Day 25 – we have 5 more cupcakes before the end of May! Today we are hitting the North American theme, and we are hitting it hard with these Peanut Butter Cupcakes.

Well, I call them “Peanut Butter Cupcakes” because one has to choose a search term, and they really are cupcakes made with creamy peanut butter, but they are a bit more than just that.

They are also Peanut Butter Cupcakes with a slightly chocolaty peanut butter frosting – what I like to call Chocolate PB Frosting, but they are more than just that.

See that little stripe of PB between the frosting and the cupcake case? Yeah. That would be a filling of straight up peanut butter and strawberry jam. Or a PB+J filling. Yes, this is overload. But believe me, it’s the kind of overload that will leave you happy for hours.

So here’s the secret to a full Peanut Butter and Jelly experience. You’ll need a full 400g jar of smooth salted peanut butter for this recipe.

Peanut Butter Cupcakes with PB+J filling and Chocolate PB Frosting

makes 14 cupcakes

Peanut Butter Cupcakes

ingredients

125g salted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
6 tbsp smooth peanut butter
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

about 5 tbsp smooth peanut butter, for the filling
about 5 tbsp strawberry jam, for the filling

cocoa nibs, to decorate, if desired

mixing

Line two 12 hole muffin pans with 14 cupcake cases, spray with non-stick spray.

Beat the butter and sugars together until light and creamy. Beat in the peanut butter. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, and beat until the mixture is creamy.

Spoon the mixture into the cupcake cases, and bake at 175 degrees Celsius for 20-25 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool on a wire rack.

When the cupcakes are cold, cut off the rounded tops with a sharp knife, and line each top up to its cupcake (you’re going to put them back on in a bit!). Heat the peanut butter for a few seconds in the microwave until it reaches a slightly softer consistency, then load it into a piping bag fitted with a 4mm round nozzle. Pipe a spiral of peanut butter on the cut surface of the cupcake, as shown below. Spoon a scant teaspoonful of strawberry jam over the top of the spiral, taking care to leave a ring of peanut butter around the outside, as shown below. Finally, replace the tops of the cupcakes and press down gently until the peanut butter starts to emerge around the cut edge.

Load the Chocolate PB frosting into a large piping bag fitted with a open star nozzle, such as a Wilton 1B. Pipe big swirls of frosting over the cupcake, allowing about 35g of frosting per cupcake.

Sprinkle the tops of the cupcakes with cocoa nibs, if desired.

Chocolate PB Frosting

ingredients

150g salted butter, softened
70g dark chocolate, melted
4 tbsp smooth peanut butter
200g icing sugar
4 tsp dark cocoa powder
pinch salt

mixing

Beat the butter, melted chocolate and peanut butter in a bowl until smooth. Add the icing sugar, cocoa powder and salt and beat until light and creamy.

Enjoy!xxx