Butterfinger Surprise Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

I would like to personally thank Valentine’s Day for providing all of us with another excuse to make (and eat!) all sorts of sweet treats each year. It’s all in the name of LOVE, right? It’s become a great excuse to get together with the girls for some wine and chocolate as well! This year, I was determined to put a spin on a classic dessert in order to win over my forever Valentine. 🙂 If you haven’t noticed already by some of the previous blog posts, my boyfriend LOVES all things chocolate and peanut butter. So, I wanted to incorporate both of them somehow this year in an easily edible treat. With that said, I decided to try my hand at a special cupcake creation. Cupcakes are a great choice for Valentine’s Day because they are pretty simple to make, easy to customize, and there are so many options to choose from! I love the idea of a “surprise” cupcake where you bite into it and find a surprise candy inside! This is where I came up with the idea of a classic chocolate cupcake with surprise Butterfinger pieces. Are you drooling yet?

This post features my all time favorite recipe for chocolate cupcakes. You can’t get any better than this one. They are extremely soft, light and full of chocolate flavor. The special ingredient that I think makes the recipe the best is the addition of hot coffee. I know what you are thinking….won’t that make my cupcake taste like coffee? Good question. The answer is no. The coffee magically brings out the rich flavor of the cocoa powder, and delivers a perfect chocolate taste that you just can’t get without it. I have had so many chocolate cupcakes in my day, and these are hands down THE BEST. Carve out a small hole in each cupcake, add in some Butterfinger baking bites, and I guarantee that your heart might explode! 🙂 Don’t like peanut butter or Butterfinger? No problem! Add in whatever special surprise candy you want inside. It’s completely up to you!

Also, after several test batches, I finally found the PERFECT frosting to top this special treat with. Included in this post is a Vanilla Buttercream Frosting that is so rich and creamy! It compliments the chocolate cupcake perfectly!

BONUS: Check out our adorable DIY Mini Mylar Metallic Balloon Toppers featured at the bottom of this post used as cupcake toppers. They are easy to make and dress up any Valentine’s Day themed party!

Things to Know Upfront/Quick Tips

• Coffee is an important ingredient in the cupcakes, so pick up a cup of hot coffee at your local coffee shop right before you plan to make your cupcakes. Or, grab an instant coffee packet!

What You Need

Chocolate Cupcakes

Dry Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups + 2 Tbsp all-purpose Flour
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• Butterfinger Baking Bites (optional)

Wet Ingredients

• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 eggs (room temperature, lightly beaten)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup hot coffee (or 1 instant coffee packet dissolved in 1 cup hot boiling water)

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Dry Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter (softened @ room temperature)
• 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• Sprinkles (we used Valentine-Themed Heart sprinkles)

Wet Ingredients

• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Step by Step

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

2. Line your 12-cup muffin pan (as well as a second pan if you have one) with cupcake liners (I used really cute colored ones!). Set aside.

3. Go ahead and remove your butter from the fridge (for the frosting) and set aside on your counter so that it can begin to warm to room temperature.

4. Place eggs in a separate bowl, and beat them lightly. Set aside.

5. Measure out 1 cup of your hot coffee and set aside (or, dissolve one instant coffee packet in 1 cup of hot boiling water, and set aside).

6. Cupcakes: In a large bowl, add all your dry ingredients together (flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt) and thoroughly combine. Next, stir in your wet ingredients one at a time in the following order (thoroughly combining after each addition)…vegetable oil, milk, eggs, vanilla extract, and lastly, your hot coffee. Please be aware that the hot coffee will make your batter very thin. This is exactly how it should be, so don’t panic! Fill your cupcake liners with your cupcake batter, filling them 2/3 of the way full. Bake cupcakes for 18 – 20 minutes, using a toothpick to test if the batter is ready (if the toothpick comes out clean, they are done baking). Allow your cupcakes to completely cool before filling and frosting them.

7. Fill Cupcakes with Butterfinger filling (optional): Using a bread knife or something similar, cut out a small hole into your cupcakes, and pop out to make a hole. Fill with Butterfinger Baking Bites. You will frost over the candy-filled hole in the next step. (Btw, I might have eaten the tiny pieces that I cut out of each cupcake. Just saying!). If you prefer to just enjoy a decadent chocolate cupcake without the Butterfinger filling, no problem! Simply skip this step. 🙂 They are delicious either way. I promise!

8. Frosting: With a hand mixer, beat your softened butter in a large bowl for 1-2 minutes until creamy. Add in your powdered sugar, heavy cream and vanilla extract. Beat until smooth for about 2-3 minutes. Spoon your frosting into your frosting bags, and frost your cupcakes. Then, finish by topping with sprinkles or as desired!

I topped my cupcakes with some adorable handmade faux Mini Metallic Mylar Balloon Toppers (see below)! We are obsessed with these adorable accessories. 🙂 Are you interested in making your own mini metallic balloon toppers?! We can show you how! The steps are pretty easy! Check out our blog post on how to make them yourself here: DIY Mini Mylar Metallic Balloon Toppers

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