Chocolate Cupcakes with Caramel Frosting

Excellent chocolate cupcake recipe. I wasn't in love with the frosting, but the most important thing is making a moist, delicious cupcake and this recipe did the trick. I did cook them about 5 minutes less than the recipe said. This will probably be my go-to chocolate cupcake recipe from here on out!!

I've made these twice now and get so many compliments on them! With a couple adjustments (less sugar, less baking soda, more mayo) they are my secret to a great, moist cupcake at high altitude.

That is not a fair rating because I did alter the recipe so that is probable why it wasn't very good. I was out of mayo (we use miracle whip) but i thought using plain yogurt would work ok. No it wasn't. so don't try that substitution

I woke up at 6am this morning with a desperate craving for chocolate cupcakes (yes, I'm pregnant!). I did a quick search and decided to try this recipe. As I was measuring I discovered I was almost out of sugar so I ended up using 1/2 cup sugar + 12 packets of splenda which is the recommended substitute amount. I also added an extra tablespoon of jam - strawberry because that's what I had on hand. The result is amazing! Light and fluffy and tastes delicious. I skipped the frosting because I figured I'm already getting more than enough calories for breakfast here :) I was so distracted by the jelly in the recipe that I completely missed that it had mayonnaise until I was halfway through. If I'd noticed I might have skipped this recipe, but I'm so glad I didn't!

Hmm... well i knew that mayonaise is the secret ingredient to many a great cake recipes, but these cupcakes were lacking in flavor. They were super moist and dense, but I was wanting more of a chocolate flavor. They are kind of bland. Will have to be sure to use a very chocolatey frosting i suppose

I was very skeptical of the mayo and grape jelly but these turned out great!! I never leave reviews but I had to with this one! These are great. I made my own frosting, but I really wouldn't change anything! love them!

Moist and delicious! Used a coconut frosting instead by putting one can of coconut milk in the fridge overnight, then mixing it with cocoa powder and sugar, and refridgerating it again.

These cupcakes worked wonderfully! I'm surprised to see so many people unsatisfied with the frosting! It was delicious and and was a wonderful consistency... Although I did use whipping cream instead of half and half- maybe that was the difference it needed! Happy Baking!

This is the BEST chocolate cupcake recipe I have ever come across! I never would've expected adding grape jelly and mayo to turn out so well. However, and this is for my own taste preferences, I did double the cocoa powder and swapped 1/4 cup of the sugar for brown sugar. The icing was equally delicious. Excellent recipe!

These cupcakes are really moist, even straight out of the fridge. Also tried making them vegan: subbed 1 cup of soy mayo plus one tablespoon of vegetable (soy) oil, and they came out equally moist and good. Made marshmallow frosting instead of the one here, and toasted each marshmallow top with a kitchen torch. Yum (and can be done ahead). One thing for next time: let the grape jelly come to room temp before adding to the batter, otherwise there will be little chunks of it throughout the batter instead of it getting fully incorporated. One more thing: some reviewers here had trouble with chunks of fruit in the preservers they used messing up the consistency of the finished product. The recipe calls for jelly (made from fruit juice), not jam or other preserves which can include pieces of the fruit itself. The cheapest store-brand grape jelly works great! No chunks, just perfectly smooth and clear, like grape jello almost. *After making this recipe many times (cake only, not the frosting): doubling the recipe will make enough for three cake layers. Not sure why I ever bothered with more complicated recipes. This is as moist and delicious as it gets. But, do sift the dry ingredients. Otherwise, you may notice little white clumps in the cake. Have made this as a layer cake: carved out a "shelf" from the top of two of the layers with a serrated knife, and filled them with some homemade pudding (caramel, banana, etc.). Then, assembled, with whipped cream frosting. Ridiculous!

Nice looking cupcake and very tasty. I used my own frosting to make Easter Cupcakes. I also used Splenda instead of sugar which cut out over 200 calories per cupcake! I liked that I didn't need butter since I was out of butter anyway. I will make these cupcakes again.

This will be my go to recipe for chocolate cupcakes!! Delicious!!!

I'm not sure what happened, but to my complete frustration, these stuck to the pan like a mother, and did not work out at all. The crumbled bits tasted pretty good, but they had a very inconsistent texture.

I didn't actually make the caramel frosting, but this chocolate cake recipe is perfect for cupcakes - nicely chocolate-y and makes a beautiful mounded top.

