Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Sweet things are back! After a month of savoury recipes I was glad to put some caster sugar and butter into a bowl, the taste of cake mixture was oh so sweet. And what a way to bring sweet things back with a moist chocolate cupcake with peanut butter inside and a peanut butter frosting. Believe it or not, I only tried peanut butter a few months ago.. I know, the peanut butter trend has been going strong for a while but I never had the taste for it. That was until I tried these peanut butter cookies by 280 Bakes and I was converted. Chocolate and peanut butter is a well known flavour combination famous by Reese's peanut cups and that was the inspiration behind these. A dark moist cupcake, filled with smooth peanut butter topped wth a light peanut buttercream frosting. Like I said, sweet things are back with a bang.

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cupcakes
(Makes 12)
75g Dark Chocolate
175g Plain Flour
30g Cocoa Powder
185g Caster Sugar
1/2 Tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
2 Eggs
120ml Coffee, Cooled
140ml Buttermilk
100ml Vegetable Oil

2 Tbsp Peanut Butter

100g Butter
225g Icing Sugar
2 Tbsp Smooth Peanut Butter

Preheat the oven to 160 Degrees C and line a 12 hole cupcake tin.

Place the chocolate in a food processor and blitz into fine pieces. Tip it into a large mixing bowl and stir in the rest of the dry cupcake ingredients.

Whisk the wet ingredients together in a separate bowl and then gradually add to dry ingredients, whisk together until silky and smooth. Pour the mixture into a jug and then fill the cupcake cases just over two thirds full. Place in the oven and bake for 18 minutes. Once cooked transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool completely before frosting.

Using a cupcake corer, take out the middle of the cupcake and fill with peanut butter. I used a piping bag to do this. Then place the cored cupcake piece back on top to cover the peanut butter. If you do not have a cupcake corer, an apple corer or the end of a piping nozzle work just as well.

To make the icing place the butter in a large mixing bowl and whisk with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add in half of the icing sugar and whisk on a low speed until smooth, add in the rest of the icing sugar and whisk together until smooth and fluffy. Add in the two tablespoons of peanut butter and whisk together on a low speed.

In a large disposable piping bag with a 2D nozzle attached, place the frosting inside the bag and twist the end to avoid it coming out. Starting in the middle of the cupcake, squeeze down and then swirl around until all the cupcake is covered, pulling away gently to create the rose effect.