The Best Pomegranate Chocolate Cupcakes Recipe | Foodal (2024)

I am so excited about these cupcakes!

For one thing, they’re super easy to make. You don’t even need a mixer.

Also, they’re pretty much flawless — moist and dense without being too heavy, with a deep chocolate flavor and subtle nuances of fruity, antioxidant-rich pomegranate.

The cupcakes themselves require no eggs and no butter, but you’d never know it from how moist and rich they are. And you can enjoy the huge bonus of being able to lick the bowl and spatula to your heart’s content! I sure did.

For the icing, I use Foodal’s ultra-rich ganache recipe, with the addition of pomegranate juice, to cover the top of each cupcake with a fudgy blanket of chocolaty decadence.

They are finished with a garnish of juicy, crunchy, fresh pomegranate seeds, the perfect pop of color and texture.

For another beautiful garnish option, use pink candied rose petals!

So, when you’re just about to eat your first cupcake of the batch, pulling its fluffy little dome out of the paper wrapper, ganache slightly melted on your fingertips, the sweet aromas wafting so close to you, you’re going to be thinking something that you know is undeniable:

Not even one bite in, you’ve already decided you’re going to have a second one.

Resistance is futile!

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Cooking by the Numbers…

Step 1– Gather Ingredients and Prep

Preheat oven to 350°F, and prepare two 12-cup muffin trays with cupcake liners.

For the dry ingredients, measure the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.

For the wet ingredients, heat 1 cup of water to boiling. Measure the pomegranate juice, vegetable oil, vinegar, and vanilla extract.

For the ganache, measure the heavy cream and chocolate chips. Cut the butter into small chunks.

For the garnish, remove the seeds from one pomegranate fruit, using a sharp knife and sturdy cutting board to cut through the fruit.

Step 2– Make the Batter

In a large bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a separate medium bowl, combine the wet ingredients: hot water, pomegranate juice, vegetable oil, vinegar, and vanilla extract. Be careful with the hot water.

Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture all at once. Whisk until completely combined, but do not overmix. The batter will look a little thick and lumpy.

Step 3– Fill and Bake

Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups, filling the cups a little more than halfway full.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean and free of crumbs. Let cool for a few minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Step 4– Make the Ganache

Follow our directions for the best chocolate ganache, adding the pomegranate juice with the heavy cream before heating.

Slightly cool the ganache at room temperature for about 10 minutes before decorating. Letting the chocolate cool for a little while will allow it to thicken, helping it cling better to the cupcakes when dipping.

Step 5– Decorate

Dip the top of each cooled cupcake in the ganache, lightly shaking off the excess. Allow the ganache to set slightly at room temperature for another 10 minutes before applying the final garnish of pomegranate seeds.

Chill the cupcakes in the refrigerator to completely set and harden the ganache before serving, about 30 minutes.

Fruit and Chocolate? A Flawless Combo

Pairing fruit with chocolate has always been a huge crowd-pleaser. Chocolate-covered strawberries are a perfect example!

I would say that there’s nothing better than a huge chunk of juicy fruit draped in chocolaty goodness… but recipes like our ganache tart topped with fresh raspberries, as well as these rich cupcakes, are keeping my mouth shut.

Because I just stuffed my face with a few big bites of fluffy chocolate cake and fudgy ganache frosting.

And I’m just about to do it all over again with a second helping.

I deserve it. No judgment.

If you want even more fruity flavor, we suggest scooping out a little of the inside of each cupcake, and filling it with your favorite jam or jelly. If you have pomegranate jelly, perfect! But any berry flavor will be a perfect addition.

How do you like to use this jewel-toned fruit? What do you think of pairing fruit and chocolate together? Let us know in the comment section below, and remember to rate the recipe!

For more adorably mini cakes, try these other handheld delights:

• Pancake Cupcakes with Maple Syrup Frosting
• Paleo Carrot Cupcakes
• Einkorn Cannoli Cupcakes

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Photos by Nikki Cervone, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details. Originally published by Shanna Mallon on August 6th, 2009. Last updated: January 23, 2023 at 15:44 pm .

Nutritional information derived from a database of known generic and branded foods and ingredients and was not compiled by a registered dietitian or submitted for lab testing. It should be viewed as an approximation.