How to melt coconut oil into its liquid form: Coconut oil is generally solid at room temperature, but we want to melt it into a liquid form for this recipe in order to incorporate it more easily into our chocolate cupcake batter. (We've used virgin unrefined coconut oils from 365/Whole Foods, Nutiva, and Carrington Farms and like them all). To melt coconut oil, scoop about 1 cup of coconut oil (in its solid, room-temperature form) into a microwave-safe glass measuring cup, and then microwave for 30-40 seconds until it’s melted down. Give the coconut oil a stir and then check the measurement - you may need to add another spoonful of room temperature coconut oil to bring the liquid up to the correct amount. Melt too much oil? Pour any excess right back into the container. Equipment: We use this measuring cup in the post photos and this one in the video!

Why the hot water? Adding hot water to the batter ensures all ingredients are mixed evenly, helps any clumps release and lets sugar dissolve as much as possible before baking. I find it also enhances the flavor of the cocoa (sometimes called “blooming”). Hot water also helps any colder ingredients come down in temperature, and helps the cupcakes retain moisture as they bake. You can substitute hot coffee for the hot water if you like. Some recipes call for the hot water in a cake recipe to be boiling, but I’ve found that as long as it’s quite hot (175 degrees F or so) it’ll do the trick just fine, and it’s easier to just heat some water in my electric tea kettle than it is to boil a whole pot of water.

Substitutions: The coconut flavor in these cupcakes isn’t overwhelming, but it definitely isn't invisible. If you don’t like the taste of coconut, you can substitute vegetable oil, canola oil, or melted butter for the coconut oil in the cupcake batter. You can substitute melted butter for the coconut oil in the frosting if you prefer.

The chocolate fudge frosting in this recipe will start to seize up as the coconut oil cools, so work quickly to frost your cupcakes. The frosting will be quite thick and will resemble warm fudge - it won’t look or feel like the traditional buttercream or whipped frostings we’re often used to. If the frosting is too thin (this often happens when too much hot water is added) add extra powdered sugar or let it cool on the counter for a few minutes to thicken it up. If frosting is too thick, stir in an extra splash of hot water or zap it in the microwave in 5-second intervals to loosen it. I love that this frosting develops a rich, fudge-like texture as it cools (it’s one of my most-requested frostings from friends and family!) but you could also absolutely use a more traditional buttercream here if you prefer.

If you use silicone cupcake liners: When our testers used silicone cupcake liners (like these!) we found that we needed to extend the bake time by 2-3 minutes. If you’re using mini silicone liners, you can bake as directed.