TWD- Peanut Butter Topped Devil's Food Cupcakes

Although these cupcakes don't look a thing like the beautiful cake on front of Dorie's wonderful Baking bible, they are indeed based off the Devil's Food White Out Cake. The Cover Cake has finally been chosen, by Stephanie, for this week's Tuesdays with Dorie. I was pumped but not sure what to do with such an enormous cake. Our romantic valentine's dinner sadly (and happily) went the way of Pei Wei due to some craziness. Plus, my valentine can't eat chocolate, so I knew this just wouldn't work. So, I opted for cupcakes. They are easy to pawn off and I think people don't feel as guilty eating a little treat. See my cupcakes above, they're not even ashamed to be photographed in their plastic dish ready to head out to the neighbors. That's a cupcake for you. Unpretentious, delicious, and just what the doctor ordered.

I was also without ingredients, time, or any desire to risk a fancy frosting without a candy thermometer, so I decided to make Ina's Peanut Butter Frosting to go on top. While this frosting doesn't look as pretty as my favorite frosting, it's so delicious I had to keep smacking hands with the spatula to keep fingers out of the bowl. It's creamy, sweet, and perfectly compliments the rich chocolate cupcakes. With only a few ingredients, it's simple to make and well worth it, although I'll double it next time to frost so many cupcakes. I opted to freeze half for a later date. We'll see how they come out, but judging from the beautiful color and texture, I think they'll be just as delicious then as they were today.

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Kathleen's Peanut Butter Icing
adapted from Ina Garten (generously frosts a dozen cupcakes- double for entire cake recipe)
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup heavy cream

Place the confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth. Frost cupcakes and use any left over frosting to make graham cracker sandwiches. Yum!