The Littlest Succubus

Mini Mini Chocolate Peanut Butter cakes and whoopie pies!

So I get bored. And we’re broke. I really wanted to bake but I’m out of cocoa powder and cinnamon rolls took too much time and I wouldn’t be able to bake them tonight.

We have tons of crunchy peanut butter! Tons of it! So after making puppy chow a few nights ago (the easiest munchies of the gods. Just look up muddy buddies on the chex website), I decided on chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter buttercream. But I didn’t want cupcakes. I wanted a cake! So I chopped the top of the cupcakes off and flipped them to frost them like mini cakes. Then I used the tops to make mini whoopie pies!

But once again, I have no cocoa powder! So here’s a simple recipe when you’re in the mood for chocolate cake and have most of the ingredients but this one!

Oh, and this frosting tastes just like those De La Rosa Peanut Mazapan candies from Mexico.
 

Mini Chocolate Cakes
Ingredients:
(yields about 10 standard cupcakes) 

• 1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 1 cup and 3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup and 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup milk

Peanut Butter Buttercream:
(You can half this recipe if you don’t like lots of frosting. I did this time around and had JUST enough to frost my cakes and fill my whoopie pies a little.)

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup peanut butter (creamy is preferred but crunchy will work)
• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 3-4 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, combine butter and brown sugar; beat in eggs, chocolate and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with the sour cream.
2. Gradually beat in water. Pour into two greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
3. For frosting, cream the butter, peanut butter, confectioners’ sugar, milk and vanilla in a mixing bowl until smooth. I found 4 tablespoons gave me the perfect consistency but add more or less to your taste.

Now this recipe is light and fluffy so making mini cakes was probably not the best idea with these but they still turned out adorable! All I did was cut off the domed top of the cakes and flipped them upside down onto parchment paper to frost. I also paired the cut off tops and made whoopie pies. Then I just carefully picked up the cakes on the parchment paper and placed it into my storage container, but whatever way works for you!

Enjoy!