Chubby Hubby Cupcakes

Hey, guess what?!?! IBK (yep, that’s Itsy-Bitsy Kitchen) turned six months old a couple of weeks ago! Six months! And I didn’t realize it until two days ago. Whomp-whomp.

To celebrate (the half-birthday that I forgot about) I made us some cupcakes. But not just any ordinary cupcakes. Uh-uh, these are special. These are worthy of a birthday celebration. They’re are based on the delicious, the glorious, the mouth-wateringly magnificent Ben and Jerry’s ice cream flavor Chubby Hubby.

If you don’t know what Chubby Hubby is, prepare to drool. It’s a vanilla malt ice cream packed with chocolate-covered pretzels and fudge and peanut butter swirls.

I’ll just let that soak in for a minute.

Have you recovered from your swoon? Good. If you’ve never tried this flavor run out and buy a pint or six. And while you’re at the store pick up the ingredients for these cupcakes because they’re a necessary addition to any happy life. Also an addition to a sad life so that life can be filled with joy.

The cupcake is a sweet and moist vanilla malt cake studded with peanut butter chips and, of course, chocolate-covered pretzels. Those delicious little guys are then topped with swirled chocolate and peanut butter frostings. They are exactly as delish as they sound. Exactly as delish, maybe even more. Heaven in a paper liner. (Have I ever made any food I don’t describe as “heaven”? Why yes I have. But those recipes don’t wind up online.)

A note on frosting these bad boys: you won’t be able to fill the piping bags full enough to frost all of the cupcakes. You’ll either have to refill your bags or start again with new ones; I recommend the latter as refilling them is very, very messy. If you’re going that route, do it over the sink. Trust me on this. Here at IBK, I spill on my shoes so you don’t have to.

And if your piping skills aren’t great, don’t worry. The best thing about frosting (obviously besides the taste) is that if you mess up frosting something, you can just scrape off the mistake and start over. As many times as it takes. . .

Enjoy! And happy belated Mother’s Day!

Chubby Hubby Cupcakes

2016-05-08 22:23:51

Yields 18

A vanilla malt cupcake filled with chocolate-covered pretzels and peanut butter chips, frosted with chocolate and peanut butter buttercream.

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Cupcakes

1. 1 3/4 cup cake flour (not self-rising)
2. 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3. 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4. 1/2 teaspoon salt
5. 3/4 cup granulated sugar
6. 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
7. 2 large eggs, at room temperature
8. 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
9. 1/2 cup malted milk powder
10. 3/4 cup whole milk, at room temperature
11. 1/2 cup chopped chocolate-covered pretzels
12. 1/2 cup peanut butter chips

Chocolate Buttercream

1. 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2. 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3. 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder (optional, for a deeper chocolate flavor)
4. 1/4 teaspoon salt
5. 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
6. 2 1/2 to 3 cups powdered sugar
7. 4 to 6 tablespoons whole milk

Peanut Butter Buttercream

1. 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2. 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
3. 2 to 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
4. 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
5. 1/4 teaspoon salt
6. 3 to 4 tablespoons whole milk

Cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 18 muffin cups with cupcake liners.
2. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, combine sugar and butter. Beat with an electric mixer set to high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until combined. Beat in malted milk powder.
4. With mixer on low, add half of the dry ingredients. Add all of the milk, then add remaining dry ingredients and continue mixing until flour is just incorporated. Fold in pretzels and peanut butter chips. Divide batter between prepared muffin cups, filling each cup 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until cupcakes bounce back when lightly touched.
5. Cool cupcakes in tin for 10 minutes then cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.

Chocolate Buttercream

1. Beat butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in vanilla, espresso powder (if using), and salt until combined. Turn mixer to low and beat in cocoa powder.
2. Add 2 cups of powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time. Beat in 4 tablespoons of milk, then beat frosting with mixer on high for 4 minutes. If necessary, adjust consistency by adding more powdered if frosting is too thin or more milk if frosting is too thick.

Peanut Butter Buttercream

1. Beat butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add peanut butter and vanilla and beat for 2 minutes more. Add 2 cups of powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, until combined. Beat in salt and 3 tablespoons milk. Beat frosting for 4 minutes with mixer on high. Adjust to desired consistency by adding milk if too thick or more powdered sugar if too thin.

To frost

1. Fit a large pastry bag the decorating tip you want to use+. Fill 1 pastry bag with chocolate buttercream and 1 with peanut butter buttercream. Do not fill either bag more than halfway full. Cut the tips off the bags then very carefully transfer both bags to the bag fitted with the decorating tip. (See below for how this should look.) Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes.*
2. Cupcakes can be made 1 day ahead and stored, tightly wrapped, at room temperature. Frosting can be made 1 day ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container. To soften refrigerated frosting (if necessary): place frosting in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on low speed. Fill and frost cupcakes just before serving.

Adapted from Cupcake Project

Adapted from Cupcake Project

The Itsy-Bitsy Kitchen https://itsybitsykitchen.com/

*This is the tip I used to frost mine.