Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting
A light chocolate cupcake smothered with a peanut butter frosting is the ultimate chocolate and peanut butter combination. If you are a fan of peanut butter cups or the flavor combination of chocolate and peanut butter then try a batch of these delicious cupcakes. You will find it hard to stop at one. Or that might just be my lack of self-control.
Before I continue on with the recipe and the usual chat about it, I would like to introduce myself. I’m Angela Coleby, the creator of Divalicious Recipes.com which is a low carb & gluten free recipe blog. I will be contributing to the lovely Joy Filled Eats which I am excited about as I drool over Taryn’s recipes! As well as a food blogger, I am a lover of animals, the beach, and wine. Which is fortunate as I currently live in St Lucia with my husband, 3 cats, and 3 dogs. I’m originally from the UK, so will apologize for my sense of humor up front! Thanks for reading this so far, and back to the recipe…
The cupcakes are baked with coconut flour and yield a moist, light cupcake that would fool the most hardened wheat flour lover. The trick is to whisk the eggs, so they are nice and fluffy before adding the other ingredients.
These delicious cupcakes came to mind when I was standing at the supermarket checkout and was faced with a row of Reece’s pieces at the display. Testing my resolve not to tear them open with my teeth and be lead away by security whilst I was in a sugar high, I thought about combining chocolate and peanut butter together and the simplest idea was a cupcake.
For the peanut butter frosting, I used natural smooth peanut butter which is just peanuts crushed into a smooth texture, with the natural oil of the peanuts released to make the smooth buttery consistency. Some brands may add a touch of salt but as with anything in a jar, ensure you read the labels.
I’ve even tried making my own peanut butter with my food processor and the results were not too bad but, in all honesty, it lacked a little something. Perhaps it was the brand of peanuts I used, or I should have added a drop of coconut oil. One of our supermarkets sells a huge jar of natural peanut butter at a price that does not make me curse out allowed, so, for now, I’m good with that.
You will want to eat that topping with a spoon directly from the bowl but if you are lucky there should be a little bit over. It depends upon how much you pipe on top. I was happy to have almost an equal height of peanut butter frosting for these chocolate cupcakes but it’s up to you how much you want to use.
A suggestion to serving these delicious peanut butter frosted cupcakes is to sprinkle some cocoa powder over the topping. Just make sure it’s unsweetened cocoa though!
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Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting
Ingredients
Chocolate Cupcakes
- 3 Eggs
- 1/4 cup Unsalted Butter, melted
- 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1/4 cup granular sweetener (1:1 ratio)
- 3 Tbsp Coconut Flour
- 1/2 cup Cocoa powder unsweetened
- 2 tablespoons Coconut Milk
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking powder
Peanut Butter Frosting
- 3 Tbsp Butter, softened unsalted
- 3 oz Cream Cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1/4 Cup powdered sweetener
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- 2 Tbsp Heavy Cream
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F degrees.
- Whisk the eggs well and then add in the melted butter.
- Add the coconut flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, erythritol, coconut milk and vanilla and whisk until smooth.
- If the batter seems too thick add more coconut milk.
- Place the batter into cupcake cases 3/4 of the way up and bake for 20 minutes until the tops spring back lightly when touched.
- Allow to cool.
Peanut Butter Frosting
- Mix the cream cheese and butter together until blended.
- Add the peanut butter, cream, erythritol, vanilla extract and butter until soft with no lumps. (Mix with a blender if it's easier).
- Smother or pipe the cupcakes with the peanut butter frosting.
Notes
Nutrition
Note for my Trim Healthy Mama readers, if you would like to use baking blend check out these Chocolate Cupcakes from My Montana Kitchen.
I thought these looked so good. I tried eating one and it was so bitter, I cannot finish it. I use the THM sweetener for baking. I have gone over my ingredients and I think every thing is right? I have wasted a lot of expensive stuff.
Which THM sweetener did you use? You would have needed less than the amounts listed if you used one of their blends. Is just the cake bitter or the frosting?
The peanut butter…doesn’t that have sugar and therefore not an option for keto? And any idea what the nutrition facts are just for the frosting?
Most natural peanut butters do not have added sugar – just read the label.
And no, sorry, I don’t. You can put the ingredients into a nutrition calculator.
What about monk fruit sweetener? 1/4 cup or a different amount?
Yes. Monk fruit blends (like lakanto) are 1:1 to erythritol. Both are equal to sugar.
I made these with trivia sugar substitute so doubled the amount of sugar substitute called for and added a bit of extra peanut butter to the frosting. They were a huge hit! Thank you!
Sorry I meant Truvia sugar substitute!
When you have coconut milk in a recipe, is it the coconut milk in the can or the carton in the refrigerator section with almond milk?
Thanks.
Coconut milk in the can.
I made as directed and they are very bitter. I used Pyure as the sweetener and halved it as directed in the notes. Any ideas as to why there are so bitter?
I find pyure to be bitter in general. Is this your first time using it? It can take awhile to get used to sugar free sweeteners.
Yes, I have used swerve in the past but didn’t have enough and the store I went to didn’t have it. I have some swerve left, stevia (liquid) and Pyure. Do you have a recommendation?
Out of those I prefer swerve. I make my own sweetener most of the time with xylitol, erythritol, and stevia. Joyfilledeats.com/sweetener
I must make these. I just have one question, though. Can I substitute powdered Swerve for the 2 tablespoons Erythritol, ground that the frosting calls for? Thanks.
Yes! I hope you like them 😀
Is the sweetner 1/4 cup of your sweetner blend?
It would actually be only 2 tablespoons for the cupcakes. It is twice as sweet as erythritol.
I do not understand why one cupcake is almost 500 calories?
Because they are full of delicious but high caloric ingredients like peanut butter, butter, and cream cheese. 😉 These are worthy of a birthday dessert but are a bit too rich to eat every day. You could always make them mini cupcakes.
Can these be kept in fridge for several days? I am the only one who eats sweets in my house so don’t want to eat all in one sitting! LOL
Absolutely! Enjoy!
I’m assuming a 350 degree oven? And how much baking powder?
1/2 teaspoon baking powder and 180C/350F degree oven.
I need these in my life!! Thank you- I can’t wait to try!