These dark chocolate cupcakes feature intensely flavored sponge-like chocolate cupcakes, a silky peanut butter frosting, and a delightful Reese’s Pieces crunch on top.
One reader, Jennifer, says: “These were phenomenal! I made them for a birthday party and shared some with coworkers (I frosted them at work before the party). One of my coworkers ate the leftover frosting from the bowl with a spoon. Your recipes are perfect and trustworthy-thank you!”
Readers have called these dark chocolate cupcakes a chocolate and peanut butter lover’s dream dessert! All we did here was make a batch of these super moist chocolate cupcakes, intensify the chocolate flavor, and top with something all of us peanut butter aficionados can appreciate.
Tell Me About These Dark Chocolate Cupcakes
- Texture: The dark chocolate cupcake’s texture is soft, airy, and sponge-y—not at all dense like our frosted brownies recipe and since they’re made with oil, they are much fluffier than our buttery vanilla cupcakes. The frosting is incredibly creamy. In fact, we like to compare it to a spoonful of pure peanut butter but with a fluffier, silkier texture.
- Flavor: The cupcakes offer a rich dark chocolate flavor and what we love most about the frosting is that it’s not overly sweet. All you taste is peanut butter. Which makes sense because it’s mostly all peanut butter—only 1 cup of confectioners’ sugar instead of the usual 5, 6, or 7 cups.
- Ease: There’s really nothing complicated in this recipe besides making sure you have the right cocoa powder. If you can’t find Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa Powder, just use regular natural unsweetened cocoa powder. (The cupcakes will still have an intense chocolate flavor, similar to our chocolate cake.)
Choosing the Right Ingredients
- Dark cocoa: Instead of using unsweetened natural cocoa powder, we reached for a darker cocoa powder instead. Hershey’s makes a “special dark” cocoa powder that has a deep, dark, and bold chocolate flavor. Have you ever seen Hershey’s special dark on shelves? Here’s something interesting, though. Hershey’s special dark contains both natural and dutched cocoa powder—it’s a blend of both. As you know, there’s a huge difference between Dutch process vs. natural cocoa powder. And we never suggest substituting, but this recipe is an exception.
- Espresso powder: We’re adding a little espresso powder (or instant espresso) to the dark chocolate cupcakes. Why? Because it intensifies that gorgeous chocolate flavor. We do this with chocolate cake and brownie cookies, too. If you don’t like coffee, you’re in the clear because these cupcakes do not taste like coffee. You can’t taste the espresso because all it’s doing is bringing the chocolate flavor to the forefront. Bottom line: the espresso powder is optional, but heavily recommended to really get that dark chocolate flavor.
- Buttermilk + oil: When it comes to chocolate cupcakes, these two power ingredients promise a moist texture. (If you’ve tried the regular chocolate cupcakes, then you know! The recipe is identical except for the two ingredient changes above.)
- Sprinkles: Crushing Reese’s Pieces turns them into Reese’s Pieces “sprinkles.” You can certainly skip them or garnish the cupcakes with sprinkles or even crushed peanuts instead.
Dark Chocolate Cupcakes: What Works & What Doesn’t
- Only fill the cupcake liners halfway full. Not 2/3, not 3/4, not all the way to the top. If you fill the liners too full, the cupcakes will overflow and you’ll be left with crisp mushroom tops and a sunken center.
- My #1 tip for the peanut butter frosting. Make sure you use a processed peanut butter, not natural or homemade. While I love cooking with and eating natural style peanut butters (or even using them in my favorite peanut butter cookies from time to time), they just aren’t ideal in frosting because they tend to separate from the butter. I usually use Jif or Skippy for this frosting. You can also find peanut butter frosting on these peanut butter & jelly cupcakes and these snickers cupcakes.
By the way, these dark chocolate cupcakes would also be fantastic with the frosting from these chocolate cupcakes with raspberry frosting!
