Chocolate Turtle Cupcakes
These chocolate turtle cupcakes are totally decadent and delicious! Made with moist chocolate cupcakes, creamy chocolate buttercream frosting, gooey salted caramel sauce, and nutty chopped pecans, they are the cupcake embodiment of classic turtles candy.
Chocolate turtle cupcakes are like, totally radical and ready to rock your taste buds like a power ballad on a cassette tape. We’re talking righteous chocolate cupcakes topped with smooth chocolate buttercream, drizzled in salted caramel sauce, and finished with a gnarly sprinkle of chopped pecans.
One bite of these bad boys and you’ll be saying, “I feel the need… the need for sweets!” So grab your scrunchie, preheat that oven, and let’s get this cupcake party started—80s style.
Ingredients for Chocolate Turtle Cupcakes
Chocolate Cupcakes
- Semisweet chocolate chips
- Dark or dutch-process cocoa powder
- Boiling water
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Vegetable oil
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- Unsalted butter
- Powdered sugar
- Dark or dutch-process cocoa powder
- Vanilla extract
- Salt
- Heavy cream
Additional Ingredients
- Salted caramel sauce
- Chopped pecans
How to Make Chocolate Turtle Cupcakes
- Prep and preheat: Preheat the oven to 350℉ (177℃). Line a cupcake pan with 12 cupcake liners.
- Make the cupcake batter: Stir together the dark cocoa powder, semisweet chocolate chips, boiling water, and instant espresso powder until the chocolate is melted. Set aside to cool slightly. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, and salt. Add in the cooled chocolate mixture to the flour mixture and whisk to combine. Add in the vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract and mix until the batter is combined and smooth.
- Bake the cupcakes: Portion the cupcake batter into the cupcake liners to about 2/3 full. Bake the cupcakes for 20 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- Make the buttercream: Whip the butter for 5 minutes until light and creamy. Add in the powdered sugar, dark cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and salt and mix until combined. Drizzle in the heavy cream while mixing on low speed. Turn the mixer to medium and whip the frosting for 2 to 3 minutes until smooth and creamy.
- Assemble the cupcakes: Fill a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 1M piping tip with the chocolate frosting. Pipe a generous swirl of buttercream onto the cupcakes. Drizzle on salted caramel sauce and sprinkle with chopped pecans.
Courtney’s Expert Baking Tips
- The chocolate cupcake batter is fairly thin. I recommend pouring the batter into a liquid measuring cup with a spout and pouring the batter into the cupcake liners. Fill the liners about 2/3 full.
- Use dark cocoa powder or dutch-process cocoa powder over natural cocoa powder for the best results. The dark/dutch-process cocoa adds a richer chocolate flavor and is also acidic, which helps to activate the baking soda in the cupcake batter.
- To prevent the caramel sauce from dripping off the cupcakes, you can chill the frosted cupcakes for 30 minutes prior to drizzling the caramel. Make sure the salted caramel is not too warm.
- Check out my post on tips for making the best cupcakes, best buttercream frosting, and my favorite cupcake baking supplies for even more helpful tips and tricks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! If you are not a coffee fan or need to stay away from caffeine, you can omit the espresso powder. The espresso powder helps enhance the flavor of the chocolate, but omitting it will not impact the recipe in a significant way.
You can use regular cocoa powder. The cupcakes will be a lighter brown color and have a lighter chocolate flavor. If you are able, I highly recommend going with dark or dutch-process cocoa.
Yes, you can! Some store-bought caramel sauces can be a bit thin, so opt for a thicker one so it doesn’t drip off the cupcakes. However, I highly recommend trying out my easy homemade salted caramel sauce. It requires only 5 ingredients and about 15 minutes to make! Make it ahead to save on time on your cupcake baking day.
If you try out these chocolate turtle cupcakes, please take a moment to leave a comment with a star rating below to let me know how you enjoyed this recipe!
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Chocolate Turtle Cupcakes
Ingredients
Chocolate Cupcakes
- ¼ cup (45 g) semisweet chocolate chips
- ¼ cup (22 g) dark or dutch-process cocoa powder
- ¾ cup (180 ml) boiling water
- 1 tsp (1 tsp) instant espresso powder
- ¾ cup (95 g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- ½ tsp (0.5 tsp) baking soda
- ½ tsp (0.5 tsp) salt
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) vegetable oil
- 2 (2) large eggs room temperature
- 2 tsp (2 tsp) vanilla extract
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 ½ cups (300 g) powdered sugar
- ⅓ cup (30 g) dark or dutch-process cocoa powder
- 2 tsp (2 tsp) vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp (0.25 tsp) salt
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) heavy cream
Additional Ingredients
- ⅓ cup (75 g) salted caramel sauce salted caramel sauce recipe (make ahead)
- ¼ cup (30 g) chopped pecans
Instructions
Chocolate Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ (177℃). Line a cupcake pan with 12 cupcake liners.
- In a small mixing bowl, stir together the dark cocoa/dutch-process cocoa powder, semisweet chocolate chips, boiling water, and instant espresso powder until the chocolate chips are melted. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, and salt. Pour in the slightly cooled chocolate mixture into the flour mixture and whisk until well combined. Add in the vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract, and whisk until the cupcake batter is well combined and smooth (the batter will be thin).
- Portion the cupcake batter into the cupcake liners, filling about ⅔ full. Use a large liquid measuring cup or a bowl with a spout to easily fill the cupcake liners.
- Bake the cupcakes for about 20 minutes or until the tops of the cupcakes bounce back slightly when gently touched. Cool the cupcakes in the pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer, whip the room temperature unsalted butter for 5 minutes until light, pale, and creamy.
- Add in half of the powdered sugar and mix on the lowest speed until the sugar is combined with the butter. Add the remaining half of the powdered sugar and the dark cocoa/dutch-process cocoa powder and continue to mix on low speed until fully combined.
- Add the vanilla extract and salt. While mixing on low speed, drizzle in the heavy cream. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure the ingredients are well incorporated.
- Increase the mixer speed to medium and whip the buttercream for about 2 to 3 minutes until it is smooth and creamy.
- Optional: To smooth out the buttercream and remove any air bubbles, heat ½ cup of the frosting in the microwave for 15 seconds. Pour the melted frosting back into the mixing bowl and mix the frosting on low speed until the buttercream is super smooth and creamy.
Assembling the Cupcakes
- Fill a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 1M piping tip with the chocolate buttercream frosting. Pipe a generous swirl of frosting onto the cooled chocolate cupcakes. Use a spoon or piping bag to drizzle the salted caramel sauce over the cupcakes and sprinkle with chopped pecans.
Notes
- Room temperature: Store the cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 to 2 days.
- Refrigerator: Store the cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. Serve at room temperature for the best taste and texture.
Nutrition
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About Courtney
Baker | 80s Lover | Cookbook Author
Courtney is a self-taught home baker and cookbook author of “Girls Just Wanna Bake Cupcakes”. She loves to create new and unique recipes while simultaneously listening to 80s music.
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