Chocolate Peanut Butter Perfection

It has taken me years to find the perfect chocolate peanut butter cupcake recipe.  With a combination of moist chocolate cake, sweet peanut butter filling, chocolate ganache, and a brown sugar peanut butter meringue buttercream, this one is definitely a winner! 

Ingredients: Makes 24 Cupcakes
Cake
2 Cups Sugar
1 3/4 cups All purpose or cake flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder.  Dark cocoa or dutch processed cocoa also works beautifully here.
1 oz grated baking chocolate- I like 60% cacao from Ghirardelli.
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup strongly brewed coffee at room temperature (This thins the batter considerably; I am not a coffee drinker so I often omit this ingredient.  Without the coffee, the batter is much thicker)
1/2 cup canola, coconut, or vegetable oil
2  large eggs
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract. Bourbon vanilla is best in my opinion.

Filling:
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
3 tblsp melted unsalted butter, slightly warm but not hot
1 cup powdered sugar
2-4 tblsp milk

Chocolate Ganache:
2 cups 60% cacao chocolate chips (12 oz)
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Peanut Butter Meringue Buttercream
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
4 egg whites
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter.

 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and grated chocolate.  Whisk the wet ingredients in a separate bowl.  Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk to blend.  *If you're using the coffee, the batter will be very thin*

3. Fill paper lined muffin cups 2/3 full and bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

4.  In a small bowl, combine peanut butter, powdered sugar, and milk.  Whisk until smooth.  Add more milk until a frosting consistency is obtained. When cupcakes have cooled, fit a piping bag with a small, round tip and fill bag with peanut butter filling.  Insert tip into the center of each cupcake. Aim to pipe about a tablespoon of filling into each cupcake.  Alternatively, you can use a cupcake corer to remove the center of the cupcake. 

5. Pour cream into a suacepan.  Bring just to a low biol, then take off heat. Add chocolate chips, and cover with saucepan lid for about 10 minutes. Whisk ganache until smooth. Dip the top of each cupcake into ganache; place on wire racks to set.

*Ganache is NOT scary. It makes everything more delicious! Leftover ganaghe can be frozen for up to 3 months, used as a whipped frosting, cupcake filing, or even drizzled on ice cream.  Corn syrup can be added to ganache to give it a shiny finish*

6. Now it's time to make the meringue buttercream. A stand mixer and electric hand mixer are needed for this frosting.  You can use an electric hand mixer alone, but it will take a lot of mixing time to get the meringue to the stiff peak stage. In a large saucepan, combine the brown sugar, egg whites, salt and cream of tartar over low heat.  With a hand mixer, beat on low speed for a minute.  Continue beating on low over low heat until frosting reaches 160 degrees, about 10 minutes.  Pour into the bowl of a stand mixer; add vanilla. Beat on high until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes.

7. Add butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition.  If mixture begins to look curdled, keep beating.  Continue adding butter and beating until smooth. This entire process can take 10-15 minutes.  Beat in peanut butter and mix until smooth.
       Your frosting could look curdled like this.   You did nothing wrong. Keep beating until your buttercream becomes smooth!

8. Place buttercream in a large pastry bag fitted with a large star tip.  Pipe a swirl on top of each cupcake.  Store in an airtight container in the fridge.  Let stand at room temperature before serving.


These are sure to be a big hit!

Keep Calm and Cupcake On
-Tori

Beach Cupcakes! Just in time for the start of summer!

One of my friends in graduate school successfully defended her master's thesis this afternoon. What better way to celebrate than with a beach themed vanilla cupcake?  We may be far away from the real thing, but an ocean of icing is difficult to pass up.  This version features a blue tinted vanilla swim meringue buttercream with edible sand, chocolate shells, and even a few friendly cnidarians floating near the shoreline!



I used twizzlers pull and peel licorice for the tentacles and store-bought butter spritz cookies for the jellyfish bodies.  Graham cracker crumbs made some great edible sand!

Cupcake Recipe from Martha Stewart:

The Martha Stewart Show, May 2006 

Yield Makes about 30 cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups cake flour, not self-rising
• 1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (I usually add close to a tablespoon of vanilla or the seeds of an entire vanilla bean to enhance the vanilla flavor as well as a tablespoon of honey.)

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt; mix on low speed until combined. Add butter, mixing until just coated with flour.
   
2. In a large glass measuring cup, whisk together eggs, milk, and vanilla. With mixer on medium speed, add wet ingredients in 3 parts, scraping down sides of bowl before each addition; beat until ingredients are incorporated but do not overbeat.
   
3. Divide batter evenly among liners, filling about 2/3 full. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 17 to 20 minutes.
   
4. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat process with remaining batter. Once cupcakes have cooled, use a small offset spatula to frost tops of each cupcake. Decorate with sprinkles, if desired. Serve at room temperature.
   

 I used a Swiss Meringue buttercream to get the sheen  needed for water.  This frosting requires some time and an electric mixer, but the result is definitely worth it! This frosting has a great consistancy for piping and has the prefect amount of sweetness.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 10 large egg whites
• 4 cups (8 sticks or 2 pounds) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (again, add more to taste)

Directions

1. Place sugar and egg whites in the heat-proof bowl of an electric mixer. Set bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, and whisk until sugar has dissolved and egg whites are hot to the touch, about 3 minutes. Test by rubbing the mixture between your fingers; it should feel completely smooth.  All of the sugar needs to dissolve.
   
2. Transfer bowl to mixer stand. Using the whisk attachment, beat on high speed until mixture has cooled completely and formed stiff and glossy peaks, about 10 minutes.
   
3. Add the butter, one piece at a time, and beat until incorporated after each addition. Don't worry if the buttercream appears curdled after all the butter has been added; it will become smooth again with continued beating. Add vanilla, and beat just until combined.
   
4. Switch to the paddle attachment, and beat on the lowest speed to eliminate any air pockets, about 5 minutes. If using buttercream within several hours, cover bowl with plastic wrap, and set aside at room temperature in a cool environment. Or transfer to an airtight container, and store in the refrigerator, up to 3 days. Before using, bring buttercream to room temperature, and beat on the lowest speed with the paddle attachment until smooth, about 5 minutes.
   
   Next, frost your cooled cupcakes with a piping bag and large star tip! I used a zig zag motion to form waves and then added the sad, shells and jellyfish!
   
   Best wishes from my cupcake kitchen!
   Tori