Recipe for chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter filling

These Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcakes are moist, chocolatey cupcakes topped with a sweet, luscious Peanut Butter Buttercream frosting. They’re made with pantry friendly ingredients, are completely homemade and super easy to whip up!

I love this chocolate cupcake recipe so much. I’ve used it over and over again. It’s the same recipe I used to make these fun Poop Emoji Cupcakes as well as these decadent Nutella Cupcakes. Instead of topping them with Nutella buttercream frosting, we are topping them with peanut butter buttercream frosting!

This peanut butter buttercream is another favorite in my baking repertoire. I first made this recipe for these peanut buttery delicious Peanut Butter Cookie Sandwiches with Peanut Butter Buttercream. Most recently, I used it in this incredibly good Nutella and Peanut Butter Cake.

• Moist: These cupcakes have a super moist texture thanks to the oil and buttermilk.
• Chocolatey: Made with a half a cup of cocoa, the cupcakes look and taste so chocolatey!
• Super Simple: No mixer needed for the cupcakes and the buttercream only takes minutes to make!
• Delicious: Who doesn’t love peanut butter and chocolate?! They are perfect for anytime of the year and any occasion!
• Peanut Butter Perfection: Peanut butter gets even creamier and more delicious when it’s used as the base for buttercream frosting!

Parts of these Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcakes:

• CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES: These cupcakes are moist, soft and delicious! They are flavored with vanilla extract, and lots of cocoa powder!
• PEANUT BUTTER BUTTERCREAM FROSTING: It’s luscious, creamy, and, of course, so peanut buttery!

What’s in these Chocolate Cupcakes?

• All Purpose Flour
• Cocoa Powder
• Baking Powder
• Baking Soda
• Salt
• Granulated Sugar
• Oil: I used canola but you can also use vegetable oil. In addition to giving the cupcakes a nice, moist texture, using oil instead of butter makes them easier to make. No need to cream the butter or wait for it to soften!
• 1 large Egg
• Vanilla Extract
• Buttermilk: Buttermilk helps make these cupcakes super moist. If you don’t have buttermilk, check out this article called How to Make Buttermilk at Home by Tastes Better from Scratch.

How to Make Chocolate Cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a cupcake pan with liners.
2. In a large bowl, sift to combine the dry ingredients. Set aside.
3. In a medium sized bowl, whisk the egg and sugar with the oil until smooth. Add the vanilla then mix the wet mixture along with the buttermilk into the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined. Do not to over mix. 
4. Pour the batter into the cupcake tin. Evenly fill each cup about 1/2 to 2/3 full. 
5. Bake 17-21 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool 10 minutes in the cupcake tin then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Cool completely before frosting. 

TIPS FOR MAKING CUPCAKES

• Use room temperature ingredients.  Cold ingredients straight from the fridge won’t combine as nicely with the dry and room temperature ingredients. 
• Use a large ice cream scoop to pour the batter into the cupcake liners. It’s easy, it’s neater and it helps to ensure that all cupcakes are the same size.
• Insert a toothpick in the center of a cupcake to check for doneness. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cupcakes are ready to be taken out of the oven.

For even more useful cupcake tips, check out this informative post called 10 Tips for Making the Best Cupcakes from Sally’s Baking Addiction.

About the Peanut Butter Buttercream

In addition to being delicious, this peanut butter buttercream icing also happens to be very easy to make! By easy I mean: one bowl, five ingredients, and less than five minutes to make!

How to Make Peanut Butter Buttercream:

1. Beat the peanut butter and room temperature butter on medium. Scrape down the sides and add the vanilla and salt.
2. With the mixer on low speed, add the powdered sugar and beat for another minute. Add the heavy cream and beat until buttercream is combined and spreadable. Use as soon as possible.

Other Delicious Frosting Ideas

These are Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcakes, so peanut butter is the best choice for frosting flavor! That said, if you want to make the chocolate cupcakes and top them with a different flavor, I have lots of other suggestions!

• Fresh Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
• Peach Buttercream
• Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Icing
• Nutella Buttercream Frosting
• Dulce de Leche Buttercream Frosting

Decorating the Cupcakes

Cool the Cupcakes Before Frosting

Even though these cupcakes are delicious warm, I strongly recommend letting them cool completely before you frost them! Frosting cooled cupcakes as opposed to warm ones will keep your frosting in place!

If you want to speed up the cooling process, you can always place the cupcakes in the fridge for 15 minutes. This will help them cool down faster.

How to Frost the Cupcakes

However you choose to frost these, they will look and taste amazing.

• Use a Butter Knife or an Offset Spatula
• Use Your Favorite Piping Tip: I used my Wilton Open Star Piping Tip 1M. If you bake a lot, this pack of disposable decorating bags will come in handy for you!

How Can I Decorate the Cupcakes?

I chose to keep my cupcakes on the simple side since I loved the colors of the cupcakes and frosting. To add a little more flavor and fun, top them with:

• Chocolate Sprinkles
• Chocolate Shavings
• Chocolate Sauce
• Chocolate Ganache
• Peanut Butter Cups: Stick a mini or regular peanut butter cup in the frosting!
• Mini Reese’s Pieces

Frequently Asked Questions About Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcakes

Can I freeze these cupcakes?

Yes. You can freeze the frosting and cupcakes in separate freezer bags. To thaw them, leave them in the fridge overnight. Leave the cupcakes and frosting out at room temperature before frosting.

What type of cocoa should I use?

I recommend using natural unsweetened cocoa powder to make these cupcakes.

Can I fill these cupcakes?

Yes! Once baked and cooled, these cupcakes would be delicious with a filling. Use a cupcake corer or simply a pairing knife to cut a hole in the top of your cupcakes. Fill them with 1 tablespoon of your favorite filling. Chocolate ganache or peanut butter would be delicious here!

These moist, Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcakes are moist chocolatey cupcakes topped with a sweet, luscious Peanut Butter Buttercream frosting. They’re made with pantry friendly ingredients, are completely homemade and super easy to whip up!

Print

Description

Made from simple pantry ingredients, these Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcakes with peanut butter frosting are moist and delicious!

FOR THE CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/3 cup canola or vegetable oil
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons buttermilk, room temperature

FOR THE PEANUT BUTTER BUTTERCREAM

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons powdered sugar, sifted
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream
• pinch of salt

FOR THE CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a cupcake tin with liners.
2. In a large bowl, sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
3. In a medium sized bowl, whisk the egg and sugar with the oil until smooth. Add the vanilla then pour half of the wet mixture along with the buttermilk into the dry ingredients. Whisk until just combined then add the remainder of the wet mixture. Stir until just combined, being careful not to over mix. 
4. Pour the batter into the cupcake tin. Fill each cup about 2/3 full. 
5. Bake 17-21 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool 10 minutes in the cupcake tin then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Cool completely before frosting. 

FOR THE PEANUT BUTTER BUTTERCREAM

1. Beat the peanut butter and room temperature butter on medium. Scrape down the sides and add the vanilla and salt.
2. With the mixer on low speed, add the powdered sugar and beat for another minute. Add the heavy cream and beat until buttercream is combined and spreadable. Use as soon as possible.

Keywords: cupcakes, cupcake, chocolate, chocolate cupcakes, peanut butter, peanut butter frosting, buttercream

*This site contains affiliate links which means that I may receive commissions for purchases made through these links. Please know I only link to products that I use and can recommend based on my experience!

What kind of filling can you put in cupcakes?

What is the secret to moist cupcakes?