Get ready to fall in love with the most delicious Chocolate Cupcakes with a silky-smooth Peanut Butter Buttercream. These cupcakes are so moist and so flavorful, and so easy to make!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes
Who can resist the classic combination of chocolate and peanut butter? These rich and moist chocolate cupcakes topped with a luscious peanut butter buttercream are the perfect treat for any occasion. Whether you’re celebrating a birthday, hosting a party, or simply indulging your sweet tooth, this recipe is sure to delight. Let’s dive into the delicious details!
How to Make Chocolate Cupcakes
To make these delicious chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter buttercream, you’ll need: all-purpose flour, good quality dark cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, eggs, buttermilk, water, oil and vanilla. For the buttercream, be sure to grab unsalted butter, peanut butter, heavy whipping cream, vanilla, and salt.
This chocolate cupcake recipe is so easy to whip up – just grab two bowls and a whisk!
Peanut Butter Buttercream
Truly the best peanut butter frosting recipe, friends! It’s creamy and oh-so-delicious!
Tips for Success
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Ensure your butter, egg, and buttermilk are at room temperature for the best results.
- Good Quality Cocoa: Using a good quality, high-fat cocoa powder makes ALL the difference in these cupcakes. The fat in the cocoa helps to create and retain moisture. Using a dark chocolate also enhances the flavor. My favorite brand of cocoa powder if Extra Brute Cacao Barry Cocoa.
- Frosting Consistency: Adjust the consistency of the buttercream by adding more cream or powdered sugar as needed. It should be smooth and spreadable, but firm enough to hold its shape. If it seems “dry,” you’ll actually want to add a couple tablespoons of melted butter.
Enjoy Your Delicious Creation!
These chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter buttercream are a delightful treat that balances the richness of chocolate with the creamy, nutty flavor of peanut butter. Perfect for any occasion, they’re sure to be a hit with friends and family. Happy baking!
Video Tutorial: Chocolate Cupcakes
Video Tutorial: Peanut Butter Buttercream
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake
Ingredients
FOR THE CUPCAKES
- 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 3/4 cups (350 g) granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup (88.5 g) Cacao Barry Extra Brute Cocoa Powder (or similar premium brand)
- 2 teaspoons (8 g) baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon (3 g) baking powder
- 1 teaspoon (6 g) salt
- 3 eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup (240 g) buttermilk, room temperature
- 1 cup (236 g) hot water,
- 1/2 cup (109 g) vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) pure vanilla extract
FOR THE BUTTERCREAM
- 5 cups (625 g) powdered sugar, measured and then sifted
- 1 1/2 cups (339 g) unsalted butter, slightly cold
- 1 cup (250 g) creamy peanut butter , (I like Skippy)
- 1 tablespoon (4.2 g) pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup (57.75 g) heavy whipping cream
- Pinch of coarse salt
- *This buttercream recipe makes enough to do a single layer swirl on each cupcake. If you want taller swirls (as pictured, make 1.5x the recipe)
Instructions
FOR THE CAKE
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Place cupcake liners in the cupcake pans. Set aside.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- Combine eggs, buttermilk, water, oil and vanilla in a measuring cup and lightly beat with a fork.
- Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and mix with a whisk or your mixer until combined and no streaks for clumps of flour remain. Batter will be thin. Scrape sides and mix for another 30 seconds. Fill each cupcake liner no more than 2/3rd full.
- Bake for 22 to 25 minutes (you may need more time depending on your oven), until toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out with a few moist crumbs on it. Cool on wire racks for 10-15 minutes, then gently invert onto racks until cooled completely.
FOR THE BUTTERCREAM
- In the bowl of stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with your hand beaters, combine the butter and peanut butter. Beat on medium-high speed until smooth, about 45 seconds.
- Gradually add the powdered sugar to the bowl, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract, salt and heavy whipping cream, and continue to beat on high speed until very fluffy, about 3-5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Use a wooden spoon to mix frosting to get rid of air bubbles.
Love this chocolate cake recipe. Do you have recommendations on cupcake liners to use that don’t get greasy? Or how far till the liners and not get over flow? I’ve been using an ice cream scoop but mine always over flow.
Most cupcake liners end up getting a little greasy. Have you tried the baking cups from My Mind’s Eye? I love those and they are thicker so they don’t get greasy. If you use the baking cups, just place them on a jelly roll pan. I full those about 2/3 full. For the cupcake liners, I try to do a little less than 2/3 full.
Amazing
Courtney I made these cupcakes last night. I used your mocha buttercream frosting recipe and added and espresso pasty cream as a filling. The cupcakes though were the absolute BEST I have ever tasted or made. So moist and flavorful without being heavy. They really let the flavor the the pastry cream and mocha come through. Thank you for your delicious recipes. Also….I could. not find the expresso flavored nestle chips so I used bittersweet chips and 2 teaspoons of espresso powder and it worked very well, the coffee flavor came through beautifully. 🙂