Chocolate Cupcakes With Peanut Butter Frosting

Deliciously moist chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting are the ultimate dessert. Sprinkled with crushed peanuts just to give that extra texture profile.

Everyone knows chocolate and peanut butter works. Just ask Reeses. It’s a flavor combination that most people just love. Which is why I developed both this recipe and these delicious Reeses peanut butter filed doughnuts.

These chocolate cupcakes are super moist and rich and with smooth and creamy peanut butter frosting it can’t be beat.

Why This Recipe Works

1. Chocolate and peanut butter go together like salt and pepper.
2. The cupcakes are nice and light and fluffy and perfectly moist.
3. Using crushed peanuts on top gives the cupcakes an extra textural dimension that is a really nice counterbalance to the creamy frosting.

Ingredients

All Purpose Flour – make sure you spoon and level when measuring your flour. This is important in baking.

Buttermilk – this is used as it gives a very slight tang to the flavor but most importantly buttermilk helps tenderize the gluten which gives baked goods a softer texture.

Baking Soda and Baking Powder – helps give the chocolate cupcakes a lift.

Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (not Dutch Processed) – this is important. Dutch processed cocoa has less acid and so does not react with the baking soda. Regular Unsweetened cocoa powder has more acidity making it react with the baking soda ensuring a good rise. It also has a stronger chocolate flavor to it.

Raw Peanuts – for the topping you’ll want the raw peanuts, that is used in baking. Not the salted kind.

Eggs at room temperature – When baking you’ll always want to ensure your eggs are at room temperature so that the yolks break and mix easier into the batter which helps the rising of the cake batter.

Substitutions and Variations

• Vanilla Cupcakes – You could use this peanut butter frosting on a vanilla cupcakes instead of chocolate cupcakes.
• Reeses Peanut Butter Cups – use these as toppings instead of the crushed peanuts.
• Reeses Pieces – again, swap out the crushed peanuts for Reeses Pieces.
• Espresso Powder – you could add just a teaspoon of this to enhance the chocolate flavor.

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Melt the butter and chocolate together in a double boiler on the stove. This may be accomplished by putting a pyrex bowl over a pot of simmering water (don’t let the bowl touch the water) if you don’t have a double boiler. Stir until smooth. Set aside to slightly cool.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, toss the cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together until combined.
3. In another bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla together until smooth.
4. Add the cooled butter/chocolate mixture and beat until smooth.

5. Add half of the flour mixture to the batter and stir a little.
6. Then add half of the buttermilk and alternate until everything has been incorporated. Stir until just combined; do not over mix.
7. Divide the batter into a cupcake tin with cupcake liners. Bake for 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
8. Sift together the confectioners’ sugar and cocoa powder to assure there are no lumps.

9. With a handheld or stand mixer, beat the butter and peanut butter at medium speed until fluffy (approx. 2 mins.)
10. Gradually add some of the sifted sugar/cocoa powder.
11. Alternate with the heavy cream and vanilla. Beat on low speed after each addition.Stop adding cream when the desired consistency has been reached.
12. Frost cooled cupcakes and top with crushed peanuts as desired. Then enjoy!

Storage

Frosted cupcakes can sit out at room temperature for up to 2 days, as long as they are stored in an airtight container, or covered.

Alternatively, you make the frosting ahead of time, storing it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. Then, just allow it to come to room temperature before frosting the cupcakes.

These chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting are a peanut butter lovers dream. The rich and fluffy cupcakes are truly complimented by the creamy peanut butter frosting – one will never be enough.