Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting are light and fluffy chocolate cupcakes topped with the most delicious frosting on top. Like a Reese’s cup as a cupcake!
My husband’s birthday was this week. He said he wanted tacos for his birthday so I left that one up to him and decided to make him some cupcakes inspired by his favorite candy: the peanut butter cup!
There are really no words to describe these cupcakes. The cake itself was moist and as light as a cake that had whipped egg whites folded in. Of course the frosting is amazing. You can’t go wrong with cream cheese and peanut butter.
I won’t lie to you, I had 3 of these. And I don’t even like chocolate cake.
Ingredients for Chocolate Cupcakes
- Unsweetened cocoa powder – find this in the baking aisle of every grocery store.
- All-purpose flour
- Sugar
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Eggs
- Buttermilk – buttermilk helps to keep the cupcakes soft and moist for as long as possible.
- Vegetable oil – you can use canola oil if you prefer
- Vanilla – if you have vanilla bean paste, that’s even more delicious!
How To Make Chocolate Cupcakes
- Dry ingredients. Sift together cocoa powder, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl.
- Wet ingredients. Add eggs, warm water, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla, and mix until smooth, about 3 minutes.
- Transfer.Divide batter evenly among muffin cups, filling each ⅔ full.
- Bake. Bake at 350F until tops spring back when touched, about 20 minutes.
- Cool. Let cool completely.
Ingredients for Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
- Cream cheese – make sure to soften it before beginning so you can a really smooth frosting
- Powdered sugar – powdered sugar is great in frosting because it melts into whatever you are mixing it with
- Salt – just a tiny bit to bring out all the flavors
- Creamy peanut butter – I don’t recommend using a natural peanut butter. Something like Jif or Skippy makes the smoothest frosting.
- Vanilla
- Heavy cream – this gets whipped and folded into the frosting to make it nice and light.
How To Make Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
- Beat. Beat cream cheese and powdered sugar until pale and fluffy. Add salt and peanut butter, and beat to combine. Beat in vanilla.
- Whip cream. Beat cream until medium-stiff peaks form.
- Fold. Fold cream into peanut-butter mixture.
How Long Are Cupcakes Good For
Because these cupcakes are made with cream cheese frosting, they need to be stored in the refrigerator. You can leave them out on the counter for up to 8 hours but after that, put them in the fridge.
They will stay good in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Can You Make It Ahead?
Cupcakes are best made the day they are going to be served. If you do need to make them ahead, I’d recommend freezing them. Let them cool completely and then place in a freezer ziploc bag. Let them sit on the counter for several hours before frosting and serving.
The peanut butter cream cheese frosting will be fine in the fridge for up to 2 days. Make sure to store it in an airtight container.
Can You Freeze Them?
The cupcakes can be frozen for up to 3 months. Freeze them in an airtight container. Let them defrost at room temperature before frosting and serving.
The cream cheese frosting can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Make sure to store it in an airtight container like a freezer ziploc bag. Defrost it in the fridge overnight and then let me sit at room temperature until it is ready to be piped or spread onto your cupcakes.
More Cupcakes Recipes
- Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes
- Cherry Coke Cupcakes
- Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes
- Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Pink Velvet Funfetti Cupcakes
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Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup warm water
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- 3 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the frosting:
- 6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter, not natural
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup heavy cream
Instructions
For the cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners; set aside. Sift together cocoa powder, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Add eggs, warm water, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla, and mix until smooth, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl to assure batter is well mixed.
- Divide batter evenly among muffin cups, filling each ⅔ full. Bake until tops spring back when touched, about 20 minutes, rotating pan once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.
For the frosting:
- With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat cream cheese and powdered sugar until pale and fluffy. Add salt and peanut butter, and beat to combine. Beat in vanilla.
