Daily Cupcake Recipe

Recipe for Saturday, April 16th, 2011:
Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache Frosting

Recipe via Seventeen

Prep time: unknown
Bake time: 20 minutes

Serves: 24 medium or 18 large cupcakes

Ingredients [Peanut Butter Cupcake]:

• 1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
• 3/4 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar, packed
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup milk

Ingredients [Chocolate Ganache Frosting]:

• 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1/4 stick unsalted butter, softened

(A conversion table can be found here.)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a muffin tin with paper cups.

With a mixer, cream peanut butter, butter, and vanilla in a large bowl until smooth. Gradually add sugar, beating until mix is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating until all mixed in. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Beat a third of the flour mixture into the peanut butter mixture. Do the same with a third of the milk. Repeat this process until everything is well-blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl between additions.

For medium cupcakes, fill paper cups two-thirds full. For larger cupcakes, fill to just below top rim. Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of cupcake comes out clean. Let cool 10 minutes.

Make icing: Place chocolate in a medium bowl and set aside. In a heavy 1-quart saucepan, using a wooden spoon, combine cream, corn syrup, and butter, and cook over medium heat until hot but not boiling (little beads of water will form on side of pot). Pour cream over chocolate and stir until blended.

One by one, dip the top of each cooled cupcake into the ganache. Let the excess ganache drip off into the bowl before flipping the cupcake to an upright position.