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Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Do you love the flavor combination of chocolate and peanut butter? If so, I’ve got a real treat for you this week! These Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes are what dreams are made of! The dark cocoa powder provides a rich and dark chocolate cupcake that surely packs a lot of chocolate flavor in every bite. Balanced with an incredibly light and airy peanut butter Italian meringue buttercream will make you want to eat this buttercream by the spoonful! 

Oh and last but not least, the cutest little cupcake topper you ever did see…a mini Reese’s peanut buttercup decorated to look like a mini cupcake on top.  

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Cupcake Tips

  1. Drop a few granules of rice in each cupcake cup before placing the cupcake liners inside. The rice usually helps absorb some of the grease that can sometimes muddy up your cupcake liner.
  2. I discovered the perfect tool for helping keep my cupcakes all the same size is a 3 tablespoon sized ice cream scoop. 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Peanut Butter Italian Meringue Buttercream Tips

  1. Be sure you start with a super clean mixing bowl. You can use a damp paper towel with a little lemon juice and wipe down your bowl and whisk.
  2. Keep your egg whites yolk free, otherwise they will not whip up properly.
  3. Room temperature butter is crucial for this buttercream. I usually set mine out the night before I plan on making this buttercream.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

How To Decorate Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

  • Divide buttercream between two piping bags, one bag fitted with Ateco #827 tip and the other with a Wilton #21 tip. Pipe swirls on top of the cupcakes with the piping bag fitted with the #827 tip. Pipe all cupcakes, refilling the bag as necessary with more buttercream.
  • This buttercream is so light and fluffy that the chocolate candy can weigh it down, so to help keep my chocolate candy from sinking in the buttercream, I use a toothpick.
  • Insert a toothpick in the bottom of the chocolate candy before icing the top. Remove the toothpick and ice the top of the chocolate candy with the piping bag fitted with tip #21. Stick the toothpick back into the premade hole and place on top of the iced cupcake. Repeat this process until all the cupcakes have a mini cupcake on top.

*The toothpick helps take most of the weight from the candy so your buttercream remains fluffy and doesn’t get smashed from the weight of the candy.*

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Plan It Out

Day 1: Prepare the cupcakes.

Day 2: Prepare the buttercream and decorate.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Lets Connect

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes


Adapted from Simply Beautiful Homemade Cakes by Lindsay Conchar at Life, Love and Sugar

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Yield: 14
Prep Time: 50 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Luscious dark chocolate cupcakes topped with a light and airy peanut butter Italian meringue buttercream and a peanut butter cup!

Ingredients

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT

CUPCAKES

  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • ¾ cup (5 ounces) granulated sugar
  • 6 tablespoons sour cream, at room temperature
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 large egg whites, divided
  • ¾ cup (3.38 ounces) all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup (1.5 ounces) Dutch processed cocoa
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons boiling water
  • 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
  • 6 tablespoons whole milk, at room temperature

BUTTERCREAM

  • 7 large egg whites
  • ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1 ¾ cups (12 ounces) granulated sugar, divided
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 2 cups unsalted butter, cut into cubes, at room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cup creamy peanut butter

Instructions

CUPCAKES

  1. Adjust and oven rack to the center of the oven and heat to 350 degrees. Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners and set aside.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the sour cream and vanilla extract and mix until combined. Add one egg white and mix to combine. Add the remaining 2 egg whites and mix until incorporated.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. In a liquid measuring cup, combine the boiling water and espresso powder and stir until the espresso powder has dissolved. Add in the milk and whisk to combine. Add half of the dry ingredients to the batter and mix to combine. Add the wet ingredients and mix to combined. Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Give the batter a few stirs by hand with a rubber spatula.
  4. Using a 3 tablespoon sized ice cream scoop, scoop out the batter and divide among the prepared cupcake pan. Bake cupcakes for about 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan for 2 minutes, and then invert cupcakes on to a cooling rack to cool completely.

PEANUT BUTTER BUTTERCREAM

  1. In the stainless steel bowl of a stand mixer, with the whisk attachment attached, pour the egg whites and cream of tartar in the bowl and mix on low speed until frothy, about 2 to 3 minutes.  Slowly add ¼ cup of the granulated sugar on increase the mixer speed to medium-high. Beat until soft peaks form, about 30 seconds.
  2. In a small saucepan, add the remaining 1 ½ cups sugar and water. And stir to combine. Attach a candy thermometer to the saucepan and heat mixture over high heat until it reaches 180 degrees, about 5 minutes. Continue to cook until the syrup reaches 240 degrees, about 2 minutes more.
  3. Once the syrup reaches 240 degrees, carefully pour the syrup in the meringue in the mixer bowl, mixing on high speed for about 12 minutes or until the mixer bowl is room temperature. Switch out the whisk attachment for the paddle attachment and mix on low speed adding the butter one piece at a time. Once all the butter has been incorporated, increase the speed to medium and beat until the buttercream is thick and fluffy, about 1 minute. Reduce the speed to low and add the vanilla extract and salt. Add in the peanut butter and mix to combine


ASSEMBLE

  1. Divide buttercream between two piping bags, one bag fitted with Ateco #827 tip and the other with a Wilton #21 tip. Pipe swirls on top of the cupcakes with the piping bag fitted with the #827 tip. Pipe all cupcakes, refilling the bag as necessary with more buttercream.
  2. Insert a toothpick in the bottom of the chocolate candy before icing the top. Remove the toothpick and ice the top of the chocolate candy with the piping bag fitted with tip #21. Stick the toothpick back into the premade hole and place on top of the iced cupcake. Repeat this process until all the cupcakes have a mini cupcake on top.

Notes

Storage: Assembled cupcakes can be stored at room temperature for up to 1 day or stored in an air tight cake container in the refrigerator for 2 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 14 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 507Total Fat: 44gSaturated Fat: 24gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 90mgSodium: 308mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 1gSugar: 12gProtein: 8g

*Nutrition information is an estimate and will vary.*

Did you make this recipe?

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Stacy

Monday 7th of February 2022

If I were to make this recipe as a cake, would I use two 8” pans and have enough frosting? This recipe sounds perfect for my husband’s upcoming birthday!

Mary

Wednesday 9th of February 2022

Yes you can use 2 8-inch round cake pans for this and this buttercream recipe makes plenty of frosting to fill and decorate your layer cake!

Amy

Wednesday 21st of October 2020

My kids loved it. and it's so easy to make, you've made me from a person who used to cook nothing to the desert queen of my house

Mary

Thursday 22nd of October 2020

I'm blushing over here. Thank you!

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