Chocolate Cupcakes With Peanut Butter Frosting

First things first. Prepare your pans and pre-heat that oven. My Favorite Go To Cupcake Liners Are These. 

This is a  one bowl cupcake recipe that couldn’t get easier. Yes one bowl. I told you this is the only recipe you will ever need.

In a large bowl you need to combine the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt) and simply whisk to combine.

In the same bowl you then add your wet ingredients- milk, vegetable oil, vanilla, and eggs. And whisk, whisk, whisk again.

Then you need to add in your boiling water. The batter will be thin.

To fill your cupcake pans, I find it easiest to pour the batter into a liquid measuring cup and pour then into my cupcake pans.

You want to fill these up about 3/4 of the way to leave a bit of room for them to rise and create that beautiful domed cupcake.

Tips For Making These Chocolate Cupcakes

• Be sure to measure your flour accurately. For a full tutorial on how and why, read this post.
• Be sure to use natural unsweetened cocoa powder not dutch process. They are not the same. You can read about the differences here.
• When baking these, it’s best to rotate the pans halfway through their baking time. Every oven can have hot spots so they may not bake evenly. Give them a turn in the oven, so they all bake up pretty.
• Once they are baked, be sure to take them out of the pans and cool on a cooling rack. Leaving them in your pans means they will continue to bake and could end up dry.

How Far In Advance Can I Make These Chocolate Cupcakes?

You can make the chocolate cupcakes up to 2 days in advance, unfrosted. Just wrap in plastic wrap and keep at room temperature. You can also make the cupcakes and freeze for up to 2 months.

The frosting can be made up to a week in advance. Just store in your refrigerator for up to a week. You may need to place them back in your mixer and rewhip back to the same consistency.

If the cupcakes are frosted, it can stay fresh at room temperature for 1 to 2 days, according to Spruce Eats.   

Can You Substitute Dutch Process For Regular Cocoa?

No unfortunately you can’t. You can read the differences between natural cocoa and dutch process cocoa.

So when it comes to swapping out these cocoa powder you will be upsetting that chemical balance that was originally achieved when the recipe was written. So save yourself the headache and use the cocoa powder called for.

• Soften Your Butter: Make sure your butter is softened before you start. You can soften your butter quickly 3 different ways.
• Use Unsalted Butter: Be sure to use unsalted butter. Different brands have different amounts of salt. So it’s best to use unsalted butter then add a pinch of salt to your own tasting.
• Use A Towel: Wrap a towel around the top of your mixer so you don’t end up with powdered sugar blizzard everywhere. You can also use a damp paper towel.
• Do Not Use Natural Peanut Butter- The natural peanut butter,you know the kind you need to stir before you use it. I think the oil would not make for a good buttercream. I haven’t tried it but I don’t see that ending up well!
• Rewhip If Necessary. If you don’t use the buttercream right away and store the buttercream you will need to rewhip it again to the same fluffy consistency before using it on a cake.

How Many Cupcakes Or Cake Will This Peanut Butter Frosting Cover?

• For Cupcakes – This recipe will generously frost 12 cupcakes. I like to pipe a pretty tall amount of frosting on each cupcake.  So if you don’t use as much as I do as in the photos, then you might get more frosted (around 24 cupcakes). For help on decorating cupcakes, be sure to check out my The Ultimate Guide To Baking Cupcakes At Home and The Ultimate Guide To Making The Best Buttercream Icing.
• For Cake – This frosting will cover a 9 x 13 sheet cake or a 2 layer 8-inch or 9-inch cake.

Does Peanut Butter Frosting Need To Be Refrigerated?

This frosting will be safe at room temperature for 2-3 days. Any longer than that and I recommend you refrigerate the buttercream frosting up to 5 days.

The buttercream frosting can also be frozen up to 3 months.

More Recipes To Try

• Peanut Butter Cake
• Easy Chocolate Cupcakes
• The BEST Peanut Butter Frosting
• Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
• Easy Vanilla Cupcake Recipe

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcakes

Easy one bowl chocolate cupcakes topped with the best peanut butter frosting recipe!

2.34 from 3 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: chocolate

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

Servings: 30 cupcakes

Calories: 290kcal

Author: Heather Perine

Ingredients

For The Cupcakes

• ▢ 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
• ▢ 1-3/4 cups (210 g) all-purpose flour
• ▢ 3/4 cup (63 g) natural Cocoa not dutch process
• ▢ 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• ▢ 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 2 large eggs room temperature
• ▢ 1 cup (240 ml) milk room temperature
• ▢ 1/2 cup (120 ml) vegetable oil
• ▢ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 cup (240 ml) boiling water

For the frosting (this is a double batch because I like a lot of frosting!)

• ▢ 2 1/2 cups (5 sticks, 565 g) unsalted butter (1 1/4 cups) softened to room temperature
• ▢ 5 cups (565 g) confectioners sugar
• ▢ 4 Tablespoons heavy cream
• ▢ 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ▢ 2 cups (540 g) peanut butter

Instructions

To Make The Chocolate Cupcakes

• Heat oven to 350°F. Prepare your muffin pans with cupcake liners.
• Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl.  
• Add eggs, milk, oil, vanilla extract and whisk to combine. 
• In a measuring cup microwave 1 cup of water (or heat on stovetop). Add boiling water to batter. Stir to combine. (batter will be thin)
• Fill each cupcake well about 3/4 cup full of batter.
• Bake for 22-25 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, rotating pans halfway through baking. Remove cupcakes from pans and allow to cool on a wire rack. Cool completely. Repeat with the additional cupcake batter (about 6 additional cupcakes)

To Make The Peanut Butter Frosting

• For the frosting (This is a double batch – I always make 2 batches to frost all these cupcakes. If you like high swirls like I do then you will want to make a double batch as well). 
• Combine the butter and powdered sugar and mix on low, then increase the speed for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.
• Add in your vanilla extract, and heavy cream.
• Then add in your peanut butter. 
• Beat on medium-high for 8 minutes.

Notes

• Be sure to measure your flour accurately. You want to be sure to spoon the flour into your cup. Don’t pack it down. Then level it off with a flat edge. 
• Be sure to use natural unsweetened cocoa powder not dutch process. They are not the same.
•  When baking these, it’s best to rotate the pans halfway through their baking time. Every oven can have hot spots so they may not bake evenly. Give them a turn in the oven, so they all bake up pretty.
• Once they are baked, be sure to take them out of the pans and cool on a cooling rack. Leaving them in your pans means they will continue to bake and could end up dry. 

Nutrition

Calories: 290kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 184mg | Potassium: 167mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 35g | Vitamin A: 65IU | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 0.7mg

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