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50 Best Cupcake Recipes on the Internet

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Cupcakes have come a long way in the past few years. From chocolate and vanilla recipes have evolved into creative, unique bites of cake in a range of flavors. You can get them filled or unfilled, decorated to look like mermaids, or topped with mile high frosting. No matter how many cupcake recipes we have we eagerly hunt for more.

Here are over 50 of  my favorites for you try, from chocolate to vanilla and everything in between. In fact, I’ve added to this page over the years and there are now way more than 50 recipes for cupcakes of all kinds. If you are in a hurry click here to go straight to the recipes list. Be sure to scroll back and read though, or you’ll miss all the great tips!

Pinterest image for 50 best cupcakes - chocolate cupcake on a white and green plate -

 

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I am always looking for the best cupcake I can find. The most creative cupcake I can find. Cupcakes with unique flavors. I search on the Internet, in cookbooks, and magazines. These little bites of sweet cake and creamy frosting are addictive! Still, as soon as I find something I love I am off to look for more. There’s just something about them. Maybe it’s because they are cute? Maybe because they are single serving? Maybe because you can make them a lot of different ways? Updated from the 2007, 2010, and 2015 versions!

Image of a cream filled yellow cupcake cut in half on a pink plate with more cupcakes in the background.

Maybe all of the above?

Over three years ago I wrote a blog post that made it to the first page of Digg in less than 24 hours. It was phenomenal and continues to be my post with the most traffic to this day… The name?  50 Best Cookie Recipes on the Internet.I have been thinking of this post for a long time. The best cupcake recipes the Internet has to offer at your fingertips. These are the ones that made the best cupcake list for me. The most unique, the most delicious, and the most wonderful I could find. If you like this post consider submitting it to Stumble or Digg as well as sharing on social media. Thanks.

Cupcakes Are Perfect for Transporting in a School or Work Lunch

three rich dark chocolate Black Forest Cupcakes with whipped white frosting, a sprinkle of chocolate shavings and a cherry on top. CLose up.

School is starting in many areas. To me cupcakes are the perfect treat to pack in school lunches.

Why?

Cupcakes are small and yet very popular with the back to school crowd. They show up at almost every classroom party or event. It’s just sort of the cupcake time of year.  Look at the amazing variety of flavors and textures represented here! Cupcakes are quick and easy plus they are easy to transport if you have a cupcake carrier.

Experiment by changing the frosting flavors to come up with your own unique variations. Use different fillings. Add nuts or chocolate chips. Most of all….have a good time with them!

Tips for Perfect Cupcakes Every Time

A collage of 6 cupcakes with quote- I've never met a problem a proper cupcake couldn't fix - in the center.

Cupcakes shown from left to right – Top: Pink Velvet, Black Forest, Oatmeal Carmelita  
Bottom: Rolo Filled Chocolate Cupcakes, Peaches and Cream, French Vanilla
  • Use real ingredients. Real butter, real vanilla, real fruit… you get the idea. Real flavors will make your cupcakes taste REAL good. (See what I did there?)
  • All ingredients should be at room temperature. This ensures that they will mix smoothly and easily so your cupcake batter is just right.
  • Use large eggs. Most recipes are made with these and smaller eggs may leave your cupcakes dry.
  • Don’t over mix. When you over mix your batter it develops the gluten — which is great for bread but not for cake! Gluten will make your cake tough and dry. Plus, when you over-mix you break air bubbles. Air bubbles are what keep baked products light. Don’t break the air bubbles!
  • Use a scoop so each cupcake is exactly the same size. That way they will bake all the way through all at the same time.
  • Fill pans 2/3 of the way full. This will make them rounded when baked.
  • Make sure your oven heats to the right temperature. Some ovens become a couple of degrees off one way or another over time. It’s a good idea to have an oven thermometer and check temperatures often.
  • Bake immediately. As they sit the baking powder to lose effectiveness and the air bubbles to deflate. You know that that means, right? Yep. Cupcakes that don’t rise and are tough.
  • Put pans in the center of the oven and don’t open the door until it’s almost time for them to be done. This ensures that they will bake evenly.
  • Experiment then make a list of the best cupcake recipes in your opinion. Use these as the foundation of your own variations.

Ready? Deep breath…. here we go.

The 50 Best Cupcake Recipes on the Internet

Chocolate Cupcakes

Is there anyone that doesn’t like a chocolate cupcake? You’ll find that the cupcake recipes that include cocoa taste more chocolatey than those that use melted chocolate. If you want a dark, fudgy cupcake go with cocoa.

