Not Cute but Devilishly Delicious Cupcakes!

For the most part my baked goods come out delicious but are not overly pretty....there are no complaints on the eater's end but it is something I definitely need to work on. I for some reason have a hard time with filling cupcakes and these Devils Food and Peanut Butter Frosted Cupcakes were no exception to the rule...they are delicious but just not super pretty! Thank god for frosting!!! These cupcakes are a HUGE hit at work and have been requested a few times, today they were for a work birthday! These have been listed in my friend's top 5 baked goods I make.





The cupcakes are the same devils food recipe I used in Chocolate and Cherries and my Delicious Ice Cream Cake, I am a big fan of recipes that are versatile. The Peanut Butter frosting recipe makes 4 cups but for a normal batch of cupcakes 2 cups is enough. I included the original recipe but at the end (in parenthesis)is the halved recipe - I added just a tad more peanut butter this time!


DEVIL'S FOOD CAKE RECIPE
(Source: allrecipes.com)

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups water
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter or margarine
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup baking cocoa
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

- In a large saucepan, bring water to a boil. Remove from the heat.
- Stir in sugar and butter until butter is melted.
- Add eggs and vanilla; mix well.
- Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; add to butter mixture and mix thoroughly.

Pour into cupcake pan and bake for 13-15 minutes, it makes 15-20 cupcakes.

Peanut Butter Frosting
(Source: The Peanut Butter & Co. Cookbook)

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/4 C. (2 1/2 Sticks) Unsalted Butter, softened (.625C or 1 1/4 Sticks)
1/4 C. Smooth Peanut Butter (1/8 C. I actually used almost 1/4 C. see notes)
5 C. Confectioners' Sugar ( 2 1/2 C.)
1/2 tspn. Salt (1/4 tspn.)
1/4 C. plus 1 T. Milk (1/8 C.)

DIRECTIONS:

- In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to whip the butter and peanut butter together.
- Add the confectioners' sugar, salt, and then milk.
- Add additional tablespoons of milk or sugar to loosen or tighten the icing, respectively.
- For best results, use immediately.

NOTES:
- If the Devils Food batter looks thin - don't worry it is!!!
- The icing makes 4 cups, the halved recipes makes enough for one batch of cupcakes.
- I added extra peanut butter, especially when halved, it is not an overly peanut buttery flavored frosting but it is definitely creamy.