Chocolate Cupcakes + Peanut Butter Frosting

plus a surprise ingredient

Vicki Smith

Chocolate and peanut butter are a divine combination in my estimation. My mother often topped a chocolate cake with a layer of peanut butter frosting. My husband does not share my enthusiasm, so when birthday celebrations rolled around this month, I opted for cupcakes that I could frost with buttercream or the peanut butter our son also likes. August birthdays are meant to be enjoyed outside with meals shared on patios, decks, roof-tops, or sidewalk cafes and, hopefully, with a swim at one end of the day or the other. When all festivities end, katydids will either serenade you to sleep here in New Jersey or keep you company if you suffer from insomnia. I personally find them comforting.

Peanut butter is right up there with apple pie as being an American favorite. Today, most schools are nut-free zones, but when I was growing up peanut butter and jelly sandwiches were a lunchbox staple. The Incas of South America are thought to be the first to grind peanuts into a paste, probably with a mortar and pestle. John Harvey Kellogg, best known as the creator of cornflakes, filed a patent for peanut butter in 1895. Kellogg was a Seventh-Day Adventist who supported the idea of a plant-based diet. Peanuts were boiled and pulverized to be served at his Battle Creek Sanitarium, a spa that served patients with many ailments. By the end of the century, Joseph Lambert, an employee of the sanitarium, founded the Lambert Food Co. and the commercialization of peanut butter began.

The cupcake recipe, that I tried for the first time, was shared with me by my good friend Elizabeth. An avocado replaces eggs and most of the oil to make a rich and delicious cupcake that is vegan, although I must admit that I substituted cow’s milk for the soy milk since that is what I had on hand. The recipe comes from vegetariantimes.com. Avocados can generally be used in a 1:1 ratio to replace butter in your baking, and they are low in saturated fat and cholesterol. No one was able to guess that the secret ingredient was avocado until I provided hints.

Chocolate Avocado Cupcakes

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 t. baking powder

3/4 t. baking soda

3/4 t. salt

1 avocado, pitted and peeled

1 c. maple syrup

3/4 cup plain soy milk (I used cow’s milk)

1/2 cup canola oil

2 t. vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. Mix flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl. Puree avocado in a food processor until smooth. Add maple syrup, soy milk, oil, and vanilla, and blend until creamy. Whisk the avocado mixture into the dry ingredients.

Spoon batter into the prepared cupcake pan. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with some crumbs attached. Cool.

Peanut Butter Frosting

Ingredients

3/4 c. natural peanut butter (I use chunky)

3 T. butter softened to room temperature

3 T. confectioners sugar

1/2 t. vanilla

2 T. milk, if needed

Directions

Cream all ingredients, except for the milk, together in a small mixing bowl. If the frosting is too stiff to spread, mix in the milk gradually until you have the right consistency.

Most of my peanut butter history came from the Smithsonian Magazine. Check it out for a deeper dive into peanut butter.

Vicki Smith

Thanks for reading! Enjoy the rest of the summer.

Vicki