These Devil’s Food Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting are rich, chocolatey, and incredibly moist with a creamy peanut butter frosting piped on top! If you love a good chocolate and peanut butter combo, this recipe is definitely for you!
Table of Contents
Devil’s Food Cupcakes: Grab the Ingredients
Here’s a brief list of ingredients needed to make this easy devil’s food cupcakes recipe.
- All-Purpose Flour
- Dutch Process Cocoa Powder
- Baking Soda and Baking Powder
- Salt
- Espresso Powder
- Light Brown Sugar
- Vegetable Oil
- Eggs
- Sour Cream
- Vanilla Extract
- Dark Chocolate. 70% Cacao is what I used to make these cupcakes.
- Boiling Water
Substitutions
Espresso Powder. If you don’t have espresso powder on hand, you can use instant coffee. For the instant coffee, I would skip mixing it in with the other dry ingredients and instead dissolve it in the boiling water right before it’s added to the batter.
Sour Cream. You can substitute the full-fat sour cream for plain Greek yogurt.
Creamy Peanut Butter Frosting
This is a super easy and super delicious peanut butter frosting that comes together using a large mixing bowl, a spatula, and a hand mixer (or you can use your stand mixer). I also recommend using a sifter for the powdered sugar.
You will need the following ingredients:
- Unsalted Butter
- Creamy Peanut Butter. Use regular creamy peanut butter and not the crunchy or organic kind where the oil rests on top. Using either can mess up the frosting leaving you with a hot mess.
- Powdered Sugar. To avoid lumps in this peanut butter frosting, make sure to sift this before adding to the frosting.
- Heavy Whipping Cream. Also known as heavy cream.
- Salt
- Vanilla Extract
Let’s Make Devil’s Food Cupcakes!
Below is a brief overview of how to make these devil’s food cupcakes with peanut butter frosting. For the full recipe, scroll down to the recipe card.
- Melt the chocolate. You can do this in the microwave, stirring each time until melted. Set to the side.
- Whisk the dry ingredients together. This includes all-purpose flour, dutch process cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and espresso powder.
- Beat the wet ingredients together. Add the vegetable oil, light brown sugar, eggs, sour cream, and vanilla extract to a large mixing bowl. You can use a whisk or hand mixer for this recipe.
- Add in the whisked dry ingredients.
- Add in the melted chocolate and boiling water. Mix together until just combined. The devil’s food cupcakes batter will be on the thin side. It’s best to use a cookie scoop for dividing out the batter. Fill the liners 3/4 full.
- Bake the cupcakes. Place the cupcake tins side-by-side in the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes at 375ºF. For reference, mine came out perfectly at 19 minutes. The cupcakes should have a small dome to them and spring back when gently pressed.
- Make the frosting. Cream the butter and peanut butter first, then add in the sifted powdered sugar, heavy whipping cream, salt, and vanilla extract. Frost the cupcakes as soon as they are cool.
Helpful Tips Before Starting
- Cookie Scoop. For this recipe, I used a three-tablespoon-sized scoop and filled up the liners approximately 3/4 full.
- Cupcake Liners. I used Wilton’s standard-size cupcake liners for this devil’s food cupcakes recipe, but you can also use the Wilton 24-pack Wave Cupcake Liners in black. Using the wave liners will yield more cupcakes.
- Decorating Tip. Piping the frosting onto the cupcakes is optional, but I used the Wilton 2A tip for reference.
- Garnish. I kept these devil’s food cupcakes with peanut butter frosting simple, but you can add a garnish like crushed peanuts, mini Reese’s peanut butter cups, or drizzle on some chocolate syrup.
Recipe FAQs
Because of the baking soda and baking powder amounts used to balance out the Dutch process cocoa, I wouldn’t recommend swapping it out for unsweetened cocoa powder.
You can use standard cupcake liners (mine are from Wilton) or you can use Wilton’s wave cupcake liners. If using the latter, you will yield more cupcakes because they don’t hold as much batter as the standard liners.
