Reese's Peanut Butter Cupcake

Chocolate cupcake filled with rich chocolate ganache and Reese's Peanut Butter cups chunks, topped with a peanut butter buttercream, drizzled with ganache and half of a mini Reese's Peanut Butter cup

Makes 24 cupcakes.

Cake

2 1/4 c all purpose flour
3/4 c cocoa powder
1 3/4 c + 2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
3 eggs
3/4 c canola oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 c + 2 tbsp milk
1 c + 2 tbsp hot water


Filling

8 oz bittersweet chocolate, (if bar, chopped well or use morsels)
1/4 c milk chocolate morsels
1 c heavy whipping cream
1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
16-20 mini Reese's chopped*

Peanut Butter Buttercream

1 stick butter, softened
1/2 c creamy peanut butter
3 1/2 c powdered sugar
3-5 tbsp heavy whipping cream
1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
12 mini Reese's cups, halved*


Cake

Preheat oven to 350 F.  In a large mixing bowl combine, flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, and baking powder.  Using a hand mixer, mix in eggs, oil, extract, and milk until combined.  Mix in hot water.  Batter should be thin.  Nearly fill lined cupcake tray.  Bake for 18 mins, with trays side by side, rotating once mid baking.  Tops should spring back.  Let cool.

Filling

Make once cupcakes have baked and cooled.  Place chopped chocolate/morsels in a medium bowl.  Heat whipping cream over medium heat until boils, stirring occasionally.  Let boil up for one minute, stirring.  Remove from heat and pour into bowl of chocolate, stirring constantly until all chocolate has melted.  Add in vanilla extract.  Let cool a few minutes while using a sharp knife, you remove a one inch square of each cupcake.  Place a few pieces of chopped Reese's inside each cupcake.  Spoon in slightly cooled ganache and top with cut out cake piece.

Buttercream

Beat butter in a large bowl until pale yellow and smooth.  Beat in peanut butter until well combined.  Adding 1/2 c at a time, beat in powdered sugar.  Adding 1 tbsp at a time, beat in whipping cream until desired consistency.  Beat in extract.  Frost cupcakes.  Drizzle with remaining ganache (may need to heat ganache in microwave for a few seconds for easier drizzling) off back of spoon.  Top with 1/2 of mini Reese's.

*20oz bag of mini Reese's was what I used for this recipe and had a few left over to snack on!

Assemble cupcakes day of serving.  Keep cupcakes in airtight container, not refrigerated.  Refrigerate ganache and buttercream if making ahead.  Let buttercream come to room temperature before frosting for easier handling.  Heat ganache in microwave for 10 secs at a time till easier to handle.