Iron Chef Pembroke Pines: September 2011 - Peanut Butter Stuffed Hot Fudge Cupcakes

So...I got this recipe off Tasty Kitchen...and I made them for my birthday because I am a chocolate/peanut butter FIEND...

...and they were SO GOOD, that when Septembers Iron Chef was announced, and the secret ingredient was "Peanut Butter"...I knew EXACTLY what I would be making.

Peanut Butter Stuffed Hot Fudge Cupcakes

Ingredients:

For the Cupcakes -

1 whole Egg
3/4 cups Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Milk
1/2 cup PLUS 1 TBS Heavy Cream
1/2 cup Butter, melted
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
2 TBS Sour Cream
1-1/4 cup All-Purpose Flour
1/4 cup Dark Cocoa Powder
1-1/4 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 cups Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce (recipe follows)

For the Buttercream -

1/2 cup Butter, softened
2/3 cup Peanut Butter
3 cups Powdered Sugar (I found I needed LESS than this to get the creamy consistency I was after...you'll have to play with both the amounts of powdered sugar and milk depending on how thick and/or creamy you like your buttercream frosting)
1 TBS milk (have more on hand)
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 pinch Salt

For the Hot Fudge Sauce -

1 cup Sugar
1 cup Dark Cocoa Powder
1 pinch Salt
2 TBS flour
1 cup Boiling Water or Scalding Milk
1 TBS Butter
1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Directions:

For the Cupcakes -

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a bowl, whisk egg and sugar until smooth and no lumps remain. Add milk, cream, butter, and vanilla, and mix until combined. Stir in sour cream.

3. Sift dry ingredients together and add to wet mixture,. Mix until batter is smooth, then swirl in fudge sauce. Line a muffin tin (12-count) with liners and using a 1/4 cup measure, add batter to each cup. Bake for 15-18 minutes. Let cool before frosting.

For the Buttercream Frosting -

Cream butter and peanut butter together in a bowl of an electric mixer. Add the powdered sugar with mixer on low speed and gradually add milk and vanilla extract. Add a pinch of salt and mix until frosting is smooth. If too thick, add more milk; if too thin, add more sugar.

Put frosting in a pastry bag fitted with a tip. Poke a hole in the cupcake with the pastry tip and fill the cupcake. Then use the remaining frosting to frost the cooled cupcake.

For The Hot Fudge Sauce -

Combine sugar, cocoa, salt, and flour in a bowl or a pot over a double boiler. Bring water or milk to a boil in another saucepan or in the microwave. Gradually add hot liquid to sugar mixture. Stir constantly until mixture thickens.

Once it has reached desired thickness, remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Drizzle over cupcakes and store the rest of the sauce in the fridge for 1-2 weeks.

By Shannan Johnson