More Chocolate and Peanut Butter Treats
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake
- Peanut Butter Pie
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Frosting
- Peanut Butter Cupcakes
- No Bake Cookies
- Peanut Butter Bars
- Brownie Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting
Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Creamy Peanut Butter Frosting
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours, 25 minutes
- Yield: 12-14 cupcakes
- Category: Cupcakes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Rich, moist, and super dark chocolate cupcakes topped with creamy peanut butter frosting and Reese’s Pieces.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (94g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/2 cup (41g) Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder*
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder or instant espresso*
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature*
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light brown sugar
- 1/3 cup (80ml) vegetable or canola oil (or melted coconut oil)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (120ml) buttermilk, at room temperature*
Peanut Butter Frosting
- 5 Tablespoons (71g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (250g) creamy peanut butter
- 1 cup (120g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1/3 cup (80ml) heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- optional: crushed Reese’s Pieces for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 12-count muffin pan with cupcake liners. Line a second pan with 2 liners—this recipe makes about 14 cupcakes. Set aside.
- Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl until thoroughly combined. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil, and vanilla together until completely smooth. Pour half of the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Then half of the buttermilk. Gently whisk for a few seconds. Repeat with the remaining wet ingredients and buttermilk. Stir until *just* combined; do not overmix. The batter will be thin.
- Pour or spoon the batter into the liners. Fill only halfway (this is imperative! only halfway!) to avoid spilling over the sides or sinking. Bake for 18-21 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
- Make the frosting: With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the peanut butter, confectioners’ sugar, heavy cream, vanilla extract, and salt with the mixer running on low. Increase to high speed and beat for 3 full minutes. Add up to 1/4 cup more confectioners’ sugar if frosting is too thin or another Tablespoon of cream if frosting is too thick.
- Frost cooled cupcakes. I used a Wilton 1M piping tip. Top with crushed Reese’s Pieces, if desired. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. I recommend a cupcake carrier for storing and transporting decorated cupcakes
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: Prepare cupcakes 1 day in advance. Keep cupcakes covered tightly at room temperature and frost the day of serving. Unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before frosting and serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 12-count Muffin Pan | Cupcake Liners | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Piping Bag (Reusable or Disposable) | Wilton 1M Piping Tip | Cupcake Carrier
- Mini Cupcakes: Fill mini liners only halfway and bake for 10-12 minutes at 350°F (177°C).
- Cake: Here’s my chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting recipe! Or for a decadent layer cake, here is my chocolate peanut butter cake.
- Cocoa Powder: I don’t recommend using dutch-process cocoa in this cupcake recipe. If you can’t get your hands on Hershey’s special dark variety, use regular unsweetened natural cocoa powder.
- Espresso Powder: The espresso powder/instant espresso doesn’t create a coffee flavored cupcake. Rather, it strongly intensifies the chocolate flavor! If you can’t find espresso powder, use 1 Tablespoon dark roast instant coffee.
- Why Room Temperature? All refrigerated items should be at room temperature so the batter mixes together easily and evenly. Read more about the importance of room temperature ingredients.
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk is required for this recipe. You can make your own DIY buttermilk substitute if needed. Add 1 teaspoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to a liquid measuring cup. Then add enough whole milk to the same measuring cup until it reaches 1/2 cup. (In a pinch, lower fat or nondairy milks work for this soured milk, but the cupcakes won’t taste as moist or rich.) Stir it around and let sit for 5 minutes. The homemade “buttermilk” will be somewhat curdled and ready to use in the recipe.
- Be sure to check out my 10 tips for baking the BEST cupcakes before you begin!
Does anyone know if I can use this frosting for a crumb coat on a cake?
Sure can!
These were phenomenal! I made them for a birthday party and shared some with coworkers (I frosted them at work before the party). One of my coworkers ate the leftover frosting from the bowl with a spoon. Your recipes are perfect and trustworthy-thank you!
Wow, Sally. This is sooo good! You should warn people they might want to double the frosting recipe to account for tasting it over and over again before it gets on the cupcakes.
Hi Sally!
I have really loved your recipes and you are definitely one of my goto trusted people as everything I’ve made from you always comes out delicious (without altering anything).
