Wednesday 2 May 2012

Peanut Butter Cupcakes with a hidden surprise


As you know I love entering baking challenges but I was doubly excited to see this new one as it involved 2 of my favourite things - baking and reading. Kelly from An American Cupcake in London has started a new Cupcake Book Club based on her love for cupcakes and reading. Each month, she will chose a novel with a cupcake or baking theme and bake something inspired by the book. 

This month she chose Love in the Making by Roisin Meaney. Initially I though I wouldn't have time to read but it's such an easy read, it really didn't take long at all. Don't worry, no spoilers here so it's safe to read on :) 

It's a story about Hannah who achieves her life long dream of opening her own cupcake shop. However, her boyfriend leaves her for another woman and she's not sure if she can run her own business alone.  Her best friend Adam (my second favourite character after Hannah) sets her a deadline of seven months till his birthday to make her business a success before giving it up. He also ends up moving in with her to help her financially and to make room for his sister Nora who provides a little sub-plot of her own.  There are a few other sub-plots to the story: Hannah's parents and their friends, Leah the girl that Patrick left Hannah for, Adam's love interest and Hannah's love interests. As the title says "Love in the Making"!

Back to the cupcakes. peanut butter cupcakes were mentioned at least 5 times in the book including a giant peanut butter cupcake. If you read my blog regularly, you will know that I LOVE peanut butter and chocolate so the choice for me was obvious. However, I thought I'd make it a little more fun and add a little surprise inside - can you guess what it is? 

These cupcakes were amazing!! If you love peanut butter you must try these cupcakes. The cake was light, moist and flavourful. The chocolate buttercream frosting was too die for. The surprise inside? It made the cake even better. A word of warning: you will be in a sugar coma if you eat too many of these... ok maybe even with one but it's well worth it :) 

 Recipe from Cupcakes from the Primrose Bakery in the background, Reese's peanut butter cups - a giant party bag I bought from America and delicious smooth peanut butter all the way from New York - !THANK YOU DAISY
Special mention to Daisy who blogs at nevertoosweet - a lovely twitter friend who sent me this jar of well travelled peanut butter as she knows I LOVE this stuff!


 Take the cupcakes out when they are almost done, after approximately 10 minutes. Peel the cases from the peanut butter cups 

 Press into the middle gently 

 Continue baking for another 5 minutes until cupcakes are cooked

 Don't worry about the holes as it will be filled with frosting. Lots of buttery, chocolate frosting! 

 Look a little plain? 

 Add some gold pearls

 Ready to see the surprise? 

 ta-da! I'm so glad it worked! 

Recipes from Cupcakes from the Primrose Bakery by Martha Swift & Lisa Thomas published by www.kylebooks.com - with kind permission.




Peanut butter cupcakes 
Makes 12 cupcakes

75g butter
130g smooth peanut butter
190g dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
120g plain flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
60ml semi-skimmed milk
12 Reese's peanut butter cups

Chocolate Buttercream frosting
175g dark chocolate
225 butter
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
250g icing sugar, sifted


  • Preheat the oven to 160C.
  • Line a 12-hole muffin tray with cupcake cases. 
  • Cream the butter, peanut butter and sugar until well blended. 
  • Add the eggs, one at a time and then stir in the vanilla extract. 
  • Combine the flour, salt and baking powder in a separate bowl.
  • Add 1/3 of the flour to the creamed mixture and beat well.
  • Pour 1/3 of the milk and beat again.
  • Repeat until all the flour and milk have been added. 
  • Spoon the mixture into the cupcake cases - I used a large ice cream scoop. 
  • Bake for approximately 10 minutes and remove from the oven. 
  • Prepare your Reese's cups by removing the wrappers and case. 
  • After 10 minutes, the tops of the cake will be cooked but the middle is still soft.
  • Insert a peanut butter cup into each cupcake, pressing gently.
  • Return to the oven and bake for a further 10-12 minutes until cooked.
  • Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.
  • To make the frosting, melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. 
  • Beat the butter, milk, vanilla extract and icing sugar until smooth.
  • Add the melted chocolate and continue beating until thick and creamy.
  • Pipe the chocolate frosting on top of the cupcakes and decorate as desired. 






Linking up to Lets Bake cupcakes and muffins hosted by simply.food




47 comments:

  1. They look fantastic! I love to read the Hannah Swenson books by Joanna Fluke. They are not going to win any prizes for fiction but great for an easy read and the cookie recipes in them are very good. I must investigate that challenge, although I have enough challenges to be going on with!

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    1. Ooh I'll have to check out those books too - I need more than 24 hours! ;) As you can see I'm a bit of a challenge addict now - this was too good to pass up!

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  2. You had me at surprise! And, Janice (comment above), I love the Joanne Fluke books, too!

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    1. Glad you like the surprise. Definitely have to check out Joanne Fluke!

