Devil's Food Cupcakes Topped with Peanut Butter Frosting
These Devil's Food Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting are rich, chocolatey, and very moist, finished with a creamy peanut butter topping...
- Prep
- 30 mins
- Cook
- 20 mins
- Total
- 50 mins
- Makes
- 24 cupcakes
These Devil's Food Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting are rich, chocolatey, and wonderfully moist, with creamy peanut butter frosting piped on top! If you love the pairing of chocolate and peanut butter, this recipe is made for you!
Devil's Food Cupcakes: Gather the Ingredients
Here's a short list of what you'll need for these easy devil's food cupcakes.
- All-Purpose Flour
- Dutch Process Cocoa Powder
- Baking Soda and Baking Powder
- Salt
- Espresso Powder
- Light Brown Sugar
- Vegetable Oil
- Eggs
- Sour Cream
- Vanilla Extract
- Dark Chocolate. I used 70% cacao dark chocolate to make these cupcakes.
- Boiling Water
Substitutions
Espresso Powder. No espresso powder? Instant coffee works too. Rather than mixing the instant coffee in with the dry ingredients, dissolve it in the boiling water just before that goes into the batter.
Sour Cream. Plain Greek yogurt can stand in for the full-fat sour cream.
Creamy Peanut Butter Frosting
This peanut butter frosting is quick, easy, and very tasty. It comes together in one large mixing bowl with a spatula and a hand mixer (or a stand mixer). I'd also suggest sifting the powdered sugar first.
You will need these ingredients:
- Unsalted Butter
- Creamy Peanut Butter. Choose regular creamy peanut butter, not crunchy or natural-style varieties where the oil sits on top. Either of those can throw off the frosting and leave you with a mess.
- Powdered Sugar. Sift it before adding it to the frosting so there are no lumps.
- Heavy Whipping Cream. Also called heavy cream.
- Salt
- Vanilla Extract
Let's Make Devil's Food Cupcakes!
Here's a quick overview of how to make these devil's food cupcakes with peanut butter frosting. For the full recipe, scroll down to the recipe card.
- Melt the chocolate. Heat it in the microwave, stirring after each interval, until it has melted. Set it aside.
- Whisk the dry ingredients together. Combine the all-purpose flour, Dutch process cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and espresso powder.
- Beat the wet ingredients together. In a large mixing bowl, combine the vegetable oil, light brown sugar, eggs, sour cream, and vanilla extract. A whisk or hand mixer both work well here.
- Add in the whisked dry ingredients.
- Add in the melted chocolate and boiling water. Mix until just combined. The batter will be thin, so a cookie scoop is the best way to portion it out. Fill each liner about 3/4 full.
- Bake the cupcakes. Set both cupcake tins side by side in the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes at 375ºF. For reference, mine were perfect at 19 minutes. The cupcakes should have a slight dome and spring back when gently pressed.
- Make the frosting. Beat the butter and peanut butter first, then add the sifted powdered sugar, heavy whipping cream, salt, and vanilla extract. Frost the cupcakes once they are cool.
Helpful Tips Before You Start
- Cookie Scoop. I used a three-tablespoon scoop and filled each liner about 3/4 full.
- Cupcake Liners. I used Wilton's standard-size liners for this recipe, but Wilton's 24-count black Wave Cupcake Liners also work. The wave liners will give you more cupcakes.
- Decorating Tip. Piping the frosting is optional. For reference, I used the Wilton 2A tip.
- Garnish. I kept these cupcakes simple, but you could add crushed peanuts, mini Reese's peanut butter cups, or a drizzle of chocolate syrup.
Recipe FAQs
Can I use unsweetened cocoa powder instead of dutch processed cocoa powder?Because the baking soda and baking powder are balanced for Dutch process cocoa, I wouldn't suggest swapping in unsweetened cocoa powder.
What cupcake liners should I use?Standard cupcake liners (mine are from Wilton) or Wilton's wave liners both work. The wave liners hold less batter, so you'll get more cupcakes from the same batch.
How many cupcakes does this make?24 cupcakes. You will need two cupcake tins.
How much peanut butter frosting does this make?This peanut butter frosting makes enough for a fairly thick layer on top of the devil's food cupcakes. It's also enough to use on my three layer chocolate cake recipe.
What decorating tip did you use to add the peanut butter frosting?I used the Wilton 2A decorating tip and a small offset spatula to make the center swoop.
More Chocolate and Peanut Butter Desserts to Enjoy!
Devil's Food Cupcakes Topped with Peanut Butter Frosting
If you're a fan of chocolate and peanut butter together, you will LOVE these devil's food cupcakes! They're rich, chocolatey, and very moist, topped with a creamy peanut butter frosting!
- Prep
- 30 mins
- Cook
- 20 mins
- Total
- 50 mins
- Makes
- 24 cupcakes
Ingredients
Devil's Food Cupcakes
- 1 1/2 cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1/2 cup Dutch Process Cocoa Powder
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 2 tsp Espresso Powder
- 1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
- 1 1/2 cup Light Brown Sugar
- 2 Large Eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cup Sour Cream, or Plain Greek Yogurt
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 4 oz Dark Chocolate, 70% Cacao, melted
- 1 cup Boiling Water
Peanut Butter Frosting
- 1 cup Unsalted Butter, room temperature
- 1 cup Creamy Peanut Butter
- 3 1/2 cups Sifted Powdered Sugar
- 3 tbsp Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Method
- Adjust your oven rack to the 2nd level mark (just above center) and preheat your oven to 375ºF. Line 2 cupcake tins with cupcake liners and set to the side.
- In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt the dark chocolate in 30-45 second bursts at 50% power, until it is smooth and fully melted. Set it aside to cool slightly.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, Dutch process cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and espresso powder. Set aside.
- With a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, beat together the vegetable oil, light brown sugar, eggs, sour cream, and vanilla extract on medium-high speed until well blended.
- Lower the mixer to low speed and slowly add the whisked dry ingredients, scraping down the bowl's sides as needed.
- Keeping the mixer on low, carefully pour in the melted chocolate, then the boiling water, and mix until just combined. The devil's food cupcake batter will be thin and runny.
- Using a 3 tablespoon cookie scoop, carefully fill each cupcake liner about halfway.
- Place the 2 cupcake tins side by side in the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes at 375ºF, or until the top springs back when gently pressed.
- Let the cupcakes cool in the tins for 5-10 minutes, then move them to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling.
- Wait until the cupcakes are completely cool before adding the peanut butter frosting. They can be made up to 2 nights ahead and kept in an airtight container at room temperature.
- With a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the unsalted butter until soft and creamy. Add the peanut butter and beat until well blended.
- Lower the mixer speed to low and gradually add the sifted powdered sugar, heavy whipping cream, salt, and vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Frost the cupcakes with a decorative piping tip or an offset spatula.
Baker’s notes
- <strong>Cookie Scoop.</strong> I used a 3 tablespoon scoop and filled each liner about ¾ full.
- <strong>Cupcake Liners.</strong> I used Wilton's standard-size liners for this recipe, but Wilton's 24-count black Wave Cupcake Liners also work. The wave liners will give you more cupcakes.
- <strong>Decorating Tip.</strong> Piping the frosting is completely optional. For reference, I used the Wilton 2A tip.
- I kept these cupcakes simple, but you could add a garnish such as crushed peanuts, mini Reese's peanut butter cups, or a drizzle of chocolate syrup.
