Darkish Chocolate Cupcakes with Creamy Peanut Butter Frosting

These darkish chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting are a dream come true for anybody who loves this iconic taste pairing. Every chunk delivers deep, wealthy darkish chocolate taste and the creamiest, silkiest peanut butter frosting you possibly can think about. For good measure, high every with a little bit crunch of Reese’s Items. Consider in the present day’s cupcakes as the right concord of candy and salty, smooth and crunchy, traditional and a little bit over-the-top (in one of the best ways potential).

I initially revealed this recipe in 2017 and have since added new photographs and some extra success suggestions.

Readers can’t cease raving about this recipe… and for good cause! Between the ultra-moist darkish chocolate crumb and the sunshine, peanut-buttery frosting, these cupcakes flip any bizarre day into a special day. They’re a spin off of my favourite darkish chocolate peanut butter cake, a recipe I included in my NYT best-selling cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.

One reader, Jennifer, commented: “These had been phenomenal! I made them for a celebration and shared some with coworkers (I frosted them at work earlier than the celebration). Considered one of my coworkers ate the leftover frosting from the bowl with a spoon. Your recipes are good and reliable—thanks! ★★★★★”

One other reader, Katie, commented: “I’ve by no means made a peanut butter buttercream that I like as a lot as this one, and the mix of the chocolate and peanut butter on this recipe is simply perfection. It’s really easy to show this into a stunning 6-inch layer cake as effectively! ★★★★★“

And yet one more reader, Lisa, commented: “These are perfection, and meaning one thing from Peanut Butter Chocolate’s Quantity One Fan. lol Thanks for one more wonderful and simple to comply with recipe! I added Reese’s Items and I feel it shouldn’t be skipped. They make a scrumptious cupcake even higher. ★★★★★”

Inform Me About These Darkish Chocolate Cupcakes

All we did right here was make a batch of those chocolate cupcakes with vanilla buttercream, intensify the chocolate taste through the use of darkish cocoa powder, and swap out the frosting.

• Texture: The darkish chocolate cupcake’s texture is smooth, ethereal, and sponge-y; as a result of they’re made with oil, they’re much softer than these buttery vanilla cupcakes. The frosting is extremely creamy. Think about indulging in a spoonful of pure peanut butter, however with a fluffier, silkier texture.
• Taste: The cupcakes provide a wealthy darkish chocolate taste and what you’ll love most concerning the frosting is that it’s not overly candy. All you style is peanut butter. Which is sensible as a result of it’s principally all peanut butter—just one cup of confectioners’ sugar, which is low for an American buttercream-style frosting!
• Ease: There’s actually nothing difficult on this recipe apart from ensuring you could have the correct cocoa powder. For those who can’t discover Hershey’s Particular Darkish cocoa powder, simply use common pure unsweetened cocoa powder. (The cupcakes will nonetheless have an intense chocolate taste, just like this triple chocolate cake.)

Need to reverse the combo? Attempt these peanut butter cupcakes topped with chocolate!

Selecting the Proper Substances

• Darkish cocoa: As a substitute of utilizing unsweetened pure cocoa powder, we reached for a darker cocoa powder as an alternative. Hershey’s makes a “Particular Darkish” cocoa powder that has a deep, darkish, and daring chocolate taste. Right here’s one thing attention-grabbing, although. Hershey’s particular darkish incorporates each pure and Dutched cocoa powder—it’s a mix of each. As you realize, there’s a distinction between Dutch course of vs. pure cocoa powder. And I by no means recommend substituting, however this recipe is an exception. If you wish to go SUPER darkish through the use of black cocoa powder, attempt these black velvet cupcakes!
• Sizzling espresso: Sizzling liquid enhances the cocoa powder’s taste. It additionally encourages it to bloom and dissolve appropriately. I promise these cupcakes don’t style like espresso in any respect! For those who don’t drink espresso, you should use sizzling water. For deeper and richer taste, although, use espresso. You may both brew it in a espresso maker or make immediate espresso. Decaf espresso works!
• Oil: Cocoa powder is a really drying ingredient, so that you’ll normally discover it paired with oil in cake and cupcake recipes. Oil supplies moisture and doesn’t crush a baked good. Vegetable or canola oil is right, however avocado oil, melted coconut oil, and even light-flavored olive oil could also be used as an alternative.
• Buttermilk: For those who can’t discover buttermilk on the retailer, you may make this DIY buttermilk substitute with complete milk and both white vinegar or lemon juice.
• Sprinkles: Crushing Reese’s Items turns them into Reese’s Items “sprinkles.” You may actually skip them or garnish the cupcakes with sprinkles and even crushed peanuts as an alternative.

Key Success Suggestions for Chocolate Cupcakes & Peanut Butter Frosting

1. Fill your cupcake liners solely 2/3 full. For those who fill the liners too full, the cupcakes will overflow and also you’ll be left with crisp mushroom tops and a sunken heart. This recipe makes sufficient batter for 14 to 16 cupcakes, so line a second muffin pan with a number of liners, or bake in batches.
2. My #1 tip for the peanut butter frosting: Ensure you use a processed creamy/clean peanut butter, not natural-style or do-it-yourself. Whereas I like consuming pure peanut butter, it simply isn’t superb in frosting as a result of it tends to separate from the butter. I normally use Jif or Skippy for this frosting. You can even discover peanut butter frosting on these peanut butter & jelly cupcakes and these snickers cupcakes.

Extra Chocolate and Peanut Butter Treats

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