Perfect! Delicious and moist cake. My family LOVED it! I didn't make the icing because my family prefers a cream cheese icing that I make. I didn't change anything except for using two round cake pans instead of cupcakes. Will definately make again! Thanks for the yummy recipe!!

These cupcakes were not good. They didn't have nearly enough chocolate flavor and the jelly never disolved. There was no mention of using baters or a mixer, so I just used a wooden spoon, so my cupcakes have globs of jelly that rose to the top. Will not make again.

The cupcakes were very moist and delicious! I wasn't too keen on the frosting. It didn't come out fluffy as I expected but overall, it was okay! I'd have to give this recipe an 8 out of 10 because of the frosting. I cannot believe the mayo and jelly were part of the recipe but I'm assuming they contributed to the moistness of the cupcake. Definitely a keeper! Yummy!

Haven't made the frosting yet, but the cupcakes are the quickest, easiest around, and my chocoholic husband loved them. I usually get 12 of the large cupcakes and two trays of mini-cupcakes size from this recipe. A quick note: someone was disappointed because the cupcakes failed when she tried to substitute yogurt for the mayonnaise. When you see mayo in a baking recipe, it it almost always taking the place of the oil and the eggs, as in this recipe. Mayonnaise has both oil and eggs in it; yogurt has neither one, so of course it will not work as a substitute.

I only made the icing for another chocolate cupcake I made, but it turned out great. I had whipping cream, not half and half, but turned out great.

Very good. I could not find grape jelly so I used jam which was NOT a good idea as it has whole blueberries in it. The cake is soft and fluffy but next time I will use more cocoa. I did not make the icing.

The cupcakes were very moist, but had a bitter after-taste. I tried this recipe twice because I really wanted it to work -- and I even bought new cocoa thinking the cocoa had gone bad. Second time around they still tasted very bitter. I can't speak for the frosting because I already had some made from a different recipe, but the cupcakes by themselves were not tasty... but yes very moist.

The cupcakes themselves are a solid 5. They're moist, delicious and not too sweet. The frosting, however, was only ok. It came out more like a glaze and I had to add a lot of powdered sugar to thicken it up. Then it was too stiff. I think that next time, I will pour it from the pan into my stand mixer and see if I can get it whipped better that way. It tastes like the glaze they put on maple bars.

These are sooooooooo melt-in-your-mouth delicious! My oven may be off but I baked them for only 13-14 minutes and they were done to perfection! The icing was wonderful and complemented the delicate cupcakes ideally! I am serving them to some ladies tomorrow and just hope they aren't all eaten by the time the guests arrive! I used about 1/3 c. of cocoa powder and light mayo. They are easy to make, too!

The cake recipe was great. Was not a huge fan of the frosting recipe.

These are super moist! The icing is really sweet but delicious. I suggest making 1.5 times the icing, if you are using a piping bag.

SU-FRIGGIN-PERB. I dont rate often so... I was terrified of the mayo - but its really eggs, oil and vinegar. These are so light and fluffy and not too sweet. Sinful. Used valhrona cocoa ( little bit more) and raspberry jam. Havent even got to the frosting but these are excellent.

Cake is light and moist, flavor is so-so, but the frosting is out of this world. Tastes like fluffy praline. I'll definitely be using the frosting if nothing else in the future!

My eleven year old made these all by himself! They were great. I did find that they could have been cooked a few minutes longer. And the frosing made way too much - but who doesn't love leftover frosting so you have to make something else to use it up!!

I was a little iffy about these at first. Had to make some chocolate cupcakes for a cupcake decorating activity at my best friend's Bridal Shower that I was catering and hosting. Her colors were black and pink, so I wanted pink cupcake and chocolate cupcakes. I tested these the day before and they were DELICIOUS!! Super moist and fluffy, I LOVED them. I did not make the frosting, however, and I only gave four stars because, while they tasted amazing, they had a weird green tint to them. No one said anything, but it bothered me the whole time we were decorating cupcakes. Only think I changed was using black cherry jelly in place of grape because you will never find grape jelly in my home. I think it is revolting and vile. =)

Pretty good. I heeded the warning by several other reviews that itwas not a real chocolatey flavor and added some Hershey's Special Dark syrup and chocolate chips to enhance the flavor. I also had no grape jelly and used raspberry jam in it's stead. Very moist, great flavor and they looked perfect out of the oven. Did not use the frosting recipe as I wanted to make German chocolate frosting instead. Absolutely delicious!

