About This Small Batch Chocolate Cupcake Recipe
Looking for a single cupcake recipe? This small batch chocolate cupcake recipe makes just ONE chocolate cupcake, topped with an easily customizable buttercream frosting of your choice!
The recipe instructs you to make a big batch of cake mix that can be stored indefinitely. From there, it provides you with instructions on how to make a single cupcake from the mix! It’s the perfect single serve dessert recipe.
The sweet, soft, dense, and moist chocolate cupcake is made with a “secret” ingredient that doesn’t require you to halve eggs awkwardly or use its different parts exclusively like other small batch baking recipes.
The recipe comes from my friend (and Food Network star) Molly Yeh in her new cookbook, Home Is Where The Eggs Are.
Need some recommendations from Hummingbird High’s cupcakes recipe collection? Check out these Strawberry Milkshake Cupcakes, these Tiramisu Cupcakes, and these Pink Champagne Cupcakes!
Ingredients and Substitutions
Now that I’ve convinced you to make this small batch recipe, let’s talk about some key ingredients and their potential substitutions:
Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
Please use unsweetened cocoa powder and not Dutch-processed cocoa powder in this recipe! Unsweetened cocoa powder is slightly acidic, whereas Dutch-processed cocoa powder is not. This slightly acidic nature allows it to react with the baking soda in the recipe better, leading to a fluffier, more tender crumbed cupcake!
Coffee
You need 1 Tablespoon hot brewed coffee to make the small batch chocolate cupcake recipe. If you want to skip the caffeine, substitute with 1 Tablespoon freshly boiled hot water!
@hummingbirdhigh JUST. ONE. CUPCAKE. RECIPE. from #mollyyeh’s new cookbook! 🥰 #smallbatchbaking #bakingrecipe #bakingtiktok ♬ Luna, amore e no – Piero Piccioni
Best Recipe Tips
- Molly recommends setting the butter for the frosting out to soften as you make the cupcake. She says that by the time it’s done baking, the butter will be at the perfect temperature to make into frosting!
- It’s important to cool the cupcake completely before frosting. If you frost the cupcake while it’s still warm, it will melt the frosting!
Get the Recipe: Small Batch Chocolate Cupcake Recipe
Ingredients
For the Dry Cake Mix
- 1 ½ cups (6.90 ounces or 195 grams) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (5.30 ounces or 150 grams) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (0.75 ounces or 20 grams) natural unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted if necessary
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
To Make One Chocolate Cupcake
- 3 Tablespoons (1 ounce or 30 grams) dry cake mix (from the recipe above)
- 1 Tablespoon (0.50 ounces or 14 grams) freshly brewed hot coffee OR freshly boiled water
- 1 Tablespoon (0.45 ounces or 13 grams) mayonnaise
To Make Frosting For One Chocolate Cupcake
- 1 Tablespoon (0.50 ounces or 14 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 Tablespoons (0.55 ounces or 15 grams) confectioners' sugar, sifted if necessary
- ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- pinch of kosher salt
Instructions
To Make The Dry Cake Mix:
- Make the dry cake mix. In a medium container with an air tight lid, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Seal the container and shake to combine the ingredients.
- Store for occasional use. The dry cake mix will store at room temperature in a cool, dark spot for up to 1 year.
To Make One Cupcake:
- First, prep the oven and baking pan. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a single cavity of a muffin pan with a paper liner.
- Make the cupcake. In a small bowl, combine 3 Tablespoons (1 ounce or 30 grams) of the dry cake mix, 1 Tablespoon (0.50 ounces or 14 grams) freshly brewed or boiled and still hot coffee OR water, and 1 Tablespoon (0.45 ounces or 13 grams) mayonnaise.Use a rubber spatula to mix the ingredients until just combined.
- Assemble the cupcake. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake the cupcake. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out with a few crumbs attached. The top of the cake should bounce back when gently pressed.
- Cool before frosting. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then turn out the cupcake to cool on the wire rack completely before frosting.
To Make Frosting For One Cupcake:
- Once the cupcake is cool, make the frosting. In a small bowl, beat the butter with a wooden spoon until soft and creamy. Add the confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and salt, mixing vigorously until smooth and combined, about 1 minute.
- Finish assembling the chocolate cupcake. Spoon the frosting over the cupcake and use an offset spatula to spread it across the top of the cupcake. Alternatively, you can use a piping bag to decorate the cake. Garnish with sprinkles or the toppings of your choice.Enjoy immediately!
Did you make this recipe?
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Weeknight Baking:
Recipes to Fit your Schedule
Over the past several years of running Hummingbird High, I kept a crucial aspect of my life hidden from my readers: I had a full-time, extremely demanding job in the tech world. In my debut cookbook, Weeknight Baking, I finally reveal the secrets to baking delicious desserts on a tight schedule.
this sounds amazing! what a wonderful idea! i live alone but love cupcakes so perfect for me! can’t wait to try it!
Wow!
I think I love you?? This is what I’ve been looking for FOREVER. So good and so easy 💕
Not good. It was a bit too salty and missing something