Sourdough Chocolate Cupcakes

My sourdough chocolate cupcakes are rich, moist, and full of sourdough goodness. I made them for my son's third birthday, and they were a hit — perfect for any special occasion (or a regular Tuesday).

If you want the same cozy chocolate flavor in an easier, no-piping dessert, my chocolate sheet cake with chocolate cream cheese frosting is perfect for a crowd. And if you love a cream cheese frosting, you'll want to try my sourdough carrot snack cake too.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• A great use for sourdough discard. Just ⅓ cup adds moisture and a subtle tang that deepens the chocolate.
• Rich and moist. Oil and cocoa make these tender and deeply chocolatey. If you love chocolate desserts, make sure you try my raspberry chocolate tart!
• Easy chocolate buttercream. A simple, pipeable frosting that comes together fast.
• Endlessly versatile. Dress them up for any holiday with festive liners and sprinkles — as fun as my cinnamon matcha cupcakes.
• Make-ahead and freezer friendly. Great for birthdays and parties, like my chocolate sour cream pound cake cupcakes.

Ingredients You'll Need

For the cupcakes

• All-purpose flour: The structure of the cupcakes.
• Cocoa powder: The main source of chocolate flavor.
• Baking soda + baking powder: Your lift.
• Salt: Balances the sweetness.
• Eggs: Room temperature, for a smooth batter.
• Sourdough discard: Adds moisture and a subtle tang (active starter works too) — the same trick as my sourdough double chocolate muffins.
• Cane sugar + brown sugar: For sweetness and moisture.
• Vegetable oil: Keeps the cupcakes moist for days.
• Milk + vanilla: Round out the batter.

For the chocolate buttercream

• Salted butter, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla: Whipped into a smooth, pipeable chocolate frosting.

See the recipe card for quantities.

Easy Substitutions & Variations

• Dairy-free: Use a high-fat non-dairy milk (full-fat oat milk is great) and plant-based butter for the frosting.
• Espresso: Add a teaspoon of instant espresso powder to the batter or buttercream to deepen the chocolate — the same flavor boost in my chocolate cinnamon rolls with espresso cream cheese icing.
• Double chocolate: Fold ¾ cup of chocolate chips into the batter, like my sourdough double chocolate banana muffins.
• Different frosting: Swap the chocolate buttercream for vanilla, or the strawberry buttercream from my strawberry crunch cupcakes.
• Long-fermented: Mix the flour, milk, sourdough starter, and oil, cover, and ferment 24 hours in the fridge (or overnight at room temperature). The next day, add the remaining ingredients and bake.
• Toppings: Berries, chocolate curls, sprinkles, or cookie crumbles — go festive for holidays.

Instructions

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350°F and prepare your muffin tin with cupcake liners.

Mix the wet and dry ingredients separately.

Step 2: In a large mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, slowly add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, stirring carefully so as not to overmix the batter. (Overmixing can cause sinking or overly dense cupcakes.)

Step 3: Use a 3-tablespoon cookie scoop to evenly divide the batter between 14 cupcake liners. It will be about ¾ of the way full.

Bake cupcakes for 18-20 minutes at 350°F. 18 minutes is perfect for me! They are done when the tops are set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Step 4: Allow the cupcakes to cool completely on a wire rack.

Make the buttercream using a whisk attachment (or paddle) and decorate to your heart's content!

Note: If you cupcakes aren't cooled completely by the time you are done making your frosting, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave it at room temperature until the cupcakes are nice and cool.

Weigh your ingredients! I can't recommend this enough. Kitchen scales are easy to find, affordable, and beneficial to your baking journey. It is the best way to make sure your recipes turn out as accurate as possible. See my "equipment" section above for links to scales I recommend.

Expert Tips

1. Don't overmix the batter. It's a thin batter — stir just until combined to avoid sinking or dense cupcakes.
2. Cool completely before frosting. Warm cupcakes will melt the buttercream. (If the frosting is done first, cover it and leave at room temperature.)
3. Sift the cocoa and powdered sugar. This keeps the buttercream smooth and easy to pipe.
4. Use a cookie scoop. A 3-tablespoon scoop gives evenly filled, evenly baked cupcakes.
5. 18 minutes is the sweet spot. Start checking at 18; pull them as soon as a toothpick comes out clean.

What Makes This Recipe Special?

