Peanut Butter Filled Devils Food Cupcakes

PEANUT BUTTER CREAM-FILLED DEVIL'S FOOD CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line one 12-cup and one 6-cup muffin pan with paper or foil cupcake liners.
• Make the cupcakes: Sift the cake flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt together three times. Beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer at high speed for 15 seconds until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated. Continue beating until light and fluffy, about 6 more minutes. With the mixer at its lowest speed, beat in one-third of the flour mixture. Beat in the buttermilk and vanilla, then another one-third of the flour mixture. Beat in the coffee and then the remaining flour mixture. Fill the muffin cups halfway and bake for 25 minutes, or until the centers spring back when lightly pressed. Set the pans on a rack to cool.
• Make the peanut butter filling: Beat the butter and peanut butter with an electric mixer at medium speed until blended. Reduce the speed to low and gradually beat in the confectioners' sugar. Increase the speed to high and beat for 3 to 5 minutes, until smooth and fluffy. Spoon the filling into a pastry bag fitted with a medium plain tip. Insert the tip into the top of each cooled cupcake and squeeze approximately 1 1/2 tablespoons filling into each cupcake.
• Make the ganache frosting: Place the chocolate in a medium bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan until scalding. Pour the cream over the chocolate and let sit 1 minute, then whisk until smooth. Let sit 10 minutes, until thick but still pourable. Dunk the tops of the cupcakes into the frosting to coat, then place on a rack and sprinkle with the chopped peanuts. Transfer to the refrigerator for 20 minutes to set.

CREAM-FILLED DEVIL'S FOOD CUPCAKES

Steps:

• For the cupcakes: Position an oven rack in the center of the oven, and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners, and lightly coat with cooking spray.
• Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder in a medium bowl; set aside.
• Bring the cocoa powder, milk and 1/2 cup water to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat, and whisk until the cocoa dissolves into a smooth, thicker mixture, about 3 minutes. Stir in the vanilla, and set aside until just slightly warm to the touch.
• Beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed with an electric mixer until combined and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs and egg yolks one at a time, beating to incorporate after each addition. Continue to beat while slowly pouring the cocoa mixture into the bowl (be sure to scrape out any cocoa that coats the saucepan) just until incorporated, scraping down the side of the bowl as needed. Reduce the speed to medium, add the flour mixture and beat until just incorporated. Finish stirring by hand to avoid overmixing.
• Divide the batter evenly among the lined muffin cups, and bake until the cupcakes bounce back when gently pressed and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Let them cool in the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Unwrap each cupcake, and use a small knife to cut out a small "plug" of cake in the middle of each bottom, cutting about halfway through the cupcake.
• For the filling: Beat the marshmallow, confectioners' sugar and butter with an electric mixer in a medium bowl until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a large resealable plastic bag, and snip off one corner. Pipe the filling into the holes cut out of the cupcakes; use the plugs or scraps of the cake you removed to plug the holes back up.
• For the glaze: Combine the butter, chocolate, honey and salt in a small microwave-safe bowl, cover with plastic wrap and poke a hole in it to vent. Microwave on high (at 100 percent power) for about 1 minute, until the butter and most of the chocolate is melted. Whisk until smooth; let cool, 15 to 20 minutes. Dip the top of each cupcake in the glaze, and let it set up, about 30 minutes.
• For the icing: Put the filled and glazed cupcakes on a rack set over a baking sheet or piece of parchment. Whisk the confectioners' sugar, butter and 2 tablespoons water together in a small bowl. Top each cupcake with a drizzle of icing; let harden, about 10 minutes. Put the finished cupcakes in fresh liners. The cupcakes can be baked, filled, glazed and iced a day ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature.

PEANUT-BUTTER-FILLED CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat 12 standard muffin cups with cooking spray, then dust with cocoa, tapping out excess. In a large bowl, whisk together cocoa, flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Using a mixer, beat in eggs, buttermilk, oil, and 3/4 cup water on medium until smooth, about 3 minutes.
• Divide batter among cups and bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a cake comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack 5 minutes, then remove cupcakes and let cool completely on rack.
• In a large bowl, using mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and peanut butter on high until fluffy, 3 minutes; fold in marshmallow topping. Transfer to a zip-top bag and cut off one corner to make a 1/2-inch opening.
• With a melon baller, scoop out center of each cupcake base and set aside (these pieces will plug cupcakes after filling). Hollow out each cupcake a bit more, discarding crumbs. Fill cavities with peanut butter mixture and replace plugs. (Refrigerate in an airtight container, up to 1 week.) To serve, dust with confectioners' sugar.

