Cupcake Party: Double Peanut Butter Chocolate Takes the Cake

Peanut Butter and Chocolate.  Like storms and roaring fires, or rainbows and rain, or Joel and Mikaela, these two just go together.  Therefore, even as I debated the merits of Nutella cupcakes or coconut chocolate cupcakes, my heart was in the end stolen by these Double Peanut Butter Chocolate beauties!

By the way, if you missed Tuesday's post introducing our monthly cupcake parties, you can check that out here!  This month, Sarah, Mikaela, and I are kicking it off with chocolate.  So let's get baking!

 I'm one of those bakers who actually always like to get out all of my ingredients before starting a recipe.  I don't normally take photos of those ingredients, but it was just such a pretty line-up...

First, mix the dry ingredients.
 The only flours in these cupcakes were almond and coconut.  I had my doubts as to how light the end result would be, but let me tell you: I was floored by the texture!  If they can be that delicious with no white flour, then that means I can have a couple extra cupcakes, right?

Behold: the real me!

 In goes the wet stuff: eggs, honey, and oil.

 Mix it all up thoroughly without over mixing!  The almond flour tends to clump up, so make sure it's completely smooth.

 

Mix up your peanut butter filling ingredients separately, then scoop one tablespoon of peanut butter into each cupcake liner.  Finally, fill the cupcakes with 1/4 cup of batter each.

Fresh out of the oven!  Do you smell that chocolate?  (As you can see, a few of the cupcakes caved in in the middle, which I suspect was because I didn't follow my own advice and mix my batter thoroughly enough.  Thank goodness for frosting, though!)

Speaking of frosting, I was planning on topping the cupcakes with chocolate ganache until I discovered a dearth of whipping cream in our house.  Peanut Butter Cream Cheese frosting came through however, making these officially double peanut butter!

The finished beauties strike a pose!

I drizzled them with melted chocolate, topped each one with a mini peanut butter cup, and then stood aside for the stampede!

Tell me that doesn't make you hungry!

Yup.  That picture about sums things up!  

Be sure to link your own cupcake-making post in the comments below to join in the fun!

The Recipe
(From Elana Amsterdam's Gluten Free Cupcakes)

Batter 

1/2 cup blanched almond flour

1/4 cup coconut flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

4 large eggs

2 Tbs. grapeseed oil (I used olive oil)

1/2 cup agave nectar (I used an equal amount of honey)

Filling

1/2 cup creamy roasted peanut butter

1/4 cup agave nectar (I used an equal amount of honey)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. sea salt

Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Line 9 muffin cups with paper liners.

To make the batter, in a large bowl, combine the almond flour, coconut flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining batter ingredients.  Blend the wet ingredients into the almond flour mixture with a mixer until thoroughly combined. 

To make the filling, in a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients and mash together with a fork until smooth.

Scoop 1 tablespoon (I used a cookie dough scoop) of the filling into each prepared muffin cup, then cover with 1/4 cup of batter.

Bake for 20 to 24 minutes, until a toothpick inserted 1/2 inch from the edge of the cupcake (to avoid the peanut butter center) comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached.  Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 1 hour, then frost and serve.  

 Cream Cheese Peanut Butter Frosting

(From The Cupcake Diaries by Katherine Kallinis and Sophie Kallinis LaMontagne)

4 tbs. butter, at room temperature
6 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/2 cup creamy (smooth) peanut butter

Combine all ingredients with a mixer and mix on high speed for 3-5 minutes or until light and airy.