One-Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes with Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Just like a great drop-cookie recipe, every home cook needs a fuss-free cake that can be mixed in a flash and is adaptable enough for layer cakes and cupcakes. One-Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes are so effortless, they don’t even warrant their own technique lesson; you simply combine dry ingredients and whisk in a few liquid ones. There is no need for an electric mixer, and best of all, you have to use only one bowl in the process.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 24
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Prepare oven and tins Heat oven to 350°F. Line two standard muffin tins with paper cupcake liners.
Step 2
Combine ingredients In a large bowl, whisk together cocoa, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk in eggs, yolk, water, buttermilk, butter, and vanilla until smooth and combined, about 3 minutes.
Step 3
Bake Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each about halfway. Bake cupcakes, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted into the centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes.
Step 4
Cool and frost Transfer to a wire rack; cool 10 minutes, then turn out cupcakes onto rack. Let cool completely before frosting. Unfrosted cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container, up to 3 days at room temperature or frozen up to 1 month.
Chocolate Layer Cake
Step 5
Coat two 8 by 2-inch round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray. Line bottoms with parchment paper rounds; spray parchment. Follow instructions for cupcakes above, dividing batter evenly between prepared pans. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in the centers comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Transfer pans to a wire rack to cool 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto the rack; peel off parchment. Reinvert cakes, and cool completely, top sides up, before frosting.
