Hot Cocoa Cupcakes

Everyone has had a cup of hot cocoa, but have you ever had Hot Cocoa Cupcakes? These cupcakes are rich and so delicious. It will taste like you’re eating a cup of hot cocoa, but the frosting will literally be the icing on the cake.

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These Hot Chocolate Cupcakes are unique because while they may look like they are full of chocolate, they actually have a different and tasty flavor. Gone are the days where everything is either vanilla or chocolate.

single hot cocoa cupcake on a white plate with a sliver fork

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Easy to make – You will easily love this recipe because it’s SO easy to make!
Unique taste – If you’re looking for a different recipe, then try these cupcakes! Hot cocoa is such a good flavor for cupcakes.
Chocolate frosting – The frosting on these cupcakes is chocolate, and it’s amazing.

Ingredients

Cupcake Ingredients:

chocolate cake mix
water
cooking oil
eggs
hot cocoa mix
chocolate pudding

Frosting Ingredients

butter, softened
powdered sugar
heavy cream
chocolate syrup
Dehydrated marshmallow bits or mini marshmallows

See recipe card for quantities.

How to Make Hot Cocoa Cupcakes

Directions For Cupcakes:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with baking liners.

cake mix, eggs, oil and hot chocolate being mixed in a glass mixing bowl

In a large mixing bowl, add cake mix, water, eggs, and oil.

cake batter in a glass mixing bowl with hot chocolate being added

Using an electric hand or stand mixer, mix on medium for 1 minute or until ingredients are thoroughly combined. Mix in the hot cocoa mix.

chocolate cupcake batter being filled into a muffin pan

Fill each muffin cup 2/3 of the way with batter.

Bake for 18-20 minutes or until cupcakes springs back when touched. Allow to cool completely.

Directions For Frosting:

chocolate frosting being whipped in a glass mixing bowl

In a large mixing bowl and using an electric or stand mixer, beat the butter on high for 2 minutes or until light and fluffy.

Mix in the chocolate syrup.

butter, sugar, and hot cocoa in a glass mixing bowl

Add in the powdered sugar and chocolate pudding, alternating with the heavy cream until smooth and forms small stiff peaks.

chocolate cupcakes topped with chocolate frosting

Add frosting to the piping bag and frost cupcakes.

five hot cocoa cupcakes on a white plates

Sprinkle with marshmallow bits or mini marshmallows.

Substitutions

Don’t have everything you need on hand to make this recipe? I like to play around and see what works best. Here are some substitution ideas for these cupcakes.

Heavy whipping cream – if you don’t have heavy whipping cream, then you can use half-and-half plus butter.
Powdered sugar – go ahead and take a cup of regular sugar and place it in the blender. Blend it to get powdered sugar.
Chocolate syrup – no chocolate syrup on hand? You can use molasses, honey, or even maple syrup.

Sometimes you don’t have everything you need on hand to make these recipes. If that’s the case, then hopefully some of these options will work.

Variations

Changing up recipes can be a lot of fun. These variation ideas can help make these cupcakes exciting in a different way.

Candy – instead of adding marshmallows, add candy! This is a really fun way to switch up these cupcakes.
Add warm chocolate inside – adding warm chocoalte inside of the cupcake is such a delight. Poke holes in the cupcake and then add warm chocolate to the holes.
Decorating the cupcakes – these cupcakes are fun to make, but decorating the cupcakes with sprinkles and icing can make it even more fun for kids!

Do you love cupcakes? Try these Panda Cupcakes! They are so tasty!

Equipment

Cupcake pan
Large mixing bowls
Electric mixer
Measuring cups
Cupcake liners
Piping bag
Star tip

Storage

Want to store the cupcakes from this Hot Chocolate Cupcake Recipe? It’s easy! Once they are cooled off, wrap them in plastic wrap and then place them in the freezer.

If you’d like to store them on your countertops, then place them in an airtight container and sit them on the counter.

Tips

Wait to add the mini marshmallows until you are ready to serve the cupcakes. You’ll be glad you added the fun flavor of marshmallows to your cupcakes.
Be careful not to overmix the batter, mix until just combined.
Make sure to allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting them.
If you do not have a piping bag, you can use a storage bag with the tip cut off instead.

Single hot Cocoa Cupcakes on a white plate with a mug of hot chocolate in the background

FAQ

Do you have questions about this recipe? Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions.

Do these cupcakes really taste like hot cocoa?

To be honest, they do. All of the ingredients work together to make these cupcakes taste just like hot cocoa. Of course, they are a little bit sweeter than traditional hot cocoa, but that’s because they are cupcakes.

What goes well with these cupcakes?

I love to eat a bowl of ice cream with these cupcakes. Also, a cup of coffee also goes great with these cupcakes!

Are these cupcakes hard to make?

Some cupcake recipes are hard to follow, but this recipe is simple enough. You’ll be making hot cocoa cupcakes in no time. Just make sure you follow the recipe as closely as possible.

More Cupcake Recipes

Do you enjoy cupcakes? Try these delicious recipes:

Hot Cocoa Cupcake Recipe

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