Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Everyone, I repeat, everyone needs a reliable, go-to chocolate cake recipe. Cause let's face it, chocolate is always better than vanilla. This particular chocolate cake is moist, fluffy, and rich in flavor thanks to the buttermilk and brewed coffee.

Pour the batter into 8-in cake tins or muffins pans. Either will do! Beautifully-decorated layer cakes make for a great (and edible) table center-piece. But cupcakes are clutch when you're looking to keep the gathering casual. Cupcakes enable guests to serve themselves and keeps me from the mess of slicing and plating.

Of course, you're welcome to swap the peanut butter for strawberry buttercream, mint-chocolate ganache, cream cheese frosting. Just cater to your audience! For this particular occasion, the birthday boy favored Reese's, so Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes it is!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Ingredients

For the cupcakes

· 1 ¾ cup flour

· 2 cups sugar

· ¾ cup cocoa powder

· 2 tsp baking soda

· 1 tsp baking powder

· 1 tsp salt

· 1 cup buttermilk

· ½ cup vegetable oil

· 2 eggs

· 1 tsp vanilla extract

· 1 cup brewed coffee

For the frosting

· 8oz cream cheese, room temperature

· ½ cup butter, softened

· ¾ cup smooth peanut butter

· 4 cups powdered sugar

· 1 tbsp vanilla

· milk, if needed

Preheat oven to 350F.

Combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl.

In a separate bowl, whisk together buttermilk, oil, eggs, extract, and cooled coffee. Add the liquid mixture to the flour mixture. Whisk until just combined.

Pour batter into heavily greased and lined cupcake tins. Fill the tins about ¾ full.

Bake for about 20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. The center of the cake should bounce back after a light touch.

Allow to cool for 3-5 minutes in the pans. Remove the cupcakes from the pans and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

While the cupcakes are cooling, prepare the frosting. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the cream cheese, butter, and peanut butter using the paddle attachment. Gradually add the powdered sugar. Mix in the vanilla. If the frosting is too stiff, add a splash of milk. Chill for at least 2 hours.

Just before frosting the cupcakes, spoon the peanut butter frosting into the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, whip the frosting for 3 to 5 minutes until fluffy. Spoon the frosting into a piping bag and frost each cupcake.

Decorate with peanut butter cups if desired.

Makes 24 cupcakes

Notes

This is my go-to chocolate cake batter. Divide the batter between two greased 8-inch cake pans and bake for 35-40 minutes. Sandwich together with your favorite frosting.

Gluten Free Friendly!

Cup4Cup works as a perfect substitute for this batter. I find GF cakes tend to stick a bit more readily to the pan, so go the extra mile and line your cake pans with parchment paper.