Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting
Moist chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting, chocolate ganache, and peanut butter cups. These cupcakes are the ultimate chocolate and peanut butter dessert!
If you follow me on Instagram you may remember seeing a sneak peek of these cupcakes a few weeks ago. I know a lot of you love chocolate and peanut butter, so I’ve been wanting to create a chocolate peanut butter cupcake for a while now. And these cupcakes deliver! These are literally like a Reese’s peanut butter cup in cupcake form.
I originally planned to stuff these cupcakes with a peanut butter cup in the middle. But, since the cupcake batter is so thin they sunk straight to the bottom and stuck to the liners. It was not pretty. So I decided to just top them with the peanut butter cups and I think they actually look better that way.
Recipe Ingredients
This recipe for chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting requires a few ingredients you may not keep on hand, but everything is easy to find at the grocery store. Here’s what you’ll need for this recipe:
- All-purpose flour: Spoon and level the flour when measuring it.
- Cocoa powder: I recommend using unsweetened natural cocoa powder.
- Baking powder and baking soda: Gives the cupcakes a little lift.
- Salt: Balances out the chocolate flavor.
- Sugar: I used a blend of brown and granulated sugars to add sweetness and flavor.
- Oil: Keeps the cupcakes moist. Use vegetable or canola oil.
- Buttermilk: If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can try making your own.
- Egg: To help bind everything together.
- Vanilla extract: Use pure vanilla extract, if possible.
- Water: Should be boiling hot.
- Instant espresso powder: Doesn’t make the chocolate cupcakes taste like coffee, it simply enhances the flavor.
- Butter: I recommend using unsalted butter since the amount of salt in salted butters can vary between different brands.
- Peanut butter: Use creamy peanut butter from a brand like Jif or Skippy. Natural peanut butter doesn’t work as well in the frosting.
- Powdered sugar: This sweetens and thickens the frosting. You may need to sift the powdered sugar if it seems lumpy.
- Heavy whipping cream: Should be at least 36% fat. Helps thin out the homemade peanut butter icing while still keeping it creamy.
How to Make Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes
You’ll start out with my favorite chocolate cupcake recipe. I’ve been using this cupcake recipe for a while now and it never fails. The cupcakes always turn out super chocolatey, soft, and they stay moist for days.
You’ll also be topping these cupcakes with an easy peanut butter frosting. Remember my post about how to make buttercream frosting? The recipe for this frosting is pretty similar, with the addition of some peanut butter and a little less powdered sugar. I found that 2 cups of powdered sugar was just enough to create a nice thick frosting that piped well and wasn’t too sweet.
And the ganache? Is it not just so gorgeous dripping down the frosting on these Reese’s cupcakes? I did a post last week about how to make ganache and it’s extremely easy. All you need is a little chocolate, heavy cream, a microwave, and 5 minutes. You do want to let the ganache cool some before you spoon it over the frosting, so it doesn’t melt it.
Then, you’ll cut some miniature peanut butter cups in half and stick them on the cupcakes. You can leave the peanut butter cups off if you want or just buy a small bag to use. I really love the extra little treat on top of the cupcakes. It’s like a dessert on top of a dessert!
Can I Freeze These Cupcakes?
You can freeze the frosting and cupcakes separately in a freezer bag, thaw them overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature before frosting. Or you can frost the cupcakes, freeze them on a baking sheet first, then store them in a freezer bag.
Can I Use This Recipe to Make a Layer Cake?
Yes, you could double the cupcake recipe and bake it in two 9-inch cake pans or three 8-inch cake pans. The frosting will either need to be doubled or multiplied by 1.5 — it depends on how much frosting you like!
Baking Tips
- If you want to use a box mix for these cupcakes, you can do that as well, but don’t let homemade cupcakes intimidate you! I promise they’re easy to make and you can mix everything up in one bowl.
- The recipe will make 16 cupcakes, so if you have 12-count muffin pans you’ll need to bake them in separate batches. I actually bought a 24-count muffin pan a while back and I LOVE it. A lot of cupcake recipes make more than 12 cupcakes, so it’s great to be able to bake them all at once. If you don’t have one and love to bake, a 24-count cupcake pan is a great investment. Trust me!
