Graduation Cap Cupcakes
Congratulations! Graduation day is here and it's time to celebrate with cupcakes. These are decadent chocolate with a peanut butter filling. Blue and gold were my school colors, but these could be used for any elementary, middle, high school, and even college. easily change the cupcakes liners and sprinkles to show your school spirit.
Yield: makes 16 cupcakes
Things you'll need
Ingredients for the Chocolate Cake- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup half-and-half
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup half-and-half
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Decorations
- Swiss Buttercream
- Blue Sprinkles (or sprinkles in your school colors)
- Miniature peanut butter cups (Reese's)
- Milk chocolate squares (TCHO)
- Small blue (or your school colors) candy-coated chocolates (M&M's Minis)
Equipment
- Decorating tips: #1A, #1
Let's get started!
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line 16 cups of 2 muffin tins with foil liners.
- Make the chocolate cake: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, granulated sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- In a medium bow, whisk together the half-and-half, oil, egg, vanilla, and water.
- Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the wet mixture. Stir just until no dry streaks of flour remain (do not overmix).
- Fill the foil liners two-thirds full with batter.
- Make the peanut butter filling: In a medium bowl, mix together the peanut butter and powdered sugar until smooth.
- Add the half-and-half and vanilla and mix well.
- Scoop the filling into a decorating bag and cut the tip. Pipe 1 tablespoon into the batter in each liner and swirl with a toothpick or skewer.
- Bake until a wooden pick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, about 15 minutes.
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Time to decorate!
- Scoop the buttercream into a decorating bag fitted with a #1A tip and pipe a dome of frosting onto each cupcake. Reserve the remaining frosting for more decoration.
- Roll out the outer edge of the frosting in sprinkles
- Place a mini peanut butter cup upside down in the center of each cupcake. With a dab of frosting, attach the chocolate squares.
- Scoop the remaining frosting into a decorating bag fitted with a #1 tip.
- Using frosting, attach M&M's Minis on the center of the chocolate squares.
- Pipe a tassel on the caps.
Written By Rosanna Pansino
