Freakin' Awesome Chocolate with Peanut Butter Cupcakes!

Afternoon! It is about to snow here and it is so very cold now… So you really need to turn on the oven and heat up the house with these super yummy chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter cream cheese buttercream.  I went to dinner at my parents last night. Mom didn't know I was planning to bake, but she should no better!

 I saw this on The Talk… yes it is one of my guilty pleasures. But gals from DC Cupcakes intrigued me with 1 buttercream recipe and 10 options. It is so easy  to change a simple cream cheese buttercream and flavor it with mint, coffee, maple and lemon.  My parents and uncle David love this cupcakes. Also I dropped a few leftover cupcakes at my friend T's . They are a hit, everywhere!  

Enjoy and try a few options out! Cheers, Kate

Georgetown Cupcake Chocolate Cupcakes

Slightly adapted from DC Cupcakes
Makes 1 dozen cupcakes

1 1/4 cups flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon baking soda, sifted
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons European-style unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract, preferably Madagascar bourbon
1 cup whole milk, at room temperature
1/2 cup Valrhona cocoa powder, sifted- I used Hershey's Dark Cocoa


 Preheat the oven to 350˚F degrees. Line a standard cupcake pan with 12 baking cups, and a second pan with 6 baking cups.

Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt on a sheet of wax paper or parchment paper.

Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer or hand-held electric mixer. Beat on medium speed until fluffy. Stop to add the sugar; beat on medium speed until well incorporated.
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing slowly after each addition.

Combine the vanilla extract and milk in a large liquid measuring cup.

Reduce the speed to low. Add one-third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, then gradually add one-third of the milk mixture, beating until well incorporated. Add another one-third of the flour mixture, followed by one-third of the milk mixture. Stop to scrape down the bowl as needed. Add the remaining flour mixture, followed by the remaining milk mixture, and beat just until combined.

Add the cocoa powder, beating (on low speed) just until incorporated.
Use a standard-size ice cream scoop to fill each cupcake paper with batter, so that the wells are two-thirds full. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes (start checking at 15 minutes) or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
 If I had thought of this earlier, I would have put a Reese's peanut butter cup in the center of of cupcake! Yummy

Georgetown Cupcake Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting 
I made peanut butter cream cheese buttercream with the addition of 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

Place all ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat until well combined. Dust with cinnamon or cocoa powder.


10 Options:
With only ONE ingredient addition, this recipe can be transformed into 10 different frostings:

1. Chocolate Frosting - Add 1/2 cup of melted (and cooled) semi-sweet chocolate chips.

2. Lemon Frosting  - Add the juice and zest of 2 lemons.

3. Lime Frosting - Add the juice and zest of 3 limes.

4. Orange Frosting - Add the juice and zest of 1 orange.

5. Mocha Frosting - Add 1/4 cup of cold coffee.

6. Peanut Butter Frosting - Add 1/4 cup of creamy peanut butter.

7. Maple Frosting - Add 1/4 cup of maple syrup.

8. Cinnamon Frosting - Add 2 tsp of ground cinnamon.

9. Mint Frosting - Add 2 tsp of peppermint extract.

10. Toffee Frosting - Add 1/4 cup of crushed toffee candy bar