Tell me about your Labor Day weekend so far.. Yes, that’s right. It was one of those epic, yet relaxing weekends to close out a nonstop (and kinda stressful!) summer. Looking forward to Fall things.
Speaking of Fall! I want to share THE most perfect September treat. Nothing brings me back to September school days growing up quite like PB&J sandwiches, except for maybe a new set of butterfly hair clips and a lisa frank pencil case.
Something you’ve gotta know about these peanut butter & jelly cupcakes: they start from my simply perfect vanilla cupcakes. Have you had the chance to try them in the past week? I love them. They’re fluffy and sweet, soft and light, moist and buttery all in one cupcake wrapper. We can owe all the lightness to the sour cream, cake flour (use store bought or this cake flour substitute if needed), creamed butter, and egg whites.
I chose to make them this way—rather than a peanut butter cupcake base—because I wanted just the right balance of peanut butter and jelly. So peanut butter frosting, on top of a vanilla cupcake, filled with strawberry jelly. Now doesn’t that sound like the quintessential lunchbox treat? Nostalgic and comforting. ♥
(PS: If you do want to make these the other way around, try my peanut butter cupcakes with strawberry buttercream frosting. You can even add jelly in the middle like we do here.)
Just like the original, I added vanilla bean to the cupcake batter. You can leave it out completely, but I really like the extra flavor it brings. Vanilla bean and peanut butter… vanilla bean and strawberry… these flavors are just so beautiful.
Remember, when you’re filling cupcake wrappers with batter—fill only about 2/3 – 3/4 full. Otherwise your cupcakes could rise too tall then sink back down. Or worse! Spill over the edges. See above? That’s about how high I always fill mine.
And they always rise fabulously. See?
This is just about as fancy as the whole ziplock bag thing I do with my glazed lemon poppy seed donuts, but here’s how I always fill my cupcakes:
Sure it’s a little scrappy, but it works. Just cut a little circle out of the cupcake, fill with about 1 teaspoon of jelly and top with the piece you cut out. You can use any flavor jelly you like. Maybe grape is more your style? It works here!
Once you pile the frosting on top, you won’t be able to see the cut-out underneath. It can be our little cupcake secret. Now it’s time for the frosting. This is my favorite peanut butter frosting on the planet. I’ve been using it for a few years from brownies to snickers cupcakes (yes!) and, of course, chocolate cake and chocolate cupcakes. It’s rich and creamy without being overly sweet. In fact, all you taste is peanut butter. Which makes sense because it’s mostly all peanut butter! Only 1 cup of confectioners’ sugar, rather than 3 or 4 like most frostings.
To frost these peanut butter & jelly cupcakes, I used Wilton piping tip #12. This is a super simple frosting method if you ever want to try it. Place the tip straight up on the center of the cupcake, then apply pressure and slowly lift up. That’s all I do!
Check out all that jelly inside these super fluffy vanilla cupcakes. Not sure which part is the best, but that strawberry surprise inside is pretty awesome.
That light and fluffy cupcake texture! Happy back-to-school everyone. 🙂
For even more inspiration, check out this list of 30+ back to school recipes.
Peanut Butter & Jelly Cupcakes Recipe
Ingredients You’ll Need
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 12-count muffin pan with cupcake liners. Line a second pan with 2 liners—this recipe makes about 14 cupcakes. Set aside.
- Whisk the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until smooth and creamy—about 1 minute. Add the sugar and beat on high speed for 2 minutes until creamed together. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the egg whites, vanilla extract, and vanilla bean (if using). Beat on medium-high speed until combined, then beat in the sour cream. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients until just incorporated. With the mixer still running on low, slowly pour in the milk until combined. Do not overmix. You may need to whisk it all by hand to make sure there are no lumps at the bottom of the bowl. The batter will be slightly thick.
- Pour/spoon the batter into the liners—fill only 2/3 full to avoid spilling over the sides. Bake for 19-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. For around 30 mini cupcakes, bake for about 11-13 minutes, same oven temperature. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before filling and frosting.
- Using a sharp knife, cut a circle/hole into the center of the cupcake to create a little pocket about 3/4 inch deep. Place about 1 teaspoon of jelly inside and top with the piece of cupcake you removed to seal it. See my How to Fill Cupcakes post if you need extra visuals or help with this step.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the softened butter on medium speed for 1 minute until completely smooth and creamy. Add the peanut butter and beat on medium-high speed until the two are combined. Add the confectioners’ sugar, cream, vanilla extract, and salt. Beat on low speed for about 20 seconds, then gradually increase to high speed. Beat on high for 1 minute. Frost the cupcakes. I used a Wilton piping tip #12 to frost.
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