Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcake

This is a total winner.  Decadent.  I need to get better pastry equipment because the peanut butter didn’t really fill up the cupcake as it should have.  Also, the recipe for the peanut butter mixture should be doubled because it isn’t enough to fill 24 cupcakes.  Below is a single recipe.

For the cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350.  Line 24 muffin cups with cupcake holders. 

3/4 cup plus 2 T. cocoa power (not dutch process)
1/2 cup boiling water
1 cup buttermilk
1 3/4 cups flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 sticks at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Put the cocoa powder in a small bowl.  Add the bowling water and whisk until a paste forms.  Whisk in the buttermilk until it is all combined.  Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. 

Beat together 1 1/2 sticks butter and the granulated sugar for about 3 minutes or until light and fluffy.  Beat in the eggs and vanilla.  Then in batches add the cocoa mixture, beat, then some of the dry mixture and beat, etc until each mixture is completely incorporated. 

Fill each of the cupcake holders about 2/3 of the way.  Bake for about 20 minutes or until the cupcakes are springy.  Transfer to a rack and let them completely cool

Peanut Butter Filling

1 cup creamy peanut butter
2/3 cup confectioners sugar
3 T. unsalted butter

Beat together the butter and peanut butter until smooth.  Make this really creamy.  Then add in the confections sugar and beat until light and fluffy.  Spoon all of this into a pasty bag with a star tip.  Holding the cupcake in your  hand, plunge the tip into the top of the cake, about 3/4 inch deep and gently squeeze the bag.  You should feel the cupcake expand.  Repeat with every cupcake.  Again, I’d double the recipe for the peanut butter filling.

Frosting

1 cup heavy cream
8 ounces semisweet chocolate

Bring the cream to a simmer in a small saucepan.  Off the heat, add the chocolate and let stand for about give minutes and then whisk.  Let this stand and cool until it get thick.  Takes about 15 or so minutes.

Take each cupcake and hold it upside down and let the top dip into the frosting.  Put on a rack.  When the cupcakes are done, take what is left in the pastry bag and pipe tiny flowers or just dots on the top of each cupcake. 

Lots of steps but well worth the time.