These Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting are rich, moist and decadent, topped with a fluffy peanut butter frosting and a drizzle of chocolate ganache. They make a delicious, creative cupcake idea for birthdays or any day you need a treat.
I made these for a friend’s birthday. I love that we like the same flavors, so it made it easy. There is just something about this peanut butter frosting; I could eat it for dinner as the main course. I mean, it is protein, right?
Her birthday was over the weekend and I surprised her with a dozen cupcakes. She had company over, so she was nice enough to share. I really like to give cupcakes because they are just the right size, and it is like a little gift that you unwrap just before you eat it.
Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 15 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 18 to 20 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 35 minutes, plus cooling
- 🍽️ Servings: 12 cupcakes
- ⚡ Calories: 594kcal per frosted cupcake
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Deep dark chocolate cake with creamy, salty sweet peanut butter frosting
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, a stand mixer helps
Quick Answer
Cream butter and sugar, beat in 3 eggs one at a time and add vanilla. Alternate adding a sifted mix of flour, dark chocolate cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt with hot water. Bake in lined cupcake pans at 350°F for 18 to 20 minutes and cool. Beat butter and peanut butter with powdered sugar, vanilla and a splash of milk, frost the cupcakes, and drizzle with chocolate ganache if you like.
Jump to:
- Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why This Recipe Works
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Variations & Substitutions
- How to Make Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes
- Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Serving Ideas & Suggestions
- Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcake FAQs
- Other Recommended Cupcake Recipes
- Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Hot water in the batter. It blooms the cocoa powder, bringing out a deeper chocolate flavor and keeping the cupcakes moist.
- Dark chocolate cocoa. A darker cocoa gives the cupcakes their rich color and bold flavor.
- Creaming butter and sugar first. It beats in air for a light, tender crumb.
- Eggs one at a time. Adding them slowly keeps the batter smooth instead of curdled.
- Alternating dry ingredients and water. It mixes everything evenly without over working the batter.
- Equal parts butter and peanut butter. The frosting pipes beautifully and tastes like peanut butter, not just sugar.
- Milk at the end. Adding it last lets you control the frosting’s consistency.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Chocolate and peanut butter, the classic combination in cupcake form.
- Really moist dark chocolate cupcakes, every time.
- A frosting you could eat with a spoon. Creamy, fluffy and full of peanut butter flavor.
- The perfect gift. A dozen cupcakes is a birthday surprise anyone will love.
- Bakery look, easy method. A big swirl of frosting and a ganache drizzle make them look professional.
- A cupcake family: find more favorites in my over 25 cupcake recipes.
Key Ingredients
Pantry staples for the cupcakes and a quick peanut butter frosting. Quantities are in the recipe card below.
- Dark chocolate cocoa powder. I used Hershey’s Dark Chocolate. Wondering about Dutch process? Here is whether you can substitute Dutch cocoa for regular cocoa.
- Butter and sugar. Creamed together for a tender crumb.
- Eggs and vanilla. Three large eggs, added one at a time.
- Flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Sifted with the cocoa.
- Hot water. Blooms the cocoa for deep chocolate flavor.
- For the frosting: butter, creamy peanut butter, sifted powdered sugar, vanilla and a little milk.
- Optional topping: a chocolate ganache drizzle and a peanut butter chip on top.
See the recipe card below for exact quantities and full instructions.
Variations & Substitutions
- Dairy free drizzle: use my dairy free chocolate ganache.
- Crunchy frosting: stir finely chopped peanuts into the frosting or sprinkle them on top.
- Peanut butter cup topping: top each cupcake with a mini peanut butter cup instead of a chip.
- Vanilla frosting: pair the chocolate cupcakes with my favorite buttercream instead.
- Gluten free: try my gluten free dairy free chocolate cupcakes.
How to Make Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line your cupcake pan with greaseproof liners.
- In an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder to sift them.
- Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the hot water into the butter mixture. Stop the mixer, scrape the bowl and mix again.
- Divide the batter among the liners and bake for 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the cupcakes cool completely.
- For the frosting, beat the butter and peanut butter, then add the powdered sugar and vanilla. Add the milk at the end, using just enough for a good piping consistency.
