These delicious and easy chocolate cake mix cupcakes are so simple to make, but the flavor is anything but simple! If you are looking for an impressive chocolate cupcake recipe that is not overly complicated to make, this chocolate cake mix cupcakes recipe is your recipe!
I love homemade cupcakes, but I also love how quick and easy it is to doctor a cake mix and create absolutely delicious cupcakes.
These doctored chocolate cupcakes are one of my go to recipe for easy and delicious chocolate cupcakes.
To make these rich, moist and delicious chocolate cupcakes, packed full of chocolate flavor, you start with your favorite chocolate cake mix, but instead of following the directions on the box, you simply follow this easy recipe.
You will add sugar, flour, cocoa powder, water, eggs, vanilla and sour cream to the cake mix to create cupcakes that have a wonderful from scratch taste.
I love to use a dark chocolate cocoa powder in my baking, especially in cakes and cupcakes.
My grocery store doesn’t always carry dark cocoa powder, so I usually order online. I love Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa. I find it adds a lot of depth to the flavor.
If you are a dark chocolate lover like I am another tip is to replace the water in this recipe with coffee (make sure it’s cooled to room temp first). The cupcakes won’t have a coffee taste, but they will have a nice rich, deep chocolate flavor.
Chocolate Cake Mix Cupcakes
Chocolate Cake Mix Cupcakes
Equipment
- Cupcake Pan
Ingredients
CUPCAKES
- 1 box chocolate cake mix (I like Devil's Food or Chocolate Fuge)
- 1 cup sugar
- 2/3 cup all purpose flour
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder (preferably dark cocoa powder)
- 1 cup water (cooled coffee can also be used)
- 3 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips (this is optional, but really kicks up the chocolate flavor!)
- 1 cup sour cream
CHOCOLATE FROSTING
- 6 tablespoons butter (softened)
- 2-2/3 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp salt (you can omit, I like it to cut the sweetness)
Instructions
CUPCAKES
- Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Line cupcake pans with 24 cupcake liners.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix, sugar, cocoa and flour. Mix to combine. Add in water, eggs, vanilla extract, mini chocolate chips if using, and sour cream to the dry ingredients and mix well using an electric mixer. Mix for approximately two minutes.
- Scoop cupcake batter into cupcake liners. I like to use an ice cream scoop or large cookie scoop to scoop my batter. Batter should fill the cupcake liners about 2/3 of the way full. Place cupcakes in oven to bake for 15-20 minutes or until center springs back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely on cooling racks.
- Once cooled completely, frost with your favorite frosting recipe. Here is one that I like to use.
FROSTING
- Beat butter in medium bowl. Add powdered sugar and cocoa alternately with milk, beating to spreading consistency (additional milk may be needed). Stir in vanilla. Mix well to combine. Frost your cupcakes.
Nutrition
The nutrition facts provided are calculated using a third-party tool and are estimates only. Actual nutritional content may vary based on the ingredients and brands you use, as well as portion sizes. For accurate results, please consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist.
Can’t get enough chocolate cupcakes? I hear ya. And I’ve got even more great chocolate cupcake recipes you will want to save and try!
Salted Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes
Peanut Butter Caramel Chocolate Cupcakes
Malted Milk Chocolate Cupcakes
Chocolate Cupcakes With Raspberry Filling
Dark Chocolate Cream Filled Cupcakes
Pin Chocolate Cake Mix Cupcakes
Enjoy!
Meet Christi, Love From The Oven
I’m Christi I love sharing easy & delicious recipes that your family & friends will love. I’m a mom, baker, cookbook author and lover of sprinkles.
All I could find is super moist box cake mix. Will that work?
Yep, any cake mix will do.
Delicious! I have made this recipe a few times, always a hit! Thank you for this easy recipe!
I am planning to try this recipe using a white cake mix and white chocolate chips… Anyone try this yet? Would love to know how they turned out!
I had two boxes of slightly expired chocolate cake mix that I did not want to go to waste. Came across this recipe and used it. Added the coffee as the recipe suggests. I used organic plain greek yogurt instead of sour cream because that is what I had on hand. Everyone raved over them at work when I shared! Fyi -all I did for icing was microwave chocolate store bought icing until it became glaze. Topped with mini choc chips in addition to those in the recipe.
We made these for my little girls birthday over the weekend and I gotta say they were a HIT!!! Using the chocolate chips I think is key… Little chunks of melty chocolate in each bite was heavenly. These were so moist and rich! I was so impressed w/ them! Thanks for the recipe!! 🙂
These look amazing!!! I’m getting ready to make them and just wanted to double check that there is no oil or butter on the cupcake recipe….
Thanks for sharing your recipes!!!
Hi Kim, the eggs, sour cream and water give you your fat and liquids for this one. Enjoy!
These were beyond amazing! You created the perfect recipe!
Hi! These look delicious. Is there a way I can cut the total amount of cupcakes to 12 instead of 24? Don’t want to be tempted by too many leftovers but need to make for a kids party!
You could probably cut the recipe in half. That said I haven’t tried, I’d probably just share the extra cupcakes with friends or neighbors.
Hello…
Can I use a Brownie mix instead of a cake mix….?
BTW, I love your page layout…!
Ricardo
Hi Ricardo, unfortunately brownie mix won’t work quite the same. You will end up with a denser product without the same kind of rise as a cupcake. Since I haven’t tested the ingredient ratios, I don’t want to risk you wasting ingredients. May I suggest my Doctored Brownie Mix recipe instead?
Well, I can tell that you have never made this recipe, or if you have, you didn’t learn anything from your recipe test. When I made them today, with the mini chocolate chips, there was enough mix to make 27 cupcakes — 3 more than I had room for in my standard pans. You could easily adjust the quantity of flour, sugar, and sour cream to make the recipe fill 24 muffin cups to 2/3 full. I even overfilled the cups a little beyond 2/3 full, and they made huge muffin tops.
Luckily, there was enough icing to cover all 27 cupcakes.
Probably would have been hard to take those photos without making this recipe. 😉 Given that there is an increased variety of sizes in standard cake mixes, and cupcake pans, as well as liners, there is some variablilty. That said, if having 3 extra cupcakes is that upsetting to you, my apologies, but I’d always rather someone have more than they need, than less – but that’s just me. Have a great day, Jenn NOLA.
Jenn, This is my first time to this site, and wow, I think you could have been a little nicer with your comment. You accused Christi of not making the cupcakes and then you said nothing about the test or texture only that you had enough for three extra cupcakes. Also, would it have been so bad to not have icing for the three extra cupcakes? I think they are really good without icing, plus less calories. I’m sorry you were having such a bad day.
Omg!!!! This cupcakes are the bomb!!! The taste soooo goooodddddd!!!!!!!!