Agree with others, these are dense, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I liked them

I am a 34 yr mother of 3, and sad to say that I've never made homemade cupcakes before...until today!!! I've been scared to bake from scratch, but needless to say the cupcakes and icing turned out dense but fantastic (although I have nothing to compare them to). Great for a newb!

as usual, it's really hard to screw up a MS recipe isn't it? These puffed up wonderfully and were delicious. The mocha buttercream frosting is excellent on these or just a simple chocolate ganache. Previously, I had tried a Nigella Lawson chocolate cupcake recipe that used boiling water and the batter was sensational but the cupcakes completely fell to pieces when in the oven -- I had to throw the whole batch out -- what a huge disappointment. Anybody know what may have gone wrong there?

Continued from the previous review:

Despite the fact that these weren't what I was looking for, I'm glad they turned out this way, because I used them to fill with salted caramel and top with a bittersweet ganache. The richness and lack of sweetness made them a wonderful foil for the caramel. All in all, a very grown-up cupcake, but that's what I set out to make when I filled them with salted caramel.

I definitely enjoyed these. As many others have said, they have a somewhat dense composition, but they're extremely moist, and I think it lent a velvety texture. I didn't read the reviews first, so I expected more of a traditional cupcake. However, I was taken aback by the small amount of leavening, so I wasn't entirely unsurprised to see how dense they were.

Made the cupcakes and like everyone else says they were dense. I personally wonder if the addition of the sour cream causes that. But also like others have stated the flavor is delicious but not the fluffy cupcake consistency I was looking for. Definitely great for a chocolate fix! Good recipe.

I made a test batch for my daugters birthday party and they were delicious! I agree they are almost brownie-like but the flavor is amazing! I do think that 20 minutes was too long, by the time they cooled they were mostly dried out. I am going to make another test batch tonight, testing after 14 minutes and so on. I also think they would go very well with a Chambord flavored whipped cream frosting.

They were definitely more brownie than cupcake, and I would suggest this only for elders and serious chocolate lovers - definitely not something to bring to a kids party.

These cupcakes were dense, as many others have stated, but they were really moist and, I think, delicious. I loved them! I really don' t think they were as bad as the last person made them out to be. If you make them, maybe cook them for 20 minutes rather than 25 to keep them from being too dry. As, I said, mine turned out really yummy. So, I recommend them.

I brought these cupcakes to a holiday party this weekend and was very upset at how they turned out. They were extremely dense and felt like small chocolate bricks rather than a light and moist cupcake. Do not make these cupcakes.

If you're looking for a classic chocolate cupcake, DO NOT use this recipe. They turn out much more like brownies than cupcakes, and not great tasting brownies at that. I was very disappointed with the result since I've had lots of success with other martha stewart recipes.

I just added some milk until it actually looked like a cupcake batter

VERY disappointing. Just like another user said, these are brownies made in a cupcake pan. If you are looking to make cupcakes, DO NOT MAKE THESE. Also, the easy white icing is not all that great by itself, but it definitely does NOT go with these brownies.

I'm not sure what happened to the other bakers but, these cupcakes were FANTASTIC. Yes, they were a little bit more dense but extremely moist - the same texture of red velvet cupcakes. This was super easy to make and were a bit hit at a bridal shower. Simply delicious!

Oh I forgot to mention these cupcakes are also very very dry

Yuck! I've made and eaten many cupcakes in my life and these were the worst I've ever eaten. These cupcakes are WAY to dense! The flavor was also not very good. I like dense cakes, but these were something else (not in a good way)

Hi, Martha. I just started cooking and baking this year-- all because of your easy-to-follow recipes. These chocolate cupcakes are the first cupcakes I have ever made. My husband and 4-year-old son loved them. They were rich and super delicious. I just wish I could afford one of those stand mixers. Using my hand-held electric mixer can be tiring sometimes. Anyway, thank you so much for the recipes. I have tried and tested quite a few. More power to you.

P.S.
I love your iPhone app!

This recipe was delicious.....but SOOOO dense! I wouldn't even call these cupcakes. They're more like super dense (and decadent) brownies. Having said that, they were amazing super dense brownies! I was bummed though, because "classic cupcake" made me think traditional fluffy chocolate. Maybe there's something wrong with the recipe?? I'm surprised that it calls for equal parts cocoa and flour. = (

The recipe says it makes 12, but I've gotten 18 both times I made these. I would recommend baking these for closer to 20 minutes. When I baked them for 25 minutes, they came out a little dry. I used Ghirardelli cocoa powder available at the grocery store, and they came out quite tasty!! I highly recommend the Swiss Meringue Buttercream with these, but keep in mind the recipe makes enough frosting for 28 cupakes!

if the oven is to hot the cupcakes (or cake) rises too much in the middle and you get big bubbles in it. If the oven is to cold the cupcakes doesn't rise enough (it looks more like a crater) and get doughy or dense. Pinkpank, maybe your oven wasn't hot enough. But it could be something wrong with the recipe too.

