Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes

After Halloween, there were tons of recipes for different ways to incorporate candy into dessert. The most impressive came from  Cupcakes-A-Go-Go. They posted a cupcake that looks just like the one I've replicated here. Chocolate cake with a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup baked in, topped with peanut butter mousse and dipped in chocolate ganache. How could I not try to replicate that? I owe it to all my peanut butter loving friends and family. After searching around online I came across a recipe that looked perfect. Instead of making a mousse, I made peanut butter buttercream. You can see in the photo that the buttercream came out nice and fluffy. I've made peanut butter frosting before and it didn't hold a candle to this. Click here for the recipe to the peanut butter buttercream and chocolate ganache.

• To make the cupcakes, I used a box of chocolate cake mix, whatever was on sale. Follow the directions but add 1 cup of ricotta cheese to the mix. 

• After pouring the batter in the tins, push a peanut butter cup almost all the way in the cake batter.  

• Bake for 18 minutes on 325. 

• While the cupcakes are cooling, make the peanut butter buttercream.

• Pipe a mound of buttercream onto each cupcake and cool them again in the refrigerator.

• Make the chocolate ganache and then dip the iced cupcakes into the ganache. You can do this by either dunking the cupcake or spooning it over. Either way is effective. 

• Then decorate with a piece of peanut butter cup.

After they are assembled, they are quite impressive and delicious. If you or anyone who eats your baking is a peanut butter and chocolate fan, you must make this. It'll knock your socks off!