A couple of weeks ago I woke up on a Saturday morning, and wanted to bake something to take to our local homebrew store to share with our buddies there. They are always so informative and helpful, and I’m always promising them some goody the next time I come in – and then never deliver. That needed to end. So, I took my favorite chocolate cupcake recipe and had a little bit of fun with it the morning before we left.
The only thing I really changed was adding a bit of peanut butter to the frosting. Then topped with some chopped peanuts for a garnish. Yowza – talk about a good cupcake! The cake is tender and moist, but the frosting – the frosting is where it’s at. Rich and decadent, but with a salty kick from the peanut butter. And the peanuts resting on top were just the perfect crunch to set the whole thing off.
The guys at the brew shop of course loved them, even Jon who’s really trying to watch his weight for the “Biggest Loser” competition at work (the guys been eating Greek yogurt for lunch everyday – talk about committed!) even broke down and ate one. And I pretty much ate the rest. One for me…three for baby.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup hot coffee
chopped peanuts, for garnish
For the frosting:
4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, roughly chopped
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
8 Tbsp (1 stick) butter, room temperature
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Add milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla to flour mixture and mix together on medium speed until well combined. Reduce speed and carefully add the coffee to the cake batter. Beat for about 1 minute to combine well.
Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
For the frosting, melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Combine butter and peanut butter and beat until fluffy. Carefully add the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and salt and beat until no lumps remain. With the mixer on low, slowly add the chocolate and mix until combined. If frosting is too thick, add a splash of milk to reach desired consistency.
Frost cupcakes as desired and garnish with chopped peanuts.
