Description
These Mini Chocolate Cupcakes are perfectly moist, rich, and chocolatey bite-sized treats, ideal for parties or simply indulging in a small, delightful dessert. Made with simple pantry ingredients and coffee to enhance the cocoa flavor, these cupcakes bake quickly in mini muffin tins and can be enjoyed plain or frosted with your favorite icing.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (measured correctly)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- â…“ cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup warm coffee (or decaf coffee, or room temperature buttermilk)
- 1 Tbsp white distilled vinegar
- â…“ cup light olive oil or vegetable oil
- 1 large egg (room temperature)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and place the oven rack in the center position. Line a 24-count mini muffin tin with mini cupcake liners to prepare for baking.
- Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, thoroughly whisk together all the dry ingredients—flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt—making sure to break apart any lumps of cocoa powder for an even texture.
- Wet Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the warm coffee, white vinegar, oil, egg, and vanilla extract until fully combined and smooth.
- Combine: Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients bowl and gently whisk just until combined. The batter will be slightly loose and may have some lumps, which is normal—avoid overmixing to keep cupcakes tender.
- Portion and Bake: Using a small cookie scoop or spoon, fill each lined mini muffin cup about two-thirds full (approximately 1 tablespoon of batter). Bake for 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
- Cool and Frost: Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely to room temperature. Once cooled, frost as desired. Repeat the process with remaining batter to yield a total of 48 mini cupcakes.
Notes
- Using coffee enhances the chocolate flavor but can be substituted with room temperature buttermilk if preferred.
- Do not overmix the batter to ensure cupcakes stay light and tender.
- Mini cupcakes bake faster than regular cupcakes; keep an eye on them starting at 10 minutes.
- Let cupcakes cool completely before frosting to prevent the frosting from melting.
- You can use light olive oil or any neutral vegetable oil as preferred.
