Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting are a reality. You can make it and I’ll show you the way. As good as the name suggests, I can promise you that the result is even better than what you might assume. Obviously, this recipe is for two components, You’ll make the chocolate cupcakes and then you’ll make the phenomenal peanut butter frosting. This is different from a lot of cupcake recipes you may find that emphasize either homemade frosting or cake mix while calling for store-bought cake mix or frosting.
In order to get the great tasting cake you are going to love, you have to make this at home and the frosting is so cutting edge, as far as I know, none of the known brands have it yet. That’s why this recipe is such a game-changer!
Even though you won’t rely on a pre-made mix and manufactured frosting, this dessert is exceptionally easy to make and there are a couple of cool tricks that make them the most delicious cupcakes you have ever had, even without the fantastically creamy peanut butter frosting. Here’s the secret to the best ever chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting. I’ll walk you through important details like why it’s important to make these cupcakes chocolate, why you use dark chocolate to make them, and the secret behind using boiling water in your cake mix. Then I’ll share my secrets on making rich and flavorful peanut butter frosting.
Why Chocolate?
The first thing most people want to know about a cupcake recipe is if it is interchangeable. Lots of people prefer vanilla cupcakes to chocolate. Usually, it’s for aesthetics, which I totally understand. It’s usually easier to make beautiful displayable cupcakes when they are vanilla. If vanilla is really the kind of cupcake you want to make, and the reason is more about looks than taste, you can go either way. I’d say make a different recipe that better highlights the vanilla, but if the flavor doesn’t matter as much, you could certainly go ahead and use my peanut butter frosting recipe on a vanilla cupcake.
However, Chocolate is so essential to what this recipe does as a whole. The chocolate and peanut butter combo are just too good to pass up. That’s why I made this recipe after all and the homemade chocolate cake combined with the homemade peanut butter frosting are such a made-in-heaven match-up that you should never even consider changing a thing between them.
Why Do I Need to Use Boiling Water?
One neat trick to making the best chocolate cake ever is to use boiling water to make the cake batter. Boiling water does wonders for the chocolate and it enhances the flavor beautifully. Most people assume that the boiling water is just there to make it easier to stir or to make the batter thinner. This is not the case. Although cocoa does have a tendency to clump and hot liquid helps to break it up, that is not the point of the boiling water. Otherwise, the recipe would simply call for hot water and not go all the way to boiling.
Boiling water on the other hand does much more for the actual flavor of the cake, not merely the texture or substance. It allows the cocoa to bloom the same way it brings out the flavors and aromas of coffee grounds. By drawing out the deep rich flavors of the cocoa with boiling water, you help to create the finest tasting chocolate cupcakes you will ever enjoy. Some say that the boiling water also has a direct impact on the moisture in the finished cake. If you make the same recipe, once with boiling water and once without, you will be able to discern the difference.
What if I Don’t Want Dark Chocolate in My Cupcakes?
Not everybody loves dark chocolate. Personally, I think it’s the bee’s knees, but you don’t have to agree with me. For those individuals, seeing dark chocolate among the ingredients may be off putting, or they may think they have to modify this recipe. Don’t worry, though. Dark chocolate is necessary for the cocoa flavor, but the end result Is not dark chocolate. Trust me. It will not have that lovely bitterness and sharp bite that makes dark chocolate so irresistible. You don’t have to worry about that intense cocoa taste as good as it is when you combine the dark cocoa with the rest of the recipe ingredients.
Having said that, feel free to play with the balance between the dark cocoa and sugar. It all depends on how much rich cocoa flavor you want to shine through. I’ve made this recipe to perfection, so obviously I recommend using the prescribed measurements before you go rogue and create your own version with less dark cocoa, or with regular cocoa instead. Trust me on this. Your cupcakes will have the most chocolatey flavor. The resulting batter provides the best base for chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting.
How to Make Peanut Butter Frosting
Now, the good part. Peanut butter frosting. It’s a big bowl of yes! That’s the only way to describe it. I assume you are a peanut butter lover if you are reading this. If so, you can’t be disappointed by what I’m sharing with you today. Peanut butter frosting is the real deal. It’s not merely spreading peanut butter on top of the cupcake (which I have also done). This is a real frosting with real peanut butter flavor so you won’t get that. big sticky glob gumming everything up when you are trying to enjoy your moment of indulgence.
The trick to making peanut butter frosting using the ingredients below is to allow them to sit at room temperature before you begin mixing. Take everything out of the refrigerator before you start making the cake batter and don’t be hasty about beginning to work with them. If you keep your peanut butter in the refrigerator, it’s especially important to let that soften up, but you want your other ingredients softened too for the best results.
Can You Color Peanut Butter Frosting?
This is a fairly popular question, probably because there aren’t many reliable answers. Lots of people are curious, but they seem to abandon the idea of trying. Most experts won’t attempt it. The general consensus is that it’s basically a bad idea. As with the chocolate cake, peanut butter frosting has its own visual appeal that does not lend itself as well to artificial presentation. That’s why you typically use vanilla cupcakes and buttercream or vanilla frosting for themed parties such as a gender reveal party or holiday celebration.
Personally, I haven’t tried it either, so I can’t recommend it. I also side with the idea that these cupcakes should shine as representatives of what they are. You want to see the flavor. artificial color would make them less appealing and do them a disservice.
Ingredients for Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting
- All purpose flour
- Sugar
- Hershey’s dark chocolate cocoa powder
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Eggs
- Milk
- Vegetable oil
- Vanilla extract
- Boiling water
Ingredients for Peanut Butter Frosting
- Cream cheese
- Butter
- Peanut butter
- Confectioner’s sugar
- Mini peanut butter cups
(Actual measurements in the recipe card below.)
How to Make Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting
- Preheat oven to 350° and grease a cupcake pan or line with cupcake liners.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, mix eggs, milk, oil and vanilla until smooth.
- Add boiling water, stir until combined
- Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and mix on medium speed until fully combined.
- Add cupcake batter to liners and fill 2/3 full.
- Bake for 22-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
How to Make Peanut Butter Frosting
- In a medium bowl, mix together softened cream cheese, peanut butter, and butter until combined.
- Gradually stir in powdered sugar until frosting is light and fluffy.
- Frost cupcakes once they have cooled completely.
- Top with chopped up mini peanut butter cups.
Try These Delicious Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting
Here are a few more delicious recipes you can find on the blog:
And here are a few delicious recipes from our new blog, Deliciously Seasoned.
Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting
A delicious dark chocolate cupcake with a creamy, homemade, peanut butter frosting.
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cup flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 3/4 cup Hershey’s Dark Cocoa Powder
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup boiling water
Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- mini peanut butter cups, chopped
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350° and grease a muffin pan or line with baking liners.
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In a large mixing bowl, whisk together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
-
In a separate bowl, mix eggs, milk, oil and vanilla until smooth.
-
Add boiling water, stir until combined
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Pour the wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix on medium speed until fully combined.
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Bake for 22-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
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If you want to fill the cupcakes with the peanut butter frosting, remove center of cupcake and once completely cooled.
Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting
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In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese, peanut butter, and butter until combined.
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Gradually beat in powdered sugar until smooth.
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Frost cupcakes once they have cool completely then top with chopped mini peanut butter cups.
Here are a few pics that are the perfect size for pinning to Pinterest:
Enjoy, Terri
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