PB Chocolate Cupcakes: Treats for Your Soul

Ok, so the title may be a bit dramatic but, seriously, these babies are just delectable. A treat for the eye and tastebuds. I think for me, personally, the ultimate flavor combination is a good, quality chocolate with peanut butter...classic...simple, yet dramatic...satisfying.

My best friend from middle school turned 30 last month and I made these cupcakes for her. Let me tell you a little bit about this girl. We met in the 7th grade and pretty much clicked right away. She's sweet, funny, and just fun to be around. We share the same faith, likes and dislikes, love for sushi and salt & vinegar chips and I love her family and she loves mine! We've been in and out of each other's lives over the last 18 years, had our share of ups and downs, fought with each other, laughed with each other, cried with each other, and lost touch. But through it all, she is still one of the very few people who know me inside and out, accept me for who I really am, and love me in spite of it. I'm so thankful that she moved within 40 minutes of me last year and that I was able to be in her wedding just over a year ago. I don't know what the future holds, but I know that whatever comes, I'll always be able to count on her! Thanks, Danielle! LYLAS!! :)

Danielle and I on the weekend of her wedding :)

Now back to the cupcakes....

Sorry, I know you want the recipes and how-to's but I just love looking at them! :)

Dark Chocolate Cake:


2 cups AP flour
2 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup dark cocoa powder (recipe calls for dutch process)
2 t baking soda
1 t salt
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup plain greek yogurt (recipe calls for sour cream)
1 1/2 cups water
2 T distilled white vinegar
1 t vanilla extract
2 eggs


Preheat oven to 350. Line muffin tins with liners. Sift the dry ingredients together into a large bowl and whisk to combine them well. Add the oil and yogurt (or sour cream) and whisk to blend. Gradually beat in the water. Blend in the vinegar and vanilla. Whisk in the eggs and beat until well blended. Divide among cupcake liners. Bake until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Let cool 10 minutes before removing cupcakes from pan.


For the icing, I had some left over Cream Cheese Icing that I added peanut butter to until Danielle said it was enough. :) Yes, she was there with me when I made them and since they were for her...well, she was the boss.


For the chocolate-peanut butter drizzle, I just melted semi-sweet chips with peanut butter in the microwave. Sorry, I don't have amounts for you but it's really just up to you and your taste preference. Of course, the toppers were Reese's peanut butter cups, piped with more icing on top to make them look like mini cupcakes. I couldn't help it....I just love cupcakes! :)


Make these cupcakes! They are so delicious and will turn a rainy afternoon into a delight!! Until next time, happy reading and, more importantly, happy cupcake-ing!

Decadent Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

Oh yes, folks. Get ready for some rich decadence! This cake is the ultimate chocolate-peanut butter indulgence. If you love peanut butter cups, you have to try this cake. I recommend a cold glass of milk or strong cup of coffee to go with it as it really is super intense! You start with a rich chocolate cake, add a delicious peanut butter cream cheese icing, and top it off with a chocolate peanut butter ganache. Oh, and I added some chopped Reese's PB cups on top. You know, because there just wasn't enough chocolate or peanut butter already.

Hello! Who wouldn't want a piece of that??

Oh yeah. I think we need a moment of silence....

Ok, so, this cake is for my boss's birthday. He will actually be out of the country on his birthday so we're celebrating a little early. He and a whole team of people are about to head over to Israel for a tour of the Holy Land and then a 10 day mission trip. Our ministry does this trip every year and I'm so excited to hear what God does!! Now, my boss is a true PB lover so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to try this recipe that I found on...yep, you guessed it...Pinterest.

I found the recipe here and made just a few changes as follows....

Chocolate Cake:

2 cups AP flour
2 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup dark cocoa powder (recipe calls for dutch process)
2 t baking soda
1 t salt
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup plain greek yogurt (recipe calls for sour cream)
1 1/2 cups water
2 T distilled white vinegar
1 t vanilla extract
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and line pans with parchment paper. Sift the dry ingredients together into a large bowl and whisk to combine them well. Add the oil and yogurt (or sour cream) and whisk to blend. Gradually beat in the water. Blend in the vinegar and vanilla. Whisk in the eggs and beat until well blended. Divide among pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for about 15 minutes. This cake is very soft and moist so, before crumb coating, stick it in the freezer for about 20-30 minutes. This step IS needed. Trust me.

Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Icing:

10 oz cream cheese (recipe says "at room temperature" but I always keep it in the fridge until ready to use)
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
5 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted
2/3 cup creamy peanut butter (I only use Jif)
*I also added 1 teaspoon of vanilla

In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and mix. Gradually add the sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add peanut butter and continue to beat until light and fluffy.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Ganache:

8 oz semisweet chocolate (recipe says "coarsely chopped" but I used chips)
3 T creamy peanut butter
2 T light corn syrup
1/2 cup half & half

In the top of a double boiler, combine all ingredients except the cream and cook, whisking often, until the chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and whisk in the half & half, whisking until smooth. Use while still warm but not hot. You want it to be spreadable but not so thin that it just runs everywhere when you pour it on the cake.

Well, my friends, I definitely can't wait until tomorrow when we get to enjoy this delightful cake. Of course, as soon as I'm over this respiratory infection, I'll be spending hours in the gym to make up for this and the last week. But, oh so worth it! Make it...you won't regret it! Until next time, happy reading and, more importantly, happy cupcake-ing!

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"Spring"ing Forward With Almond Cupcakes

The pretty little cupcakes :)

Hey friends. It's back to the sweet stuff from the land of meat and potatoes for this post. This is where I'm comfortable. It's home. The fluffy deliciousness of these white almond cupcakes is one of the many reasons why I have a love affair with cupcakes. I made this cake for the first time for my sister's wedding last year. It was such a huge hit and my cousin, Elizabeth (or "Licka" as we call her), fell in love immediately. Yes, she may kill me for putting her nickname out there in cyber space for all to see but it's how I think of her. She turned 18 last month but I still remember her as a little 2 yr old squirt with blond hair who used to look up at me from her playpen, waiting to be picked up. She has grown into quite the young lady with a personality bigger than life. She makes me laugh constantly and we love when she comes down to visit! So, Lick, this one's for you! ;)

Licka - isn't she adorable? Love this girl!

First things first. The cupcake. I came across this recipe last year when I needed a fluffy almond cake for one of the tiers of my sister's Mad Hatter Tea Party wedding cake. I needed something that would be light and moist but also somewhat sturdy as it was to be formed into a topsy-turvy Mad Hatter's top hat. Cool, right?

Mad Hatter Tea Party wedding cake that I made for my sister's wedding. Photo credit goes to Lauren Mason from  Piccadilly Pictures.

Anyway, I found this as a result of a google search and will never make any other almond cake again! I love it. Now, when you read the ingredients, do not freak out! Are you ready for this? It starts with a....gulp....box mix! I know! So not like me!! However, I went with it because it is so doctored that by the time you're finished you don't even remember that Betty Crocker or Pillsbury helped. (Don't get me wrong...they have a time and a place...I just don't usually use them.) I also used this recipe for the groom's cake (my BIL asked for a vanilla/white chocolate concoction) and just left out the almond extract - also gave a great result! Another key ingredient in this cake is sour cream. I've decided that I just love sour cream in my cakes. If I'm looking for a new cake recipe and one of the options has sour cream in it, chances are I'm gonna pick that one.

White Almond Sour Cream Wedding Cake: (adapted from here)


2 18 oz boxes white cake mix
2 cups AP flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 t salt
2 2/3 cups water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 t vanilla extract
2 t almond extract
2 cups sour cream
8 egg whites

1. Whisk together all dry ingredients in a large* mixing bowl. *If you're using the full recipe, then I mean LARGE. This recipe makes a ton of batter. The full recipe made about 4 doz standard size cupcakes. And, when you're using your countertop convection oven because your regular oven is broken, and can only bake six at a time....well, you can guess how long that took!


2. Add remaining ingredients and beat on medium speed for two minutes. 

3. Pour into prepared liners, tapping to let out air bubbles. Bake at 375 for about 12 minutes or until toothpick inserted into middle comes out clean.