I was supposed to do real life things today, you know; grown-up things, such as updating my website, doing some graphic design work, etc. I also should have finished some D.I.Y. project type things I started days/weeks ago.
Instead… I made cupcakes. :/
Well… I did do some cleaning too, and caught up on some e·mails. And watched ‘American Idol‘ (its my guilty pleasure, what can I say). But really I accomplished NOTHING I should have today, or tonight. *sigh* So now tomorrow I have a million things to do because Friday I’m spending the day with Jay and won’t be able to do them. *sigh again*
Anyway back to the culprit cupcakes that distracted me from my life. These are a new recipe I never tried before. They were good. I quite enjoyed them. Perhaps you will too? (**Please note my, er, notations at the bottom of the recipe for why I titled these ‘mess-ups’…)
DOUBLE DARK CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES WITH PEANUT BUTTER FILLING
MAKES 24 CUPCAKES
Ingredients:
- ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
- ½ cup boiling water
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ sticks plus 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350° and position 2 racks in the lower and middle third of the oven. Line 24 muffin cups with paper or foil liners.
- Put the cocoa powder in a medium heatproof bowl. Add the boiling water and whisk until a smooth paste forms. Whisk in the buttermilk until combined. In a medium bowl, sift the flour with the baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat 1 ½ sticks of the butter with the granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs and vanilla, then beat in the dry ingredients in 2 batches, alternating with the cocoa mixture. Carefully spoon the cupcake batter into the lined muffin cups, filling them about two-thirds full. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until the cupcakes are springy. Let the cupcakes cool in the pans for 5 minutes, then transfer them to wire racks to cool completely.
- In a medium bowl, beat the peanut butter with the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter until creamy. Sift the confectioners’ sugar into the bowl and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Spoon all but 3 tablespoons of the peanut butter filling into a pastry bag fitted with a ¼-inch star tip. Holding a cupcake in your hand, plunge the tip into the top of the cake, pushing it about ¾ inch deep. Gently squeeze the pastry bag to fill the cupcake, withdrawing it slowly as you squeeze; you will feel the cupcake expand slightly as you fill it. Scrape any filling from the top of the cupcake and repeat until all of the cupcakes are filled.
- In a small saucepan, bring the heavy cream to a simmer. Off the heat, add the semisweet chocolate to the cream and let stand for 5 minutes, then whisk the melted chocolate into the cream until smooth. Let the chocolate icing stand until slightly cooled and thickened, about 15 minutes. Dip the tops of the cupcakes into the icing, letting the excess drip back into the pan. Transfer the cupcakes to racks and let stand for 5 minutes. Dip the tops of the cupcakes again and transfer them to racks. Spoon the remaining 3 tablespoons of peanut butter filling into the pastry bag and pipe tiny rosettes on the tops of the cupcakes.
Tip: If you don’t have a pastry bag with a fitted tip, you can fill these cupcakes by carving a hole in the center (from the top) with a sharp paring knife. Put the filling in a resealable plastic bag and snip off one of the corners. Pipe the filling directly into the hole.
Now once again, I cheated. I did not use the filling recipe that comes with this recipe. I used peanut butter buttercream I already had. I also did not use the melted chocolate recipe that comes with it, I used more left over ganache. Oh well. Slap my wrist and call me shifty.
I also, to add a stripey effect to the frosting, painted a few brown food-coloring paste stripes on the inside of the bag before filling it. Makes it more dimensional, and interesting. What can I say, I’m an artist, that crap just comes naturally. You can’t see it well in the pictures. Or at all, really. *ahem* Poo.
I should also state… seeing as how I did admit that I messed up… that I effed up sorta big-time on the baking powder/baking soda. I added more of one than I should’ve (American Idol was on! I was distracted!) I managed to do a ghetto baking powder dig-out thing but I was sure that they were done for. So.. I was expecting these to be shit-worthy. But they were NOT. I’m awesome. They just fall apart kinda easy. But they taste deelish.
I have an overwhelming urge to watch ‘Mary Poppins‘ right now (which I do not have on DVD, by the way… well I do have it technically but its on VHS and it was taped off of TV when I was like 7). If only I knew why..?
(That one I didn’t dip in the melted chocolate, I just devoured it, tehe)
I'm Marilla. A 30-something artist, hobby baker, home canning enthusiast, gardener, DIY-er, wife, mommy of a baby boy and dog mom (to another baby boy) from New York. 
They look seriously good. If I didnt feel like puking from all the cucpakes I ate today from the cupcake shop, id so want one. Mess-ups they are not.
These look so good!! They look great, sound delish! yum!
Slush- that happens to me all the time, I gorge myself on cupcakes and then go and read all these great blogs and wanna puke. Boo.
April- Thanks! I definitely recommend the recipe. 🙂
holy crap, those look amazing.
lol thanks 😉
they were!
love the peanut butter filling. the texture with the lightness of the cake around it is just divine. the spring ones look pretty funky. unfortunatley here in oz it’s about a billion degrees and i’m dreaming of frost
Yeah these cupcakes have a super-lightness about them. I love it.
