WWE: Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Filling

makes 3 dozen cupcakes

Chocolate Cupcakes

3 cups all-purpose flour

3 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tbsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp salt

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1 1/2 cups warm water

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 tsp vanilla extract

Peanut Butter Cream Filling

1 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Line muffin tins with cupcake liners.
Mix together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt on low speed until combined.
Add eggs, buttermilk, warm water, oil, and vanilla. Beat for two minutes on medium speed until smooth. Scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl to fully incorporate the ingredients.
Fill each cupake 2/3 full, a little over a 1/4 cup for each muffin.
Bake for 20-22 minutes until toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Remove from tins and let cool completely.
Make the peanut butter cream filling by mixing together the peanut butter, melted butter, and powdered sugar in a bowl using a hand mixer. Transfer the filling to a pastry bag with a large open tip. Insert the tip into the top of each cooled cupcake and squeeze about a tablespoon of filling into it. Be careful not to inject too much or it may split the cake.
Frost each cupcake before serving.

Creamy Chocolate Frosting

from allrecipes.com

makes enough to frost 12 cupcakes

Ingredients

2 3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar

6 tbsp unsweetened coca powder

6 tbsp butter, softened

5 tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla

Instructions

In a medium bowl, sift together the confectioners’ sugar and cocoa, and set aside.
In a large bowl, cream butter until smooth, then gradually beat in half the sugar mixture with 3 tbsp of milk. Then beat in the remaining sugar mixture and 2 tbsp of mlik. Blend in vanilla. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. If necessary, adjust consistency with more milk (if too thick) or more sugar (if too thin).