- Once the cupcakes are cool, frost them.
- Add the optional ganache drizzle with a fork or piping bag, and a peanut butter chip on top if you like.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Use room temperature butter and eggs so the batter creams smoothly.
- Sift the powdered sugar for a silky, lump free frosting.
- Cool completely before frosting, or the peanut butter frosting will slide off.
- Add milk a little at a time. You can always add more, but you can’t take it out.
- Pipe with a large star tip for the big bakery swirl in the photos.
- Storage: keep frosted cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and let them sit out a bit before serving so the frosting softens.
Serving Ideas & Suggestions
Box up a dozen for a birthday surprise like I did, or set them out with a glass of cold milk. For a dessert table, add best vanilla birthday cupcakes, easy chocolate brownies and peanut butter kiss cookies, or a showstopper like my Lucky Charms layer cake.
What special treat do you like to make for birthdays? Browse more delicious dessert recipes, homemade ice cream desserts and pie recipes, find the perfect card line in my favorite cupcake quotes, and for the holidays try peppermint bark cupcakes and more Christmas cupcakes. Every recipe lives in my cupcakes collection.
Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcake FAQs
Hot water blooms the cocoa powder, which brings out a deeper chocolate flavor and helps keep the cupcakes moist.
Yes. Regular unsweetened cocoa works; the cupcakes will be a little lighter in color and flavor than with dark chocolate cocoa.
A regular creamy peanut butter gives the smoothest, most stable frosting. Natural peanut butter can separate and make the frosting oily.
Add the milk at the end, a little at a time, until the frosting is smooth and holds its shape for piping.
No, it is optional. It adds a pretty finish and extra chocolate, but the cupcakes are delicious with just the frosting.
It makes 12 cupcakes, just right for a dozen birthday surprise.
Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 sticks of butter
- 1 2/3 cup White Granulated Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- 3 Large Eggs
- 2 cups All Purpose Flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 2/3 cup dark chocolate natural cocoa powder
- 1 1/3 cup hot water
- Frosting
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 3 cups powdered sugar sifted
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 2 Tablespoon Milk
Chocolate Ganache Optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Line your cupcake pan with greaseproof liners.
- Mix your butter and sugar in electric mixer until creamed. Add one egg at a time. Add Vanilla. Start mixing your dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Sift with a whisk. Start alternating your dry ingredients into your butter with water. Stop mixer and scrape bowl and mix again.
- Bake cupcakes 18 – 20 minutes and remove from oven and cool.
- Frosting:
- Start mixing, butter and peanut butter, add powder sugar and vanilla. Mix all ingredients adding milk at the end and using enough to make a good consistency.
- Once cool Frost cupcakes.
- Add optional ganache with fork or piping bag.
Joy @ Joy Love Food says
I love chocolate and peanut butter together, these cupcakes sound amazing!
Kim @ The Baking ChocolaTess says
These look so divine. Thanks for sharing, pinning, tweeting and visiting from Two Cup Tuesday LInky Party.
Carlee @cookingwithcarlee says
These look amazing! I love peanut butter, but have never made a peanut butter frosting. I think I need to change that soon!
Ashley says
Hi there! Visiting from the Lou Lou Girls’ link party. This look so yummy! I love how dark the chocolate cake looks. Thanks for sharing the recipe! I also host a link party on Mondays on my blog, and it would be great if you could join us!
Megan @ Our PInteresting Family says
These look amazing! Pinning asap. 🙂
Jessy @ The Life Jolie says
These look amazing! I am such a fan of dark chocolate, especially if there is peanut butter involved. These would not last long in our home!
I stopped by from Whimsy Wednesday.
Angelina says
You had me at peanut butter. These look so so good! The cake looks really moist.
Alice Megan says
These look delicious! I’ll definitely have to make them
Lou Lou Girls says
I’m loving this! I’m always so impressed by your masterpieces. Pinned and tweeted. We appreciate you taking the time to party with us. I hope to see you on Monday at 7. Happy Mother’s Day! Lou Lou Girls
Julie is Hostess At Heart says
Oh boy this makes my chocolate loving heart very happy!
sandra duvall says
It looks so yummy.
Thank for sharing.
I will try to make it