These cupcakes prove sourdough discard belongs in dessert. The discard adds moisture and a gentle tang that keeps the chocolate from tasting flat or overly sweet, while oil keeps the crumb soft for days. They're simple enough for a weeknight but special enough for a birthday — and there's even a long-ferment option if you want to lean into the sourdough.

If you love a deeply chocolate, discard-friendly bake, you're in good company on the blog. My sourdough chocolate sheet cake with brown butter buttercream and fudgy sourdough brownies are two more favorites.

Sourdough Chocolate Cupcakes FAQs

Sourdough Chocolate Cupcakes Troubleshooting Guide

Storage

• Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
• Freeze for up to 3–6 months, preferably unfrosted (though frosted cupcakes freeze and thaw well too).
• Bring to room temperature before serving for the best texture.

Sourdough Chocolate Cupcakes

Audrey Grubb

These sourdough chocolate cupcakes are rich, soft, and delightfully sweet with a balanced tang from the sourdough discard. Topped with a simple chocolate buttercream, these cupcakes are perfect for any occasion.

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 18 minutes mins

Cooling time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 48 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 14 Cupcakes

Calories 403 kcal

Equipment

• ▢
  Food scale
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  Stand Mixer (or large mixing bowl and whisk)
• ▢
  Medium bowl
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  Muffin/cupcake pan
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  Cupcake liners
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  Three tablespoon cookie scoop (optional)
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  Flour sifter (optional)
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  Piping bag (optional)
• ▢
  Icing tip of choice (optional)
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  Potato peeler (optional, for chocolate shavings)

Ingredients

  

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Sourdough Chocolate Cupcakes

• ▢ 90 g all-purpose flour ¾ cup
• ▢ 45 g cocoa powder ½ cup
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 2 eggs room temperature
• ▢ 100 g sourdough discard ⅓ cup
• ▢ 100 g cane sugar ½ cup
• ▢ 100 g brown sugar ½ cup
• ▢ 79 ml vegetable oil ⅓ cup
• ▢ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ▢ 118 ml milk ½ cup

Chocolate Buttercream

• ▢ 227 g salted butter softened (1 cup)
• ▢ 45 g cocoa powder ½ cup
• ▢ 420 g powdered sugar 3½ cups
• ▢ 3 tablespoons milk
• ▢ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

 

Make the cupcakes

• Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a cupcake pan. (To ferment the batter, see the long-fermentation note below — start a day ahead.)
• In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt). Set aside.
  90 g all-purpose flour, 45 g cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ¾ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon salt
• In a medium bowl, mix the wet ingredients (eggs, sourdough discard, cane sugar, brown sugar, oil, vanilla, milk). Slowly mix the wet into the dry until just combined. The batter will be thin — do not overmix.
  2 eggs, 100 g sourdough discard, 100 g cane sugar, 100 g brown sugar, 79 ml vegetable oil, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 118 ml milk
• Use a 3-tablespoon cookie scoop to divide the batter between 14 liners (about ¾ full). If you only have a 12-cup pan, bake 12 and set the rest aside.
• Bake 18–20 minutes at 350°F, until a toothpick comes out clean (18 minutes is usually perfect). Cool completely before decorating.

Make the chocolate buttercream

• Beat the softened butter and vanilla until smooth and creamy; scrape the bowl. Whisk together the cocoa powder and powdered sugar, then slowly add to the butter (sift if clumpy). Add the milk a little at a time until you reach your desired consistency.
  227 g salted butter, 45 g cocoa powder, 420 g powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 3 tablespoons milk
• Decorate the cooled cupcakes with a piping bag and tip (I used a Wilton 1M) or a spoon. Top with chocolate shavings and/or sprinkles.

Notes

Long fermentation: Mix the flour, milk, sourdough starter, and oil in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate 24 hours (or leave at room temperature overnight — the starter's bacteria keep the milk from spoiling). The next day, add the remaining ingredients and bake.

Salted butter in buttercream: I prefer salted butter; if using unsalted, add a pinch of salt. With dairy-free butter, skip the extra salt since they're usually well salted.

Storage: Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in an airtight container. Chocolate shavings: Run a peeler along a chocolate bar.

Nutrition

Calories: 403kcalCarbohydrates: 57gProtein: 4gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 60mgSodium: 253mgPotassium: 143mgFiber: 3gSugar: 45gVitamin A: 458IUCalcium: 55mgIron: 1mg

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