Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cupcakes

My all time favorite candy is in cake form in these Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cupcakes.

“The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach”.  “You had me at hello”.  “As you wish”.  Declarations of love and cliche statements about love, being in love, or letting love come to you have come forth again and again, recycled in new, sometimes outlandish statements.  For all the exaggerated overstatements on the day of Valentine’s Day, it should be remembered that love comes in many forms.  While I sappily think the holiday is a sweet way to remind everyone in your life of how much they mean to you, I know that others haughtily disdain the day as just a Hallmark Holiday.  “I love you” is sometimes the simplest act, like bringing a blanket to the one who is sick, or scooping the cat boxes every day so that an angry cat does not seek revenge while your back is turned.  Romance does not necessarily mean truckloads of roses awaiting you when you step off a plane.  Sometimes it is something as simple as a Peanut Butter Cup.

When my husband and I first met, one of the very first questions I asked him was if he preferred PB cups or a Snickers bar.  Essentially, I was gauging whether or not I had to share my little beloved candies with him.  Mind you, he was cute enough that I would have shared my PB cups with him, but I was setting up my candy priorities and expectations with this question.  He very quickly learned of my steadfast addiction to them, and sometimes there were midnight runs to pick up a bag to restock my mini PB cup jar supply.  Once, early on in our short time of dating, I had gone out of town and came back to some PB cups waiting for me as a surprise.  Every so often, I’d get a sneaky PB cup waiting for me after I returned home from work, and there have been more times than I can count that he will let me have the very last PB cup, even if I have already had my share of the package.  Now THAT is true love, right there.

Incredibly moist, tender, and deeply chocolate-y, the cake portion of these cupcakes are the perfect base for a salty, sweet, nutty, and slightly floral Peanut Butter and Honey Buttercream.

For this upcoming Valentine’s Day, I wanted to create a cupcake version of my beloved PB cups for him.  This is not a selfish act - he is much more fond of cake than I am, and I figured if I was to make a truly spectacular, decadent cupcake for him, it better be in flavors that I adore as well.  I should add that he probably would have been happy with a box cake mix for the cupcakes, but I wanted to develop a really outstanding chocolate cake base that I could refer to as my standby.

Fill the Muffin Cups 3/4 of the way full as the cake batter rises sky high during the baking time.

Cakes are incredibly different than muffins and quick breads in texture and the exact science in creating a moist, delicate crumb that is tender, rises beautifully, and has incredible flavor.  The kind of cocoa powder you use matters in the amounts of baking soda vs. baking powder you use, or if you perhaps need to use a combo.  One of the best explanations I found on the difference between regular cocoa powder and Dutch process cocoa powder is from Sally's Baking Addiction here, and her site is wonderful for really getting into the nitty gritty of the little details of basic and advanced baking.  

I did a couple test runs, swapping out milk and buttermilk, sour cream, different ratios of things to try and get the best result.  I found I loved the subtle tang of buttermilk in the final cake, and it was a great way to help ensure that the cake would be moist and tender as well.  Personally, I really love the darkness and richness of the Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa Powder, which is very similar to a Dutch Process cocoa powder. This meant I had to play with the baking soda levels a bit to ensure the little cupcakes would rise.

For the frosting, I knew the key to the PB part in the PB cups was the salt ratio.  It is imperative to have a good cut of salt come through - it is one of the reasons that those little candies are so addicting!  My hubs is a HUGE fan of PB and Honey sandwiches (it is one of the few things he makes better than I do), so I knew I would be incorporating a bit of honey into the peanut butter buttercream as a sweetener.  Then, because I am obsessed with texture, I wanted to use some Honey Roasted Peanuts to add crunch. 

Chopped Honey Roasted Peanuts add the perfect crunch to these feather-light cupcakes with deliciously creamy buttercream frosting.

The resulting cupcake is truly bakery worthy.  My cake decorating skills with a piping bag are pretty non-existent, but the flavor and texture of this cupcake overcomes my minimal cake decorating skills.  The chocolate cake itself is rich, moist, a little tangy, and utterly, deeply chocolatey.  The cupcakes have a beautifully even crumb, and the mark of the correct moisture level is if the wrapper cleanly and easily comes off the cupcake, which these most definitely do!  Then, to top these deep, dark cupcakes, is this very nuanced Peanut Butter and Honey Buttercream. Because of the salted butter used, and the additional salt, it is very reminiscent of the inside of the iconic PB cup, however just a tad more floral from the honey and a bit sweeter to counterbalance the richness of the chocolate cupcake base.  Then, to add additional salty sweet deliciousness, chopped Honey Roasted Peanuts are added for texture and flavor.  The combination of everything when you bite in is absolutely delicious, and a complete love letter to your favorite person or people without going completely over the top

A delicious and decadent option for any special occasion, or an option to make an ordinary day into an extraordinary one!