My question to you is this: I plan on making dark chocolate cupcakes from your recipe here. However, one of my daughters is allergic to peanuts and tree nuts, so I never make baked goods with them, as I want all of my family to enjoy the desserts I make. I have been wanting to make a sunbutter frosting instead of peanut butter, but wonder if I will need to adjust/alter anything in the recipe with the substitution. Sunbutter is definitely not as sweet as peanut butter, so I worry if it will be sweet enough (although American butter cream is extremely sweet, so it actually might be a good balance as I generally don’t love ABC because of that). All the recipes I have researched on Sunbutter frosting have me using non-dairy butter and other allergen safe ingredients that I don’t need to worry about. Any suggestions or advice on making a good Sunbutter frosting? Can I just substitute out the peanut butter for an equal amount of sunbutter and keep everything else the same? Thanks!
Hi Melanie! You can use sunflower seed butter instead of peanut butter. My recommendation is to make sure it’s room temperature and stirred very well inside the jar. No excess oil. I would use 3/4 cup instead of 1 cup. The frosting is plenty sweet with the confectioners’ sugar. No need to add more, but you certainly can beat more in if you think the frosting needs it. (Taste then add more.)
The taste is great! It’s a very rich chocolate flavor. Made with buttercream frosting. However, for some reason mine fell a bit into the centers even though fully cooked (likely user error)… will try again! The taste was superb. (Buttercream frosting is amazing!!)
Wish I could show you a picture. I made these cupcakes so I could give some to my niece and her boyfriend for his birthday. They were so good. Being fall I was able to use orange and black sprinkles and they came out beautiful.
May I use crunchy peanut butter???
Hi Shikha, You can use crunchy peanut butter in the frosting but if you wish to pipe it you will need a very large open piping tip so that the peanuts don’t get stuck.
Hands down the best chocolate cupcake I have ever tasted. Thanks Sally!
I don’t want to put oil, can I replace it with butter? Also, buttermilk not available, what can be used to replace that?
Hi Sri, I recommend sticking with oil in these cupcakes – it’s a power ingredient providing a lot of moisture to the baked cupcakes. Melted coconut oil works well. You can try replacing with melted butter, but they will taste different. Buttermilk is required for this recipe. You can make your own DIY version of buttermilk if needed, see recipe notes for details.
Can you use low-fat buttermilk or does it need to be whole?
Hi Sheryl, low-fat buttermilk works great!
Omg I made these cupcakes today they taste amazing! The peanut butter frosting is light and sweet and the cupcake is rich and so chocolaty! I garnished with crushed Reese’s pieces – fabulous!
Hi Sally,
If I wanted to make this into a cake, what are some modifications you recommend I make?
Thank you
Hi Kat, This batter makes a perfect three layer 6-inch cake. For directions see my post on 6 inch cakes.
Sally- your recipe says to use Hershey’s Special Dark, but in the notes it says not to use dutch-processed cocoa. The label on the front of Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa powder says right underneath “dutched cocoa”. Not sure what to use?
Hi Denise, Hershey’s Special Dark is a combination of natural and dutch process. See the section in the post above called “From Chocolate to DARK Chocolate” for details.
Hi Sally,
The Recipe is amazing!! i have a 6 cup cake pan. is the bake time same?
Hi Amitha, If they are jumbo size then the bake time will be longer.
Do you need to keep them refrigerated after frosting?
Hi Cassie, After decorating anything with buttercream, it’s fine for 1 day at room temperature. After that, I would definitely refrigerate it. But, use your best judgment and whatever you are comfortable with- I’ve never had any problems leaving frosted desserts at room temperature for a day.
I made these cupcakes today for my nephew’s birthday. I put a Reese’s cup inside (at his request). They were amazing. The frosting is incredible!! Very easy to make. Everyone loved them. Thanks for the great recipes.
Perfect! Not sweet at all and really moist! My family love it so much and wanted more! Thank you for the recipe! Gonna make it again!
