Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes are rich and flavorful, topped with sweet peanut butter buttercream and peanut butter cup.
These Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes are perfect for themed parties. They are also a hit with kids and adults alike! I love making puffy and delicious cupcakes, and my other favorites are Unicorn Cupcakes, German Chocolate Cupcakes and Mint Chocolate Chip Oreo Cupcakes.
Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes
Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes are one of the most delicious ways to get your peanut butter and chocolate fix. These Peanut Butter Cupcakes are very easy to make, and are rich and chocolaty and so loaded with peanut butter. The Dark Chocolate and Peanut Butter cupcakes are topped with the most creamy and luxurious buttercream, and finished with a peanut butter cup.
Why You Will Love These Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes Recipe:
- Firstly, the cupcakes are very easy to make with ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry.
- Also, the chocolate and peanut butter combo is delicious, especially when dark chocolate cocoa powder is used. It adds a little sharpness and nice contrast to the cupcakes.
- These are perfect for a party, special occasion.
- Rich, creamy and delicious, they are guaranteed to become a show stopper on the dessert table.
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Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes Recipe Tips:
- Use high quality cocoa powder . When you make chocolate desserts, as you want the chocolate to shine. You can use regular unsweetened cocoa, or Special Dark Unsweetened Cocoa. I have used the latest to achieve the dark chocolate flavor in these Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes.
- Don’t skip the salt as the salt will enhance the chocolate flavor.
- Ingredients should be at room temperature for that perfect airy, soft and moist crumb.
- Use creamy peanut butter in this recipe.
- Make sure you don’t over bake the cupcakes, each oven is different but checking at the 15 minute mark is key.
- Use quality dairy products as they will make a huge difference in this recipe, especially in the buttercream.
What is Buttercream Icing?
Buttercream also know as butter icing is a type of icing or filling used inside cakes and cupcakes, as a coating, and as decoration. It is very easy to make, by creaming butter with powdered sugar, although other fats can be used, such as margarine or lard.
Prep time: 30 minutes Cook time: 17 minutes Total time: 47 mins
Ingredients
Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Batter:
- 1 cup all-purpose white flour (preferably sifted)
- 1/4 cup dark chocolate cocoa powder (sifted)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 5 tablespoons peanut butter
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
Peanut Butter Buttercream:
- 2 sticks unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 1/2 cup vegetable shortening (room temperature)
- 1 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 4-6 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder - optional
Garnish:
- 12 Peanut Butter Cups
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º F. Position oven rack in the middle of the oven.
- Line a regular muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners and set aside.
Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Batter:
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine: cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, whisk and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl or in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine peanut butter, oil, and brown sugar, beat until all combined and fluffy.
- Add in the eggs one at a time, and vanilla extract. Beat on medium speed until combined. Stop a few times to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula.
- Add the flour mixture and buttermilk, alternating between the two and mixing by hand (to avoid over mixing) until all combined.
- Fill the cupcake liners almost completely full with batter.
- Bake for 15-17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs.
- Allow the cupcakes to cool for 3 minutes in the pan, then transfer them to a cooling rack. Place cupcakes upside down on the cooling rack to create a dome top.
- Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting them.
Peanut Butter Buttercream:
- In a large mixing bowl or in the bowl of an electric/stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine butter and vegetable shortening, beat until fluffy.
- Add in the peanut butter and vanilla extract, beat until fully combined on medium-high speed. Stop a few times to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula.
- Begin to add the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, mix with the mixer speed on low after that increasing it to medium.
- Continue adding powdered sugar until the frosting tastes sweet enough to you, I used 4 cups.
Optional:
- Transfer 1/2 of the buttercream to another and using a mixer, mic in 1/4 cup of cocoa powder.
- Add frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large star piping tip, if you use chocolate and peanut butter buttercream, add chocolate buttercream to one side of the bag and peanut butter buttercream to the other, it doesn't have to be perfect.
- Pipe the buttercream onto the cupcakes, starting in the center and swirling to the outside and swirling back into the center as you progressively stack the frosting.
- Garnish yeah cupcake with a peanut butter cup.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.
- Enjoy!
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