  1. Chocolate Cream Filled Vanilla with Vanilla Bean Frosting
  2. Chocolate Whiskey and Beer
  3. Mocha with Espresso Buttercream
  4. Chipotle Cinnamon Chocolate 
  5. Devil’s Food 
  6. Turtle Brownie Cupcakes
  7. Death by Chocolate
  8. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough 
  9. Snickers
  10. S’mores
  11. Chocolate Rolo with Praline Frosting
  12. Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcakes

Spice Cupcakes

Spice cupcakes remind me of fall! Apples, cinnamon, and pumpkin are warm cozy flavors that make great cupcakes! Cream cheese frosting is great on just about any spice cake – for an easy garnish dust with some cinnamon after frosting.

  1. Gingerbread Hostess Copycat 
  2. Carrot with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
  3. Orange Clove
  4. Chai Latte
  5. Snickerdoodle
  6. Pumpkin with Cream Cheese Frosting

Cupcake with Fruit Recipes

Fruit gives cupcakes moisture as well as flavor. Follow the instructions carefully or you could end up with a too-wet dough that won’t bake properly. If you’re using pie filling in the center gently press the bottom down on the inside after hollowing it out but before filling it so that it’s compressed. It helps the bottoms not get soggy.

  1. Lemon Cupcakes
  2. Apple Pie
  3. Caramel Apple
  4. Easy Black Forest Cupcakes
  5. Strawberry Cream Cheese 
  6. Strawberry Lemonade 
  7. Bananas Foster
  8. Browned Butter Banana Rum
  9. Hummingbird Cupcakes 
  10. Lemon Meringue
  11. Lychee Rose 
  12. Orange Creamsicle
  13. Peaches and Cream 
  14. White Chocolate Raspberry
  15. Vanilla Bean Fig

Various Velvet Cupcakes

There was a time when there was only red velvet cupcakes but these days you can find that velvety texture in almost any color imaginable. Most of the time the recipe will call for buttermilk. If you use a paste food color instead of a liquid you’ll get a deeper flavor without that weird chemical food color taste.

  1. Classic Red Velvet
  2. Red Velvet and Cheesecake Marbled
  3. Black Velvet with Orange Filling
  4. Pink Velvet
  5. Green Velvet
  6. Blue Velvet
  7. White Velvet

Best Cupcake Recipes for Holidays and Celebrations

Cupcakes are perfect for taking to holiday parties or sending to classroom parties at school. Decorating them can be as easy as adding holiday-themed sprinkles.

  1. EggNog Latte
  2. Cranberry Bliss
  3. Vanilla Candy Cane
  4. Santa’s Hat
  5. Christmas Lights
  6. Raspberry Champagne
  7. L’Opera 
  8. High Hat 
  9. White Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing (Wedding cupcakes)

Unique Cupcake Flavors

If you can imagine it someone has probably made it into a cupcake. Use these unique flavors to come up with your own ideas!

  1. Chubby Hubby 
  2. Root Beer Float
  3. Malted Milk 
  4. Bomb Pop 
  5. Dulce de Leche 
  6. Earl Grey with Lemon Buttercream
  7. Irish Cream  with Coffee Frosting
  8. Cherry Coke Float

Coconut Cupcake Recipes

Coconut gets it’s own section because, well, coconut. Toasting coconut in the oven or microwave is easy and it adds extra flavor and texture.

  1. Oatmeal Carmelita Cupcakes
  2. Samoas Cupcakes 
  3. Coconut
  4. Pina Colada
  5. Blackberry Coconut

Not So Plain Vanilla Cupcakes

Ever heard the term plain vanilla? Well these cupcakes are anything but plain! If you really like vanilla flavor you can substitute and equal amount of vanilla sugar for the sugar called for in any recipe. To make vanilla sugar just add a couple of vanilla beans to the sugar canister and let sit for a few days.

  1. Vanilla 
  2. French Vanilla
  3. Copycat Twinkies Cupcakes (with spongecake, from scratch)
  4. Black Bottom 
  5. Caramel Macchiato 
  6. Cream Soda

It’s an amazing list of cupcake recipes, isn’t it? Which are you going to try first?

Helpful to Have for Cupcake Making

The following are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Thanks so much for being a part of Restless Chipotle!

Baking cups are one way to make your cupcakes prettier and more unique. These cute polka dot cupcake liners give cupcakes a retro look I think.

