Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Peanut butter cupcakes dipped in chocolate sauce with peanut butter whipped cream frosting.

Happy Birthday Yair!



Now the recipes and where the rest of the cupcakes went...

I searched high and low for peanut butter cake recipe that is not dense. And finally I found this! Where else would it be other than my favourite Epicurious.com. I knew it was promising because it required 4 eggs, a cup of buttermilk and a teaspoon of baking soda and baking powder each. And I wasn't disappointed. Of course, I had to change things a bit because of what I had in the house. I used yogurt instead of buttermilk, 1/4 cup of extra light tasting olive oil instead to replace butter, and only 2 cups of sugar.


Naked cupcake

Ingredients

• Cake


• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour


• 1 teaspoon baking powder


• 1 teaspoon baking soda


• 1/2 teaspoon salt


• 1 stick butter (room tempurature) + 1/4 cup oil


• 2 cups sugar


• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter


• 4 eggs


• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract


• 1 cup plain non-fat yogurt



• Chocolate Dip


• 4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate - chopped


• 1/2 cup heavy cream



• Peanut Butter Frosting


• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream - chilled


• 1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter

Runny chocolate sauce because I couldn't wait.
Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin pan with liners.


2. Make the cake. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.


3. With electric mixer, beat butter, oil and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add peanut butter. Beat until well combined. Scrape the bowl occasionally. Add eggs one at a time. Beat some more. Add vanilla.


4. Alternately stir in flour mixture and yogurt in 3 batches. Stir until well combined.


5. Drop by tablespoonful into prepared pan - fill up to about half full because the cake will rise. Bake for 17 minutes. Cool on a rack. I got 32 cupcakes.


6. While wait for the cupcake to bake and cool, boil 1/2 cup heavy cream in a sauce pan over medium heat until bubbly on the edges - just a few minutes. Pour over chopped chocolate in a small bowl. Stir until chocolate melts and let cool in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.


7. Dip cooled cupcakes in the chilled chocolate sauce and set aside.


8. Make frosting, beat heavy cream and peanut butter with an electric mixter with a wire whisk attachment until stiff. Gently drop the frosting over chocolate dipped cupcakes.


9. Make 32 cupcakes - enough for 2 parties - a private birthday party - and a house party (that I didn't attend but heard it's fun...)