Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting Recipe

Lately, I’ve been on some kind of chocolate peanut butter kick and dreamed (literally… I dream in chocolate and frosting) of making a rich chocolate cupcake with a creamy peanut butter frosting. I searched high and low (aka I Googled a ton of recipes) to find a cake and a frosting recipe, and was completely satisfied with the results of both. The peanut butter frosting was very rich and very much a crowd pleaser, but I’m thinking next time I might add about 4 ounces of cream cheese to the mix. I made a few special ones with mini Reese’s cups baked inside the cupcake and the feedback was that they tasted like Funny Bones. Remember those?!

I have a little confession to make. Until this past weekend, frosting cupcakes was my worst baking nightmare. I envied bakers who were able to master the technique of using a pastry bag and decorating tip to frost cupcakes. I’ve searched site after site trying to find the correct way to frost a cupcake with little to no luck of actually creating a beautiful one myself. I had received a 15 piece Ateco decorating tip set for Christmas last year and insisted on using it every time I made cupcakes. My only problem though, was that I just wasn’t achieving that perfect ribbon-like swirl.

Then it hit me. I was using cake decorating tips! To me, a decorating tip was a decorating tip, and every time I watched a tutorial online, the closed star tip they used (the one that makes the pretty ribbon swirl) looked exactly like the one I had! But, to my surprise, it wasn’t. At all. I want to inform everyone out there reading this that you too can become a master cupcake froster. All you need is a 2D large closed star decorating tip, a large coupler, and a pastry bag – oh yeah, and some frosting!

(I’ll post a picture of the two tips tomorrow to show the size differences!)

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting Recipe

Chocolate Cupcakes
From Annie’s Eats

Ingredient:

• 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 tbsp. milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1½ cups sugar
• 2 large eggs

Directions:

To make the cake batter, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl; whisk together and set aside. In a liquid measuring cup, stir together the sour cream, milk and vanilla extract. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugar, and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the dry ingredients and the sour cream mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix just until incorporated.

Spoon a tablespoon or two of batter into the bottom of each cupcake liner. If using, place a mini peanut butter cup in each cupcake well and top with the remaining batter so that all the cups are filled. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Peanut Butter Frosting
Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker

Enough to frost 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 2 ½ cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1 ¾ cup creamy peanut butter
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 2/3 cup heavy cream

Directions:

Place the confectioners’ sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.