Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting
These dark chocolate cupcakes are loaded with rich chocolate flavor, and topped with a light and creamy peanut butter frosting. If you are a chocolate/peanut butter fan, these are your jam!
I have a secret that I’m about to blab. It’s about me. And it’s a doozie. It’s going to rock your world…
I don’t really like cake…
Shhh…
Can you believe it? It’s the truth. Hard to fathom, with all those cakes that I decorate.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I will eat cake. But it pretty much ranks at the very, very bottom of the dessert hierarchy for me. Given options, I would choose pretty much anything over cake. Now, if you’re talking cheesecakes, flourless chocolate cakes, coffee cakes, crumb cakes, and things of that nature, well then that’s a whole different ballgame. But regular cake? Like birthday cake-cake? Meh. It’s just never really been my cup of tea.
But what I do love is frosting. And phenomenal frosting can absolutely make my day. Peanut butter or cream cheese frosting? It may as well just be Christmas. As a result, I love cupcakes because I can pile them sky-high with dreamy frosting and enjoy each and every bite. These dark chocolate cupcakes are a dream come true for anyone who is a cake or frosting lover – they are truly the best of both worlds.
These cupcakes are insanely rich and moist, and are made using the same type of method used for making brownies – melted chocolate is added to a whisked mixture of eggs and sugar, and then flour is stirred in.
The resulting batter almost resembled a mousse; both thick and light. It creates incredibly moist cupcakes that also have a light and fluffy texture.
And the frosting. Oh the frosting. Bestill my heart.
I have been using this recipe for a couple of years now (how has it never made it on here before?!), mostly as a filling for chocolate cakes. But on top of cupcakes? Where I purposefully try to create a 2:1 frosting to cupcake ratio? AH-MAZING.
I cannot make this without taking spoonful after spoonful out of the bowl before decorating. It’s seriously irresistible.
Sometimes I’m tempted to make it to just have. Smeared on toast? Used as a dipping vessel for bananas or apples? So many possibilities. The “secret ingredient” in this frosting, just as in the Easy Vanilla Bean Buttercream, is the heavy cream. It creates a smooth and fluffy frosting that is easy to slather or pipe on.
If you are a fellow chocolate/peanut butter-aholic, you will love, love, LOVE these cupcakes. Put them on your baking list NOW!
Can’t Get Enough? More Favorite Chocolate/Peanut Butter Recipes:
- No Bake Chocolate, Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Cookies
- Marshmallow Crunch Brownie Bars
- Peanut Butter Cup Overload Cake
- Salted Peanut Butter Cup Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Buckeye Brownies
- Peanut Butter-Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips
One year ago: Sweet and Sour Chicken
Two years ago: Fresh Strawberry Tart
Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
- 2 ounces (56.7 g) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
- ½ cup (43 g) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- ¾ cup (93.75 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon (0.75 teaspoon) baking powder
- 2 eggs
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) table salt
- ½ cup (115 ml) sour cream
For the Peanut Butter Frosting
- 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar
- 1 cup (258 g) creamy peanut butter
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ¾ teaspoon (0.75 teaspoon) vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) kosher salt
- ⅓ cup (79.33 ml) heavy cream
Instructions
- Make the Cupcakes: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat to 350 degrees F. (If you are using a non-stick muffin pan, heat the oven to 325 degrees F.) Line standard-size muffin pan with baking cup liners.
- Combine butter, chocolate, and cocoa in medium heatproof bowl. Set bowl over saucepan containing barely simmering water; heat mixture until butter and chocolate are melted and whisk until smooth and combined. (Alternately, you can microwave the mixture at 50% power, stirring every 30 seconds until completely melted.) Set aside to cool until just warm to the touch.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs combine; add sugar, vanilla, and salt and whisk until fully incorporated. Add cooled chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Sift one-third of flour mixture over chocolate mixture and whisk until combined; whisk in sour cream until combined, then sift remaining flour mixture over and whisk until batter is homogeneous and thick.
- Divide the batter evenly among muffin pan cups. Bake until skewer inserted into center of cupcakes comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes.
