Want to know what I’m obsessing over at the moment? These tasty treats! Take a dark chocolate cupcake, stuff it with a peanut butter filling and top it with swirls of peanut butter frosting for the ultimate sugar hit! These cupcakes were demolished almost instantly at work which I take as a great sign.
I thought after making Peanut Butter Pupcakes for my dog, it would only be polite to make some human PB treats too. While the dog version had to be on the bland side of things, the human version is filled with sugar, chocolate and all those things that make desserts taste so good!
My love for peanut butter is strong, and I look for any excuse to feature it in a dessert. From PB granola, and cookies to slice and pie, it works well with nearly all types of desserts and the cupcake is no exception.
I used my favourite dark chocolate recipe which is flavoured with coffee to bring out the deep, chocolate taste, and moistened with oil instead of butter which produces a light and fluffy cupcake that is not dry or heavy.
The peanut butter filling is dense and rich and is the perfect hidden treat inside these cupcakes. And quite possibly my favourite part would have to be the fluffy peanut butter frosting. I ate way too much of this straight from the bowl! 
I kept the decoration pretty simple in these cupcakes and let the swirls of peanut butter frosting shine. But some fun and delicious ways to top these include chopped up Snickers bars or Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups to keep with the PB theme!
Ingredients
Dark Chocolate Cupcakes
- 1⅔ cups plain flour
- 2 cups white sugar
- 1 cup cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
- 1 cup brewed coffee
- ½ cup flavourless vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract/essence
Peanut Butter Filling
- 1/2 cup smooth Peanut Butter
- 3 tbsp butter softened
- 1 cup icing sugar
- 2-4 tbsp milk
Peanut Butter Frosting
- 2 cups/500g smooth Peanut Butter
- 1 cup/125g butter softened
- 4 cups icing sugar
Instructions
Dark Chocolate Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line 24 muffin tins with cupcake papers.
- Sift flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl and set aside.
- Combine the non-dairy milk, vinegar, coffee, oil and vanilla extract in another bowl. Beat in the eggs one at a time until well combined.
- With the mixer on low, carefully add in the dry ingredients. Mix until combined (the batter will be very thin).
- Fill cupcake liners about ⅔ full with mixture and bake for 25 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
- Allow to cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.
Peanut Butter Filling
- In a small mixing bowl, stir together the peanut butter and soft butter.
- Mix in the icing sugar until combined.
- Add the milk, one tablespoon at a time, until smooth and creamy.
Peanut Butter Frosting
- Place the softened butter and peanut butter in a large mixing bowl and beat until smooth with electric beaters.
- Gradually add in the icing sugar, 1 cup at a time.
- Beat for around 3-5 minutes until thick and creamy.
To assemble
- Take a small, sharp knife and cut a cone shaped piece out of the centre of each cupcake.
- Put the peanut butter filling into a sandwich bag, cut off the tip of a corner, and use it to carefully fill each cupcake.
- Spoon frosting into a piping bag and pipe swirls onto the cooled cupcakes.
I hope you love baking (and eating) these cupcakes as much as me!
4 Comments
Waw! these cupcakes are looking so amazing and yummy, want to taste it.
I can confirm they are VERY yummy!
Woooww, I can’t wait to try it, Thanks for sharing….
These look fantastic. Saving them now to make them later.