Coca-Cola Cupcakes with Salted Peanut Butter Frosting
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.
Equipment
- Cupcake pan
- 12-15 paper liners
- ¼ cup measure, or trigger ice cream scoop
Ingredients
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.
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