Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 1 1/4 cups (150 grams) all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup (65 grams) Dutch process cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Diamond kosher salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups (250 grams) granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water
• Steps to Make It
• Gather the ingredients.
• Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 350 F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners. Lightly spray the liners with cooking spray.
• Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
• Whisk the eggs and sugar together in a medium bowl until pale and foamy.
• Add the yogurt, oil, and vanilla to the egg-sugar mixture, whisking until combined.
• Slowly pour in the boiling water while whisking until combined.
• Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients in the reserved bowl. With a rubber spatula, stir until well combined and no trace of dry ingredients remain.
• Use a 1/2-cup measuring cup to scoop and portion out the batter into the prepared liners.
• Bake the cupcakes until a toothpick inserted in the middle of one comes out with a few moist crumbs, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Remove and transfer to a wire rack to completely cool. Top with your favorite frosting, glaze, or ganache, if desired.
• Tips
• Spraying the cupcake liners helps prevent the cake from sticking. This is not completely necessary, but we think it makes for a cleaner look and even more to enjoy.
• Do not use natural cocoa powder in place of the Dutch-processed as it will change the texture and flavor of the cupcakes. Natural cocoa powder is paired with baking soda because the leavener needs the acidity to activate. However, if a recipe calls for baking powder (or both baking powder and baking soda), like this one, Dutch-processed cocoa powder must be used.
• We use a combination of baking soda and baking powder in this recipe because the combination gives it just the right lift.
• Make sure the baking powder and baking soda are no more than 6 months old. If they are, replace them as they lose their potency quickly and the cake won’t rise properly.
• For a softer cake, substitute cake flour for the all-purpose flour.
• Useful Articles:
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• How to Bloom Chocolate
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