Monday, March 12, 2012

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting

Chocolate cupcakes, made with sour cream and pudding, topped with a peanut butter buttercream frosting, and garnished with chopped honey roasted peanuts and chocolate sprinkles.
Chocolate cupcakes, made with sour cream and pudding, topped with a peanut butter buttercream frosting, and garnished with chopped honey roasted peanuts and chocolate sprinkles.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting

Because I am a bit of a night owl, I tend to do most of my blog work late into the night, and often into the early morning hours, whether it's writing, editing, recipe development, and sometimes, yes, even cooking. That was the case this past Wednesday night when I decided to make cupcakes for my grandbabies. At 11:00 at night. Trouble is, I wanted to make them from scratch, and, considering I don't even have a single cupcake recipe on the site... I had to actually write a recipe!

Now... if you've been around here any length of time, you already know that I'm more of a savory gal than a lover of sweets, and though I have a few recipes up here, I lay no claim to being much of a baker. My apologies to those of you who are much better bakers than me. Armed with not much more than the desire and the knowledge of a basic scratch cake recipe I've had forever, I poked around in the pantry and fridge to see what else I had that needed to be used up. I found several packages of chocolate pudding in the pantry I needed to use, so decided that the pudding could take the place of cocoa and add a little moisture at the same time. I also had some sour cream leftover in the fridge, which makes an excellent addition to cakes. Sounds like a plan to me!

Truth is, I know exactly what got me in the mood for baking at 11:00 p.m. that night.

I had received earlier that very day, this new cookbook {imagine that, me and another cookbook} called The Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook and had been flipping through and drooling over it. This adorable couple and owners of Back in the Day Bakery, Cheryl and Griffith Day, had been on QVC recently, with a table filled with their goodies. The cookbook promptly sold out thousands of copies in minutes, and Cheryl was so overwhelmed that she actually cried when they told her the news. You know somebody has put their heart and soul into something when they get emotional about it. That authenticity, and the success of the bakery, located in Savannah, Georgia, tells me these folks know what they are doing.

Well, y'all know how I am about cookbooks, and being a baking amateur, I thought it would help to provide a bit of future baking inspiration to me. And, some sorely needed knowledge. So, I ordered it immediately from Amazon, where with my Prime membership, it was cheaper than QVC anyway, plus you can get a sneak peek preview right there on the Amazon site too. Finally picked up a basic cupcake kit too, so I can make those blog-worthy swirls on top of my cupcakes like everybody else, though there are way fancier kits available too, if you're so inclined.

While this recipe didn't come from the book, I did pick up a few tips from Back in the Day's Old Fashioned Cupcake recipe, like using the stand mixer to cut the butter into the dry ingredients, something akin to preparing a pastry. I guess you could certainly say these were inspired by the book. I'm happy to say that the cupcakes got the thumbs up from my daughter-in-law and the grands, and to me that is what counts. I think that they are absolutely delicious cupcakes and they certainly satisfied the sweet tooth I've been having for that favorite chocolate and peanut butter combination. Here's how to make them.

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Recipe: Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting

©From the Kitchen of Deep South Dish
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min

Total time: 35 min
Yield: About 24 cupcakes

Ingredients
  • 2-1/3 cups of all purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa (like Hershey's)
  • 3 teaspoons of baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
  • 1-1/2 cups of granulated sugar
  • 1 (3.9 ounce) package of instant chocolate pudding
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened at room temperature and cubed
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the frosting:
  • 1/3 cup butter at room temperature
  • 1/3 cup of vegetable shortening (like Crisco)
  • 1 cup of peanut butter
  • 1 pound of powdered sugar (about 4 cup)
  • Pinch of kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 4 to 6 tablespoons milk
  • Garnish: Chopped peanuts and chocolate sprinkles, optional
Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 cupcake cups with paper liners. In a mixing bowl, using the paddle attachment, add the first 6 ingredients and mix for 2 minutes on low. Add the cubed butter a few pieces at a time and mix another 2 minutes on low until mixture is sandy looking. Add the milk and sour cream, mix for 1 minute on low; add the eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated, then add the vanilla. Mix on low speed for another minute. Do not over-beat. Scrape up any batter from the bottom of the bowl and incorporate into the mixture.

Use a large ice cream scoop to fill paper cups about 2/3rds full. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes back clean. Place pans on a rack and allow to cool for at least 30 minutes.

For the frosting, cream together the butter and shortening, then add the peanut butter. On medium speed, add the powdered sugar about 1/2 cup at a time. Mixture will be stiff. Add in the vanilla and then the milk, one tablespoon at a time while beating on medium, until frosting is fluffy and reaches the desired consistency. You may not need all of the milk.

Once completely cooled, spread or pipe frosting on top of the cupcakes and garnish immediately with chopped peanuts and/or sprinkles, if desired, before frosting sets. Serve immediately, store in a cool area, or refrigerate.

Cook's Notes: I piped the cupcakes above using a Wilton 1M star tip. For garnish, I used finely chopped honey roasted peanuts and chocolate sprinkles. Keep in a cool place or refrigerate if not serving right away, but let the cupcakes come to room temperature, uncovered, before serving. Both heat and condensation may cause frosting to slide off, especially when piped on.

Variations: Pour batter into 9 x 13 inch baking pan that has been buttered and floured. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven, for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes back clean. For a richer chocolate flavor, add in 1 to 2 tablespoons of cocoa. For a special treat, press one unwrapped, mini peanut butter cup into the center of each cupcake liner.

Source: http://deepsouthdish.com

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©Deep South Dish
Frosting adapted from Wilton
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Posted by on March 12, 2012
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