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Rich Chocolate Cupcakes with Blackberry Buttercream are a show-stopper of a dessert. Moist cake with fluffy, sweet, tart, and creamy buttercream – the best summer dessert!

upclose image of chocolate cupcakes with blackberry buttercream

Are you sitting down for this? I literally ran home to write this recipe up for you all, Chocolate Cupcakes with Blackberry Buttercream – a MUST MAKE!!

There was a theme at a bridal shower I went to for berry desserts. I happened to have a bunch of fresh blackberries in my fridge that I was going to make into my Blackberry Sauce, but I decided to use them for these fruity cupcakes instead.

I don’t often pair chocolate with blackberries but this combo just WORKS. I think my favorite part, besides the chocolate – I mean…. it’s chocolate… is the fluffy blackberry buttercream.

It’s so good I could eat it with a spoon, and sometimes I do.

I’ve used it before on a blackberry cupcake recipe I’m still testing, and it was immediately a winner.

Not only are these gorgeous cupcakes, they are the perfect summer treat.

If you have a special event coming up or just because I highly recommend trying these Chocolate Cupcakes with Blackberry Buttercream!

Some of our other favorite cupcake recipes we have on our site include: Oreo Cupcakes, Dirt Cupcakes, and Monster Cookie Cupcakes.

two chocolate cupcakes with blackberry buttercream on a square plate

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:

Common simple ingredients help them come together quickly.
Ready in about 45 minutes!
The unexpected flavor combination makes this a fun and pleasing dessert.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED (SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST FOR THE FULL RECIPE CARD):

All-purpose flour
Cocoa Powder
Baking powder
Salt
Milk
Vegetable Oil
Sugar
Eggs
Vanilla extract
Unsalted Butter
Powdered Sugar
Blackberry preserves
Heavy Cream
Fresh Blackberries

overhead image of ingredients needed to make chocolate cupcakes with blackberry buttercream

HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES WITH BLACKBERRY BUTTERCREAM:

Preheat the oven to 350*F and line your tray with cupcake paper liners.
Whisk the dry ingredients together in a bowl – flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
Add the wet ingredients – sugar, oil, milk, vanilla extract, and eggs to a large mixing bowl and mix well.
Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture in batches until it’s fully incorporated. Lastly, add the coffee and stir it well into the mixture, scrape the bottom of the bowl and sides with a rubber spatula to make sure it’s well combined.
Using an ice cream scoop, scoop out the cupcake batter and fill your liners till 3/4 full.
Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 min or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. A few moist crumbs is okay but any wet batter and they need to bake longer.
Let the cupcakes cool for 10 minutes, then take them out of the pan and cool down completely on a wire rack before frosting.

collage of images showing how to make chocolate cupcakes

In a bowl of a stand mixer or hand mixer, cream the butter until it’s light and creamy.
Add blackberry compote, heavy cream, and powdered sugar in batches. Once everything is added, whip on medium-high speed for 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
Fill the frosting in a piping bag and frost your cupcakes (I’m using an open star tip). Decorate with fresh blackberries if using and serve.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS RECIPE:

CAN I USE CAKE MIX?

Yes, if you need to save a few minutes, you can use your favorite chocolate cake mix.

Our recipe produces amazing cupcakes, but sometimes you must use a box mix.

DO I HAVE TO PIPE ON THE BUTTERCREAM?

Not at all, I like the pretty presentation, but if you don’t have piping bags and tips, you can frost them in other ways.

I will sometimes use an offset spatula or butter knife to spread the blackberry frosting on.

I’ll even use an ice cream scoop and add a whole scoop of frosting right on top!

chocolate cupcake with blackberry buttercream on a cream colored plate

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CAN I USE FRESH BLACKBERRIES FOR THE FROSTING?

Absolutely, I’ve done that many times.

In place of the Blackberry preserves, just throw in fresh blackberries until you get your desired consistency.

Normally I’ll start with a 1/2 cup of berries and go from there.

CAN I ADD ANYTHING?

You can add some mixins to the cupcakes, I suggest:

Chocolate chips -semisweet, dark, or white
Fresh blackberries

To the frosting, add for a twist:

Lemon juice
Lemon zest
Fresh blackberries

chocolate cupcake with blackberry buttercream unwrapped on a tan plate

HOW TO STORE:

Store leftovers at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days—place in an airtight container in the fridge, where they will keep for up to a week.

Best served and eaten at room temperature. Allow cupcakes to come to room temp before enjoying.

Freeze for up to 3 months.

Place leftovers in the freezer in a freezer-safe container. To thaw, place the dish in the fridge overnight.

DANA’S TIPS AND TRICKS:

This makes 12 cupcakes, but you can easily double it to feed more or halve the recipe as needed.
Tons of custom options, see my tips above on that.
This freezes well, see my tips above on how to store.
Use fresh blackberries in place of blackberry preserves if desired.

upclose image of interior of chocolate cupcake with blackberry buttercream with a bite taken out

Ready to make some unique homemade cupcakes? These Chocolate Cupcakes with Blackberry Buttercream are a fun, unexpected summer treat!

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If you’ve tried these CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES WITH BLACKBERRY BUTTERCREAM, let me know how it turned out in the comments! You can follow me over on PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM OR FACEBOOK to find some more of our mouthwatering recipes!

Chocolate Cupcakes with Blackberry Buttercream