthday, so I decided to make cupcakes so that I could do both at the same time. I was looking to do German Chocolate cupcakes, since they are my brother’s favorite. I found a recipe in this book, and set out to make the cupcakes. Well, they didn’t quite work out…
I don’t know what happened. It could be that I used those stupid silver cupcake liners, or it could be that I filled the cups too full, but I ended up with more cupcake on the bottom of my oven than in the actual cupcakes. And to top it all off, the cupcakes really stuck to the wrapper, making it impossible to peel it off. Maybe I did something wrong because I doubled the recipe. But I wasn’t too impressed with the recipe. They were not suitable to give away, so the next day I stopped at the grocery store on my lunch break and bought a cake mix – I needed something no fail because I had to have the cupcakes back at work that afternoon. The frosting was delicious, though!
So when my mother-in-law’s birthday came around in February, I don’t know why, but I went back to this book. I really wanted to do something creative, but my husband just kept saying “just chocolate – she loves chocolate”. So because I’m not a quitter and I wanted to make the recipe right, I went for the Chocolate Sour Cream Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting. If she likes chocolate, she was gonna get chocolate!!
And I’m glad I took the risk. These were probably the best chocolate cupcakes I’ve ever made. Even my husband, who is not a frosting lover, loved these. I still don’t know what happened the first time, but I’ll no longer be scared of this book!!
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Chocolate Sour Cream Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate roughly chopped
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/3 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/3 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups minus 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup water
Chocolate Buttercream
- 1 1/2 ounces unsweetened chocolate roughly chopped
- 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
- 3 teaspoons Dutch process cocoa
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream at room temperature
Instructions
Make the cupcakes:
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line 18 muffin tin cups with cupcake liners.
- Place the chocolate in a glass bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Stir the chocolate until it is melted and smooth. Remove the bowl and set aside to let it cool slightly.
- In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- In a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until light and creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape the bowl down as needed. With the mixer on low, slowly add in the chocolate. Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating fully between additions. Add the vanilla and beat the mixture until the color has lightened slightly, about 1 minute. Mix in the sour cream and mix until no white streaks remain.
- Add half of the flour mixture to the batter, mixing just until combined. Mix in the water. Mix in the remaining flour mixture, mixing just until combined.
- Divide the mixture between the prepared cups. Bake until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely.
Make the buttercream:
- Place the chocolate in a glass bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Stir the chocolate until it is melted and smooth. Remove the bowl and set aside to let it cool slightly.
- In a large bowl, sift together the powdered sugar and cocoa. Add the butter, and with an electric mixer on low speed, beat until smooth and combined. The mixture will appear crumbly at first, but it will eventually come together. Beat in the melted chocolate. Add in the vanilla and the cream and beat together on medium speed for at least 3 minutes, until it is smooth and creamy.
Recipe Notes:
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Shawn @ I Wash You Dry says
Chocolate Lovers is right. These look perfect! I want to lick that frosting right off of the screen!
cupcakes says
that’s an original cupcake recipe, photographer is genious
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
Craving a cupcake so badly right now – these look amazing!
Marsha @ Marsha's Baking Addiction says
These look so scrumptious! That buttercream looks so creamy, yum!
Rachel Cooks says
Wish I had one (okay, two) with my coffee this morning!
Laura says
They look great! I made this same recipe two times, following each step, but both times my cupcakes sunk in the middle, just like the first photos. Is it because i didn’t use double-baking powder, or because i filled too full the papers???
Deborah says
Laura, I’m guessing that you filled the cupcakes too full. That is usually my problem when my cupcakes sink. Just a guess, though!
Ana Fernandez says
Hi!
I’m my experience, it can be for 2 things, one just what Deborah said, maybe you filled the cupcake liners too much or two (and one of the most common things in the world) you underbaked them.
Sometimes the cupcake looks completely done but you have to leave them couple more of minutes in the oven, baking is a lo tlike chemistry so if you take them out one minute before everything is set they will deflate.
Hope that helps!
Ana
http:carmelapop.com
Deborah says
Ivy,
I've actually tried a few other recipes from the book and liked them. I don't know why these didn't work the first time, but they did work the second time!
Ivy says
I had the same thing happen to my cupcake attempt with that recipe! SO what is the secret to success? The frosting was good, but I'm reading alot of people out there get bad results with that recipe. Should I return the book?
Chocolate Shavings says
I love the look of those cupcakes! Great job Deborah!
ourohana says
I received that cookbook for Christmas and the yellow cupcakes I made did the exact same thing your’s did. Chockylit made a comment in her plain and simple chocolate cupcakes post about the sinking thing…filling the papers too full will cause some cupcake batters to sink when baking. I’m glad this recipe was a success…you’ve given me hope for this cookbook. 🙂
April says
These look wonderful!
Patricia Scarpin says
Deb, what a joy to see you didn’t give up – these are worth the effort!
Arfi Binsted says
Deborah, I bet your Mum would be really pleased! I am a bit mad with Nigel Slater at present as his recipes seem work for me, but he doesn’t make cupcakes hehehe…
Thank you for your gorgeous entry for Cupcakes Spectacular 2008!
Cheers,
ab
CB says
Lovely cupcakes! Glad you decided to give ::cupcakes!:: another shot. Just a thought about your previous cupcake catatrophe. Maybe you overfilled it and it collapsed on itself? I know that happens to me…
-Clara @ I♥cuppycakes!
Shandy says
Deb, I am so happy that you tried that one more time! They look positively delicious! The chocolate cupcake and frosting looks so inviting in the picture.
Brilynn says
Those look awesome! I’ve definitely developed an affinity for cookbooks in the past couple years. I’m just drawn to them now.