Friday, I planned on testing all kinds of vegan cupcake recipes and feeling oh so proud of myself for bringing my friends the best healthy and delicious cupcakes to the party we were going to.
Life laughed at my plans when 2.5 miles into a short and sweet run with the puppy, I totally wiped out and my knee promptly swelled to the size of an orange. So, I didn’t get to do any vegan cupcake testing, I was stuck on the couch watching bad reality tv reruns. I thought of just picking up something at the store to take to said party, but I knew that wouldn’t do. I decided to go with an old standby; this recipe from The Barefoot Contessa. I knew it would be fool-proof, and it was.
These cupcakes are light, fluffy, and pretty much amaze-balls, but it’s the peanut butter frosting that sets them over the edge. You’ll see. And by the way, these are definitely NOT vegan.
Ingredients- Cake
Ingredients
- 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk, shaken, at room temperature (what is buttermilk??? I really don’t know but in every cupcake recipe I use it’s called for)
- 1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons brewed coffee – I just used what was leftover from my morning coffee.
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup good cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- Kathleen’s Peanut Butter Icing, recipe follows
- Chopped salted peanuts, to decorate, optional
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, (I swear by this paddle/spatula thing: BeaterBlade. It will make your baking life so much easier. It’s all I use with mine! )
Cream the butter and 2 sugars on high speed until light and fluffy, approximately 5 minutes. Lower the speed to medium, add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla and mix well. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream, and coffee. In another bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. On low speed, add the buttermilk mixture and the flour mixture alternately in thirds to the mixer bowl, beginning with the buttermilk mixture and ending with the flour mixture. Mix only until blended. Fold the batter with a rubber spatula to be sure it’s completely blended.
Divide the batter among the cupcake pans (1 rounded standard ice cream scoop per cup is the right amount).
Bake in the middle of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, remove from the pans, and allow to cool completely before frosting.
Frost each cupcake with Peanut Butter Icing and sprinkle with chopped peanuts, if desired.
Kathleen’s Peanut Butter Icing:
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
Place the confectioners’ sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.
To frost, you are going to need a Wilton’s #1 tip, which I got at Michael’s. 
With the tip you can use a ziplock bag, which you snip the end off, and insert the tip in the bag. Fill it with icing, and go to town making a circular motion on the cupcakes. SO much easier that spreading it messily around with a spatula!
Enjoy! The only thing better would be topping with chopped up Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups!
Ingredients
- 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk, shaken, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons brewed coffee
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup good cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- Kathleen’s Peanut Butter Icing, recipe follows
- Chopped salted peanuts, to decorate, optional
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and 2 sugars on high speed until light and fluffy, approximately 5 minutes. Lower the speed to medium, add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla and mix well. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream, and coffee. In another bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. On low speed, add the buttermilk mixture and the flour mixture alternately in thirds to the mixer bowl, beginning with the buttermilk mixture and ending with the flour mixture. Mix only until blended. Fold the batter with a rubber spatula to be sure it’s completely blended.
Divide the batter among the cupcake pans (1 rounded standard ice cream scoop per cup is the right amount). Bake in the middle of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, remove from the pans, and allow to cool completely before frosting.
Frost each cupcake with Peanut Butter Icing and sprinkle with chopped peanuts, if desired.
Kathleen’s Peanut Butter Icing:
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
Place the confectioners’ sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh yum! Two great combinations…chocolate and peanut butter. They look amazing. I hope your knee is getting better. Take care and have a great week!
Cupcakes with chocolate and peanut butter! Wow..that is one winning combination! Looks so drool worthy!
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Perfect! Perfect! Perfect! This is just what I need for the weekend! We’re throwing a surprise party for a friend and she’s crazy over peanut butter! Thanks for sharing this recipe.
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