Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

 

For the cupcake of the month for May I am doing a special request from my daughter. Her birthday is in May as is her son (my grandson) She asked me to make a cupcake version of the cake she always requested for her birthday cake growing up- chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting.

 

 

Since when my kids were growing up I always made their birthday cakes (and most other cakes) from scratch and since these cupcakes are supposed to be based on that I did a few changes to my cake mix batter to give it a better texture. It still isn't exactly the same but close enough.

As always with the cupcake of the month these are made with a portion of a cake mix. If you haven't read my blog with the directions on how to successfully divide a box of store cake mix you can find it here. There is also a link to a handy PDF that you can print out to remind you how to use the portions of cake mix.

This month I decided to play around with what liquid I used. This is the easiest way to elevate a cake mix cake and make it a bit more special. For this batch I replaced the water with chocolate milk. This makes the texture of the cake a bit more like homemade and it give the chocolate flavor a bit more depth.

You can use any chocolate milk you have. I simply squirted some chocolate syrup into the bottom of my measuring cup and added enough milk to give me the ⅓ cup of liquid I needed. I didn't use the vanilla extract this time since I didn't feel it was necessary. You can certainly add it if you would like.

For the frosting this month I am sharing a recipe for a fluffy peanut butter frosting. You do need to beat it for a while with a mixer but it is worth it. Start off by beating the butter and peanut butter together until they are well combined. Add the powdered sugar very slowly and beat well. As the mixture thickens add the milk about a teaspoon at a time to keep the frosting workable. Once the all the sugar is mixed in beat with a mixer until very fluffy (about 2 or 4 minutes)

To apply the frosting this time I used my Wilton 1M decorating tip with a disposable piping bag. I'm not sure if I do this exactly correct but I find I get the best result when I pipe a mound of frosting in the center of the each cupcake then pipe more about that mound to form a pretty top.

Click here to get the downloadable/printable PDF of today's recipe.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

cupcakes:

⅓ of a box of chocolate cake mix

⅓ cup chocolate milk

1 egg

3 ½ Tablespoons vegetable oil

Start by preheating your oven to the temperature your box of cake mix calls for, mine was 350°F. Line your cupcake pan with paper liners or grease really well.

Combine the chocolate milk, egg, and oil in a mixing bowl and combine well.

Add the cake mix and beat for up to 90 seconds.

Portion into cupcake pan and bake according to instructions on your cake mix. Mine was baked at 350°F for about 20 minutes.

Cool in pan for 10 minutes then move to a cooling rack and cool completely.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Frosting:

3 Tablespoons butter, softened

⅓ cup creamy peanut butter

1 ½ Tablespoons milk

⅔ cup powdered sugar

In a medium bowl beat the butter and peanut butter together. Slowly add the powdered sugar beating very well. Add the milk as needed to keep the frosting workable. Once the sugar is all mixed in beat until fluffy (about 2 or 3 minutes)

 

 

Frost the cooled cupcakes with the frosting as desired.

Store in the fridge.