Reese's peanut butter cup lovers, these chocolate peanut butter cup cupcakes are for you! 🎉 I have tested these chocolate cupcakes so many times to make sure they're extra moist, tender, and stay soft for days (thank you oil + sour cream 🫶🏻). I've then frosted them with a peanut butter cream cheese frosting, which stays stable thanks to a whipped cream base. Topped with a peanut butter cup, and you've got my favorite cupcake!

Save This Recipe! 💌
When I was first testing this peanut butter cup cupcake (say that five times fast), I couldn't decide if I wanted to fill the chocolate cupcakes with something - ganache? More peanut butter frosting? But decided a classic chocolate cupcake with peanut butter frosting was the way to go.
Why These Chocolate Cupcakes Are Extra Moist
I've tested these chocolate cupcakes so many times because I wanted them to have enough lift, still be moist, and be rich. I found that swapping out dutch-processed cocoa powder for natural cocoa powder gave more lift, since it reacts with leaveners differently, and using a smidge more flour gave the cupcakes more structure.
I know we all love American buttercream, but there is something so moreish about cream cheese frosting. And cream cheese frosting with a whipped cream base, which means no need to use butter, AND it stays stable? Be still, my heart.
If you really want to go all out, you can easily core each cupcake and add more peanut butter frosting or some chocolate ganache, but sometimes simple truly is better!
Peanut Butter Cupcake Ingredients

- Smooth peanut butter is the way to go. Make sure you're using the type of creamy peanut butter that you get with Jif or Skippy (why do I always want to write jiffy!) and not the type with oil on top. Natural peanut butter is going to make the frosting runny and sloppy, and that's a no from me.
- Natural cocoa powder reacts with baking soda. Because these cupcakes have both baking soda and baking powder, we need to use natural cocoa powder. Dutch-processed cocoa powder is neutral and needs to be paired with baking powder. If you use Dutch-processed cocoa powder, you'll get sunken cupcakes and no one wants that!
- Vegetable oil > butter. I swap out butter for a neutral oil in my chocolate cupcakes and cakes. It means you don't need a mixer because you don't need to use the cream method (when you beat butter and sugar together) and you get a super moist cupcake. Cocoa powder can make cupcakes super dry, so using oil instead of butter is going to help combat that problem. Just make sure you use a neutral oil like vegetable oil or sunflower oil! Nothing with a strong taste.
Let's Make This Recipe

Step 1: Mix up your ingredients 🥣 Whisk all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl, and all the wet ingredients (save the hot water) in another bowl or jug.

Step 2: Add wet to dry 👩🏻🍳 Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, then slowly pour in the very hot water. Whisk until smooth. The hot water will bloom the cocoa powder, which is a fancy way to say it'll make it richer and more chocolatey.

Step 3: Fill up your liners 🧁 Line a cupcake pan with 12 liners. Fill up the liners so they're ⅔-3/4 full with cupcake batter. Any more batter and they'll overflow in the oven! Bake in the preheated oven for 18-20 minutes.

Step 4: Start the Frosting 🥄 Once your cupcakes are completely cooled, you can make your frosting. In a bowl with a handheld mixer, beat the heavy cream with sugar, salt, and vanilla until it resembles Greek yogurt.

Step 5: Add Final Ingredients 👩🏻🍳 Add the cold cream cheese and peanut butter, then mix the frosting for a few minutes until thick.

Step 6: Frost Your Cupcakes! 🧁 Use a large open star tip to pipe frosting on the cooled cupcakes. I like to then slice Reese's peanut butter cups in half and use those to decorate each cupcake, but you could also use mini peanut butter cups.
Easy Variations
- Core the cupcakes and fill with more of the peanut butter frosting, or fill them with whipped ganache frosting.
- Decorate them with Reese's pieces or sprinkles, or how about some crushed pretzels for a little salty-sweet twist? (I think I need to make some pretzel cupcakes now...)
- Drizzle over some melted dark chocolate and some crushed peanuts.


Made This Recipe?
Make sure to leave a ⭐️ rating and review below! You can tag me on Instagram @alpineella or follow along on Pinterest, Facebook and TikTok!
Thank you!
Ella
Recipe

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes
Ingredients
Chocolate Cupcakes
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons (135 grams) all purpose flour
- ½ cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (100 grams) light brown sugar
- ½ cup (42 grams) natural cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ⅓ cup (66 ml) vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup (113 grams) sour cream room temperature
- ½ cup (118 ml) hot water
Peanut Butter Frosting
- ¾ cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup (210 ml) heavy cream cold
- 1½ cups (340 grams) cream cheese cold
- 1 cup (270 grams) smooth peanut butter
Instructions
Chocolate Cupcakes
- Preheat your oven to 350°F/175°C and place 12 cupcake liners in your cupcake.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, light brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.1 cup + 2 tablespoons (135 grams) all purpose flour, ½ cup (100 grams) granulated sugar, ½ cup (100 grams) light brown sugar, ½ cup (42 grams) natural cocoa powder, ½ teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- In a large jug, whisk the eggs, oil, sour cream, and vanilla until smooth2 large eggs, ⅓ cup (66 ml) vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ cup (113 grams) sour cream
- Pour the wet mixture into the flour, stirring until it is just about smooth - we don't want to over mix the batter! Then pour in the hot water and mix until smooth.½ cup (118 ml) hot water
- Fill the cupcake liners so they're ¾ full and bake for 18-20 minutes. A toothpick inserted should come out clean.
- Allow the cupcakes to cool for 15 minutes in the tray, then take them out and place on a cooling rack.
Peanut Butter Frosting
- In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, or a large bowl with a handheld mixer, whisk the heavy cream, salt, sugar and vanilla on medium-low for 2 minutes. The sugar needs to have completely dissolved.¾ cup (150 grams) granulated sugar, 3 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1 cup (210 ml) heavy cream, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Increase the speed to high and whisk for 2 minutes, until it looks very thick like Greek yogurt.
- Add the cream cheese and the peanut butter. Turn the speed to high, and whip for 3 minutes until smooth.1½ cups (340 grams) cream cheese, 1 cup (270 grams) smooth peanut butter
- Frost your cupcakes and enjoy!













Amanda says
OMG! I'm obsessed with anything peanut butter and chocolate! Amazing cupcakes!!