Wilton 415-2286 300 Count Polka Dots Standard Baking Cups

 

Remember I said that to make the best cupcakes it’s important to keep the size consistent by making sure each cupcake is made from the exact same amount of batter? Well these scoops from Wilton make it easier than ever.

Wilton 2103-1112 Scoop-It Batter Spoons, Set of 3

 

This post included in Meal Plan Monday #78

A creative collection of cupcakes from bloggers all over the Internet plus tips for making them. Easy
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Comments

  1. What is the cupcake at the top of the page that is on the pink and white dish. I would love to try that recipes!

    Reply

  2. I just made the Earl grey cupcakes with lemon frosting. Delicious! Though I did add extra lemon juice since the frosting was a bit sweet to my taste. Did make it become a little runny but I think it’s a fair trade-off.

    Your tips were a lifesaver. I made strawberry ones before this and had no idea why the cake came out so tough. I wanted to be sure it was all incorporated so I over mixed it. Following your tips, earl grey came out perfect!

    Reply

  9. This is such a great list. I love compiled “best of” posts so I don’t have to do all the searching myself. You have mentioned some wonderful sounding recipes!

    Reply

  16. This is an amazing list, Marye, thank you 🙂
    I wasn’t thinking about even trying to make any cupcakes, but after visiting my favourite local place – and trying the owner’s chocolate cupcakes which were so delicious, I’ve decided to be more like her (and you) and learn something new. In this case it’s learning to prepare some cupcakes. At first I was sceptic, if I can do it, but my family encouraged me, and I started to search some recipes online.

    Thank you again very much for this list, I’m looking forward to make those Caramel Macchiato ones! 🙂

    Reply

  23. Really would love to see one of your recipes but it says I have to be invited first. If you could please help me out.

    Reply

  31. I’m trying to find a great recipe to make with my friend tomorrow and I can’t choose just one!!!!! They all sound delish!

    Reply

  35. Literally stumbled on this! Going to try each of these. Thanks so much for putting this up. Sharing this now 🙂
    Happy Holidays!!

    Reply

  38. I have to say I made the strawberry cream cheese cupcakes and they were amazing came out moist and the frosting was delicious! Thank you for posting these cupcakes because I know I will be trying them all!

    Reply

  39. Irish car bomb cupcakes??? Hugely offensive when in fact they are chocolate whiskey and beer cup cakes. Why the name change??

    Reply

    • Well Eunice, sorry you are offended. I did not name them. When I linked to the post the name was, in fact, Irish Car Bomb cupcakes. It isn’t my post so I don’t know exactly why the title was changed. However, they are delicious whatever the name…

      Reply

  41. Thank you so much for including my dulce de leche cupcakes on your list. I’ve had quite a bit of traffic from this post over the past couple years and I appreciate being among such great company!

    Reply

    • I am glad it has brought you traffic! It was an awesome looking recipe – although I have to admit it is still on my list of to try!

      Reply

  46. I made lucky # 13 and took to work for a co-workers birthday. These are the best cupcakes I have ever made. I made them exactly as stated. They were out of this world yummy. I received lots of great compliments. The cheesecake “topping” fell to the bottom when I baked them and were hardly visible. But the taste was awesome. This will be a recipe I repeat often. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  48. Since I’m clearly in a snippy mood today (blaming the cold yet again) I’d also point out that the Bomb Pop Cupcakes (#22) are actually made from a mix despite the author’s assertion that “there is no need to open a box to make a cake.” There. Bitching done I can now say that so many of these do look amazing and creative and that I especially can’t wait to try the Chunky Hubby Cupcakes (#4).

    Reply

  49. Man, I wish that stupid peach cupcake (#41) had identified itself as vegan *before* I printed out the recipe and started to make it. Normally I’d be more thorough and prepared for a recipe but because I’m sick and only had the time/energy to make one batch of cupcakes last night I didn’t realize until it was too late. As a result I’m left with kind of bland cupcakes with a muffin-like texture that no one in my house wants to eat. Not sure why that one’s on the list at all other than that it seems like a good recipe in theory. Not knocking any vegans out there but I personally could never adopt a lifestyle that forces me to omit certain foods from my diet. Baked goods just aren’t the same without butter and eggs.

    Reply

  55. AHhhhh…thanks so much for picking my Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes for your list. They are one of my favorites too and I was just thinking I should make some this week!

    Sending much cupcake love!

    Michelle

    Reply

  57. Which cupcake on this list is the one featured in the photo at the top of the page? It looks amazing and I would like to try it. Thank you!

    Reply

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