I unfortunately did not realize I was out of jelly until after i started making these. But i figured I would try them anyway. In appearance, they came out just beautifully...nice mound on the top, perfect texture....BUT in taste they were definitely missing something. THE JELLY IS NEEDED (in my opinion)I will try these again after i re-stock my jelly to compare with the first batch. Incidently, my son gobbled them all up so they were just fine for him. I did not make the frosting so can't comment, instead I sprinkled mini chocolate chips on the tops.

I doubled the recipe for a my daughter's class on her birthday. It made around 35 VERY full cupcakes. It could have easily made three dozen, so don't fill them too full. Also, it said just to mix until blended, I recommend mixing it well. The grape jelly was still a little chunky. Other than that, GREAT cupcake and exceptionally moist!

very good recipe would need a bit more description on how to make the caramel icing

This is a wonderful recipe, so thank you! Cupcakes were very moist and flavorful, and the frosting was brilliant.

I had to make gluten free cupcakes, so I used a mix for that, but this frosting is outstanding! I gave 5 stars for the frosting. I did exactly what the directions said to do. You cannot take any liberties with the measurements or directions on this type of frosting. If you follow directions, you will have delicious frosting that tastes like penuche fudge. When I read reviews that are very critical, I think probably that person substituted ingredients and took short cuts.

The cupcake batter was very easy to prepare. It was a fun kid friendly recipe as well, but the frosting tasted more like a licquor or something, it is hard to put into words but it was way too sweet for the cupcake itself. I have to say I prepared the frosting to a "T" and it came out exactly as planned. It was about the same as a buttercream consistency wise so I was excited to see that until I got all done frosting the cupcakes and tested one. I couldn't finish it it was just so sweet it was making my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth. I will say again, the cupcakes were nice and moist and not overpowering chocolate wise but the frosting did not match them well at all.

These are delicious! Who knew grape jelly and mayo would be the secret ingredients to such yummy cupcakes?

Sensational! Up'd the cocoa powder to 2/3 cup, MUST HAVE CHOCOLATE!! left everything else the same (esp I only use WW flour) and they were dense and rich and a perfect cupcake shape! It made 15 reg size muffins. I made the frosting as well, and it was just ok - It didn't set up super great and wasn't overly carmel-ly, but still a great addition to the cupcake. Will def make again!!

At first when they came out and I tasted them, I already noticed that they weren't very good. They don't taste like a traditional chocolate cupcake if that is what you are trying to find. Then I made the frosting. It seemed like it wasn't going to work out, and then it did. The frosting tastes very good, however, it is not fluffy or light enough. When I tried to put it on the cupcake, as a result of the lack of egg (which should hold it together) and the stiffness of the frosting, the cupcakes fell apart. I don't plan on using this recipe again.

Very good cupcake ,would prefer more chocolatey.I tweeked the frosting,added a little more powdered sugar and some organic all vegetable shortening to get it a little thicker.And i love large grain sea salt on my caramels ,so i sprinkled with it....delish

I was very excited about this recipe after reading all the rave reviews, though I was a bit hesitant at the mayo and grape jelly. While I agree with others - they *are* moist - the moistness seems to come from the mayo and the cupcake papers were pretty much soaked through with oil. The kitchen smelled like cooking mayonnaise while they were baking, and I swear I could still taste the mayo in the finished product. I like mayonnaise, so it's not that. They also didn't rise at all - filled the cups about 3/4-full and they barely made it to the top of the paper. Very disappointed. I pride myself in my baking abilities; I don't think I did anything wrong, but I won't make these again.

very moist, very fluffy, totally making these again!

What a fun recipe! My efforts made 17 cupcakes, which were gone within 24 hours. I love caramel frosting, and it went really well with the chocolate cake, which was very moist and flavorful. My husband is still trying to figure out what the grape jelly and the mayo were for--lol.

AMAZING!!! Extremely moist and delicate. I didn't make the frosting but made a mocha frosting instead. Definitely a keeper!

I have used this recipe probably a dozen times now, all with incredible success. I have to admit I've never made the frosting for this- I prefer cream cheese frosting- but the cake for this is spot-on. I've altered it a few times to suit my needs and personal taste, resulting in a cake I ALWAYS get compliments on. As of this very second I'm using said alternative recipe to make a 4-tier wedding cake for a friend's wedding. This is an AMAZING recipe!

I only made the cake part of this recipe not the frosting. The cupcake was delicious. It was moist and not too sweet. Will definitely make again!

this has been my go to for the last couple years! love it!!

The cupcakes were just so-so. Too moist - almost soggy - even though they tested "done" before I removed them from the oven. I did not make the frosting.

