Chocolate Cupcakes, Peanut Butter Filling and Chocolate Butter Cream Frosting with Peanut Butter Cups

Bring your favorite chocolate dessert to Roxana’s home baking #chocolateparty and win amazing prizes from Imperial Sugar®, Gold Medal Flour®, Safest Choice™ Pasteurized Eggs and KitchenAid®  Last year I won one of the big prizes!  Hope that my luck comtinues:)

There is nothing better that chocolate and peanut butter together, especially in a cupcake. These babies are a chocolate cupcake with natural PB filling frosted with Chocolate Butter Cream Frosting, and topped with either a miniature PB cup or crumbled PB cups. Whew!  That a lot of stuff in a little cupcake, but they are chocolate- PB heaven, layers of chocolate and peanut butter, topped with PB cups.  Oh, my!   I made these for my DIL, Cherise's birthday.  Of course, she loved them.

I had made these cupcakes for a family get together over the weekend, and they were a definite hit.  I have made these in the past, but with a different cupcake recipe.  The last time I made my go to chocolate cupcake recipe, the cupcakes fell.  Then I found a different recipe, which turned out good results.  Have you ever had your cupcakes fall, when you took them out of the oven?  See the fudgey, chocolate cupcake with the yummy peanut butter filling topped with the luscious Chocolate Frosting?

Amazing!  Make these for your chocolate peanut butter fan, and they will love you forever.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Filling Adapted from Joy Of Baking
Ingredients:
1/2 cup (50 grams) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 cup (240 ml) boiling hot water
1 1/3 cups (175 grams) AP flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter room temperature
1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2-2/3 cup natural peanut butter
1 bag of miniature  PB cups

Directions:
 Pre heat oven to 375 degrees F). Lightly butter, or line 16 muffin cups with paper liners.
In a small bowl mix the boiling hot water and the cocoa powder, until smooth Let cool to room temperature. 

In another bowl, whisk together the flour baking powder, and salt. Then in the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat only until incorporated. Then add the cooled cocoa mixture and stir until smooth.

Fill each muffin cup about two-thirds full with batter and bake for about 16-20 minutes or until springy to the touch, and a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean.  Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. 

Once the cupcakes have cooled, cut out a hole, about the size of a quarter, in the middle with the tip of a paring knife, being careful not to cut through the bottom. I have a Cupcake Corer, which is a handy little tool that makes a perfect hole every time.  Scoop out some of the cake, with a small measuring spoon, but reserve the top to put back on after filling. Fill with the natural peanut butter, about 1 tsp per cupcake. Cover the top with the reserved cake. Frost or pipe frosting on each cupcake. Top with crumbled or whole miniature PB cups.

Chocolate Butter Cream Frosting.
1 stick butter, room temperature
1/2 cocoa
4 c. confectioner's sugar
1/4 c. milk, more or less
1. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy
2. Add cocoa and 1c. sugar to butter mixture and beat until incorporated
3. Add half of the milk and remainder of sugar and beat until incorporated.
4. Continue to add milk until you get desired consistency

Last year I won one of the big prizes!  Hope that my luck comtinues:)