24 cupcakes. You will need two cupcake tins.
This peanut butter frosting recipe makes enough to create a somewhat thick layer of frosting on top of the Devil’s food cupcakes. This frosting also makes enough to use for my three layer chocolate cake recipe.
I used the Wilton 2A decorating tip and a small offset spatula to create the center swoop.
More Chocolate and Peanut Butter Desserts to Enjoy!
Devil’s Food Cupcakes
Ingredients
Devil's Food Cupcakes
- 1 1/2 cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1/2 cup Dutch Process Cocoa Powder
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 2 tsp Espresso Powder
- 1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
- 1 1/2 cup Light Brown Sugar
- 2 Large Eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cup Sour Cream, or Plain Greek Yogurt
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 4 oz Dark Chocolate, 70% Cacao, melted
- 1 cup Boiling Water
Peanut Butter Frosting
- 1 cup Unsalted Butter, room temperature
- 1 cup Creamy Peanut Butter
- 3 1/2 cups Sifted Powdered Sugar
- 3 tbsp Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Instructions
Devil's Food Cupcakes
- Adjust your oven rack to the 2nd level mark (just above center) and preheat your oven to 375ºF. Line 2 cupcake tins with cupcake liners and set to the side.
- In a small microwaveable bowl, melt the dark chocolate in 30-45 second increments at 50% power until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Set to the side to cool slightly.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, dutch process cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and espresso powder. Set to the side.1 1/2 cup All-Purpose Flour, 1/2 cup Dutch Process Cocoa Powder, 1 tsp Baking Soda, 1/2 tsp Baking Powder, 1/4 tsp Salt, 2 tsp Espresso Powder
- Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the vegetable oil, light brown sugar, eggs, sour cream, and vanilla extract on medium-high speed until well blended.1/2 cup Vegetable Oil, 1 1/2 cup Light Brown Sugar, 2 Large Eggs, 1/2 cup Sour Cream, 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- Reduce the mixer speed to low, gradually adding in the whisked dry ingredients, scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl as needed.
- Keeping the mixer speed on low, carefully add in the melted chocolate, then the boiling water mixing until just combined. The devil's food cupcake batter will be on the thin and runny side.1 cup Boiling Water, 4 oz Dark Chocolate
- Using a 3 tablespoon-size cookie scoop, carefully fill the cupcake liners approximately half way full.
- Place the 2 cupcake tins side-by-side in the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes at 375ºF or until the top of the cupcake springs back when gently pressed.
- Cool the cupcakes in the tins for 5-10 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling.
- The cupcakes should be cool to the touch before adding the peanut butter frosting. You can make these up to 2 nights in advance, keeping them stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
Peanut Butter Frosting
- Using your hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the unsalted butter until soft and creamy. Add in the peanut butter and beat together until well blended.1 cup Unsalted Butter, 1 cup Creamy Peanut Butter
- Reduce the mixer speed to low, gradually adding in the sifted powdered sugar, heavy whipping cream, salt, and vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.3 1/2 cups Sifted Powdered Sugar, 3 tbsp Heavy Whipping Cream, 1/4 tsp Salt, 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- Frost cupcakes using a decorative piping tip or with an offset spatula.
Video
Notes
- Cookie Scoop. For this recipe, I used a 3 tablespoon sized scoop and filled up the liners approximately ¾ full.
- Cupcake Liners. I used Wilton’s standard size cupcake liners for this devil’s food cupcakes recipe, but you can also use the Wilton 24-pack Wave Cupcake Liners in black. Using the wave liners will yields more upcakes.
- Decorating Tip. Piping the frosting onto the cupcakes is totally optional, but for reference I used the Wilton 2A tip.
- I kept these devil’s food cupcakes with peanut butter frosting simple, but you can add a garnish like crushed peanuts, mini reese’s peanut butter cups, or drizzle on some chocolate syrup.
Nutrition
Nutritional information provided above is an estimate only and will vary based on specific ingredients used. See Nutritional Disclaimer for more info.