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Author:  Iris Anna Gohn

Servings:  2 dozen Cupcakes

These Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cupcakes are very easy to put together.  I measure out all of my dry ingredients in two separate bowls before starting the mixer to make the process much smoother once the mixer is going strong.  

It takes about an hour for butter to soften from the fridge to a temperature that will cream really beautifully.  I always use Salted Butter as it is something I have on hand constantly (Costco brand) but if you happen to have Unsalted Butter, add an additional 1/4 Tsp Salt per stick to the buttercream.

**I use Adam’s Peanut Butter exclusively, as it is solely peanuts and salt.  The consistency of this natural type of peanut butter tends to be a bit looser than name brands, which can affect the consistency of the buttercream.  If or Skippy Natural peanut butters are similar in flavor to Adam’s, however the oil is completely emulsified in the peanut butter to get that extremely smooth consistency - the little bit of palm oil they use in their formula creates that texture.  If you are not using Adam’s Peanut butter, start with 3 Cups of the Confectioner’s Sugar and slowly add a tablespoon additional sugar at a time until you reach your desired consistency.

Let the cupcakes cool completely before you frost them, otherwise you run the risk of the hot cupcakes melting the buttercream.  Store leftovers in an airtight container.

Ingredients

For the Cupcakes:

• 3 Cups All Purpose Flour
• 1 1/2 Cups Cocoa Powder (Hershey’sSpecial Dark or Dutch Process)
• 2 Tsp Baking SODA
• 1 Tsp Baking POWDER
• 3/4 Tsp Sea Salt
• 3 Eggs
• 1 1/2 Cups Buttermilk
• 3/4 Cup Canola Oil
• 1 Tbsp Pure Vanilla Extract
• 2 3/4 Cups Granulated White Sugar
• 1 Cup Boiling Water

For the Peanut Butter and Honey Buttercream:

• 1 Cup (2 Sticks) Salted Butter, room temperature (I use Costco Brand)
• 1 Cup Peanut Butter (I use Adam’s Peanut Butter, but **see note above if you are using a different brand that is not a natural style peanut butter)
• 1 Tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1 Tsp Honey
• 1/4 Tsp Sea Salt, rounded
• 4 Tbsp Heavy Cream
• 3 1/2 to 3 3/4 Cups Confectioner’s Sugar

For Decorating:

• 1 12 oz can Honey Roasted Peanuts, chopped

Directions

For the Cupcakes:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.  Grease and like 2 cupcake tins.  Set aside.  
2. In a teakettle, start heating the water.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.
4. In another medium bowl, measure out the granulated white sugar.  Set aside.
5. In the bowl of a stand mixer fixed with the paddle attachment, whisk together the eggs, oil, buttermilk, and vanilla until smooth on medium speed.  This should take roughly one minute.
6. Drop the mixer speed to low, and slowly add the sugar in until it is incorporated. This should take about 1 to 2 minutes.  Once the sugar is incorporated, turn mixer speed to medium high for 2 minutes to incorporate some extra air into the batter.
7. Scrape down he sides of the bowl with a spatula, and drop the mixer speed to low.  Slowly add the flour mixture, 1/4  at a time, until it is just combined.  This should take roughly 2 minutes, then beat the mixture on medium high for an additional minute.  Batter should be smooth and shiny and dark with no flour streaks.
8. Release the bowl and paddle and add the hot water.  Slowly and gently stir with a spatula to incorporate in - batter will feel and look like a clumpy mess at first.  Keep going until it is smooth and shiny again, roughly 2 to 3 minutes.
9. Let the batter rest for 15 minutes.
10. Evenly divide batter into the cupcake tins, filling the cups up about 3/4 of the way full.  The cake batter rises quite a bit as it bakes.
11. Bake the cupcakes for 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out cleanly.  Rotate the cupcake tins halfway through if you are baking both tins at the same time for an even bake.
12. Gently lift the cupcakes out of the tins with the help of a butter knife and let cool completely on a wire rack.  

For the Peanut Butter and Honey Buttercream

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed, cream together the butter, peanut butter, honey and vanilla until smooth and fluffy, roughly 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl when necessary.
2. Reduce mixer speed to low, and add in 1/3 of the Confectioner’s Sugar.  Mix until almost thoroughly incorporated, roughly a minute and a half, then add 2 Tbsp Cream and incorporate, mixing for an additional minute.
3. Add 1/3 more of the Confectioner’s Sugar and incorporate, then add the last two Tbsp Cream, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.  This should take roughly another 1 to 2 minutes.
4. Slowly add the remaining Confectioner’s Sugar until fully incorporated.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add additional salt 1/8 Tsp at a time, tasting till you reach the salt level you prefer.  
5. Once you reach the salt level and consistency you like your buttercream, turn the mixer onto high for 2-3 minutes to help incorporate air into the buttercream.

To Frost the Cupcakes:

1. Take the cooled cupcakes, and either frost by hand or use a piping bag.  With your hands, roll the edges of the frosted cupcakes in the chopped peanuts.
2. Store in an airtight container.