- If making this recipe ahead of time, I recommend storing the cupcakes in the fridge and bringing them to room temperature before serving.
More Chocolate Peanut Butter Desserts!
- Peanut Butter Cup Cookie Cake
- No-Bake Peanut Butter Pretzel Bars
- Soft & Chewy Monster Cookies
- No-Bake Peanut Butter Pie
- Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars
Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting
Ingredients
For the chocolate cupcakes:
- 1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons (30 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (100 grams) brown sugar
- ½ cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) oil
- ½ cup (120 ml) buttermilk
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup (120 ml) boiling water
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder (optional)
For the peanut butter frosting:
- 1/2 cup (115 grams) unsalted butter , softened
- 1 cup (250 grams) creamy peanut butter
- 2 cups (240 grams) powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml) heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Optional toppings:
- Chocolate ganache
- 8 miniature peanut butter cups , unwrapped and cut in half
Instructions
To make the chocolate cupcakes:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line two 12-count muffin pans with 16 cupcake liners and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk in the granulated sugar and brown sugar until well combined. Add in the oil, buttermilk, egg, and vanilla extract and mix until just combined.
- Add the instant espresso powder to the ½ cup boiling water and mix until fully dissolved. Add to the mixing bowl and mix until everything is just combined. The batter will be thin, this is okay.
- Evenly distribute the batter between all 16 cupcake liners, making sure to just fill each one a little over halfway full. Bake at 350°F for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven, carefully remove the cupcakes from the pan, and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the peanut butter frosting:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium speed for 1-2 minutes or until smooth. Add in the peanut butter and continue mixing until well combined with the butter.
- Add in the powdered sugar, heavy whipping cream, and vanilla extract and mix on medium-high speed for about 1 more minute until the mixture is thick and creamy. Pipe on the cooled cupcakes, top each one with chocolate ganache, and half of a miniature peanut butter cup.
Notes
These cupcakes are absolutely GORGEOUS, Danielle! I’m a peanut butter fanatic (I mean, who isn’t?!) so these cupcakes are calling my name. I love the peanut butter frosting, too…gives them the perfect touch, especially with that pb cup!
Thank you, Gayle! I feel like you just can’t go wrong with chocolate and peanut butter 😉
I made these cupcakes for my sister’s grad party and they were a hit! Thanks for the great recipe 🙂
Wow Danielle! These cupcakes look like they stepped straight out of a gourmet patisserie! Just love that chocolate drizzle – and of course, you can NEVER go wrong with pb + chocolate. Pinning!
You’re so kind, Jess! Thank you!
I made the cupcakes and they turned out amazingly! The cupcake was fluffy and moist. For the frosting, I omitted the the heavy whipping cream and halved the sugar. It had a nice peanut butter taste without being too sweet. By beating the frosting for about a minute, it became less gritty.
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed the cupcakes, Megan! 🙂
These look so amazing! Saw online and am so excited to try making them this weekend for a baby shower. Question: what brand of peanut butter do you recommend for the frosting?
A brand like Jif works great! Just avoid using a natural peanut butter where the oil separates.
Sounds great! Thank you 🙂
If I omit the espresso, do I also omit the boiled water? Just double checking. Thank you, this looks great!
Hi Leeann! You’ll still need the boiling water even if you omit the espresso. Hope you enjoy the cupcakes 🙂
I love peanut… I’m sure u love that too.. I’ve tried this recipe and I’m so glad that it turned out just right..so delicious..perfect combination..I sell my cupcakes n all of my customers love this flavour..thanks Danielle..looks delicious.. taste even more delicious
These are one of my favorite cupcakes, I’m so glad everyone likes them!
I love your recipes! I found them a few months ago and they always turn out great!! My question for this recipe / is it fine if I omit the espresso or will it mess up the taste? Thank you!
The espresso powder just enhances the flavor of the chocolate, but it’s fine to leave it out!
Oh Wow these look so delicious! I can’t wait to try them for my grandmother’s 70th birthday party! Small question though, if I wanted to take this recipe and transform it into a cake, should I double the frosting recipe?
