The Very BEST Chocolate Cupcakes

Presenter / Channel

• John Canel on Preppy Kitchen

---

Ingredients (with quantities & substitutions)

Chocolate cupcakes (makes ~16–18)

Dry

• 180 g (1.5 cups) all-purpose flour
• 1⅓ cups sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 cup high-quality cocoa powder
  • Mentioned: Valrhona; “tons of nice brands” also fine

Wet

• ~1/2 cup buttermilk (not used directly—use mock buttermilk instead)
  • Mock buttermilk substitution: milk + white vinegar (or lemon juice)
    • “almost half a cup” milk
    • “a tablespoon or so” vinegar (to sour/curdle)
• 2 whole eggs
• 1/4 cup sour cream
  • Substitution: plain whole-milk yogurt
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup mock buttermilk
  • He repeats “1/2 cup of our mock buttermilk” and uses the vinegar-curdled milk mixture
• Hot coffee (intended ingredient) — he uses cooled-down coffee
  • “Warmer coffee just warms the mixture up a bit”
• Vanilla (optional): a splash, up to 2 tsp (optional)

---

Chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream

• 5 egg whites
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 10 oz bittersweet chocolate (melted, incorporated)
• Butter: room-temperature pieces
  • Notes:
    • 1/2 cup butter = 113 g
    • “one full pound” total
    • “113 times 4…two cups or four sticks” → ~4 sticks / 1 lb

---

Equipment & prep

• Bowl + sifter (sift flour/cocoa mixture)
• Whisk and/or stand mixer
  • Batter: can be by hand or with paddle attachment
  • Buttercream: stand mixer whisking
• Double boiler setup
  • Bowl over simmering water (no touching)
• Ice bath option to cool meringue quickly (pack/ice if needed)
• Cupcake tin + cupcake liners
• 3-inch pan for leftover batter (optional “mega cupcake”)
• Piping bag with a large open star tip (mentions “869”)

---

Method (step-by-step with key cues & timing)

1) Chocolate cupcake batter

1. Pre-sift & whisk dry ingredients
   • Sift in flour, then add sugar
   • Add salt and baking soda
   • Key cue: he briefly forgets cocoa at first, then corrects it
2. Add cocoa
   • Sift cocoa powder in
   • Note: cocoa can clump, so sifting/help is important
3. Whisk/redistribute dry
   • Whisk until distributed
   • Set aside after a quick wipe down
4. Make mock buttermilk
   • Mix milk + vinegar (or lemon juice) until it curdles/thickens
   • He stirs until thick (vinegar is “a tablespoon or so”)
5. Mix wet ingredients
   • Combine: eggs, sour cream (or yogurt), vegetable oil, mock buttermilk, and coffee (cooled is fine)
   • Optional: vanilla (up to ~2 tsp equivalent)
   • Stir until homogeneous
6. Combine wet into dry
   • Pour wet into dry (batter will look very wet/watery—that’s correct)
   • Mix by hand about less than 1 minute
     • Goal: activate some gluten and smooth lumps
   • Cue: batter should become silky and lump-free
7. Prep liners & fill
   • Fill liners to ~2/3 full max (they rise a lot)
   • Uses a medium ice cream scoop; large scoop caused overfilling once
8. Bake
   • Bake at 350°F for ~25 minutes
   • Doneness: centers are springy and set
9. Cool background
   • Use cooled cupcakes while buttercream finishes

---

2) Chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream

1. Separate egg whites
   • Emphasizes clean technique and clean hands
2. Add sugar
   • Combine egg whites with 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
   • Add pinch of salt
3. Steam to 160°F
   • Set bowl over simmering water
   • Whisk continuously until mixture reaches 160°F
4. Whip to room temperature
   • Transfer to stand mixer
   • Whip on high ~10 minutes until cooled to room temp
   • Cue: glossy meringue with a “wobble”
5. Melt chocolate
   • Melt 10 oz bittersweet chocolate (double boiler)
   • Cool until it’s not too hot
   • If not fully melted, lumps dissolve as it cools/off-heat
6. Stabilize butter temperature
   • If meringue is too warm, butter can melt and turn soupy
   • If soupy: chill bowl ~5 minutes
7. Incorporate butter
   • Mixer on low
   • Add room-temp butter in tablespoon-sized pieces
   • It may look soupy briefly, then thickens
   • Total butter addition described as ~1 lb (4 sticks)
8. Add melted chocolate
   • Mix a couple more minutes until Swiss meringue buttercream is smooth and cohesive
   • He notes you may transfer to a cold bowl if needed to cool down
9. Prepare for piping
   • Uses piping bag with large open star tip
   • Mentions target temps around the 70s when chocolate/cream temperature matters

---

Assembly, decorating, and serving

1. Fill cupcakes with frosting
   • Pipe with a large open star tip
   • Technique cue: add a “dollop,” then turn clockwise/counterclockwise to make a pointed spiral
   • Alternatives:
     • One big dollop without the spiral
     • Top with chocolate-covered espresso bean
     • Or add a chocolate drizzle
2. Correcting shape
   • If off-center while soft: tap to correct
3. Chill / serve
   • Refrigeration can firm them up
   • He suggests leaving at room temperature, covered
4. Flavor note
   • Coffee doesn’t taste strongly like coffee—mainly boosts chocolate flavor
5. Serving ratio preference
   • He prefers more cake than frosting (not heavily frosted)

---

Chef tips / common mistakes (from subtitles)

• Cocoa omission: he forgot cocoa initially—cocoa is crucial (“main flavor”)
• Don’t overfill liners: max about 2/3 full to avoid overflow/sheet-cake effects
• Mixing time: hand-mix batter under ~1 minute to avoid overworking
• Buttercream temperature control:
  • Meringue should cool to room temp before adding butter to prevent soupy frosting
  • If soupy after butter starts: chill ~5 minutes and whip again
• Sugar dissolution issue: if mixture is too warm (and eggs become saturated), sugar may not dissolve well (learned “the hard way”)

---

References

• Preppy Kitchen (John Canel) — video “The Very BEST Chocolate Cupcakes”
  • Mentioned brand detail: Valrhona cocoa