Loaded Chocolate Cupcakes
Chocolate cupcakes, topped with peanut butter frosting, and a unique but delicious variety of toppings create a fun dessert that tastes amazing and is sure to get everyone talking!
Ingredients
For the cupcakes
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 2 oz semi-sweet baking chocolate roughly chopped
- 1 cup hot water almost boiling or boiling
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/3 cup white sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 2 eggs
- 2 egg yolks
For topping
- peanut butter frosting homemade or store-bought
- 1 cup chocolate chunks you can also use chocolate chips or mini chocolate chips
- pretzel sticks, or twists broken or left whole
- 1 cup plain potato chips broken into small pieces
Instructions
- This recipes make 12 regular-sized cupcakes. I like to use cupcake liners for baking, then remove them before topping my cupcakes, but you can grease your muffin pan instead of using liners if you prefer.
- Combine the chopped chocolate and cocoa powder in a small heat-proof bowl. Add the hot water(your water should be near boiling) and whisk until the chocolate is completely melted. Pop the bowl in the fridge to cool for about 30 minutes. Whisking once or twice to keep everything combined.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners and set aside until ready to use.
- Once the melted chocolate is cooled, remove the bowl from the fridge and set aside until ready to use.
- In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients (the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt). Now, cut the butter into small pieces and add it to the dry ingredients, and mix using an electric mixer(you can also make these cupcakes in the bowl of a stand mixer), and beat until the mixture resembles dough.
- Now, in a medium bowl, combine the wet ingredients(the sour cream, eggs, and egg yolks) and whisk to combine.
- Pour the wet ingredients into your flour-butter mixture and beat until it is light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes at high speed. Once mixed, scrape down the sides of your bowl with a rubber spatula and mix again.
- Then pour the chocolate mixture into your batter and beat on high speed until combined. Again, scraping down the sides of the bowl at least once to make sure everything gets combined.
- Once the batter is done, spoon it into your prepared muffin tin, doing your best to keep an equal amount in each cup.
- Place in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Be sure not to overbake your cupcakes or they will be dry inside!
- Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan until they are cool enough to handle, then remove them from the pan and place them on a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Allow the cupcakes to cool to room temperature, remove the cupcake liners then frost and top! You can frost your cupcakes with a knife or use a piping bag to pipe the peanut butter frosting.
- Sprinkle the crushed potato chips and chocolate chunks over the frosted cupcakes, doing your best to keep an even amount on each. Place your pretzels onto the cupcakes, and gently press them down into the frosting to make sure they stay on!
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Any leftover loaded chocolate cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days! Unfrosted cupcakes can also be stored at room temperature for 2-3 days!
If you like, you can add chocolate chunks or chocolate chips to the cupcakes themselves! You can also add a teaspoon of espresso powder, and substitute hot coffee in place of the hot water to give these cupcakes a delicious mocha flavor! You can also add a splash of vanilla extract to help bring out the chocolate flavor!
I love using my homemade peanut butter frosting recipe for these cupcakes, but you can feel free to use any of your favorite frostings. Or a peanut butter frosting from the grocery store.
These chocolate cupcakes aren’t the sweetest cupcakes in the world. When I was developing the recipe, I cut down the amount of sugar I would usually add because I knew I was going to be loading these cupcakes with frosting and chocolate on top. So feel free to play around with the amount of sugar to create a sweetness that better suits you.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cupcakeCalories: 482kcalCarbohydrates: 54gProtein: 6gFat: 28gSaturated Fat: 15gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 104mgSodium: 235mgPotassium: 293mgFiber: 4gSugar: 29gVitamin A: 595IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 59mgIron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!