This American-style cupcake recipe was created to celebrate the 4th of July in collaboration with SKIPPY® Peanut Butter. Peanut butter pairs well with chocolate to create a delicious, indulgent treat the kids will love.
A classic combination
There are some flavour combinations that never lose their appeal, and chocolate with peanut butter is certainly one of them. Rich chocolate cake, creamy peanut butter and a little sweetness are all that’s needed to make a batch of cupcakes that disappear almost as quickly as they cool.
These cupcakes first found their way into my kitchen while I was experimenting with different peanut butters to see how they behaved in baking. It turns out that, whichever smooth peanut butter you choose, the result is the same: light, fluffy chocolate cupcakes topped with a silky peanut butter frosting that strikes just the right balance between sweet and salty.
They’re just the thing for birthday parties, bake sales, afternoon tea or those days when only homemade cake will do. If you’re a fan of chocolate and peanut butter together, I think you’ll enjoy these as much as we did.
Ingredients you’ll need
You don’t need anything particularly fancy to make these chocolate peanut butter cupcakes. Most of the ingredients are likely to be in your baking cupboard already.
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For the Peanut Butter & Chocolate Swirl Cupcakes
- 150 grams unsalted butter – butter adds richness and helps create a soft, tender sponge. Make sure it’s softened to room temperature before baking so it creams easily with the sugar.
- 150 grams caster sugar – caster sugar dissolves quickly into the butter, helping create a light, delicate crumb. Its fine texture makes it ideal for cupcakes. Can be substituted with granulated sugar.
- 150 grams self-raising flour – the basis of every good light and fluffy cake. Flour provides the cake’s structure when the proteins interact in the presence of liquid to form gluten.
- 1/4 tsp sea salt – salt is a flavour enhancer and affects the tenderness of a baked good. The salt forms strong molecular bonds with gluten, which makes the batter tighter and more elastic. It also helps balance the sweetness of the cake.
- 2 large free-range eggs – provide emulsification and structure to the bake, creating a smooth, well-mixed batter. They also bind the ingredients together so the cake doesn’t crumble apart. I always use free-range Shetland eggs when available.
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil – this makes for a deliciously moist bake.
- 2 tbsp SKIPPY® Peanut Butter – The star of the show! SKIPPY® Creamy Peanut Butter adds rich, nutty flavour to both the cupcakes and the frosting. Its smooth, creamy texture blends beautifully into the batter, creating light, fluffy cupcakes with plenty of peanut butter flavour in every bite.
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder – use a good-quality unsweetened cocoa powder for the richest chocolate flavour.
- 1 tbsp full-fat milk – milk helps loosen the batter to the perfect consistency and keeps the cupcakes beautifully moist.
For the Peanut Butter & Chocolate Swirl Frosting
- 200 grams unsalted butter, softened – forms the base of the peanut butter frosting, giving it a light and creamy texture.
- 100 grams SKIPPY® Peanut Butter – introduces a rich, savoury flavour that balances out the intense sweetness of the frosting, while providing structural stability and thickness for easy piping.
- 2 tbsp vanilla – for just a touch of vanilla flavour in the frosting.
- 600 grams icing sugar – for smooth sweetness to finish off the bake.
- 3 tbsp full-fat milk – added at the end, this thins out the heavy texture, binds dry sugar with the butter, and creates a smooth, velvety consistency for the frosting.
- 80 grams dark chocolate, melted and cooled – provides a lovely contrast to the sweet peanut butter frosting. Use a good-quality chocolate with around 50–70% cocoa solids for the best flavour.
To decorate
- mini marshmallows – these add a soft, chewy texture and give these cupcakes a fun campfire-inspired finish. Add them just before serving to keep them looking their best.
- peanut butter chips – Unlike standard chocolate chips, you will rarely find peanut butter baking chips stocked natively in the standard baking aisle of major UK supermarkets. However, you can regularly find them in speciality food shops and online.
- milk chocolate chips
- sparklers! – Edible-safe cake sparklers make a spectacular finishing touch. Insert them just before serving and never leave lit sparklers unattended.
