Buckeye Cupcakes - Week 6

This week's cupcakes were inspired by the delicious buckeye candies.  I'm really please with these cupcakes, even if it took me two attempts to successfully make the delicious peanut butter frosting. The first time around i used all natural peanut butter to make the frosting. The frosting was extremely oily in texture.  I threw it in the trash and made it with Jiff.  DELICIOUS!!!I used my favorite chocolate cake recipe, followed by my favorite peanut butter frosting recipe and then decided to dip the cupcakes in a traditional chocolate coating used for making candy buckeyes! Make sure to put the peanut butter frosted cupcakes in the freezer for at least 30 minutes and then dip.

Three Excellent Helpers!!!

Beatty's Chocolate Cake

Adapted from: The Barefoot Contessa at Home Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cups good cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup buttermilk, shaken
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil (I used canola)
• 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee ( I used decaf)

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.  Fill lined cupcake pans 1/2 full.  Bake for approximately 17 minutes

 
Peanut Butter Frosting
Yield: Enough to frost 12 cupcakes ( I tripled the recipe to generously frost 28 cupcakes.)
Prep Time: 10 minutes
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup heavy cream
Place the confectioners’ sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.
(Recipe from Barefoot Contessa at Home by Ina Garten)
The Chocolate Dip
2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 T canola oil

Combine in a double boiler.  Watch closely and stir until melted.