Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting
Ingredients
8tablespoons1 stick unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
2ouncesbittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2cupDutch-processed cocoa powder
3/4cupall-purpose flour
1/2teaspoonbaking soda
3/4teaspoonbaking powder
2eggs
3/4cupgranulated sugar
1teaspoonvanilla extract
1/2teaspoontable salt
1/2cupsour cream
Ingredients for Peanut Butter Frosting:
1cupconfectioners’ sugar
1cupcreamy peanut butter
5tablespoonsunsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4teaspoonvanilla extract
1/4teaspoonkosher salt
1/3cupheavy cream
12miniture reese’s peanut butter cups, halved
Instructions
Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line muffin pan with baking cup liners.
In a medium heatproof bowl, combine butter, chocolate, and cocoa. Set bowl over saucepan containing barely simmering water; heat mixture until butter and chocolate are melted and whisk until smooth and combined. Set aside and cool until just warm to the touch.
In a small bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, and baking powder; set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk eggs; add sugar, vanilla, and salt until fully incorporated. Add cooled chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Sift one-third of flour mixture over chocolate mixture and whisk until combined; whisk in sour cream until combined. Sift remaining flour mixture over chocolate mixture and whisk until batter is combined.
Divide the batter evenly among muffin pan cups. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center of cupcakes comes out clean.
Cool cupcakes in muffin pan on wire rack for 15 minutes. Carefully lift each cupcake from muffin pan and set on wire rack. Cool to room temperature before icing.
To make frosting, place the confectioners’ sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl as you work. Add the heavy cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth. Place frosting into decorating bag fitted with the 1M decorating tip and approximately 1/4″ above cupcake top at a 90° angle to cupcake surface, pipe a spiral of icing, beginning at the outer edge and working inward. Place halved peanut butter cup on top of frosting.