The cake portion of this recipe is just enough to make a single layer 9-inch cake, so I would leave the amount of frosting the same. If you’re wanting a layered cake, you can probably double the recipe and then I would do 1.5-2x the frosting for that.
I made these with my grandma, they turned out delicious! Thanks for the recipe! 😀
How fun, Lexie! I’m glad you liked the cupcakes!
These look delicious! I was wondering if I could substitute the buttermilk for sour cream?
Thank you, Aimee! I haven’t tried using sour cream yet, so I’m not quite sure. It may work, but it might affect the texture of the cupcakes a little bit. If you have regular milk, you can make a buttermilk substitute by measuring 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar in a cup, fill to the half cup line, stir it together and let it sit for 10 minutes.
I used this frosting on box mix chocolate cupcakes (I’ll admit it, I’m a little lazy). I don’t even like pb but this stuff is amazing and I didn’t find it too sweet either. I was asked to make dog themed cupcakes for a party at my sisters vet office. I thought pb was very fitting. Thank you for this amazing recipe. I’ve already shared it with people!
So glad you liked the frosting, Holly! So fun to make dog themed cupcakes too, this would definitely be the perfect frosting for that.
Here’s a picture of how they turned out. I did have one question that my sister asked me a little while ago, do they need to be refrigerated? Thanks!
https://photos.shutterfly.com/gallery/7a3533fe-7790-4a60-b2c0-4497df2598e3?type=shared
So cute, Holly! If I make cupcakes ahead of time I usually refrigerate them and bring them to room temperature before serving them. But from my understanding, since there’s quite a bit of sugar in the frosting and a small amount of cream it should be fine to leave them at room temperature.
Hello, I was wondering if these would freeze well?
They look amazing!
Yes, they do freeze well! You can freeze the frosting and cupcakes separately in a freezer bag/container, thaw them overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature before frosting. Or you can frost the cupcakes, freeze them on a baking sheet first, then store them in a freezer bag/container.
I made these cupcakes yesterday for Father’s Day. The were outstanding. I have never seen 16 cupcakes disappear so quickly. The cake is so moist & I made 1 1/2 times the icing so it was one of those ‘to die for’ moments.
Thank you for the recipe!
So happy to hear that, Marlene! 🙂
So far, I already made a batch for my friend who just had a baby and another batch for my family. They love it!! It’s definitely a keeper! Thank you!
So glad everyone enjoyed the cupcakes!
I was wondering if I made these on Thursday if they would still be good on saturday?
Yes, that would be fine! I would keep them refrigerated, then just place them on the counter a couple hours ahead of time to bring them to room temperature. You may wait to add the ganache until Saturday, but I think it would hold up fine.
These cupcakes were a-mazing! I could live on the frosting alone. I forgot to add the vanilla to the frosting at the very end and it turned out anyway. Best frosting I have ever tasted!
These look soooooo good!! You always have the best recipes Daniele!!
Thank you, Rebekah!
Best cupcakes ever! Everyone that tried them loved them (my daughter’s roommates and friends) thanks for sharing!
So happy to hear that, Jenny!
One of my most favorite cupcake recipes EVER!!!! I have a side biz and use the chocolate cupcake recipe religiously, and the chocolate PB flavor is one of my most popular. These are fantastic, the cupcake is without fail fluffy and moist each and every time and the PB frosting is the right amount of PB flavor and sweetness I could just sit there and eat it by itself. Thank you a million times over for this recipe!!
So happy to hear that, Sabrina!
this looks so good!! i’m currently on cupcake duty for my sisters baby shower and want to make these but do i need to use the boiling water if i’m not using expresso? and if i do the water still has to be boiling when i mix it in? thank you!!!
Hi, Katy! Yes, you’ll still want to use the water even if you don’t add the espresso. The water should still be very warm/boiling too when you mix it in.
Thank you Danielle. I have try your Red Velvet cake recipe and everyone loves it. Moist and taste exceptionally delicious. Thanks again.
Hi!! These look amazing – question, what specific oil would you recommend? Olive oil, coconut oil?