- Cool cupcakes in muffin pan on wire rack for 15 minutes. Remove the cupcakes and set on wire rack to cool to room temperature before icing, about 30 minutes.
- Make the Peanut Butter Frosting: Place the powdered sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.
- Assemble the Cupcakes: Frost the cupcakes with an offset spatula, or with a decorating tip (I used a Wilton 1M tip). Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Notes
- Since first making these cupcakes, this chocolate cupcake recipe has become my favorite. Feel free to use either!
- If you do not have sour cream, you can substitute plain yogurt or buttermilk.
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
[photos by Whitney Wright]
Perfection! I followed the cupcake recipe with no adjustments. I used an ice cream scoop to measure each one and baked for exactly 20 minutes and they were perfect. The texture was lighter and and fluffier than expected. The frosting – I don’t even know how to describe how well the frosting turned out. I used heavy whipping cream in place of heavy cream and kept everything else the same. I’m so happy with the way they turned out. As we were eating them I was asked to make them again for another family event.
Please help, Michelle! Didn’t you used to have a second chocolate cupcake with peanut butter frosting from years ago? I’ve made them multiple times, including earlier this year. The frosting had cream cheese, and a larger amount of heavy cream that was whipped separately and then folded into the peanut butter / powdered sugar / cream cheese mixture. I know it was this site . Now I’m in the midst of making this recipe and realize it is not the same one, and I’m making them for a birthday dinner tonight!
Good day Ma’am! Can I steam this instead of baking? (i dont have oven yet). if yes, how long will I steam this? Thank you so much!
Hi Grace, Unfortunately I’m not familiar with steaming cakes, so I am not at all sure!
Hey.. I tried this recipe. The cupcakes turned out really bitter. I struggled with the metric values, could you please put a metric value along with the cup measurements?
I used the tabs to switch from cup measurements to metric values in your blog but I wonder how 1/2 cup of sour cream is 115ml and 1/2 cup of cocoa powder is only 43 grams. I thought there was some flaw and so I used this link to convert your cup measurements to metric– https://www.weekendbakery.com/cooking-conversions/
Also, my measuring scale shows the same quantity/value/number when switching between gm and ml. Is there something wrong with my scale?
Can you please help with the conversion. Something that I can refer to maybe that matches with your values. Then I can give this anther shot.
Thanks
hey, nice cup cake of dark chocolate, i loved it, its great and wonderful, recipe is also great.
These are my go-to cupcakes, they always turn out wonderfully and are devoured in no time – thanks for the recipe, I absolutely adore these!
Have made these a number of times -they’re superb!!
Is this enough peanut butter frosting recipe enough to frost a 13 x9 cake ?
Hi Gloria, Yes!
Made these today … the cupcake part, not the frosting. I’m making “my” birthday cupcake and wanted a perfect chocolate cupcake for the day (this is). Thank you! I’m filling it with some homemade strawberry jam that I made yesterday, topping with a very thin spread of chocolate ganache, and then piling high with a strawberry cream cheese buttercream that is to die for (the strawberry flavor comes from freeze dried strawberries turned into a powder). And for fun, I’m going to top with a chocolate dipped strawberry.
going all out. I’m worth it. :-D Happy Birthday To ME!!
Can you substitute the Dutch cocoa with regular coca powder or like Hershey’s special dark?
Thanks!
Hi Taylor, You could use the Hershey’s Special for this.
I made these for a staff birthday party. Overall, the recipe was great! I made minis; they were done in about 13 minutes. I would advise making double frosting because I nearly ran out and wasn’t particularly generous with each cupcake. They were best after being refrigerated, which helped the frosting to be a little less oily. Next time I’ll top then with fruit- they tend to be a bit rich, so I’m hoping that the fruit will add a little acid balance.
Hi Michelle,
it’s okay, cakes likes you, you have a gift on this even though you did not like but you make great recipes of them..love to hear more of your cooking story…
Delicious frosting!!!!
* I didn’t make the cake, so no review on that : )
So tempting and mouth watering. chocolates and peanut butter are love ,thanks for sharing.
I had to check if I was reading the right blog. You don’t like cake? I’m shocked!
I love chocolate and peanut butter together! These cupcakes are amazing!