If you love hot chocolate and you love cupcakes (and who doesn’t!?), this hot chocolate cupcake recipe is for you!
These cupcakes are the best treat for a chilly winter day. You’ll enjoy your favorite hot chocolate flavors without kids talking about it being too hot or too cold (if you have kids, you know what we’re talking about).
How to make hot chocolate cupcakes
That recipe is super straightforward. Think of it as using hot chocolate powder instead of cocoa powder.
- Simple add all cupcake ingredients to a large bowl. Stir to combine.
- Scoop into cupcake liners.
- Bake for 13 -18 minutes.
It’s really just that simple! While the cupcakes are baking, you can make the frosting.
Click here to see the step-by-step web story instructions for this recipe!
How to make an easy cupcake frosting
- Combine heavy whipping cream and confectioners sugar.
- Beat with a hand or stand mixer until soft peaks form.
That’s it! Once the cupcakes are cooled, you can frost and decorate them.
Phi’s kids love to help with this recipe in the kitchen and since it’s so simple to make, the kids can easily get involved and each take part in creating a delicious treat that they surely loved to taste test when done baking!
If you’re new to frosting cupcakes in this way, you can easily make them look a tad fancier by simply making your own piping bag.
How to make your own piping bag
- Simply take a zip-top bag and cut the corner off. Put frosting in the page and squeeze out of the tip of the bag
We love topping cupcakes with fun sprinkles like these, but white shimmer sprinkles would be fun too! You could even add marshmallows on top for a super tasty treat.
And if you’re looking for another great way to enjoy hot chocolate, check out our post on creating your own hot chocolate mix and hot chocolate bar!

Hot Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the cupcakes
- 1 1/4 Cup Flour
- 3/4 Cup Sugar
- 1/2 Cup Hot Water
- 1/2 Cup Milk
- 6 Tbs Hot Cocoa Powder
- 4 Tbs butter melted (half a stick)
- 1 Egg
- 1 Tsp baking powder
- 1/2 Tsp baking soda
- 1/4 Tsp Salt
For the frosting
- 1 1/4 Cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 1/4 Cup confectioners sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Line a cupcake pan with 12 liners and set aside.
- In a bowl add all the ingredients for the cupcakes (for the hot water, you can just put a coffee mug 3/4 full of hot water in the microwave for about two minutes) then measure 1/2 cup of hot water and added it to the bowl.
- Mix all ingredients with a spoon until combined, then distribute among the cupcake liners and bake for 13-18 minutes (until a toothpick comes out clean). Let cool.
For the frosting
- In a bowl, combine the heavy whipping cream and confectioners sugar. Beat with a hand mixer or stand mixer until soft peaks form (about 5 minutes).
- When the cupcakes are cooled frost them with the whipped cream frosting and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Maria says
Thank you for this recipe. My daughter and I made these cupcakes and they were delicious! We used Ghirardelli chocolate caramel mix and it gave the cupcakes a slight mocha taste.
Sweetphi says
Thank you so much for the comment Maria, and wow, that does sound like it would be good with those mocha flavors, I’ll definitely have to try it out with different hot chocolate recipes (I’ve made the recipe more than 3 times in the last month, so one more time wouldn’t hurt 🙂 )