Coca-Cola Cupcakes with Salted Peanut Butter Frosting

These Coca-Cola Cupcakes with Salted Peanut Butter Frosting were inspired by a southern, salty-sweet flavor combination. Don’t knock it ’til you try it!

When I think about the flavors of the South, it’s never the fancy things that come to mind first. It’s the roadside snacks, the gas station treats, and the little food traditions passed from one person to another without ever being written down. Some combinations sound downright strange until you grow up with them. And then they become part of your story. Sweet cola and salty peanuts may seem unlikely together, but around Appalachia, it’s totally a thing!

“I remember when no one was looking, I was puttin’ peanuts in my Coke.” – Barbara Mandrell.

Food Traditions as Inspiration

We all have food traditions that are specific to where we live.  I’m from the East Tennessee Valley, just outside the Great Smoky Mountains. I could tell you about a number of traditional and odd-sounding foodstuffs that I grew up on. Such as eggs scrambled with crumbled cornbread, cushaw pie, chocolate gravy…  but this post is dedicated to a simple southern snack that I remember fondly: peanuts in Coca-Cola.

I still find this snack oddly delicious, and there’s something about the saltiness of the peanuts that makes the cola taste even sweeter. I was inspired to translate those flavors into something easily sharable: Coca-Cola Cupcakes – for birthdays or cookouts – whenever you want to serve something delicious to the people you love.

Start at the Stove Top

In a saucepan, stir together the magic combination of Coca Cola, cocoa powder, brown and white sugars, and butter. Bring the mixture to a boil and stir until the sugars melt. When the mixture is cohesive, let it cool completely in the saucepan.

After the mixture is cooled, whisk an egg in a large mixing bowl, then add the chocolate mixture. Then, add the dry ingredients.

Divide the batter between cupcake papers – you’ll get about 15-ish from this recipe. Bake for about 23 minutes, or until a toothpick tester comes out clean. I have made these so many times. They always bake up perfectly.

Salted Peanut Butter Buttercream

The crowning glory is the delicious, cloud-like peanut butter buttercream. Start by creaming together the butter, salt, and peanut butter. I like using fine grain sea salt here. All US grocery stores carry this now. Add confectioners’ sugar and mix until combined. Then, you’ll gradually add in heavy cream until the mixture thins. Then, whip on high speed until lightened in color and billowy.

Working one at a time, dollop, pipe, or swirl the buttercream on a cupcake, then immediately sprinkle on chopped peanuts, coarse sea salt (This can be optional, but try one for flavor pop!) and chocolate sprinkles if you have them.

This cupcake is an homage to my favorite nostalgic southern treat. I love the nuance of flavor that Coca-Cola brings to chocolate cake, and the peanut butter frosting delivers a perfect sweet & salty bite!

One more thing, if you ever get the opportunity to try peanuts in your coke, it’s best in the 8 oz. glass bottle.

Coca-Cola Cupcakes with Salted Peanut Butter Frosting

Heather Baird

Peanuts and Coca-Cola enjoyed together are an old-fashioned, yet dynamic duo of flavors – a southern snack and easy road trip food. I’ve translated those flavors into cupcake form, which adds yet another layer of flavor to the party: chocolate. The peanut butter buttercream accentuates the cola and chocolate cupcakes with a pinch of salty goodness on top.

5 from 2 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 35 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Equipment

• Cupcake pan
• 12-15 paper liners
• ¼ cup measure, or trigger ice cream scoop

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

Cupcakes

• 1 cup Coca-Cola soft drink
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into pieces
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
• 1 egg

Salted peanut butter frosting

• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 cup unsalted butter softened
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 tsp salt
• ¼ cup heavy cream plus more if needed
• ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt for sprinkling
• ¼ cup chocolate jimmies
• ¼ cup chopped salted peanuts

Instructions

 

Cupcakes

• Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a cupcake pan with baking papers.
• In a small saucepan, heat Coca-Cola, cocoa powder, and butter over medium heat until butter is melted. Add sugars and whisk until dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool, about 25 minutes.
• In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, and salt together.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk egg until just beaten, then whisk in the cooled cocoa mixture until combined. Gently stir flour mixture into cocoa mixture.
• Use a 1/4 cup measure or standard trigger ice cream scoop to pour batter into the cupcake papers. Bake cupcakes for 23- 25 minutes or until cake springs back when pressed in the middle.
• Allow cupcakes tocool completely before frosting.

Salted peanut butter frosting

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, cream together the butter, peanut butter and salt. Add in the confectioners’ sugar. Mix on low speed until just combined, then increase speed to medium.
• Add heavy cream and beat until smooth. If the frosting seems thick, add more heavy cream one tablespoon at a time until light and billowy. (Textures can vary with the oil content from different brands of peanut butter, so you may need more or less heavy cream.) Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a large French piping tip. Working one at a time, pipe onto the cooled cupcakes and garnish each one with the peanuts, salt, and sprinkles immediately. The frosting sets up quickly, and this ensures the garnishes will stick.
• These keep for up to three days at room temperature, or store them in the refrigerator for up to a week. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Notes

The cake portion of this recipe was adapted from the Baked! New Frontiers in Baking book.

Keyword chocolate cupcakes, coca cola, coca-cola soft drink, creamy peanut butter, peanut butter buttercream, unsweet cocoa powder

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!