Thats usually how it goes, right? The grass is always greener… after about a month of summer I’m usually dreaming about wearing jackets and hoodies and boots again… *sigh*
Unquestionably believe that which you said. Your favorite
justification appeared to be on the net the easiest thing to be aware of.
I say to you, I definitely get irked while people consider worries
that they just don’t know about. You managed to hit the nail upon the top and also defined out the whole thing without having side
effect , people can take a signal. Will probably be back to get
more. Thanks
My brother recommended I might like this blog.
He was totally right. This post actually made my day. You cann’t imagine simply how much time I had spent for this information! Thanks!
Right now it sounds like WordPress is the best blogging platform out there
right now. (from what I’ve read) Is that what you are using on your blog?
Genuinely when someone doesn’t be aware of afterward its up to other visitors that they will assist, so here it happens.
I don’t know whether it’s just me or if everybody else encountering issues with your website.
It looks like some of the written text on your posts are running off the screen. Can somebody else please provide feedback and let me know if this is happening to them too?
This may be a problem with my browser because I’ve had this happen previously.
Thank you
I have been surfing online more than 4 hours today, yet I never found any
interesting article like yours. It is pretty worth enough for me.
In my view, if all site owners and bloggers made good content as you did,
the web will be much more useful than ever before.
I all the time emailed this weblog post page
to all my contacts, because if like to read it next my
contacts will too.
These are in fact enormous ideas in regarding blogging.
You have touched some pleasant factors here. Any way keep up wrinting.
After I originally left a comment I seem to have clicked the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and from now on each time a comment is added I receive four
emails with the exact same comment. There has to be a means you are able to remove me from that service?
Thanks!
Hey there I am so grateful I found your weblog, I
really found you by error, while I was researching on Digg
for something else, Anyways I am here now and would just like
to say many thanks for a remarkable post and a all round thrilling
blog (I also love the theme/design), I don’t have time to go
through it all at the moment but I have bookmarked it and also added in your RSS feeds,
so when I have time I will be back to read a great deal more, Please do keep up the excellent
job.
Excellent post. I used to be checking constantly this weblog and I am impressed!
Extremely useful info specially the ultimate section 🙂 I handle such info much.
I used to be looking for this certain information for a long time.
Thank you and good luck.
Outstanding story there. What occurred after?
Thanks!
Outstanding quest there. What occurred after? Good luck!
Hi everybody, here every one is sharing these knowledge, thus it’s pleasant to
read this blog, and I used to go to see this website daily.
It’s hard to come by educated people for this subject, however, you sound like you know what you’re talking about!
Thanks
I’d like to thank you for the efforts you’ve put in writing this blog.
I’m hoping to check out the same high-grade blog posts
by you later on as well. In truth, your creative writing abilities has inspired me to
get my own, personal blog now 😉
I intended to create you a little observation just
to say thank you over again for these wonderful secrets you have discussed on this page.
It’s quite wonderfully generous with you to convey publicly just what many individuals might have advertised
as an ebook to end up making some bucks on their own, even more so considering the
fact that you might well have done it if you wanted.
These secrets likewise acted as a fantastic way to be certain that other individuals
have similar eagerness like my personal own to understand
much more with regards to this condition. I think there are a lot more
fun instances up front for those who scan your blog
post.
I read this article completely regarding the difference
of latest and previous technologies, it’s amazing article.
The new Zune browser is surprisingly good, but not as good as the iPod’s. It works well, but isn’t as fast as Safari, and has a clunkier interface. If you occasionally plan on using the web browser that’s not an issue, but if you’re planning to browse the web alot from your PMP then the iPod’s larger screen and better browser may be important.
Hello mates, how is all, and what you would like to say concerning this piece of writing, in my view its genuinely remarkable for
me.
Every weekend i used to visit this web site, because i want
enjoyment, as this this site conations genuinely pleasant funny material too.
I could not resist commenting. Perfectly written!
It’s truly very difficult in this active life to listen news
on Television, therefore I just use world wide web for
that purpose, and get the latest news.
My relatives all the time say that I am killing my time here at web, however I know I
am getting experience all the time by reading such
pleasant content.
Excellent post. I used to be checking constantly this blog and I’m inspired!
Extremely helpful info specifically the remaining section 🙂
I take care of such info much. I used to be seeking this certain information for a very lengthy time.
Thank you and best of luck.
I every time spent my half an hour to read this web site’s articles all the time along with
a cup of coffee.
An interesting discussion is worth comment. I believe that you ought to write more about this subject, it may not be a taboo matter
but typically folks don’t speak about such issues. To the next!
All the best!!
I would like to take the ability of saying thanks to
you for your professional instruction I have usually enjoyed visiting your site.
I am looking forward to the commencement of my college research
and the general preparing would never have been complete without checking out this site.
If I can be of any assistance to others, I’d personally
be ready to help by means of what I have learned from here.
Very good article. I will be experiencing some of these issues as well..