I typically use canola or vegetable oil, but melted coconut oil will work fine too!
OH. MY. DELICIOUSNESS!! Made these yesterday and love everything about them! The cake is so moist and yet firm and holds together well. The peanut butter frosting…well…YUM!! I did double the batch and glad I did because these cupcakes were perfect to give to neighbors. My husband ate all the left over frosting and told me that if I’m ever in a cupcake contest, to make this cupcake!
Wondering, can this recipe be used for two 8″ or three 6″ cake pans?
Thanks for sharing!
YUMMY
Joanne
So happy to hear that, Joanne! You could double the cupcake recipe and bake it in two 9-inch cake pans or 3 8-inch cake pans for 30 minutes. You could probably use 3 6-inch pans too, but I’m not sure if this recipe is enough to fill them.
This looks amazing, I am looking forward to trying them, but when I try to change the quantity
of cupcakes, it only changes ‘cups’ measures, and not the grams. Since I use grams, I am wondering
to which measure do those numbers correspond?
Hi, Matea! The recipe doesn’t allow you to change the quantity of cupcakes, so I’m not quite sure what you mean. If you’re wanting to adjust the recipe, for example double the amount of cupcakes, you would need to double the gram measurements. I hope that helps!
I made these cupcakes following the recipe exactly. The cupcakes were delicious, but the frosting was way too thick – almost the consistency of the inside of a peanut butter cup. The ganache was wonderful. I need to find a creamier peanut butter frosting recipe.
Hi, Diane! Did you happen to leave out the heavy whipping cream or not add the full amount? The frosting will be pretty thick once you add the powdered sugar, but the cream will thin it out and make it creamier.
I definitely used the heavy whipping cream, and even added a little extra. All my guests raved about them – so no matter!
Made these yesterday and they turned out great!! The cake ist really moist which was a pleasant surprise since chocolat cakes that use quite a bit of cocoa powder and now melted chocolat always tend to be a bit dense and dry (at least in my limited baking experience ;-)).
I used homemade “buttermilk” by adding apple cider vinegar to oatmilk and it works just fine. Also ommitted the whipped cream in the frosting, didn’t miss it at all, the consistency was really pleasant. I did end up with quite a bit of extra frosting but i think it’ll freeze well so no complaints there 🙂 I did hollow out the cupcakes and filled them with smooth jam, thought that worked in my favor since the fruit cut nicely through the richness of the frosting.
Anyways, thanks for the great recipe!
I’m baking at high altitude for a birthday party. Would you adjust and if so, how? Thank you! Can’t wait to give it a go, looks delicious.
Hi, Lauren! I’m not familiar with high altitude baking, but quite a few readers have found this guide helpful for adjusting recipes on my site.
Hi Danielle,
I was wondering if you’ve ever made these into mini cupcakes? And if so, how long did you bake them? Or how long would you recommend baking them?
Can’t wait to try them – they look delicious!!
Thanks,
Sandee
I haven’t, but it would be fine! Baking time for mini cupcakes is usually around 10 to 14 minutes.
I have made these a few times and they are wonderful even time!
Do you have a recipe for espresso cookies? We had them in Hawaii, but I could never find a recipe. I’m new to your site, man I want to make everything LOL!
I am making the Chocolate cupcakes with Peanut butter icing this week! and possibly the lemon blueberry scones!
Hi, Cyndi! I don’t have one on my site, but I have added 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of instant espresso powder to my chocolate chip cookie recipe here and it worked great. You can just mix it in with the dry ingredients.
Undoubtedly the best chocolate cupcakes. I used this recipe to make Reese cup cupcakes for my daughter’s second birthday party and they were a hit! I did manage to bake in two miniature PB cups (the kind you unwrap) by placing a little batter in, one of the reese cups normal position, then another on top upside down and then filling 3/4 of the way full. I sprayed the liners so they wouldn’t stick and swapped them out with new ones after baking. They were perfection. They froze well too and were so moist, you’d have thought they were baked fresh that day. I topped the cupcakes with a mini reese cup (the kind that comes unwrapped). This is my new favorite chocolate cake recipe. Thank you