These chocolate peppermint cupcakes are a sweet way to celebrate Christmas and the holiday season. The cupcakes are made with moist dark chocolate cake, swirled with peppermint buttercream frosting, and topped with peppermint sprinkles.
Ingredients for Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes
Dark Chocolate Cupcakes
- Semisweet chocolate chips – Go with semisweet or dark chocolate chips for the best chocolate flavor.
- Black cocoa powder – I love using black cocoa powder for an intense chocolate flavor and dark color. If you do not have black cocoa, you can use dark cocoa powder or regular cocoa powder.
- Boiling water
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Vegetable oil – Use your favorite neutral baking oil.
- Eggs – Large eggs, room temperature.
- Vanilla extract – Pure vanilla extract enhances the chocolate flavor in the cupcakes.
Peppermint Buttercream Frosting
- Unsalted butter – Room temperature.
- Powdered sugar – Confectioners’ sugar/icing sugar.
- Peppermint extract – For this recipe, be sure it is peppermint extract and not spearmint extract.
- Vanilla extract – Vanilla extract helps to round out the peppermint flavor.
- Salt – A pinch of salt contrasts the sweetness of the frosting.
- Heavy cream – Heavy cream or heavy whipping cream.
Additional Ingredients
- Peppermint sprinkles – If you can’t find peppermint flavored sprinkles, you can use crushed candy canes.
- Mini candy canes
How to Make Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes
- Preheat and prep: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a cupcake pan with 12 cupcake liners.
- Make the cupcake batter: Mix together the semisweet chocolate chips, black cocoa powder, and boiling water. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, and salt. Pour in the chocolate mixture and stir to combine. Add the vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract to the dry ingredients and mix until the batter is smooth.
- Bake the cupcakes: Portion the cupcake batter into the cupcake liners about 2/3 full. Bake the cupcakes for 20 minutes until the tops spring back when touched. Cool the cupcakes in the pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the peppermint buttercream: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, whip the butter on medium-high speed for about 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and mix on low speed until combined. Add in the peppermint extract, vanilla extract, and salt. While mixing on low, drizzle in the heavy cream. Whip the buttercream for 2 to 3 minutes until smooth and creamy.
- Decorate the cupcakes: Fill a piping bag fitted with an Ateco 857 piping tip with the peppermint buttercream frosting. Pipe a swirl of buttercream on the cupcakes and add peppermint sprinkles and a mini candy cane to each cupcake.
Recipe Tips
- Check out my baking tips blog post on 10 Tips for Baking Perfect Cupcakes for easy tips and tricks for baking the best cupcakes.
- To make the best buttercream frosting, be sure to check out my blog post on 10 Tips for Making Perfect Buttercream as well.
- If you can’t find peppermint flavored sprinkles, substitute with crushed candy canes.
- Store the cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Serve the cupcakes at room temperature for the best taste and texture.
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Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes
Equipment
- Stand mixer or electric hand mixer
Ingredients
Dark Chocolate Cupcakes
- ¼ cup semisweet chocolate chips
- ¼ cup black cocoa powder substitute with dark or regular cocoa powder
- ¾ cup boiling water
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- â…“ cup vegetable oil
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Peppermint Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp peppermint extract
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
Additional Ingredients
- ¼ cup peppermint sprinkles substitute crushed candy canes
- 12 mini candy canes
Instructions
Dark Chocolate Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a cupcake pan with 12 cupcake liners.
- In a mixing bowl, stir together the semisweet chocolate chips, black cocoa powder, and boiling water until the cocoa powder is dissolved and the chocolate is melted. Set aside to cool slightly.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, and salt. Pour the chocolate mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk until combined. Add the vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract. Whisk until combined and smooth.
- Portion the cupcake batter into the cupcake liners about â…” full. Bake the cupcakes for 20 minutes or until the tops of the cupcakes bounce back slightly when touched. Remove the cupcakes from the oven and cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Transfer the cupcakes to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Peppermint Buttercream Frosting
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer, whip the unsalted butter on medium-high speed for 5 minutes until it is light, pale, and creamy.Â
- Add in the powdered sugar and mix on low speed until combined. Add the peppermint extract, vanilla extract, and salt. While mixing on low speed, drizzle in the heavy cream.
- Turn the speed on the mixer to medium and whip the frosting for 2 to 3 minutes, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl occasionally, until the frosting is smooth and creamy.
Assembling the Cupcakes
- Fill a piping bag fitted with an Ateco 857 piping tip with the peppermint buttercream frosting. Pipe an "ice cream swirl" of buttercream onto the cupcakes. Sprinkle the cupcakes with peppermint sprinkles or crushed candy canes and decorate with mini candy canes.
Notes
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