I made these this week for my friend who requested cupcakes with Reese’s cups and pieces. I used Hershey’s natural unsweetened cocoa instead of the special dark, because the special dark says it is dutched… And expresso instant powder. I added a Reese’s “thin” peanut butter cup by putting a spoonful of batter in the cupcake paper,then adding the thin peanut butter cup, then the rest of the batter on top of that. I sprinkled a few crushed Reese’s pieces on top, then baked . Made your peanut butter frosting with crushed Reese’s pieces… they turned out great! Many people at my office said “Best cupcake ever”. I always look to your recipes first, they always come out wonderfully
Thanks Sally!
Hi,
I’m super excited to try making these, but I have two questions:
1. Will I need to adjust the baking time if I’m making these in the mini cupcake pans? I don’t want them to dry out.
2. What kind of peanut butter do you recommend with these? Kraft or Skippy’s or the organic kind?
Thank you very much!
Hi Kat, for mini cupcakes see recipe note #3. For this frosting I recommend a commercial brand like Jiff or Skippy – not the natural or organic brands as they tend to be far too oily.
Can I use Black Cocoa in this recipe?
This is a great question! Black cocoa powder is similar to dutch cocoa powered in that it’s stripped of its acid, it won’t react with baking soda to help your cake rise. I don’t recommend it for this particular recipe. It should work in most recipes calling for dutch process powder!
Hi Sally! Tried this recipe today, and my cupcakes completely sunk! I didn’t think I overfilled them (about two regular spoonfuls per cup, instead of a measuring spoon), but could I have overbaked them? Although I did 18 minutes to start with, in my next two trays, I dropped them by a minute and they were still cooked through at 15…makes me wonder if I need to try for less time? I was afraid to put even less batter into the cups since there was already barely any in there (so it seemed). They taste ok, but definitely not as flavorful as I’d like. Any suggestions for improvement? I love the flavor of the frosting, though I did make mine suuuper thick by accident and couldn’t pipe it with a tip…how do you tell when a frosting to too thick to pipe? Sorry for the long review, I tend to talk a lot. Hope you can help!
Hi Lydia! 15 minutes is very short for cupcakes– are you using natural cocoa powder and using enough flour? I fear your batter is too thin or you’re not using enough batter per cupcake. If you find the frosting too thick, you can beat a couple Tablespoons of heavy cream or milk into it to help thin out.
Hi Sally, awesome recipe! I made the peanut butter frosting with heavy cream but I would like to try it with cream cheese instead. Do you think I can substitute heavy cream 1:1 with cream cheese?
Hi Sarah, I recommend trying to replace the butter (or half of the butter) with cream cheese and not the cream – you will need the added liquid for the correct consistency of your frosting!
These cupcakes are Devine. Love the frosting but the cupcakes would go well with ganache, chocolate frosting or just fresh cream. A winner.
Sally,
Do you think I can safely double this recipe to make 30 cupcakes?
Hi Kelly! I recommend making two individual batches of these cupcakes! Doubling can lead to over or under mixing 🙂
Made these and 2 of your other cupcake recipes for co-workers and my husband’s game night buddies and they were devoured and much loved by everyone! People loved all 3 recipes but the peanut butter frosting was the showstopper. One of my co-workers said she wanted to cry it was so good. I had buttermilk to use up so I went ahead and made another dozen for my husband’s co-workers and added some chocolate drizzle on the tops. Big hit!
I made these cupcakes for my mom’s birthday and we loved them. I especially loved the peanut butter frosting. I will definitely make them again! Thank you!
I just made these cupcakes in mini form. They were a big hit. I used two teaspoons of batter to fill the cups half way. I baked them at 350 degrees for 8 minutes. I frosted the cupcakes with a 1M tip and used one Reece’s Pieces in the center. They looked like mini flowers. I would definitely make these again even switching up the flavor of the frosting.
Sally, do you recommend baking cupcakes at a high temp. first and then lowering the temp. for the rest of the baking time to get a nice rise out of the cupcakes? Thanks for your help.
That’s a wonderful step/trick for muffins, but not for cupcakes– specifically this recipe. You want a flat top for frosting.
I always learn something new from your posts. I never bothered to read the ingredients of the special dark cocoa. Now, I am the same way with my red velvet cake cupcakes… only fill half full because they rise too much. Thank you for this yummy recipe and the peanut butter frosting…..oh my!