If a Butterfinger candy became a cupcake, this would be it! These decadent peanut butter chocolate cupcakes combine our moist gluten-free chocolate cake mix with a rich, FLUFFY vegan peanut butter frosting for a drool-worthy cupcake combo!
Just 7 ingredients and simple methods required! Let’s make cupcakes, friends!
This recipe begins with our NEW Chocolate Cake + Cupcake Mix! Have you tried it yet?
We worked so hard to perfect this vegan, gluten-free mix that also happens to be naturally sweetened and super easy to make!
To the mix, simply add oil, water, and vanilla and whisk! Then, take a moment to appreciate how silky, rich, and sexy your chocolate cake batter is. We’ll wait.
Once baked, let cool and move on to the frosting!
We found it’s really hard to infuse natural peanut butter into frosting because of the natural oil separation that occurs.
However, after some trial and error, we discovered that whipping the peanut butter with powdered sugar first stabilizes the peanut butter and allows you to achieve light, fluffy peanut butter frosting. It’s magic!
Whip into fluffy peanut butter clouds of bliss. We won’t blame you for sampling a few finger-fulls (we certainly did).
All that’s left to do is marry the most perfectly matched flavor combination of all time: CHOCOLATE + PEANUT BUTTER (amiright?).
Frost your cupcakes generously with the peanut butter frosting and garnish with some chopped roasted peanuts for a salty crunch.
Then it’s officially sampling time! Prepare yourself for an eyes-roll-back-in-head type of moment.
These cupcakes are the perfect treat for Halloween parties, although we’d argue they deserve a spot at parties year-round.
More Chocolate-Peanut Butter Recipes
- Easy Homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
- Vegan Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies
- Healthier Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies (GF, 1 Bowl)
- Easy 5-Ingredient Protein Bars (Peanut Butter Chocolate!)
SHOP NOW to try our baking mixes!
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo @minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Fluffy Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes (Vegan + GF)
Ingredients
CUPCAKES
- 1 package Minimalist Baker Chocolate Cake + Cupcake Mix (see notes for other options)
FROSTING
- 1/4 cup creamy natural peanut butter (ensure it only has one ingredient: peanuts)
- 1 cup powdered sugar (ensure organic for vegan-friendly)
- 1/2 cup softened vegan butter (salted // we used Miyoko’s)
FOR TOPPING
- 1/4 cup finely chopped roasted salted peanuts
Instructions
- CUPCAKES: Prepare chocolate cupcakes according to package instructions. Let cool completely.
- FROSTING: To a medium mixing bowl add natural peanut butter and powdered sugar. Whip well with an electric mixer so the powdered sugar fully absorbs the peanut butter’s oil. This ensures the oil will not separate from the peanut butter in the future! It will look crumbly at this point, which is normal.
- Add the softened vegan butter to the peanut butter mixture. Whip starting on a low speed and slowly working up to high. Whip for 1 minute until light and fluffy with no peanut butter flecks remaining.
- If using immediately, you can leave the frosting at room temperature for up to 1 hour. Or, for later use, place in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator so it doesn’t melt. When ready to use, let it stand at room temperature for 30 minutes and give it a good stir before frosting your cupcakes.
- To frost the cupcakes, use a small cookie scoop (we like this one) or tablespoon to scoop out ~1 ½ – 2 Tbsp of frosting and place on a cupcake. Repeat until each cupcake is topped with frosting. If there is any extra in the bowl, you can divide it evenly between the cupcakes. Use an offset spatula or knife to gently push the frosting to the edges of the cupcakes and smooth out the tops. You can also give it a little swirl if you’d like!
- TOPPING: Top each cupcake with ~1 teaspoon of finely chopped peanuts. Enjoy at room temperature or store in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days, although they are best eaten within 24 hours! Unfrosted cupcakes can be stored in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Video
Notes
*The peanut butter frosting would be delicious on any chocolate cake recipe or mix you choose to use. We’d suggest this recipe for GF + vegan and this recipe for just vegan.
*Prep time includes cooling the cupcakes.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with our packaged Chocolate Cake Mix and ingredients used to prepare it.
Stacie says
My colleague just came up to my desk to say “no joke, that’s the best frosting I’ve ever had”! And I have to agree!
As suggested in the notes, I used the “simple vegan chocolate cake” recipe as the base and made them into cupcakes and topped with the peanut butter frosting. I was worred that my peanut butter had salt added (and thus not just the 1 ingredient) but it came out SO SO good!
The chocolate cake recipe also happens to be delicious and so easy!! Don’t be scared of the apple cider vinegar… I did use a little less sugar, but the coffee addition was incredible (used La Colombe cold brew).
10/10 will be making this recipe again, thank you!
We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Stacie. Thanks so much for the lovely review! xo
Natasha says
Wow! Your amazing GF, vegan, cupcake mix saved me this week! I, of course, love your from scratch recipes too but sometimes you just need to hit the easy button. Making two dozen cupcakes for my son’s birthday was a cinch with your mix and they came out so perfect! The frosting was also excellent. No modifications. Well done on the mix, you can tell you did your homework! Can’t wait to try the pancake mix.
Aw, thank you SO much for the lovely review, Natasha! We’re so glad you enjoyed them! xo
Diane says
I am excited to try this recipe with the attached links to bake from scratch as we are not yet able to purchase the mixes in Canada. The icing looks Devine. I just want to thank MB for all of the amazing FREE recipes that you reliably put out on a weekly basis. I am so grateful to you!!!
We’re so glad to hear it and really appreciate your kind words, Diane! xoxo
Lorelei says
Major turnoff to click on a recipe in my email only to read I should buy your new mix. The whole point of me following MB for years was to keep things minimal and cook/bake from scratch (I refer to your spice blend recipes, for example, so that we *don’t* have to go buy a pre-made mix). Yes I realize I can use any recipe I have for the cupcakes and use this recipe only for the frosting, but all this is doing is making me go click on those other recipes instead of MB’s and making me wary of clicking on any more of your emails if this is going to be a sneaky marketing tactic. I’m not interested in pre-fab mixes of any kind, which is what brought me to follow MB in the first place: minimal, simple recipes made from scratch. This new tactic is just disappointing.
Hi Lorelei, thanks for the feedback and we’re glad you enjoy many of our recipes! If you’d like to unsubscribe from recipes that feature our products, you can click “unsubscribe” at the bottom of any email and just unsubscribe from “product updates”. Hope that helps! We understand our new products aren’t for everyone and our intention is never to mislead or use sneaky marketing tactics, simply to offer convenient, high-quality products for those who need simplicity or don’t have time to make things from scratch.
Yvonne says
So now if we don’t buy this mix we can’t do them? This stinks.
Hi Yvonne, The peanut butter frosting would be delicious on any chocolate cake recipe or mix you choose to use. We’d suggest this recipe for GF/vegan and this recipe for just vegan. Hope that helps!
Yvonne says
Yes! This absolutely helps! Thanks so much! I didn’t take time to look thoroughly. I love you guys! ❤️
Perfect! We hope you enjoy, Yvonne!
Rachel says
I agree Yvonne
Ellen says
Would love to make this! Any sub if we don’t have the mix? Thanks!
Hi Ellen, you could use one of the chocolate cake or cupcakes recipes on our site! We’d suggest this for GF/vegan and this for just vegan. Hope that helps!