Step Up to the (Cupcake) Bar -- Peanut Butter Frosting Recipe

Last week was super-busy, but really good!

We spent the Fourth of July with my family.  The weather was entirely too hot, but it was fun to have all ten of us together.

My sister and her family were visiting my parents, and one afternoon they came over here.  We kept the food simple (DH brought home pizza), then for dessert we had a cupcake bar.

I didn't take a single picture!  But this is what we had:

• Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
• Chocolate Cupcakes
• Sturdy Whipped Cream Frosting
• Peanut Butter Frosting (recipe follows)
• Cool Whip
• Chocolate Ganache (warm and pourable)

Everyone had fun sampling different combinations of cake and toppings.  I think the consensus was that every combination was good.  Mooseman's favorite was the chocolate cupcake with a double-size mound of whipped cream frosting and a "volcano" of chocolate ganache on top.  (Those are his words.)

This peanut butter frosting, a new recipe for me, is a definite hit.  I made some, er, unintentional modifications to the recipe (i.e., I made an error and tried to recover), but it turned out great anyway.  The frosting was quite soft at first, and became quite solid after chilling; next time I'll pay attention to the ideal temperature for it.  The recipe is from the same book as the Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups.  (Last week I thought it wasn't available from Amazon, but now they list it:  Cupcakes by Ceri Hadda.)

Peanut Butter Frosting
Makes about 1-1/3 cups

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup confectioner's sugar, sifted if lumpy

In a small bowl, combine the peanut butter, butter, and cream cheese with a heavy spoon until smooth and well-blended.  Beat in the vanilla.  Beat in the sugar, a little at a time, until smooth.  [I used my stand mixer with the whisk attachment, which may have resulted in a fluffier frosting.  I have no point of comparison, though.]

Enjoy!

For more recipes, click through to Tempt My Tummy Tuesday and Tasty Tuesdays.  I'm also linking up to Cupcake Tuesday.

Disclosure:  This post contains an affiliate link.  If you click through my Amazon link and make a purchase, I will earn a small commission.  Thanks for supporting my baking habit!

image credit:  stock.xchng user nazreth