I find if you don't cream the butter right or beat the eggs for the specified length of time you get flat cookies and/or cupcakes. (My chef brother hates baking because there is too much science invloved. My sometimes flat pastries are a great example. )

I made this yesterday and its delicious..but one question in mind, why are my cupcakes didn't came out right...it flattens out in the middle..please help. (or does it suppose to be that way).

I made this yesterday and its delicious..but one question in mind, why are my cupcakes didn't came out right...it flattens out in the middle..please help. (or does it suppose to be that way).

Delicious straight out of the oven, but after a few hours they become very sticky. They're very moist and dense. Yummy, but not cupcake-y.

I added 1/4c laban (like buttermilk) because the batter was way to dense to put into the cupcake cups...they baked beautifully but as they cooled they shrank into tiny, sad little hockey pucks. They tasted good but were unacceptable for serving to guests.

A darkly rich cupcake recipe. Tasty all the same! But if your looking for something the kids can enjoy I would highly suggest the One Bowl Chocolate Cupcake recipe.

Delicous and easy to make. I had left over batter and made mini bitesize cupcakes for myself! YUM!

I added 1/3 cup of whole milk and transformed these from super dense grownups only cupcakes into kid friendly and really yummy.

I added 1/3 cup of whole milk and it transformed these from a super dense grownups only cupcake into a more fluffy and kid friendly version. Much better!!

yum!

I like denser

i just made these and i do agree that they have more of a light "brownie" flavor, but they are wayyyy better than the boxed kind, and are a bit denser, which i enjoy. you will like these if you are open to a home made, non-box flavor.

I just baked these cupcakes. I prefer a less denser, more chocolate flavor and texture. I agree that they taste more brownie-like. Instead of icing, I spinkled powdered sugar over them. They need a little something.

I found these to be a bit too dense as well. Almost brownie-like.

I agree with pookie7026. You CAN eat them w/o icing. Soooo good. Made them for my child's last day at daycare. Decorated them like butterflies. The tots loved them......and so did we.

Ok, I agree with the reviewers who said they tasted too much like cocoa. These were not my favorite chocolate cupcakes. I prefer a moister cupcake. I thought they would be due to the sour cream, and they were not overbaked, so that is not it.. I found these to be too dense, yet my family said they were rich. I didn't find them to be rich at all. I just wasn't crazy about the flavor and texture of the cupcake; however the icing is fabulous

These cupcakes were fantastic! I made them for the office and they were a huge hit! I used canned chocolate frosting...I like that better but I could literally eat the cupcakes without the frosting they were so good!

Easily the best chocolate cupcake I have ever made. I frosted them with a fairly rich chocolate frosting from Christopher Kimball's The Dessert Bible.

For me, these are the perfect chocolate cupcake, moist, rich, dense. I used Saco cocoa powder which is a blend of natural and dutch process. I like the idea of putting pieces of chocolate in the center! Also, the frosting to cupcake ratio is perfect if you use a mini muffin pan.

These cupcakes were great. They were very moist because of the sour cream. They are a very rich cupcake though. If you dont like dark chocolate, you probably wont like these. I loved them though! I would definetly recommend trying them.

Yes, Mildred, my cupcakes turned out WAY too cocoay too. I made them today for my daughter's preschool Valentine's Day party, but they are basically inedible--especially for children because they are bitter. The frosting is wonderful though:)

I found that these cupcakes were too cocoay, and very heavy. (not sure if I did something wrong), the kids at my son's b-day party didn't seem to like them. Has any one else found this with this recipe?

am i supposed to use dutch processed cocoa powder ??

My batch made more than 12 cupcakes, so I set the rest aside for about an hour, and the batch that had been left standing actually looked better! I also added 2 blocks of chocolate to each cupcake, which was delicious! I iced the cupcakes with purple, red and pink squares as valentines day treats for my friends.

Probably because of my high altitude (6500 ft.) my fluffy cupcake batter flattened out and dropped in the middle. It still tasted wonderful and I am willing to try it again with a few altitude modifications.