Crazy cake chocolate cupcakes are super simple to make, if you have a whisk and a mixing bowl you can do it. There are no eggs and no butter, just pantry staples. The cupcakes are also soft, full of chocolate flavor, and devilishly good.

These moist chocolate cupcakes that are so easy to make and they don’t require any eggs or dairy. The cake batter comes together in just a few minutes with just a bowl and a whisk.
You will be baking in just a few minutes and the cupcakes are so good, this will likely be your new favorite recipe. The hardest part will be deciding which frosting to top them with!
Truthfully, this cupcake recipe is hardly new to the blog. In fact, it is just a slight spin on an old favorite, the chocolate depression cake.

I have used that recipe as the base for so many different chocolate cake recipes here, so you would think I might grown tired of it. You would think wrong!
The thing is, when you have something that is perfect already there is no need to keep looking for something else. This chocolate cake is THE chocolate cake for our family.

Of course it doesn’t hurt that it is so darned easy to make. Literally a couple of bowls and a whisk is all you need. Well, and a pan. And some ingredients…
Ok. So you do need a few things, but honestly it is really easy. You can whip one up at a moment’s notice because you don’t have to let any butter soften. There aren’t any eggs to beat either.

That is one of the best parts about this cake, it is just pantry staples that I absolutely always have on hand. No heavy equipment or complicated steps are required either.
But the absolute best part about this cake is how good it turns out absolutely every single time. I mean every time!
Some chocolate cakes are dry and bland, not this one! It is moist, flavorful, soft and delicious. (Just the way a chocolate cake should be!)

So whip up the batter and Little Dude will be happy to put some cupcake liners in your cupcake pans. It is one of his favorite jobs!
Then just use a large cookie scoop or ice cream scoop to get the perfect amount of batter into each well. It makes the process so easy!
These beauties all turned into some fun fall cupcakes. Some got topped with crusting buttercream dyed orange with green buttercream tendrils and pretzel rod stems to make cute little pumpkins.

The little pumpkins got delivered to a bake sale at work to raise money for the local United Way. I wasn’t in the office much that day, so I am not sure how quickly they went.
But the bake sale was a success, so I’d like to think it is because the cupcakes were so good! 😉
The rest got turned into other fun fall treats that I will share with you more in a day or two. I will also be sharing the delicious fudge frosting I put on them. YUMMMMMMM!
Do you have any recipes that you can’t quit like this? I’d love to hear all about the recipes that you just love so much that you keep going back to them every time you need something similar.

Here are some more recipes using this same chocolate cake base:
- The Original Crazy Chocolate Cake
- Rolo Poke Cake
- Chocolate Mini Bundt Cakes with Peanut Butter Whipped Cream
Great frosting recipes to top your cupcakes:
- Creamy Caramel Sweetened Condensed Milk Frosting
- White Chocolate Buttercream
- Whipped Sweetened Condensed Milk Frosting
- Sweetened Condensed Milk Buttercream
- Silky Smooth Fudge Frosting
Love this recipe? Give it a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review in the recipe card below!

Crazy Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups hot water
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- 2 Tablespoons white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon coffee extract optional
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and place cupcake liners in 24 cupcake wells.
- In a large bowl, mix together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the wet ingredients.
- Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Scoop into cupcake liners, they should be about 2/3 full. I use a large cookie scoop to make this part really easy!
- Bake for about 35-40 minutes or until the tops spring back when lightly touched with a finger.
Nutrition

Carlee
Friday 23rd of November 2018
They are really moist and I love how easy this recipe is to make. I feel like a broken record going back to it so many times, but I just love it so much!
Big Rigs 'n Lil' Cookies
Sunday 18th of November 2018
Seriously... You are making me rearrange my plans of not baking tomorrow!
Carlee
Friday 23rd of November 2018
Sorry! (Not sorry!)
Anonymous
Thursday 15th of November 2018
Those cupcakes look and sound scrumptious! I am in love with the way you dressed them as pumpkins. ;-D Thank you so much for sharing with us at the Whimsical Wednesdays Link Party! Have a wonderful week!
Carlee
Friday 23rd of November 2018
I love simple cupcake decorations like that! Thank you!
Debbie
Tuesday 13th of November 2018
Hi Carlee, Chocolate cake is my favourite, but it has to be proper chocolatey. This is a totally different recipe than I ever tried, so will have to give it a go... I love your little pumpkins!
xx
Carlee
Friday 23rd of November 2018
This is my favorite way to make chocolate cake! Thank you!
Amy
Monday 5th of November 2018
Isn't it funny how there are some recipes that we just end up going back to no matter what? I have found that there are some recipes that I do get away from for years and then when I am reminded of that recipe again, I go back to it and make it all of the time again. These cupcakes look fabulous.
Carlee
Thursday 8th of November 2018
When they're this good, it's hard to try another recipe!