- In another bowl, with an electric mixer on medium-speed, whisk cream until medium-stiff peaks form. Fold cream into peanut-butter mixture. Use immediately, or refrigerate, covered tightly, up to 2 days. Before using, bring to room temperature and stir with a flexible spatula until smooth.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 436Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 57mgSodium: 600mgCarbohydrates: 53gFiber: 3gSugar: 34gProtein: 10g
nicole says
I dont normally write a comment on recipes but i dont know why it tells you not to use natural pb. It is all we eat in my house, and the only stuff i use for baking. In this i just mixed instead of folding together. Perfect and everyone loved the frosting… used my chocolate cake recipe and put a miniature peanut butter cup in the cake right when they come out of the oven
Joyce "Grammy" says
Cup cake turned out great and they looked just like the picture but
the frosting was too SALTY. maybe the peanut butter should have been
unsalted?
amanda says
Oh really? I’m sorry to hear that. :( I don’t really remember but I’m sure I used regular JIF when I made it. I’m really sorry that it turned out salty. Were you able to salvage it?
Joyce "Grammy" says
These cupcakes were excellent and just for the heck of it, I experimented and put a
half of a Reese’s peanut butter cup in the center of just one of the cupcakes prior to
backing for an added surprise. It still baked up fine and that was the one I sampled
and I’m very pleased with the results. So the next time I make these cupcakes, I will
be adding the little suprise to all of them. Yummmmmm !!
AJ says
I always give my hubby Reese’s for V-day but this year I wanted to do something besides buy the box. It’s so predicatable. I wanted to make a Reese’s pb cake but then saw cupcakes and was wondering how to get the pb inside. Now I know thanks to Joyce, you are heaven sent! Thanks for the creative V-day idea! :)
madison says
These cupcakes look so good!cant wait to make them with my family!cupcakes are my alltime favorite!
Rebecca says
I absolutely love PB&J and cupcakes I can’t wait to try this at home!!!
susan says
these cupcakes were amazing!! so much so, im just about to make them again :)
Kristen says
These look fantastic, Amanda! I’m definitely going to keep this recipe at hand.
.-= Kristen´s last blog ..My Eye Doctor Troubles =-.
Grace says
They are so good aren’t they?!
Magic of Spice says
These look so amazing!
.-= Magic of Spice´s last blog ..Whats for Dinner Grilled Pizza with Lemon Balm and Pineapple Mint Pesto =-.
Maria says
You are killing me….these look so, so good!!! I might have to make them this weekend. YUM!!
.-= Maria´s last blog ..Pizza Margherita =-.
Natalie (The Sweets Life) says
these sound too good to be true…bookmarked these to make soon! people go crazy over pb & choc!!
.-= Natalie (The Sweets Life)´s last blog ..Cranberry Nectarine Salad =-.
Honey says
omg… i’ve made these cupcakes and they are unbelievably low fat, but i haven’t made the frosting. this is one of my favorite combo cupcakes… amazing pics. i wish you’d share one with me. hehe.
.-= Honey´s last blog ..Restaurant Review- More Jersey City- NJ =-.
Andrea says
OMG. You saved the day for me! I’ve been going over sooooo many delicious looking treat recipes for a cookout tomorrow night, my eyes are practically glazing over at this point. Upon seeing this picture, I have made a decision! Thank you!
Eliana says
I love PB frosting and CC frosting but never thought of combining the two. Where is my head at because it sounds and looks super delicious on these gorgeous cupcakes.
.-= Eliana´s last blog ..Latin Flair Cookbook Spotlight – Dulce =-.
Susi says
Great looking cupcakes! I was just trying to figure out what to bring to a friends house for a bbq since he is obsessed with anything peanut butter and just found my answer!
.-= Susi´s last blog ..Giveaway Wednesday =-.
roxan says
These look delicious. And awesome job on the piping. I have really unsteady hands so I could never get piping to look that good!
Kelly C says
I would die to eat one of those! We have a peanut allergy here…maybe I could use plain cream cheese icing. But…I made cupcakes yesterday, so I won’t be trying these for awhile!
amanda says
Could you use almond butter?
Kelly says
These look and sound amazing! I looooove PB and chocolate together – this one’s going on my MUST MAKE list, for sure! Thanks for the recipe. :)