Sourdough Chocolate Cupcakes

4.91 from 10 votes

Sourdough Chocolate Cupcakes

Rich, fudgy and full of chocolate flavor, these sourdough chocolate cupcakes are decadant and delicious. Perfect for any chocolate-lover or a special birthday celebration, you will love the moisture from the sourdough discard and the swirl of chocolate frosting on top.

Prep Time30

Cook Time20

Cooling Time45

Total Time1 35

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: cupcakes

Author: Amy Coyne

Equipment

Ingredients

Sourdough Chocolate Cupcakes

200 grams all-purpose flour about 1 1/2 cups
300 grams granulated sugar about 1 1/2 cups
85 grams dutched cocoa powder about 3/4 cup
8 grams baking soda about 2 teaspoons
3 grams baking powder about 3/4 teaspoon
6 grams salt about 1 teaspoon
100 grams sourdough discard scant 1/2 cup
180 grams hot water about 3/4 cup
3 large eggs about 150 grams
100 grams vegetable oil scant 1/2 cup, see recipe notes for substitution
8 grams vanilla extract about 2 teaspoons
240 grams buttermilk about 1 cup

Chocolate Frosting

226 grams unsalted butter, softened about 1 cup
175 grams semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips, melted and room temperature about 1 cup
180 grams powdered sugar about 1 1/2 cups
5 grams vanilla extract about 1 teaspoon
pinch of salt

Instructions

Chocolate Sourdough Cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line 2 muffin tins with cupcake liners and spray with cooking spray (optional).
In a large bowl whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In a medium-sized bowl mix together sourdough discard and hot water. Add the eggs, whisking in between each addition. Then add the vegetable oil and vanilla extract. Whisk until combined. Lastly add the buttermilk and whisk together.
Pour the wet ingredients on top of the dry ingredients and mix together with beaters or a hand mixer for one minute, scraping down the sides as needed until the batter is completley incorpoarted.
Scoop batter into each cupcake liner about ¾ of the way full, doing your best to evenly divide the batter between the cupcake pans. This recipe makes about 24 cupcakes.
Bake cupcakes for about 20 minutes at 350ºF until baked all the way through. Stick a toothpick into the center of a cupcake to test for doneness (all ovens vary a little in temperature). The toothpick should have a few moist crumbs or be completely clean coming out – no batter.
Let cupcakes cool completely before frosting.

Chocolate Buttercream

Add chopped chocolate to a microwave safe bowl. Melt in 30 second increments, stirring in between, until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Set aside to cool until room temperature.
Alternatively you can melt the chocolate over the stovetop.
In a medium sized bowl add softened butter. Use a hand mixer (or stand mixer) to whip the butter together until creamy, about 1 minute. Add cooled melted chocolate and whip together until incorporated and creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the powdered sugar, about 1/2 cup at a time and mix until all the powdered sugar is incorporated. Add vanilla extract and a pinch of salt. Whip again for 2-3 minutes until light and creamy.
Pipe buttercream on top of cooled cupcakes and decorate with sprinkles or chocolate shavings if desired.

Notes

Dutched Cocoa Powder: The rich chocolate flavor from cocoa powder is what makes these cupcakes really shine. Use a good quality dutch-processed cocoa powder. You can substitute regular cocoa powder, but the cupcakes won't be quite as rich and chocolatey in flavor.

Sourdough Discard: I feed my sourdough starter with equal weights of water and flour for a 100% hydration starter. If your starter is fed differently, you will want to adjust the amount of flour called for in the recipe; adding more flour for a starter that is fed with a higher percentage of water and less flour for a lower hydration starter. The longer your discard sits in the fridge, the more “tang” it will have. I prefer using a younger discard in this recipe to balance with the other flavors.

Vegetable Oil: If you don't use vegetable oil, try replacing with melted butter or liquid coconut oil.

Buttermilk: These cupcakes really are best with buttermilk, but you can also substitute equal weights of sour cream/milk. Whisk together 120 grams sour cream with 120 grams milk and sub for the buttermilk in this recipe.

Nutrition