If you love chocolate and peanut butter, try these chocolate cupcakes topped with a fluffy peanut butter frosting. The cupcakes are moist and fudgy, while the frosting is creamy with the ideal balance of salty and sweet.
This post was updated February 6, 2026 with a slightly adapted recipe, new photos and fresh tips.
A Note from Fiona
Why You’ll Love These Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes
If you crave rich chocolate and smooth peanut butter piled on a soft cupcake, these are for you. The cake is tender and fudgy with straightforward steps and a deep chocolate flavor.
The peanut butter frosting is the highlight: light, creamy, not overly sweet, and almost like a peanut butter soft-serve. It pipes beautifully and complements the chocolate base perfectly.
For the Chocolate Cupcakes
These cupcakes are soft and moist without any greasy texture. The recipe is adapted from a double chocolate cupcake base, and a few key choices make the difference:
- Oil, sour cream, and buttermilk combine for the ideal texture so the crumb stays tender and moist.
- Some brown sugar replaces a portion of white sugar to boost flavor and moisture.
- A generous amount of cocoa—preferably Dutch-process—gives a deeper chocolate taste.
The result is a chocolate cupcake with a rich, balanced flavor and a soft, fluffy crumb. Fill liners only about halfway to two-thirds full to avoid overflowing and sinking centers.
For the Peanut Butter Frosting
The frosting is similar to classic buttercream but with some butter replaced by peanut butter. Because peanut butter is thick, you need less powdered sugar, so the frosting stays light and not too sweet. Use unsalted butter, smooth peanut butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, a pinch of salt, and a little milk or cream to loosen the texture.
Note: Use regular smooth peanut butter (such as Jiffy, Skippy, or Kraft). Avoid natural, whipped, or homemade peanut butter, which can separate and make the frosting oily or grainy.
This amount of frosting is enough to generously pipe each cupcake. If preferred, you can also spread it with a knife instead of piping.
Decorate as you like: chocolate sprinkles, mini chocolate chips, peanut butter cups, Reese’s Pieces, or leave them plain for a simple, classic finish.
These chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting make a wonderful chocolate-and-peanut-butter treat. If you enjoy peanut butter desserts, consider trying other peanut butter recipes on the same site.
- Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting
- Peanut Butter Cookie Pizza
- Reese’s Peanut Butter Cookies
Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting
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Equipment
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12-cavity muffin pan
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes
- 1¼ cup all purpose flour (156 grams)
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder (28 grams)
- 1½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup vegetable oil (120 ml)
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200 grams)
- ¼ cup brown sugar (50 grams)
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- ½ cup sour cream (120 ml)
- ½ cup buttermilk (120 ml), room temperature
For the Peanut Butter Buttercream
- 1 cup unsalted butter (226 grams), softened to room temperature
- ¾ cup peanut butter, do not use natural, homemade or whipped
- 2-3 cups powdered sugar (220-330 grams)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-4 tablespoons whipping cream (30-60 ml)
- peanut butter cups, Reese’s Pieces, for decorating
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a muffin tin with liners. This recipe yields about 12–14 cupcakes.
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Whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Sift the cocoa first if it’s lumpy.
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In a separate bowl, whisk the oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla until combined.
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Scrape down the bowl and stir in the sour cream until smooth.
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Add half the dry ingredients, then the buttermilk, then the remaining dry ingredients. Whisk until smooth and lump-free.
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Spoon batter into liners, filling each about 1/2 to 2/3 full.
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Bake one pan at a time on the middle rack for 18–23 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean and tops are springy. Cool in the pan 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Peanut Butter Frosting
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Beat softened butter in a large bowl until smooth.
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Add peanut butter and beat until fully combined.
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Beat in 2 cups of powdered sugar with the vanilla and salt on low speed until incorporated.
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Add remaining powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time, alternating with cream or milk, until you reach the desired sweetness and consistency.
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Pipe or spread the frosting on cooled cupcakes. A 1M Wilton tip works well for swirls.
Notes
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Bring buttermilk, eggs, and sour cream to room temperature before mixing the batter.
- Buttermilk Substitute: If you don’t have buttermilk, stir 1 teaspoon distilled vinegar into 1/2 cup milk and let it sit for 5 minutes.
- Filling the Liners: Do not overfill cupcake liners—fill only halfway to two-thirds full to prevent sinking.
- Make-Ahead: Cupcakes can be baked a day ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature. Frost the day you serve. Unfrosted cupcakes freeze up to 2 months; thaw in the fridge and bring to room temperature before frosting. Store frosted leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerated up to 4 days.
- Nutrition: Nutrition info is based on one cupcake (recipe yields 14 cupcakes).
Nutrition
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