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  3. These look gorgeous, and I love the idea of the Reese's cup in the middle. I bet they tasted heavenly! Perfect for the book :)

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    1. They tasted really heavenly indeed :) I thought peanut butter + peanut butter cups = Heaven :)

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  4. Oh my gosh I need these in my belly now!!! Love the surprise

    Nom! X

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  5. Oh my lord these look immense. Yum

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  6. I do love peanut butter! Yum!

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  7. Love your frost and look awesome!

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  8. I love your cupcakes. What a nice surprise to be eating the cupcake and find a peanut butter cup in the center. YUM!

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    1. The peanut butter cup surprise is amazing!

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  9. I love eating Reese too and happy now that we can buy them in some candy specialty shop in Australia. This challenge sounds like fun. Will check out the Cupcake Book Club :D

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    1. Yes do check out the cupcake book club - it's great fun! I'm happy that they are also selling Reese's in UK now.

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  10. Ah, love the hidden surprise inside these cupcakes!

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  11. OOOh what a tasty surprise! Absolutely love the peanut butter cupcakes (recently made them following Barefoot Contessa's recipe). your Cupcake Book Club also sounds interesting

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    1. The peanut butter cupcakes with peanut butter cups are amazing! I actually made another batch today as they are just sooo good :)

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  12. When I first travelled from Canada to my new home in Australia, one of the things I missed terribly was Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. I lamented this to my mother, who dutifully loaded every birthday parcel with ridiculous amounts of the things. However, my mother's, ahem, thrifty postage methods meant the cups were a bit worse for wear when we finally got them after three months in the post.

    Now peanut butter cups and other North American candy are plentiful in many Sydney shops, and though I've advised Mom of this, we still dutifully receive peanut butter cups for every birthday and Christmas thereafter. Most of them get taken into work, some are still devoured at home.

    That said, I'm so making these.

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    1. How sweet of your Mom to continue sending you PB cups! I'm sure they are never wasted :) You won't regret making these - I'm awaiting permission from the publisher to publish the recipe so hopefully they say yes in which case check back later for the recipe.

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  13. These were absolutely amazing, thank you so much for bringing them to my birthday party on Saturday! I've actually still got a couple left and am still eating them... though sometimes I've had to cut them in half and eat the other half later as they are so rich!

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    1. So glad you enjoyed them. I've made another batch tonight as I really want to eat them again! Plus my friends want some too :)

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  14. I love PB and chocolate too! And I love how you sunk the PB cup in the centre :D

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    1. PB and chocolate is one of my favourite combinations!

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  15. Oh wow! Just wow. Please send them to me now!

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  16. I'm SUPER SUPER DUPER DUPER happy that you like the PB :) If i had known you liked it so much I would've bought you more ~ maybe next time whenever I go to NYC again hehe

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    1. The PB is AWESOME!! thank you so much!! The cupcakes of course were even better :)

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  17. Oh my goodness I'm drooling at the screen! I love Primrose Bakery's chocolate frosting - it looks so silky smooth in your pictures and I love the addition of the gold pearls, they really make the cupcakes! and of course who wouldn't love a mini Reese's in the middle! yum! I'm starting a new blogging challenge - United Bakes of America - these would have actually been perfect for it! haha, so it would be great to have you join in :)

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    1. Ooh another baking challenge? you may have noticed I have a slight addiction to them ;) Can I still enter these? Otherwise I have something else to enter which I made at the same time as these.

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  18. OMG - cupcakes full of reeces - I've died an gone to peanut butter heaven!

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    1. LOL me too :) I debated about a peanut butter frosting but decided it would be overkill!

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  19. They look great! Thanks SO much for finding the time to read AND bake :)

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    1. Thanks for hosting a GREAT challenge!! Can't wait to see what the next book is.

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  20. These look divine and drool worthy.Please do link them to Lets bake cupcakes and muffins event@ simply.food.

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  21. Looks so delicious! My mouth is watering just looking at these. Thank you so much for the pictorial!

    Suneetha
    SaffronExperience.blogspot.com

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  22. I have to make these- they look amazing! I love peanut butter !

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    1. If you like peanut butter then you definitely have to make these! They are out of this world :)

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  23. Love these and now my brain is thinking ooohh with secret rolos inside as I am more of a rolo fan - so must put these on my list and see if they work with those too!

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    1. Funny you mention rolos as thats what someone said when they cut into the cake. I think it will work well - let me know how it goes :)

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  24. Gosh! How did I missed this post! OMG! This is so TEMPTING & heavenly delicious with our favorite -PB!!! I MUST make these cupcakes ASAP!! Love the hidden surprise very much! I love all your PB recipes & this I'm sure is another keeper too! Yum! This challenge sounds amazing! Will check it out! Have a lovely day Ros! :)

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    1. I've made these twice now in the space of a few days! They really are good especially for a PB lover like me :) Thanks for dropping by :)

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  25. Such a great idea! I love reeses chocolates and have been thinking of ways to use them in Cakes. ;) thanks for sharing. www.manccakeclub.wordpress.com

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