PEANUT BUTTER FILLED CHOCOLATE CUPCAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line cupcake pans with cupcake liners (for a total of 24 cupcakes).
• For the peanut butter filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and peanut butter until smooth and fluffy. Beat in the granulated sugar. Beat in the vanilla and eggs, scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue to mix until smooth. Set aside.
• For the chocolate cupcake batter: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, sift together the cake flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream 1 cup of the granulated sugar with the oil. Slowly add the vanilla extract and egg yolks to the creamed sugar while mixing, and beat until incorporated.
• In a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer with a whisk attachment, whip the egg whites and remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar until firm peaks form. Do not over-whip.
• Turn the stand mixer on the lowest speed. Add the dry ingredients and milk, alternating between the two and scraping down the sides after each addition. Mix on medium for 1 minute. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the whipped egg whites into the chocolate batter in three parts.
• Scoop one scoop of the chocolate cupcake batter into each cupcake liner. Top with one scoop of the peanut butter filling. The liners will be about two-thirds full. Bake until the cupcakes are nicely domed and the chocolate bounces back from gentle pressure, about 22 minutes; the peanut butter filling will not be firm. Remove from the pans and cool.
• For the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, whip the cream, confectioners' sugar and vanilla on medium speed until stiff peaks form. Be careful not to over-whip the cream.
• Ice the cooled cupcakes with the frosting using a pastry bag fitted with the desired tip.

PEANUT BUTTER FILLED DEVIL'S FOOD CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Make the Devil's Food cake: Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Generously coat a 12-slot muffin tin with nonstick vegetable spray. Into a large bowl, sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together, three times. In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar together at high speed for 15 seconds, until combined. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating until each is incorporated. Continue beating until light and fluffy, about 6 minutes more. With the mixer on its lowest setting, beat in a third of the flour mixture. Beat in the buttermilk and vanilla, then another third of the flour. Beat in the coffee and then the remaining flour. Fill the cups of the muffin tin 2/3 full and bake 15 minutes, or until the centers spring back when lightly pressed and a cake tester comes out clean. Set the pan on a rack to cool.
• For the Peanut Butter Buttercream Filling: Beat the butter and peanut butter in a mixing bowl until blended. Reduce the speed to low and gradually beat in the confectioners' sugar. Increase the speed to high and beat for 3 to 5 minutes until smooth and fluffy. Scrape the Peanut Butter filling into a pastry back fitted with 1/4-inch plain tip. With a small knife, carefully carve a 1-inch round by 1-inch deep plug out of the bottom of cupcakes, you're going to need the plug to refill the hole, so don't chuck it out. Fill with peanut butter cream. Cut a 1/4-inch disk off the cake plug and cover the exposed cream.
• For the Ganache Frosting: Put the chocolate in a small bowl. In a small saucepan, over medium heat, bring the cream just to the simmering point. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and, working from the center out, gently stir with a whisk to melt the chocolate and blend until smooth.
• Dunk the cupcakes into the frosting to coat, then place on a rack, frosted side up. Transfer to the refrigerator for up to 20 minutes to set before serving.

CREAM FILLED DEVIL'S FOOD CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Set rack in the middle of oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Line a 12 slot muffin pan with large paper or foil cupcake liners.
• Sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt together 3 times. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together at high speed for 15 seconds until combined. Add the eggs 1 at a time beating until each is incorporated. Continue beating until light and fluffy, about 6 minutes longer. With the mixer at its lowest speed, beat in 1/3 the flour mixture. Beat in the buttermilk and vanilla, then another third of the flour. Beat in the coffee and then the remaining flour. Fill the sections of the muffin tin 1/2 full and bake for 15 minutes or until the centers spring back when lightly pressed. Set pan on a rack to cool.
• Peanut Butter Buttercream Filling: Beat the butter and peanut butter at medium speed in a mixing bowl until blended. Reduce speed to low and gradually beat in the confectioners' sugar. Increase speed to high and beat for 3 to 5 minutes until smooth and fluffy. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a medium, plain tip with filling. Insert tip into each cooled cupcake and squeeze approximately 3 tablespoons of filling into each cupcake.
• Ganache Frosting: Place chocolate in a medium bowl. Bring the cream to a scald in a small saucepan. Pour cream over chocolate and let sit 1 minute, then whisk until smooth. Let sit for 10 minutes until thick, but still pourable. Dunk the top half of the cupcakes into the frosting to coat, then place on a rack and sprinkle with the chopped peanuts. Transfer to the refrigerator for 20 minutes to set.

PEANUT BUTTER TRUFFLE CUPCAKES

Steps:

• For truffles, in a microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate at 70% power for 1 minute; stir. Microwave at additional 10- to 20-second intervals, stirring until smooth. Stir in peanut butter. Cover and refrigerate for 15-20 minutes or until firm enough to form into balls. Shape into twelve 1-in. balls; roll in cocoa. Set aside., In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk and coffee and mix well. , Fill 12 paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Top each with a truffle (do not press down). , Bake at 350° until a toothpick inserted in cake portion comes out clean, 15-20 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely., In a heavy saucepan over low heat, melt chocolate with cream, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat; stir in peanut butter until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl; chill until mixture reaches spreading consistency. Frost cupcakes. Store in the refrigerator.