Fluffy chocolate cupcakes topped with creamy hot chocolate frosting and finished with mini dehydrated marshmallows, these Hot Chocolate Cupcakes are fun and tasty!

Are these not just the most adorable cupcakes ever?! The mini dehydrated marshmallows are so cute and totally complete the hot chocolate theme! I wasn't able to find dehydrated marshmallows locally, but I was able to get some from Amazon. I bought these ones. If you don't want to order them, you could definitely use regular mini marshmallows instead.

Here are some more cupcake recipes to try next!
- Pumpkin Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Frosting -- These pumpkin cupcakes are incredibly moist and the frosting is amazing!
- Cookies & Cream Cupcakes -- Everyone loves these fluffy Oreo cupcakes!
- Brownie Cheesecake Cupcakes -- For when you can't decide between brownies, cupcakes, and cheesecake. Why not have all three?!
- Chocolate Frosted Banana Cupcakes -- Banana chocolate is always such a good combination!

These cupcakes are really simple and easy to make but everyone will love them! The chocolate cupcake base in this recipe is the same as my Homemade Chocolate Cupcakes. Just a great moist and tender chocolate cupcake. The fun comes in with the frosting which actually contains real hot chocolate powder mix for a true hot chocolate flavour. You will need to dissolve the powder mix in hot whipping cream to ensure you don't have a strange texture in the frosting from the sugar granules. This method gives a smooth and creamy frosting that tastes just like hot chocolate!

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Hot Chocolate Cupcakes
Equipment
- muffin tin(s)
- cupcake liners
- mixing bowls
- measuring cups & spoons
- electric handheld mixer
- silicone spatula
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes:
- ¼ cup salted butter, melted
- ⅓ cup canola oil
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 2 eggs
- ¾ cup sour cream
- ½ cup milk
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted (I use Dutch-processed cocoa)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For the Frosting:
- ¼ cup whipping cream, heated until scalding
- ½ cup hot chocolate powder mix
- ¾ cup salted butter, softened
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-2 tablespoons whipping cream, cold
- ¾ cup mini dehydrated marshmallows, to garnish (link in notes)
Instructions
To make the Cupcakes:
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Prepare muffin tins with 24 cupcake liners or grease with non-stick spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, oil, sugar, vanilla, vinegar, and eggs until well combined. Add the sour cream and milk and whisk until incorporated.
- In another bowl, whisk together the flour, sifted cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Pour the dry ingredient mixture into the bowl with the combined wet ingredients and stir just until no streaks of flour remain. Do not overmix!
- Distribute the batter evenly between the 24 cupcake liners in the prepared pans, filling each liner about half full. Bake in the preheated oven for 12-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pans for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
To make the Frosting:
- In a small bowl, stir the heated whipping creaming and hot chocolate powder mix until the powder is completely dissolved. Let cool to room temperature.
- In a large bowl using an electric handheld mixer, blend the softened butter, cocoa, and cooled hot chocolate/cream mixture on medium speed until smooth. Add the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time and mix at high speed until combined. Lastly, add the vanilla extract and 1-2 more tablespoons of cold whipping cream and mix at high speed until a smooth, fluffy consistency is reached.
- Pipe onto the fully cooled cupcakes and top with a sprinkle of mini dehydrated marshmallows before the surface of the frosting dries. Enjoy!
Notes
WITH LOVE,
Naomi ♡
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