dark chocolate cupcake with peanut butter... so good...

I baked this dark chocolate cupcake sometime back in June for our dear friend's bday. We didn't get to celebrate with him & his family this year as his wife just gave birth to the sweetest baby girl!! =P We drop by their home to visit the little princess & the bday dad. Not in mood to frost the whole cupcake so I filled it into the center of the cupcake, just another way of eating the cupcake without too much mess. Glad that our dear friend loved the cupcake & he mentioned the frosting is like ice cream!! =) So if you are craving for dark chocolate dessert this is the one you should try!! =P Happy baking!!

Dark chocolate cupcake (makes 12 regular size cupcakes)

(adapted from Cook Illustrated)

Ingredients:

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
½ cup (1.5 ounces) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
¾ cup (3.75 ounces) all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
¾ cup (5.25 ounces) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon table salt
½ cup (4 ounces) sour cream

Method:

1. To make the Cupcakes: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat to 176C. (If you are using a non-stick muffin pan, heat the oven to 162C) Line standard-size muffin pan with baking cup liners.

2. Combine butter, chocolate, and cocoa in medium heatproof bowl. Set bowl over saucepan containing barely simmering water; heat mixture until butter and chocolate are melted and whisk until smooth and combined. (Alternately, you can microwave the mixture at 50% power, stirring every 30 seconds until completely melted.) Set aside to cool until just warm to the touch.

3. Whisk flour, baking soda, and baking powder in small bowl to combine.

4. Whisk eggs in second medium bowl to combine; add sugar, vanilla, and salt until fully incorporated. Add cooled chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Sift about one-third of flour mixture over chocolate mixture and whisk until combined; whisk in sour cream until combined, then sift remaining flour mixture over and whisk until batter is homogeneous and thick.

5. Divide the batter evenly among muffin pan cups. Bake until skewer inserted into center of cupcakes comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes.

6. Cool cupcakes in muffin pan on wire rack until cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes. Carefully lift each cupcake from muffin pan and set on wire rack. Cool to room temperature before icing, about 30 minutes.

Peanut butter frosting

Ingredients:

1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
⅓ cup heavy cream

Method:

1. 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.

Note: I half the frosting recipe for my cupcake as I didn't frost the whole cupcake.