Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting
Moist and fluffy chocolate cupcakes with creamy peanut butter cream cheese frosting. Basically a peanut butter cup in cupcake form! Cupcake recipe is Ina Garten's Beatty's Chocolate Cake.
Servings: 12 cupcakes
Ingredients
Dark Chocolate Cupcakes
- 3/4 c + 2T all-purpose flour
- 1 c granulated sugar
- 1/4 c + 2T Dutch process cocoa powder*
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 c buttermilk
- 1/4 c vegetable oil
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 c hot coffee
Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 T butter, softened
- 4 oz (1/2 c) cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 c powdered sugar
- 3/4 c creamy peanut butter**
- peanut butter cups, chopped, to top cupcakes (optional)
Instructions
Dark Chocolate Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners, then spray the paper liners with nonstick cooking spray (preferably one that has flour in it). Spraying them helps keep the cupcakes from sticking too much.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachments, sift together flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix until combined.
- In a separate bowl, combine buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla and mix until combined.
- Slowly add the wet ingredients into the dry, mixing on low speed.
- Add the coffee and stir to combine, stopping to scrape the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
- Once all is well-combined, divide batter evenly among the muffin cups.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean, or with just a few moist crumbs.
- Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then remove from pan and allow to cool completely on a wire rack (about 1-2 hours).
- Once cool, go ahead and frost, or wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate for 1-2 days or freeze for up to a month. Allow to come to room temperature before frosting.
Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter on medium-high speed until smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Add vanilla, and mix until combined. Scrape bowl.
- Continue mixing on low speed, and slowly add powdered sugar. Scrape bowl, and mix until all powdered sugar is incorporated.
- Lastly, add the peanut butter and mix until well combined and fluffy, another minute or two.
- Frost cupcakes however you like (I used a pastry bag and a large round piping tip), and top with chopped up peanut butter cups, if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
*This recipe can be made with natural cocoa powder instead, but the chocolate flavor won't be as intense.
**I recommend using regular peanut butter for this recipe (not natural PB). You can certainly try using natural PB but I didn't test it with that so can't vouch for how it will turn out. (If you do try it, let me know in the comments!)