Wow!! I have never used mayo in cakes before, but it is incredibly good! I didn't make cupcakes, I used two cake pans and made a layer cake. The batter was delicious, but the baked cake had a weird smell to it, so I was a bit skeptical. But don't let the smell fool you, this cake is amazing! I didn't have grape jelly, because I can't stand that stuff, so I used "Simply Fruit Black Cherry" instead (I think that's jam?). And I used cake flour, since I just discovered cake flour and I like experimenting with it. I did put chocolate chips in it, as someone else suggested, but I think it threw off the texture, so next time I'll skip them. This cake is not all that sweet, which I really like. No sugar coma here. The flavor is rich and chocolatey, the texture is soft, moist and fluffy, with just the right amount of density. I didn't make the caramel frosting, I used the whipped cream cream cheese frosting from this site, and the combination is out of this world. This chocolate cake with that frosting turned into a delicious, not too sweet, and surprisingly light layer cake. I will make this over and over and over. And it is so quick and easy to make! Cake heaven.

These cupcakes were ok but not a favorite. The cake was not chocolatey enough. It was moist and domed nicely. The frosting wouldn't fluff up for me despite following the directions carefully. Surprisingly this frosting was not to my liking.

Wow. Who knew that chocolate, mayo, and grape jelly could be so delicious together?! Have made these for two family birthdays in a row now with rave reviews from everyone.

these were the bomb!!!! at least the cupcake part (didn't use the caramel frosting). Made these for my son's end of season basketball game and those kids LOVED them (adults loved them too). I used the fresh strawberries frosting on some and my mother-in-law's cream cheese frosting on the rest which I decorated as a basketball :) thank you for sharing the recipe!! Almost forgot, I did make a little addition to the recipe, we LOVE chocolate so I "sprinkled" a few chocolate chips into each cupcake before baking ;)

Used this recipe for the cupcakes, and used my own frosting. Perfect cupcake consistency/moistness/etc. Thank you for posting this recipe!

I'm not 100% sure what I did wrong here, the flavor was great but the cupcakes turned out chewy.

I made these tonight. Got about 18 cupcakes. They were moist and looked good, nice rounded top. The flavor was more like devils food, but had a little zing to it. Maybe that was the Hellmans real mayo. These were not bad, but I like something sweeter and with more chocolate flavor. It was very simple, and they look nice and are moist.

I didn't use the caramel frosting so this only applies to the cupcake. Absolutely terrible it had little to no flavor and was dry. I did substitute sugar with truvia and butter with a baking butter.

just wonderful

I love these cupcakes. My kid's loved them too. I didn't make this frosting but made the actual cupcakes. They were moist and yummy. Will make again!

I did not use the caramel frosting recipe as these cupcakes were for someone's birthday and I made a raspberry frosting as the individual is very fond of chocolate/raspberry. As someone else noted, these cupcakes were rather oily, but still tasted pretty good.

Cupcake is light and yummy. Frosting is too sweet and not much flavor. Also frosting seized up on me. Will use my own frosting next time but will keep batter recipe.

I found these enjoyable, but they were totally lacking flavor. The texture was nice and it wasn't dry.

This was an amazingly moist and delicious cupcake recipe. Used the exact recipe and it was a big hit. Will make them again soon.

made the cupcakes. good consistency but very mild chocolate flavor. would bump this up next time. did well frosted for daughter's bday.

I didn't make the frosting because I had some from another recipe I wanted to use up. I thought they were just ok. They did have a little but of a bitter taste. In all fairness I didn't put any grape jelly in. None of my kids liked them so if my kids don't like them I won't be making them again.

I made these cupcakes exactly as the recipe said. They were just ok but nobody came back for seconds, not even the kids! They were chocolate cupcakes that were just not chocolatey enough with caramel frosting that was not "caramely" enough. The taste was a bit flat/muted. I won't be making them again but I'm glad I gave them a try.

My husband said the chocolate cake isn’t as good as the other ones I’ve made. I found it easy enough to make though. I’m not an expert in baking so I can’t foresee what the end product would be from just the ingredients. It made cute monster cupcakes. Was going for blue frosting but guess what- when you add blue to caramel color frosting it turned green. Oops. Was too late to go back when I added it in. Probably would use the frosting recipe again but not the cupcake recipe.

Cupcakes were good but frosting was awful. Way too sweet!

I made this for my mom's birthday and it was delicious. The frosting is so good, it melts in your mouth. I plan on using it with other recipes as well. I added cut up strawberries on top and it was perfect.