Fluffy, tender chocolate cupcakes topped with a smooth and creamy peanut butter buttercream. These Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes are perfect for any occasion.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes
Got a birthday party (or any party) coming up and you’ve been put in charge of the cupcakes?? Orrrr you’re just looking for a killer cupcake recipe that you can enjoy in this fall weather? I’ve got you covered!
If you know me, you know that I’m absolutely obsessed with… peanut butter. It’s simply the best ingredient you could ever add to anything. I put it in tons of desserts, smoothies, or even just eat it out of the jar with a big spoon (no shame). And when I think of a decadent dessert, the combination of peanut butter and chocolate is always one of the first things that come to my mind… which is why I’m bringing you these Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes today!
If you’re not a huge fan of peanut butter, I’ve got you covered. This Chocolate Buttercream recipe is one of my favorite things ever, and it goes perfectly on top of these chocolate cupcakes.
Equipment for Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes
While the following things aren’t necessarily required for this recipe, they do make life a lot easier 🙂
- Stand Mixer: I absolutely love my KitchenAid stand mixer. If you’re like me and you’re in the kitchen baking a lot more than the average person, this machine will quickly become your new best friend. There are so many different things you can do with it, and for this recipe I like to make the cupcake batter first, wipe the bowl clean, then whip up the buttercream while the cupcakes are baking away.
- Muffin Pan: A staple for all bakers. Although they’re mostly used for cupcakes and muffins, they are so versatile and I love getting creative with these.
- Piping Bag/Tips: Also not a necessity, these cupcakes will look perfectly fine if you spread the frosting on using a butter knife or spoon. BUT if you want a more professional look, you’ll need to grab some piping tips and bags. They’re so simple to use and I love my reusable bag from Wilton. The piping tip I used for these cupcakes is #607 in this set.
Ingredients for Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcakes
Be sure to pick these ingredients up next time you hit the grocery store!
- All-purpose flour
- Dutch-process cocoa powder
- Cornstarch
- Baking powder
- Kosher salt
- Granulated sugar
- Canola oil
- Large eggs
- Pure vanilla extract
- Whole milk
- Sour cream
- Instant coffee
- Butter
- Creamy peanut butter
- Powdered sugar
- Heavy cream
Tips for Making Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcakes
If you’re just getting into baking, I think cupcakes are one of the best things to start with because you can learn how to follow a recipe well while also getting creative with the frosting design. Here’s a few tips to ensure your cupcakes turn out perfect:
- Make sure your cocoa powder is Dutch-process. If you’ve been around my blog for long enough, you know that I don’t really use anything but Dutch-process cocoa powder. But let me tell you.. it’s for good reason. The flavor profiles of Dutch-process versus the typical cocoa powder differ so greatly, the end result actually tastes totally different. If the package doesn’t directly say (Dutch-process), just look on the ingredients list in the Nutrition Facts label for “alkali.” This means that it’s Dutch-process!
- Use room temperature ingredients. I know if might seem a little weird, but trust me on this one. If your ingredients are cold, the batter won’t incorporate the eggs and wet ingredients as well as they would with room temperature ingredients. If I know I’ll be baking a batch of cupcakes later that afternoon, I’ll just set out all of the ingredients on the counter and wait for them to come to room temperature before starting.
- Quick Tip: If you forgot to set your eggs out before you go to add them to a batter, just put the cold eggs in a bowl of hot water and let them sit for about 5 minutes. Then they’ll be ready to use!
- Make sure your butter is softened (for the buttercream). Anytime you make a buttercream you’ll need to make sure your butter is softened. It’s almost impossible to whip cold butter until it’s nice and fluffy, and unless you want soupy frosting, best not to use melted butter either. Just like what I was saying above, if I know I’ll be making a buttercream the next day or later that afternoon, I’ll set out the butter the night before or morning of. That way, it’ll be perfectly softened when I go to use it!
Happy Baking!
That’s all from me for now, I hope you all enjoy this recipe as much as I do. As always, be sure to tag me on socials (@sarahsdayoff) if you make this recipe, because I’ll obviously want to see your stunning cupcakes! Happy Monday and Happy Baking!
Love, Sarah
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Cupcakes
- 1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup whole milk at room temperature
- 1/2 cup sour cream at room temperature
- 1 1/2 tsp instant coffee
For the Peanut Butter Buttercream
- 1 cup butter softened
- 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter preferably Jif
- 3 cups powdered sugar sifted
- 2 to 4 Tbsp heavy cream
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup chopped peanuts (optional)
Instructions
For the Chocolate Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners. Whisk flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking powder, salt in a large bowl until combined.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or use a large bowl with a hand mixer), beat sugar and oil together until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until smooth after each addition. Add vanilla
- In a small bowl combine the milk and sour cream. Microwave 15 seconds or until warm. Stir in the instant coffee until dissolved.
- Alternately add the flour mixture and the sour cream mixture to the oil mixture, in 3 additions, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Beat until smooth (do not over mix).
- Fill each cupcake liner 2/3-full and bake 16 to 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Cool completely on a rack.
For the Peanut Butter Buttercream
- Add butter and peanut butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat on high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Slowly beat in the powdered sugar until smooth. Add 1 Tbsp cream and vanilla, beating until smooth. If needed to smooth out, add 1 Tbsp of cream at a time (up to 3 more Tbsp) until desired consistency is reached.
- Transfer buttercream to a piping bag (or frost using a butter knife), and pipe on the tops of cooled cupcakes. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts, if desired.
DELICIOUS!!!!