Equipment you’ll need
- mixing bowl – one large and one small
- 12-hole cupcake tin
- paper cupcake cases
- handheld mixer
- spatula
- measuring spoons
- 2 x dessert spoons
- piping bag and large star nozzle, for decorating
Instructions
- Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, with a little flour and beat well.
- Add the remaining flour, salt and sunflower oil and stir until well combined.
- Divide the mixture evenly into two bowls. Add peanut butter to one bowl and cocoa powder and a little milk to the second.
- Spoon the mixtures into 12 cupcake cakes.
- Use a toothpick to swirl the two flavours together.
- Bake at 180 C/ 160 C fan for 20-25 minutes. Frost and decorate when cooled.
These SKIPPY® Peanut Butter and chocolate swirl cupcakes were inspired by my own childhood love of peanut butter and chocolate.
As a child growing up in Canada, we used to make s’mores using peanut butter, chocolate chips, graham crackers and marshmallows, and that flavour, to me, is the most nostalgic way to eat peanut butter.
I realise now that the way I was taught to make s’mores is not the usual way (seriously, the next time you make them, try spreading your graham crackers with some SKIPPY® Peanut Butter – how else do you get the chocolate chips to stay put? Trust me.
Recipe Difficulty Levels
Easy
Requires basic cooking skills and ingredients you most likely already have in your kitchen.
Moderate
Requires more experience, preparation and/or cooking time. You may have to source special ingredients.
Challenging
Recipes requiring more advanced skills and experience and maybe some special equipment.
SKIPPY® Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients
for the cupcakes
- 150 grams butter
- 150 grams caster sugar
- 150 grams self-raising flour
- 1/4 tsp Shetland sea salt
- 2 large free-range eggs
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
- 2 tbsp SKIPPY® Peanut Butter
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp full fat milk
for the frosting
- 200 grams butter softened
- 100 grams SKIPPY® Peanut Butter
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 600 grams icing sugar
- 3 tbsp full fat milk
- 80 grams dark chocolate
Affiliate Links
This recipe card may contain affiliate ingredient and equipment links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C/ 160C fan and line a 12-hole muffin/cupcake tin with paper cupcake cases.
- Cream together 150 grams butter and 150 grams caster sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add 2 large free-range eggs, one at a time, with a spoonful of 150 grams self-raising flour, and mix well.
- Add the remaining flour, 1/4 tsp Shetland sea salt and 1 tbsp sunflower oil. Stir well.
- Divide the cake batter into two bowls.
- Add 2 tbsp SKIPPY® Peanut Butter to one bowl, and 2 tbsp cocoa powder and 1 tbsp full fat milk to the other. Stir until well incorporated.
- Using two dessert spoons, spoon both mixtures into the cupcake cakes.
- Use a cocktail stick to swirl the batters together.
- Bake in the centre of the oven for 20-25 minutes.
- Leave on a wire rack to cool completely
- To make the frosting, melt 80 grams dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl suspended over a pan of barely simmering water. Cool.
- Mix together 200 grams butter, 100 grams SKIPPY® Peanut Butter, 600 grams icing sugar, 2 tsp vanilla extract and 3 tbsp full fat milk until light and fluffy.
- Remove 1/3 of the frosting mixture and add the melted, cooled chocolate. Stir well, adding a little extra milk if needed to reach the desired consistency.
- Place the frostings in a dual frosting piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle.
- Pipe and decorate as desired.
Nutrition
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This is a sponsored recipe post in collaboration with SKIPPY® Peanut Butter originally published in 2019. All thoughts and opinions expressed are our own. Thank you for supporting the brands who make it possible for me to do what I love: mess up my kitchen and share recipe stories.
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Your cupcakes look too good to eat! Peanut butter and chocolate are a big hit with my family. So, I can’t wait to try out your recipe.
Peanut butter and chocolate is one of my favourite combinations, so these look amazing. I love the icing on top x
These look AMAZING! I love Skippy Peanut Butter <3 the crunchy one is my favourite!
I love that Brits are finally enjoying PB, and I like the look of these cupcakes! Would have been good on July 1st too!
They definitely would have been! Glad you like the look of them. 🙂