Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcakes are moist, delicious cupcakes topped with luscious peanut butter buttercream frosting. They’re made with pantry friendly ingredients and are super easy to whip up!
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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.
Jump to:
Why We Love This Recipe
- 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!
Ingredients
- 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.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a cupcake pan with liners.
- In a large bowl, sift to combine the dry ingredients. Set aside.
- 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.
- Pour the batter into the cupcake tin. Evenly fill each cup about 1/2 to 2/3 full.
- 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.
Expert Tips
- 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.
How to Make Peanut Butter Buttercream:
- Beat the peanut butter and room temperature butter on medium. Scrape down the sides and add the vanilla and salt.
- 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.
Expert Tips
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
Recipe FAQs
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.
I recommend using natural unsweetened cocoa powder to make 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!
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Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients
Chocolate Cupcakes
- 1 cup (125 g) all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (43 g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon (1/2 teaspoon) baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon (1/2 teaspoon) salt
- 1 cup (200 g) plus 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/3 cup (78.86 ml) canola or vegetable oil
- 1 (1) large egg
- 2 teaspoons (2 teaspoons) vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (118.29 ml) plus 3 tablespoons buttermilk room temperature
Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting
- 1/2 cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter room temperature
- 1/2 cup (129 g) creamy peanut butter
- 1/2 teaspoon (1/2 teaspoon) vanilla
- 1 cup (120 g) plus 2 tablespoons powdered sugar sifted
- 1 tablespoon (1 tablespoon) heavy cream
- pinch (pinch) of salt
Instructions
Chocolate Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a muffin pan with liners.
- In a large bowl, sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
- 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.
- Pour the batter into the cupcake tin. Fill each cup about 2/3 full.
- 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.
Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting
- Beat the peanut butter and room temperature butter on medium. Scrape down the sides and add the vanilla and salt.
- 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.
Nutrition
Please note that nutritional values are created by an online calculator and should only be used as an estimate.
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Pamela
These cupcakes are insanely delicious OMG!!!
Natalie
Hi Pamela! Thank you for making these cupcakes! I’m so glad you loved them! They are a favorite of mine too 🙂 Have a great day!