I have been spending a lot more time inside the house lately, which means I have been making a lot more desserts! These air fryer chocolate cupcakes are super easy to make and they are the perfect serving size for you and your family! The chocolate buttercream on top pairs perfectly with this delicious air fryer chocolate cake. Plus, they are super fast and cleanup is a breeze.

The air fryer is perfect for baking cake!

It is fast! Since the air fryer is so much smaller than your oven, you can bake a cake in 80% of the time compared to a conventional oven.
Perfect size. Sometimes you just need a small batch of cupcakes to get you through your day!
The best cake! It always comes out tender and moist with a nice crumb.
Easy cleanup. It doesn’t get much simpler than an air fryer!

Ingredients to make the best chocolate cupcake

Don’t worry, you won’t need to run to the store. Odds are, you already have all of the ingredients you need in your house to make these air fryer cupcakes.

Flour
Sugar
Oil
Milk
Hot water
Cocoa
Egg
Vanilla
Baking powder
Baking soda
Salt

Air Fryer Chocolate Cupcakes

Print Recipe

This small-batch recipe makes the perfect amount of chocolate cupcakes for an air fryer. Baking in the air fryer is a little different than the regular oven but these directions will guide you. The chocolate buttercream is the perfect topping for these moist and tender cupcakes.

Author: Julia
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 22 minutes
Yield: 14 1x
Category: Desserts
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup hot water
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Chocolate Buttercream

8 tablespoons butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 to 4 tablespoons milk or cream

Instructions

Preheat the air fryer to 310°F.
Spray 12 silicone cupcake holders with non-stick spray. Optionally, you can line the silicone cupcake holders with paper cupcake liners.
Whisk the cocoa and the hot water together until the cocoa powder is completely dissolved.
Add the sugar, oil, milk, egg, and vanilla extract. Whisk well.
Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt over the wet ingredients and stir well.
Divide the batter into the cupcake holders and place them in the air fryer.
Set the timer for 10 to 12 minutes. Check for doneness with a toothpick. The toothpick should be clean after you stick it into the center of the cupcake.
Remove from air fryer and let cool completely.

Chocolate buttercream frosting

Beat the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy. Slowly add the powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Beat until combined.
Add the salt and vanilla extract and beat well. Slowly add the milk or cream until you have the consistency you like.
Spread or pipe on cooled cupcakes.

Notes

Different models of air fryers will bake at different rates. Start at the lowest time recommended in the recipe. Bake the cupcakes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
If the cupcakes rise unevenly, lower the temperature by 10 to 15 degrees.
Paper cupcake liners will give you a standard size cupcake. Some silicone cupcake holders are slightly smaller than traditional cupcakes. If you use a smaller silicone cupcake holder, you may need to reduce the baking time by a couple of minutes.