marilynpeight
Growing up in the old order Amish we had a certain family favorite called chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting. This specific cake was a highly popular dessert in my Mom’s catering business and has been getting great reviews on the blog as well. I have been wanting to try a cupcake version and after some tweaking and trial runs, I am happy to say these chocolate cupcakes with the creamy peanut butter frosting are a hit for my family too! I like to enjoy my cupcakes with a glass of milk and Amish cornstarch pudding on the side, which makes the best late night snack when the house is quiet again!
As an Amazon Associate I may earn from qualifying purchases. Follow along for more Amish and Mennonite recipes and feel free to leave a rating and comment in the comment section below!
Amish Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting
Equipment
- muffin tins (linked below)
- Mixing bowl (linked below)
- cupcake wrappers (linked below)
- Piping bag (linked below)
Ingredients
- 1 1/8 cups all purpose flour (leveled) or 1 cup and 2 tablespoons, leveled.
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1 large egg beaten
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup strong coffee *see note
Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 4 oz. cream cheese softened *see note
- 4 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-3 tablespoons whole milk *see note
- 3-4 cups confectioner's sugar
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350:
- Whisk together the flour, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda, then add the strong coffee (freshly brewed), milk, oil and eggs. Whisk the batter together until well combined.
- Pour the chocolate cake batter into lined muffin tins (makes roughly 15-16 cupcakes), filling them only 1/2-1/3 full as they rise a good bit while baking. Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until a knife or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool.
- Combine the cream cheese and peanut butter by hand or with a stand mixer until well combined. Add 1 tablespoon milk and the vanilla extract, then mix into the cream cheese mixture. Add confectioner's sugar-1 cup at a time- and the remaining 1-2 tablespoons milk mixing well between each addition until the frosting is thick enough to pipe onto cupcakes.
- Place the frosting into a piping bag with a 1M or 2D frosting tip (or the frosting tip you prefer). Pipe the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes and then sprinkle crushed peanuts and chocolate shavings on top (optional). Enjoy!
Notes
Equipment needed for these Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting:
- Muffin tins I prefer to use a large muffin tin that makes 12 cupcakes and my smaller muffin tin, which makes 6, for this chocolate cupcake recipe.
- Mixing bowl Stainless steel mixing bowls are my go-to for mixing up batters, dough and more in the kitchen.
- Cupcake wrappers You will need to use cupcake wrappers for easier removal of the cupcakes from the muffin tins.
- Piping bag I used a plastic piping bag and a 1M tip for the cupcakes that are displayed in the photos.
Subscribe today and get free meal inspirations delivered to your doorstep!
Ingredients needed for these Amish chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting:
Coffee, oil, brown sugar, milk, cocoa powder, egg, flour, baking powder, and baking soda For the cream cheese frosting (not shown): Cream cheese, peanut butter, milk, vanilla extract and confectioner’s sugar.
Step 1: Whisk the dry ingredients together until well combined.
Note*
You will want to be sure to level the flour (scraping off the excess with a dinner knife) for this recipe. Too much flour will result in dry cupcakes, but not enough flour will result in volcanic cupcakes that rise too fast while baking.
Step 1 continued: Add the wet ingredients and mix again until the batter is well combined and smooth. The batter should be a little thicker than cake batter, yet thin enough to run off of a whisk or spatula in a thin stream.
Step 2: Pour the batter into lined muffin tins, filling only until 1/2 to 2/3 full.
Note*
I like to err on the side of caution with these cupcakes so I only fill my cupcake liners 1/2 full. These cupcakes tend to rise a lot while baking, but this can also depend on how fresh your baking powder and baking soda is.
Step 2 continued: Bake the cupcakes in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, until the tops begin to crack and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Be careful not to overbake these cupcakes.
Step 3: Combine the cream cheese and peanut butter frosting with a hand mixer, then add vanilla extract and a tablespoon of milk. Combine again, then add confectioner’s sugar (one cup at a time) and additional milk until the frosting reaches a consistency that is thick enough for piping onto the cupcakes.
Note*
I generally add 3 tablespoons of milk and 3 cups of confectioner’s sugar. Any more sugar and the frosting gets a little too sweet for my hubby. Feel free to add the sugar and milk until the taste and texture is just right for you.
Step 4: Place the cream cheese frosting into a piping bag fitted with the tip of your choice. Frost the cupcakes and decorate with chocolate shavings and/or crushed peanuts (optional). Enjoy!
Storage:
Because of the cream cheese in this peanut butter frosting, you will need to keep these cupcakes refrigerated if they are not consumed right away. These cupcakes will last for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
Tip: If you are like me, you prefer your cupcakes room temp (which makes them softer). You can let the cupcake set out for around 30 minutes to bring it to room temperature before enjoying it.
Feel free to pin this recipe for later and tag me on Instagram to show off your own creation of this recipe.
