Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

My husband is a big fan of the chocolate and peanut butter combination, so for his birthday I made him these wonderful chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting because they are guaranteed to please around here. These are very easy and very delicious. This cake is the Hershey’s Perfectly Chocolate Cake recipe which is, in my opinion, the best chocolate cake recipe out there. I’ve been making it for years and it never fails. It pairs well with many frosting flavors, but peanut butter frosting is its best mate. This peanut butter frosting is easy, so even if you have never made your own, give it a try. Once you’ve made homemade frosting, you just cannot eat the canned stuff ever again.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

Hershey’s Perfectly Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

• 2 cups sugar
• 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup HERSHEY’S Cocoa
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.
2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.
3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.  Frost.

CUPCAKES: Line muffin cups with paper baking cups. Fill cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely. Frost.

Peanut Butter Frosting

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup peanut butter, smooth
• 5 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar ( or more, to taste)
• 1 -3 tablespoon milk (only if needed to thin) (optional – I have never used)

Directions