I'm hosting a dinner tomorrow night for 9 people. Everyone knows that a good hostess ALWAYS has dessert prepared! Even as I looked through recipes for tomorrow's menu, I coveted something sweet and rich. And there's nothing I hate more than making a dessert that I can't taste-test immediately! (Which would be rude to serve a half-eaten chocolate torte or layered cake!) That's when it hit me: AHA! Cupcakes! No one would EVER know I got to try it before I served it :)
Honestly, I'm not impressed with the recipe I used for the chocolate cake; I'll have to keep trying and improve upon it (I will be making the next one with mayonnaise, shh! don't tell; that is why they call it a secret ingredient!) I digress to say: Use your own cake mix recipe, or even your favorite boxed mix.
When the batter is ready, pour into the cupcake cups, filling about halfway. This should leave a reserve of about 1/3 of the batter. Mix in 1/3 of a cup of peanut-butter (I used the reduced-fat, all-natural kind, but I'm sure you can get away with just about anything). The new batter will be a bit denser, but that's okay. Scoop a spoonful into the middle of the half-full cupcakes (they will be about 2/3 full).
Bake at whatever temperature your recipe or mix calls for, cutting the time in half from the regular cake baking time for cupcakes (I always err on the early side, just incase!). Allow to cool to room temperature, at least 45 minutes. You don't want to melt the icing!
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Melt 1/2 stick of butter and 6 ounces of milk chocolate pieces in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. When melted, remove from heat and scoop spoonfuls on top of each cupcake, allowing chocolate to cool slightly. Spread ganache thinly across the top of each cupcake and allow to cool. (i put mine in the fridge for about 5 minutes to allow the ganache to harden).
Beat 1/2 cup room-temperature butter (1 stick) on medium with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add confectioners' sugar in 1/2 cup increments. Incorporate each half-cup on a low speed, then mix for 20 seconds on a high speed. After 2 cups have been added, mix in 1 teaspoon of vanilla and 1/4 cup peanut butter with an additional 1 1/4 cup of confectioners' sugar (3 1/4 cups total) 1/4 cup cocoa, and 1 tablespoon hot (not boiling) water. Continue whipping on a medium-high speed until frosting is full with firm peaks. Add an addition 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) of butter to create a fluffier texture.
Using a rubber spatula, fold frosting into pastry bag. Using the open tip, pipe generous amounts onto each cupcake. Experiment with different tips and decorations. The recipes for the buttercream icing and the chocolate ganache are enough to cover 24 cupcakes; but you never have to tell your dinner guests that's how many you started out with :)
enjoy! xoxo
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